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mooseoutfront

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Everything posted by mooseoutfront

  1. We have coyotes and wolves both in the area. The wild animals around here are still very wary of humans, so they don't really get that close to the cabin. Although there were a couple of coyotes that came up the drive a couple of months ago. They got to about 100 feet from the cabin before they turned around. Magnum went nuts when he smelled them the next morning and I followed their tracks in the snow for about about a mile before the got off the road and headed into the woods. Probably just scouts for a large pack that I've seen around all winter. I counted 18 of them when I surprised them on the road one night. Magnum is a smart little fucker. Smartest dog I've ever had. He just knows and stays close. You can always tell by watching how his body language changes when he smells predators. He'll do his thing if it's just a lynx or coyotes, but if he smells wolves he'll turn around and head back to the cabin. Refuses to take another step. He's a good alarm system. We've never lost a dog to the critters, but it 's a risk we've just accepted. Here's a wolf story for you... We were drifted in a while back. I had to park my work rig on the highway side of the snow drifts and walk about a mile and a half to the cabin. My dumb ass left my head lamp at the cabin that morning and I forgot to grab the pistol out of the truck before I started walking home in the dark. About half way home I heard an audible growl. My butt hole immediately puckered. No light, no firearm. I started singing the Eyes of Texas. That's the standard way I make noise in the woods so I don't surprise a bear in the summertime. Anyways I continue down the road home. I can hear at least two creatures following me, one on each side of the road. I can't see them, but I can hear their footsteps in the snow and I can hear them breathing. They break off about a quarter mile from the cabin and I get home. Go out the next morning when it's light and sure as shit find wolf tracks in the snow. They could of had me if they wanted me. They were just checking me out. They really want nothing to do with us. Still gets the heartbeat up though.
  2. March is usually the beginning of the end. Sunlight noticeably comes back, which usually brings the temps above freezing and the big thaw starts. There are always a few random below zero nights here or there, but it's supposed to be below zero for highs next week. That's unusual. The big problem is the snow. We typically get 3 feet of snow during the winter. A heavy year is 4 feet. We've had 12 feet of snow this year. It's going to be an epic breakup followed by an equally epic mosquito year this summer with all the water that is going to be around.
  3. Someone wins every year. Usually multiple people who have guessed the same time split the jackpot, but every once in a while someone gets it all to themselves.
  4. It has been a challenge at times, but the way we live has instilled an us versus the world mentality between the two of us. We have both changed and matured a lot over the past dozen years, but in the end it's all about the 3 amigos...my wife, me, and whatever canine we are currently spoiling.
  5. Here's some local flavor for y'all. Time to get your Ice Classic tickets. Jackpot is usually around $300K. My wife missed it by 2 minutes one year. https://www.nenanaakiceclassic.com/
  6. The price of gasoline is now up to $4.89 per gallon as of this morning. Over a dollar up over the week. Everything is about to be spendy up here.
  7. The grips are awesome. It basically locks the gun into my hand. Very happy with the purchase. It's an amazing shooter.
  8. Let's hope it never comes to that.
  9. Another 10 inches of snow last night. Temps are going to drop below zero again next week. It's the never ending winter.
  10. I went with the Springfield.
  11. That looks fun. That's a big fucking tree.
  12. We don't stress much, we can always buy ourselves out of trouble. Cured firewood goes for about $250/cord. We've never run short on firewood. Cutting wood is one of my favorite things. It's the most productive, satisfying work I've ever done. As I get older it's going to get tougher to bring in 10 cords a year. We'll budget for it as I approach 60. The only real stress is getting the vegetables harvested and canned and the moose processed before spoilage sets in. My wife and I handle the garden stuff ourselves. The potatoes aren't harvested until after the first couple of freezes anyway. The freeze drives the nutrients from the plant into the tuber. You just want to get them before the ground freezes. We always throw a moose processing party. Usually about 6 to 10 people show up. Everyone goes home with fresh moose meat, full bellies, and a cool buzz.
  13. Count me in as vaporized. I live about 20 miles from this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Space_Force_Station And I am more than ok with that.
  14. The military is for sure prepping here. I’ve never seen as many convoys on the highway as I’ve seen in the last few weeks. They are moving all kinds of equipment via road and rail. Lots of aircraft in the air. Everything from fighter jets to cargo planes to blackhawks and apaches. Shit is being mobilized.
  15. Temps are above zero now. Magnum is happy again.
  16. Our budget is $3K per month, but unless something breaks we usually spend around $2K or less. If the shit hit the fan we could live quite comfortably on $1K a month.
  17. I'm happy to finally contribute something positive to the board...been a lurker for years. I've just got to start remembering to carry my phone with me so I can take y'all some pics.
  18. Problem we have is that we try to get all summer chores done by September 1. That's the first day of moose season. Fire wood and gardening consume our lives in the lead up to that. By the time we get through hunting and processing the moose not only are we pretty much spent physically, the temps are usually below the curing range for the chinking compound. It's on the list though...one of these days.
  19. A friend of mine purchased one of those. Sweet little do everything gun for around here. I doubt I'll get one. I have all the long guns I need/want. Pistols on the other hand...
  20. You don't leave anyone stranded on the road at 40 below. Bad karma, no matter how bad you dislike them.
  21. Yeah, that moose is pissed. Ears down and hairs up is a very, very bad sign.
  22. This is true. Even though they are the largest member of the deer family, their eyes don't reflect like whitetail. Plus, they'll just straight up walk out in front of your vehicle like they don't even see it. Most people have auxiliary lights on their vehicles for night time driving. They are referred to as moose lights.
  23. Trees are your only hope unless you have a gun.
  24. Moose are by far the most dangerous animals in the woods here. A bull moose in full rut will chase you down and kill you. A cow moose protecting her calf will do the same. You don't really get a sense of how big they are until you see them up close. A fully mature bull moose in his prime is 10 to 11 feet tall if you measure from the top of the antlers to the ground. And yes, they are not hard to hunt. You just have to be able to make a good shot. They are tough sons of bitches.
  25. Lots of cool stuff out there. We've been making it work for 12 years. We've got our system down. In 10 years we'll be Mexicans. We're just gonna keep on keeping on with what we know. UAF has a cold climate housing research center you might be interested in. https://uaf.edu/campusmap/for-visitors/buildings/cchrc.php follow the links
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