Read this morning in the Hunting Report that the Moraine and Sugarloaf Guide areas in the Katmai have been awarded to Don Willis of Alaska's Extreme Hunting and Cabot Pitts of Alaska Wild Wind Adventures.

What are your thoughts on this in regards to expected bear quality and any other aspects of hunting in this area.

I don't know either but the area is sound with plenty of big bruins and I would expect that they are anxious to make a good reputation.

Gee, too bad Pete Owen and John Graybill are both gone, we could ask them how the hunting was...

Are we to assume that you were one of their hunting buddies ?

Hardly! Pete used to drop in to Farewell and McGrath when I was stationed there and B.S. With us. Ran into them in the hills a few times when they broke their "Chocolate Chickens" (krylon camo). I love hearing the story from Dick Dykema when he caught them in Katmai and John burned his cub. Priceless.

Dick was our game warden for a good number of years also and he always had good stories.
In fact most of the troopers who have been at it in the bush for awhile can entertain you for hours.

One time Dick stopped in when I had a couple of hunters from Sweden in camp.
One of the Swedes wanted to get the experience of being checked in the field on film so he asked Dick to take it from the top and get back in the seat of his cub so he could film him exit the plane and walk up to his friend.

Dick accommodated the guy and got back in the cub, then he got back out and walked up to the hunter and said "Hello I'm Alaska fish and wildlife protection can I see you're license"

This is when it got funny. He slowly turned his head to the camera and said "did you want me to hold my gun on him also"