A Request

A Request

Lewis Brower had told me a couple weeks back that I had a request that would be placed above all others if possible. So I told him the next day I would like to go fishing when the time came, weeks went by until one day he came in the office and told me today is the day one time chance take it or leave it. A chance to hunt bearded seals in the arctic was not one to be passed so I accepted along with Dave (who went only because of his evilness). We packed and left to Lewis’ house, when we got there Paulo and Rob were just leaving after trying a special kind of food that we would soon have. We came in through the garage to see a pair of massive walrus tusks laying on the floor, however, these did not compare to the polar bear fur that covered the wall from top to bottom. This seemed like the house of an average person considering this was what the majority of the town does…hunt. We made are move to the kitchen where Lewis was an everyday lunch with his wife, consisting of soup, crackers, and seal intestine. Of course I had to try it, it’s not every day you eat seal intestine, so at this point Lewis was instructing us on the location of the nearest trash can and restroom. I wasn’t too worried because usually it’s pretty easy for me to try new foods, so I took the cracker and it was pretty good.

We were now fed, packed and ready to hit the high seas.

The Crew: Me, Dave, Lewis, and Edmond (who was a good friend of Lewis)

It was a short drive to the dock, when we arrived there were already at least a dozen people out on the hunt already. Once there we loaded the boat into the water and set sail. At this point I have no clue what to expect while we’re gliding over the water. Lewis just told us that we are to go to the front of the boat to shoot and to shoot only in that direction, so I was like cool. When hunting seals you have to be prepared at anytime, because Lewis immediately flips the boat around towards the seal that he saw, there is always little or no warning. So after cruising along we spotted a seal, Lewis guns it and we rush to the front of the boat hoping to catch it, of course we fail and the seal gets away. We give up and head out to sea some more hoping to spot another. Along the way we pass large chunks of ice drifting in the water ranging from all shapes and sizes, and some pretty cool shapes too. The farther out we got the more ice and the more ice the more hiding places. After we get a good distance out to sea we shut off the boat and have a nice little break full of muktuk and target practice. There we were sitting peaceful in an ocean calmed by the ice. Out there the ice absorbed most of the waves so you would have slow moving water. We soon moved on for the next seal weaving in and out of the ice spotting one occasionally but losing it in the end. It was very tense and cold at the front of the boat with no window to shield your face from the freezing air, or keep your hands from becoming cold and numb. You had to be ready for at any time the seal could pop its head out of the water for some air.

There was one really close call though…

I was up at the front scouting the open water with the scope…when I spotted a bearded seal sun bathing on a slab of ice. I motioned to Lewis, and Edmond hoped up to the front to offer some assistance. I handed him the scope and took another rifle, as we creped in on the seal with his back to us. Edmond was to take the first shot and I would follow with a second. BANG, the seal flinched from the first shot, and I locked on for the second but it was too late for he had sunk into the water. Around and around we went hoping to find it but no luck. As the day drew to a close we pointed to boat to shore and jetted back home. I wasn’t disappointed at all because I still was able to have the experience of hunting over the water.

I was however freezing my ass off on the way home.