20 Aug 54-

8:00 morning,  Fair
The first day - Alaska Big Game Season
Tom Bolack, my buddy and I waiting for Plane at Lane Hotel (in Anchorage) Oscar & family with Chris have gone in on early trip.  Haakon (Chris) Christensen was one of the best-liked old-time Alaskan pilots with many years experience.  He did most of the flying service for the Stephan Lake Hunting Camps.  The plane was a Grumman Widgeon.
We will take second.
12:30 Noon – we are at Stephan Camp – Lunch after flight in from Anchorage. 
We saw:
2 Black Bear
3 Moose
Herds of Caribou
3 Grizzly.  One grizzly stood up to look at us as we went by at 1000 ft. 
Afternoon – Fishing
Rainbow trout and salmon, we kept no salmon – we killed about 25 Rainbow Trout for camp use. 
Size 16 to 24 inches. 
We must have caught fifty, they were real fighters.  I kept a rifle on my shoulder. 
You could see where Bear were eating salmon on sand or gravel bars.
Sited in rifles. May be inaccurate after the 5000 mile flight.  Showers-cool
The four hunters were:
Oscar Vogel – Trapper, Guide, Outfitter
David Bell – Trapper, Guide
Tom Bolack – Oil & Gas   (Tom Bolack was elected governor of New Mexico in 1962)
Ebersole – Elec. Appliances

21 Aug 54  Fair –afternoon-some rain
We left main camp, packing in to Grizzly camp to hunt sheep and caribou first.  Grizzly pelts will be better later.
We saw:
2 moose
1 eagle
Numerous caribou
6 grizzly – all colors
1- Caribou looked at us over canyon rim as we were putting up tent.  I took his picture. 
We set up camp and went to bed early thinking about all the game & beautiful scenery in this country.

22 Aug 54 Fair
Our first day of actual hunting for sheep & caribou.  We four hunted Northeast into Talkeetna Mts., middle fork, 8 mi. 
Weather cool-crisp-clear.  We saw Rock rabbits & whistlers.  Photographed McKinley.
16 sheep – no big rams
About 35 caribou
On the way back, Oscar spotted a trophy size caribou in full velvet, another good one with it also. 
Tom decided to take the large one after careful stalk of 150 yds.; he made an excellent lung shot at about 225 yds.
I recorded the whole procedure on film.  After butchering, we preceded to camp with horns, cape and 2 quarters of meat.
On the way back, I stalked a sleeping caribou to about 40 ft. and got some fine pictures. 
This is Bull Caribou country, only 1 cow all day.  Evening weather cloudy.

23 Aug 54   Cloudy, Rain
Rain most of night.  Light rain this morning.  We waited around camp until 9:00; clouds are beginning to lift as we left camp for the sheep country.  Fifty yards above camp, Oscar spotted four Grizzlies on a slope south of camp.  They are out of season for another week.
We hiked east several miles to the point of a ridge so we could see the Sheep Mountains.  We spent several hours watching the Grizzlies and caribou on every ridge and waiting for the clouds to lift.  In the afternoon, we spotted two large moose in a creek bottom at about four miles.  While watching the moose, three of the Grizzlies moved over to our side of the ridge and worked towards us.  I had the cameras all set up, at about 200 yds, they winded us, stood up, danced, turned and ran.  The guide said, don’t shoot-we will get bear later.  The next day, a bear wrecked a boat at the lake.  Now we are to shoot any bear!

24 Aug 54 Rain in morning
Oscar & I went up the valley where we saw the moose the day before.  At about four miles, we located the moose again about 10 o’clock.  They were close to the same spot.  The sun came out as we worked nearer.  We stalked them across a creek bottom about 1/2 mile wide.  It was covered with willow & cottonwood.  We came to the edge of a patch of cottonwood which looked like about 250 yds.  The moose were bedded down a short way above on the hillside.  I thought it was close enough.  We crawled to a little mound covered with moss and waited for the moose to rise & begin feeding.  We waited about an hour while I set up the tripod & camera and took off my shoes and put the socks out in the sun to dry and waited.  We finally decided to try to spook them.  Oscar clapped his hands and howled like a wolf.  After several tries, the moose stood up and looked around.  I shot while Oscar started the camera.  I missed the first shot, held above him the second.
This bullet hit low in the shoulder, almost a brisket shot.  He flinched and ran.  I missed several shots, trying to estimate the range & lead.  On the sixth and final shot, it struck back of the shoulder in the ribs.  The moose went down.  In going over, we found I was shooting over 400 yards.  This open country with bright sun on our backs was the cause.  I took a finishing shot when we reached him.  We skinned the cape, quartered the meat & packed a load to camp at 7:30.
The antlers were in velvet, just starting to peel on the points.  They measured 62 inches wide, even palms & good points.  Moose come in all sizes from trophy size to stub horns on moose too young or old to grow a full set of antlers.  The scrubs are called Mulligan Moose.

