By Bridget Fabel<\/a><\/p>\n L<\/span>ast year, I was lucky enough to harvest a caribou bull in Alaska while solo hunting. It truly was an experience that I will cherish forever. I had to work extremely hard and relied solely on myself to find a good bull, kill it, and pack it out.<\/p>\n After that experience and eating a year\u2019s worth of delicious caribou meat, I knew that I had to travel back to do it again this year. In 2021, I started hunting caribou<\/a> in mid-September. Temperatures were cold, caribou were scarce, and I pretty much had the mountain to myself.<\/p>\n Traveling to Alaska for the opening weekend this year brought an entirely different experience. The mountains were littered with people. I saw more people, campers, four-wheelers, and UTVs than I\u2019ve seen on any hunt. I took my boyfriend Hunter this year in hopes we could both harvest a caribou or two together. We arrived a couple of days early to scout, and it was clear there were way more people than caribou.<\/p>\n The caribou didn\u2019t like the pressure of people either, so before the hunt opened they moved to a desolate area only accessible by plane. As much as we hoped we could work hard and get to them, it\u2019s genuinely impossible with just your feet as a resource.<\/p>\n Opening morning, we hiked eight miles over ridge after ridge and we only saw other hunters, but no caribou. We had a similar experience on the second day and decided that this wasn\u2019t our hunting style, so we decided to head back to Utah with hopes of traveling back to Alaska later in the season when fewer people would be around.<\/p>\n Caribou country in Alaska is also wolf, grizzly and wolverine country. Hunting in desolate areas with top predators makes it essential to have a sidearm you trust on your hip. My open-carry gun of choice for most of this year\u2019s hunts has been my Springfield Armory 1911 Emissary chambered for the .45 ACP<\/a> cartridge.<\/p>\n My Emissary fits comfortably on my hip in my Bianchi Minimalist holster. If I\u2019m carrying my backpack, it is often loaded with a significant amount of gear. Therefore, the hip strap is cinched up tight around my waistline with the holster attached to it. If I need to ditch my backpack and go on a hike without it, I\u2019ll carry it in the same holster on my belt.<\/p>\n The whole purpose of carrying a sidearm is to always have it on you and have it easily accessible. I figure that the one time you forget it or decide to leave it behind will be the one time you need it. For this reason, I personally don\u2019t go anywhere without it, as it\u2019s not worth the risk. Besides the fact that it\u2019s the smart thing to do, it also gives me a feeling of safety even in the most dangerous, and desolate environments.<\/p>\n Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This year I bumped into more grizzly bears in Alaska than I ever have in the past. The closer you get to these dangerous animals, the more you realize the importance of always having a capable pistol on your hip. No human should mess with their claws, teeth and extreme aggression.<\/p>\n Part of why they are so dangerous is because they see so few people. Brown bears truly have nothing to lose if they bump into you, and they won\u2019t back down simply out of confidence and curiosity. Do everything you can to avoid them, as you do not want to engage with them. If you cannot avoid them and one attacks, having a sidearm is a must.<\/p>\n After working in Alaska and joining clients on moose hunts all September, I had a few days left to chase caribou again. Hunter and I still had caribou tags in our pockets and made a full-day journey to caribou country.<\/p>\n We prepared for a long day hike in hopes of spotting some caribou. Upon stopping at the first glassing knob, I was excited to spot four caribou in the distance, made up of two cows and two calves. We needed bulls for our tags, but we knew that where there\u2019s a small group of caribou there are always more somewhere close. Caribou live in giant herds, which makes hunting them really fun. You and a friend or two can easily tag out alongside each other because the herds are so large.<\/p>\n After glassing around some more, I nearly jumped for joy when I spotted an entire herd of caribou in the distance. They were just about to peak over the mountaintop, but I could tell that there were at least a dozen good bulls in the herd. The problem was that they were miles and miles away, and it would be dark in a couple of hours.<\/p>\n We took off running towards the caribou to cover the ground as fast as possible. After about an hour\u2019s hike up and down strenuous mountain tops, we were about 500 yards from the herd. Hunter and I snuck in closer to about 350 yards, and we both made shots at great bulls. They both went down just before sunset, and we couldn\u2019t be happier!<\/p>\n It was time for the hard work. We had two caribou to cut up and hike off the mountain. The sun was setting fast, and temps were very cold. Once the sun was gone, temperatures would drop further.<\/p>\n We got to work immediately and handled the expedited field dressing of bulls in the dark. We each hiked a hind quarter and front quarter out and came back for the rest in the morning. The pack-outs were almost entirely uphill for miles; it wasn\u2019t easy at all! The entire process took about two full days, and then we were finished and ready for a big burger in town.<\/p>\n This hunt was incredibly fun. I was excited to be alongside Hunter as he took the shot on his first caribou. It was also fun for me to take my second caribou and be successful in hunting them two years in a row. I\u2019m already looking forward to pulling the trigger on more caribou again this fall! And, I\u2019m glad I had my Emissary on me just in case I needed it.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n
Too Many People, Too Few Caribou<\/h2>\n
![\"emissary](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/emissary-carry-during-hunt.jpg.webp)
\n<\/picture>Wolves, Grizzlies and Wolverines \u2014 Oh\u00a0My!<\/h2>\n
![\"carrying](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/carrying-the-emissary-while-hunting.jpg.webp)
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<\/p>\n![\"caribou](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/caribou-sheds.jpg.webp)
\n<\/picture>Another Shot<\/h2>\n
![\"successful](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/successful-caribou-hunt.jpg.webp)
\n<\/picture>Conclusion<\/h2>\n
Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n
Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t45ACP<\/sup><\/span><\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"1911](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/PX9220L.png.webp\"\/)
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<\/p>\n1911 Emissary<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"Bianchi](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/product-bianchi-minimalist-belt-slide-holster-w-slots.jpg.webp\"\/)
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<\/p>\nBianchi Leather Minimalist Belt Slide Holster w\/ Slots<\/span><\/h3>\n
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