We put on our heavy packs and jumped into a vertical shale slide. I wasn't happy about it, but my partner, Tim Hand, had grown up in these mountains, so I trusted him. Our return to camp, which would have been over an hour of suffering down that steep ridge, took about 15 minutes. Another lesson learned. Though they were nearly 8 miles away, we could see where our rams had bedded down. While we ha...  Read More

Watching a wolf kill a sheep was exciting, but our Dall sheep hunt was far from over. In fact, it hadn't officially started. We'd come in the day before, but this was August 9. The season didn't open until the 10th. We had spotted a small band of rams the night before, climbed a steep ridge this morning, and were trying to figure out where they went. We finally saw them several miles away running ...  Read More

There was no struggle. The wolf hit the Dall sheep like a freight train and it was over. But then the most amazing part happened. Once dead, the wolf bit this adult ewe about halfway down its spine, right where the rib cage was largest. Then he lifted the entire animal off the ground, with its head and legs dangling, and carried it into the brush. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. I...  Read More

As fast as the Dall sheep were running, the wolf was quickly gaining ground. He expertly separated one ewe from the others, and in a moment he was on her. It was over in a matter of seconds. Divide and conquer- this is the same strategy that Satan uses to destroy friendships, marriages, families, and churches. When we are alone, we are a much easier target. When we lack unity, he can even use us a...  Read More

It only took a moment to see why the Dall sheep were on a dead run. A lone wolf was racing toward them. In John 10:12 Jesus said, "The wolf attacks the flock and scatters it." That's exactly what was happening. Think of it- the shepherd GATHERS and PROTECTS, the wolf SCATTERS and HARMS. The shepherd brings UNITY. The wolf brings DIVISION. There have been a few times in my life when I have seen pas...  Read More

Hunting Alaska's Dall Sheep was a new experience for me. I was lying on my belly on top of a mountain 'glassing' a small band of ewes and lambs when I decided to set up my spotting scope for a closer look. I barely had them in focus when they began to run as though their lives depended on it. When danger comes, their only defense is to FLEE. When it comes to maintaining moral purity, this is also ...  Read More

I was now over 3 hours into my '15 minute' stop to drop off tires and a Christmas tree. When the fuel truck arrived, the driver walked into my shop to see if he could figure out why the furnace wouldn't start. No luck, but he filled my fuel oil tank and I was able to start the furnace in the house. As the house was warming, I went back into the shop and finally figured out the problem. I still did...  Read More

The whole time I was working on my frozen garage door I was hearing lots of 'beeping' sounds. I thought there was heavy equipment working in the neighborhood. When I walked in to check the house, I discovered every C02 detector blaring loudly. As I was getting a ladder I noticed that the house was very, very cold. One by one I removed the detectors, because just pulling the batteries didn't stop t...  Read More

Laura and I are custodians of a home and shop in Big Lake. I drove out there this week intending to store our Christmas tree and some spare tires and pick up a snowmachine. After snowing more than 2 feet earlier this month, it rained hard last week. The huge double garage door to the shop was frozen shut with over half inch of ice at the bottom. I had a torch to try to melt the ice, but I couldn't...  Read More

There is a certain sense of satisfaction that farmers and gardeners and hunters and fishermen get from 'living off the land.' My moose was home, but the work was far from over. Hundreds of pounds of steak, roasts and ribs needed to be cut and wrapped, and all of the scrap needed to be ground into burger. Add another day of work. On top of all of this, my hunting and camping gear needed to be clean...  Read More

Pulling the trigger was the easy part. My moose was down. I've done this by myself many times, and to be honest, there is always a moment of exhale where I think something like, "Lord, what have I done?" The first long job was to get the hide and meat off one side and then the other.  I am also meticulous about keeping my meat clean. On a good sized bull this can take 2 or 3 hours by the time I'm ...  Read More

I managed to stay on the bull- just a glimpse here and there as he made a beeline through the timber. I got a good look at him when I first saw him, and I knew this was a legal bull. When he stepped behind a small patch of low-to-the-ground spruce trees, I steadied my rifle against a birch tree and waited. I couldn't SEE him, but I KNEW I had him. It's actually very common for us to KNOW that we h...  Read More