25 Aug 54 – Rain at night
Oscar & I went after moose antlers & meat.  We passed a moose killed about 3 miles farther.  Looking for sheep & Bear, we saw 15 sheep on a big slope and two good rams, very high on a pinnacle at about 6,000 feet.  It was impossible to approach them.  We tried to climb up for several hundred yards until we were looking straight down.  We gave up and went after the moose antlers & meat on the way back to camp at 7:30.  Plenty caribou & Bear signs.

26 Aug 54 – Fair
Tom, Oscar and I went up middle fork which would take us to the other side of the mountain where we saw Rams.  Dave is packing horns & capes to main camp.  We (Oscar & I) climbed clear to the top of one of the mountains at about 6,000 ft.  We saw 6 rams on a pinnacle at a point impossible to reach.  We did not disturb them & went to camp early.  Plenty of caribou, no big heads.  Tom & I saw a good moose on the way in.

In photo, we are ankle-deep in blueberries

27 Aug 54 –  Rain
Oscar & Tom went after moose we saw yesterday.  Slept all morning.  I stayed in camp to rest and  get ready to pack to Talkeetna Valley for sheep.  I cleaned up camp, cooked lunch for Dave who is cutting wood while I am in camp.  Tom and Oscar return to camp about 2:30 a.m.,  very wet.  For supper, cooked caribou stew with macaroni, boiled potatoes, rice with raisins and stewed prunes.  We have had too much skillet cooking.  To bed early, big plans for tomorrow.

28 Aug 54 – Rain
Clearing in afternoon.
Tom & Dave went to Stephan Lake to rest & hunt moose.
Oscar & I started for Talkeetna Valley with full packs in heavy rain to hunt sheep & Grizzly later.  About 7 mi. out of camp, we saw a herd of caribou, 3 of them were trophy size.  One is record size.  We are preparing for mt.   We made a stalk of about 500 yds, mostly on hands and knees in heavy wet brush. Oscar wore hip boots & I had Duck Pants treated with water proofing which helped when we reached a point within range-150 yds.  All of the caribou had bedded down with one of the smaller ones between us and the one which seemed to have the most even antlers.  We waited ½ hour until the rain caused them to get up and shake themselves.  One of them had higher & wider horns than the one we selected.  However, the last one to get up had a Double Shovel, very rare and good points, 26 on each side.   I shot him with 1 shot from 150 yds. in shoulder and packed back to Grizzly Camp with horns & cape.

29 Aug 54  Weather Clear (Sunday)
Oscar & I start for Talkeetna Valley again.  Long & tough trip in to camp site in the open.  We saw plenty caribou, 40 sheep, made camp at 7:00 evening. V
After a very exciting & wonderful day in real game country any where you can look.  We are camped under a spruce tree with a starry sky for a roof.  We have food for only 2 days, no dishes, soap, towel or other toilet articles.

30 Aug 54 Pack in hide
We hunt for sheep in Sheep Creek, saw 24 sheep.  Largest ram, ¾ curl.  We passed up for a better one.  Clouding in evening.  Rain at night, we are sleeping under a spruce tree without tent or tarp.  No soap or towel, no dishes. 1 skillet (rusty), food supply very low.

31 Aug 54 Rain last night. Heavy Fog
We stay in camp until 9:00 – clearing at 11:00.  We make short trip up Wolf Creek.
No Rams
Seeing lots of caribou.  We are seeing plenty lambs & yews.  Lots of mineral in this section.  Our food supply is all.  We must make some kind of kill tomorrow or we will be too weak to get back to grizzly cabin over 21 mi.  We plan to hunt on Ram Mountain tomorrow where we have seen big sheep with glasses.

