On day 2 it was Kemal’s turn to try to fill his tag. The weather conditions continued to be favorable and it didn’t take long to get into some reindeer. We covered lots of area before coming across a small group with a big bull in it. They were on the move, but we got Kemal into good position for a shot, laying prone across a large rock, where a perfectly placed shot from the Gunwerks 6.5 PRC put the bull down. This reindeer had long points on top and double shovels! After a long day, it was nice to get back to camp, enjoy a delicious meal of reindeer backstraps, and good night’s sleep.
The next day and it was my turn. We woke to excellent conditions, but fog settled in by mid-morning, making for some challenging conditions. The lack of visibility made glassing from the boat all but impossible. Not to mention we had to navigate around the many icebergs! So our guide, Peter, beached the boat and led us on a hike to an area where he thought there would be some animals in the secluded valley. Boy, was he right! We were literally surrounded by reindeer, but the dense fog made it hard to make out if bulls were mature enough to take. The fog finally burned off by late morning, improving the visibility and hunting conditions. It was later in the day and we were actually making our way back toward camp when we spotted two bulls on a hillside. One of the bulls was noticeably larger than the other, with very good mass and long tines on his tops. We drove the boat to the opposite side to get the wind right and got up above the two bulls without being detected. They were feeding just below us when we caught a glimpse of their antlers above the rocks. We had to make a quick move to get into position as the smaller bull had us pegged and made the larger bull a little nervous. Luckily, they relaxed a bit once they reached a small bowl below us and I was able to put a well-placed shot on the large bull.
Stay tuned for Episode 3 when Matt goes for reindeer #2 and we try our luck with a little fishing…
To learn more about this hunt and other hunting and fishing trips, contact the staff at Worldwide Trophy Adventures at 800-346-8747.
