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 Wildlife is abundant
throughout the Rainy Pass hunting area. It
is one of the few places in Alaska where top
trophies of each of six major big game
animals can be hunted at the same time from
the same camp. The interior Brown/Grizzly
Bear numbers are at an all time high.
Hunting in this area, for this prime trophy,
is the best that the State of Alaska has to
offer today. In fact, during the 2001
hunting season the bag limit was increased
allowing a hunter to harvest one bear every
year, instead of one bear every four years
as the regulations allow in other game
units.
The Dall Sheep population is currently
holding its own in the Alaska Mountain
Range. Mature Dall Rams in this area tend to
have beautiful tight curls that generally
measure from 36 to 40 inches in length.
However, the genetics found here are
excellent and some exceptional rams are
taken that measure over 42 inches.
Moose continue to produce good antlers that
often measure over 60 inches in width and
have heavy massive palms and long points
coming off of the frontal palms. Hunting for
these monster deer, that can exceed 1400
pounds, is done in unit 19 during the height
of the September rut. During the past
several years the Mulchatna Barren Ground
Caribou Herd has moved farther North and
West into new territory. That has made
hunting for these impressive trophies more
challenging and difficult. However, good
trophies are still available and hunting
them is often combined with a Dall Sheep
hunt. These beautiful white manned bulls are
often found at higher altitudes on the
gravel bars and mountain tops.
The Black Bear population continues to be
healthy and many bears can be sighted in
August and September as they migrate to the
higher altitudes to harvest the ripe blue
berries that grow in abundance on the
mountain sides. These bears are all raven
black and good trophies of over six feet are
available each year.
For those who dream of hunting a Wolf on a
fair chase basis, you have an excellent
chance in the Rainy Pass hunting area.
During the last several years the clients
have had many opportunities to take Wolves
while they were on combination hunts. They
are hard to hit and you should be ready to
shoot out to 450 yards.
The small game and the fur animal population
has increased around Rainy Pass Lodge. There
are now more Snow Shoe Hares, Ptarmigan,
Spruce Grouse, Fox, Martin, and Wolverine
than there have been in past years. A few
hours spent hunting Ptarmigan or Spruce
Grouse can be quite rewarding.
The Alaska Peninsula has been regulated for
many years with the philosophy of producing
the biggest Brown Bears possible. Hunters
are only allowed to take one bear every four
years. As a result the population is good
and the size and trophy quality just keeps
getting better. Tent camps are set up that
provide the maximum comfort and protection
from the weather. The Spring hunt requires a
lot of patience as you glass from high
points watching for bear movement as they
come out of their dens. In the Fall the
salmon streams are closely watched and the
hunt can be equally exciting. |