1 Sept 54 – Fair
This must be our last day to hunt rams in Talkeetna River Valley.  We have used all our food supplies – 1 slice bacon, ½ half slice bread & tea for breakfast.  Got up at 4:00, plan to hunt Ram Mountain.  Our longest hunt from the open camp.  Left camp at 5:00, started to see good caribou right away. Saw record caribou & many trophy size near Ram Mt.  Saw Black Bear, no shoot, too far to pack.  We spotted a Ram at 7:00 in the first draw at about one mile.  We had the wind in our favor.  He looked fair with our glasses.  We were able to go up a gulley to about 90 yards.  The Ram walked out in the open.  I made a quick check on the horns with scope.  It showed a full curl.  No broomed ends.  One quick shot through the heart & I had my Ram.  We butchered & returned to camp with plenty of meat.  We roasted two sides of prime ribs & ate all afternoon & evening.  Tomorrow we will pack back to Grizzly cabin with the sheep & grizzly trophies.  We regret leaving this valley.  There is no other hunter within 30 mi. and there is so much game and beautiful country.  I hope no man ever changes it.

2 Sept 54 Cloudy
Weather changed some in afternoon, rain in evening.
Oscar & I stopped on a high point to rest on the way to make sheep camp and spotted a large Grizzly at 4 or 5 miles, almost at our camp site.

It took a lot of time to get close enough to it to tell if it had a good fur & the direction of the wind made it necessary to go high and to the other side of where the bear was feeding in a blueberry flat.  After four hours of forced march over ridges, gullies & blueberry flats & wading a cold creek with full packs, we finally located the feeding grizzly.  While resting on a high point, we had passed him about ¼ mile which put the wind directly in our faces, we dropped lower around a willow thicket, crossed a short flat which should have brought us within range.  However, the bear had moved and was nowhere in sight.  We circled back to be sure he had not worked in back of us.  After some time, we agreed he had gone the other way.  We then moved to a high point and again spotted the bear feeding away from us at about ½ mile.  We dropped in a draw which ran in his direction when we reached the end and looked over some willows.  We were surprised to see the bear had turned & was coming in our direction at about 100 yds.  As I raised the rifle, the big grizzly, standing as high as a cow, moved back of some willows & brush preventing an open shot.  I waited as he continued to work towards us.  At about 75 yds, he stepped in an open shot – long enough to place a quick shot at an angle in front of the shoulder.  He flinched and let out a hair-raising growl and threw up his head and spotted us.  As we stepped out in the open, he charged straight at us with his mouth wide open and let out another growl.  Another quick shot right at his head struck the lower jaw, split the tongue and went down his throat.  The bear slid to a stop at about 40 ft. We snapped a few pictures as we settled down to normal and started in on a quick skinning job.  It was now 6:00 in the evening and it looked like the largest animal I had ever seen.  We finished the job in about an hour, made a quick trip on a bear trail back to a patch of cottonwood & spruce, cooked a lunch and laid out our sleeping bags under the stars and a spruce tree. The pile of spruce boughs & grass under my sleeping bad showed bear hair and looked like someone had just gotten out of bed.  However, I slept fine all night, dreaming of the big ram I would see tomorrow.

  Today we packed back to Grizzly camp – 20 miles with Bear skin & skull, Ram Horns & cape, sleeping bags & personal things.  We saw hundreds of caribou on migration, 3 flocks sheep, 5 rams.  Made Grizzly camp at 5:00.  11 hours, very hard packing.  We were both tired but happy with the hunt in the Talkeetna Valley.  Oscar rubbed blisters on his feet, mine feel pretty good.

3 Sept 54 Cloudy, Rainy
Oscar & I packed back to Main Base Camp at Stephan Lake, 6 mi.  I have four fine trophies and I have lost 8 pounds.  We saw caribou & lots of fresh beaver sign as we came around the lake.
Chris came in after lunch with the Widgeon (float plane) for a load of meat for Tom.  We are preparing capes & cleaning up.  I will fish, take pictures, & hunt ducks & look for a black bear close to camp in the next ten days.

4 Sept 54 Rainy
Oscar & Tom went to Grizzly camp to get Tom a ram & bear.  We spotted a black bear. The fish & wildlife boys took Dave and I across the Lake to try for it.  Just as we came close to it, the wind changed. Woof, no more bear.  Took some pictures & returned to camp at Stephan Lake.  Saw some good moose and plenty bear signs everywhere.
In photo, showing where grizzly bear ate spruce pitch on blazed tree along trail to Grizzly Camp.

5 Sept 54
Cloudy, some showers
Dave & I watched the ridges around camp for black bear until 10:00.  None showed so we decided to go up the Lake to take pictures and fish.  We caught rainbow trout & cod. Photographed a caribou swimming the Lake.  Beaver houses & beaver & muskrats – ducks.

6 Sept 54 Cloudy
We got up at 6:00 to go to the end of Lake to fish & take pictures.
Good breakfast:
Canned grapefruit
8-spec. mix pancakes, syrup
Bacon & Ham
Oatmeal, 2 coffee

When we were ready to put boat in Lake, I checked the opposite ridge with the glasses and spotted a big black bear, the one trophy I still needed.  We changed our plans quickly from fishing to hunting.  The bear was eating blueberries in an open spot above the timberline which ran to the Lake shore.  In a few moments, the bear moved into the heavy timber in the direction of the Lake.  We put the boat in the water and started across to an Island which would let us view the Lake shore for some distance.  We had only gone about 100 yds when I saw the bear on the opposite shore.  He hit the water and picked up a salmon.  As he ate it, we proceeded up the Lake as the bear moved along the opposite shore.  When we reached the island the bear had passed it some distance.  We pulled the boat up back of the island & went ashore.  He was still moving away from us at about 350 yds.  I laid down for a solid rest, held about six inches above the back & squeezed.  It was a perfect shoulder shot.  He went down, gave a few bawls & lay still.  We skinned him, took two 5 gal. cans full of fat & some meat & was back at camp for lunch.  After which we worked on the hide & I caught 6 nice rainbow trout, 3 grayling for supper.  1 large Salmon gave me about ½ hour of fight before I could release it, about 28 in.  We had fish dinner. 

7 Sept 54 Fair
Dave & I went to the upper end of the Lake.  Shot 8 ducks, caught some fish.  I spotted a big bull moose on a ridge, moved up to about 100 yds & took pictures. Saw beaver & muskrats.  I shot a golden eagle at about 200 yds. sitting in top of a spruce tree.  The Lake is beautiful in the evening.  We found a sandy gravel beach in a protected cove.  It would make an excellent camp spot.  Big sheep steak dinner in evening.  Tom & Oscar came back from grizzly camp with a G. Bear & nice Ram.

8 Sept 54 – Fair
Oscar & Dave are packing trophies from Grizzly Camp.  Tom & I went west to his moose kill to look for wolves, the only thing I have left to take.  Tom needs a black bear.  Saw no wolves.  We fished most of the afternoon, caught plenty of rainbows & grayling, also some salmon.  We don’t eat any salmon as they are spawning.  The creek is full of dead spawned salmon.  Big trout dinner in evening.

9 Sept 54 Cloudy – morning, Rain – afternoon, evening
Resting, spent morning watching game from cabin.  Saw lots of caribou, 7 moose, 2 black bears.
Dug around Indian Camp ruins, found some bones & pottery.  The old chief was murdered here and all Indians moved out many years ago.  Took some pictures, slept in afternoon.  Hung up capes to dry.  We had a big roast duck dinner with filling.  Measured trophies for Boone & Crocket Club.

10 Sept 54 Rain all night & morning.  Cleared in afternoon.
Slept late.  Prepared trophies for shipping, caught trout & pictures.  Climbed near ridge to look for game.  Saw ptarmigan, 2 moose, 1 grizzly & 1 black bear & caribou.  Had hot biscuits & lamb stew or ram mulligan for supper.
I am putting on some weight.  I can tell it on my belt.
Photo of Oscar Vogel's daughter, Weasel (Mary Katherine) with Dave Bell preparing bear cape for shipment and Dave's dog, Boots.

11 Sept 54 Fair
Up early, packing to fly out today.  Caught a mess of trout for Chris who came in at 10:30.  We made Anchorage 12:00.  5 hrs. 10 min to Seattle 18,000 ft. O.K. to Seattle.
4 Hour layover.  Wrote a letter to Oscar, got a haircut, read, slept.  Out at 1:20 Seattle time.

12 Sept 54 Fair
Slept good on plane, had box breakfast-fruit, roll, coffee.  Landed home in evening. (Martinsburg, Pennsylvania)

The most amazing things about Alaska:

• Extreme number of fish & game

• The flavor & quality of broiled sheep meat

• The feeling when a grizzly charges at 75 ft.

• The comfort & speed of a large plane

• Alaska polio epidemic

• Beauty & bigness of Alaska