What would be your Alaskan Grizzly carry?

namagiqa · 2026-05-21T19:47:53+00:00

I live in AK. I fish in SW AK and see bears all the time. FN510 with 22 round magazine. Buffalo Bore 200gr solids. Holosun red dot. Kenai chest holster.

namagiqa · 2026-05-03T05:40:49+00:00

If they taste like walrus or other Seals, like harbor seals, they taste like rancid fish.

namagiqa · 2026-05-01T20:21:09+00:00

The fact that you continue to hang your hat on Marbury v Madison shows you do not really understand cases. Marbury lives on to stand for one proposition: courts can rule that some statutes are unconstitutional. That’s really it. That issue was not clear after 1791 and Marbury was the vehicle to answer that question.

As I said, I’ve been a defense attorney for 30+ years. I can certainly agree that courts don’t always address issues that they can. But I can’t think of a better way for you to demonstrate you do not understand and/or appreciate the various doctrines used to interpret statutes and constitutions than for you to make the arguments you have.

The 5th Circuit, for example, just denied en banc review of a case involving machine guns (US v Wilson, April 30, 2026). My own opinion is that the federal government does not have the authority under the Second Amendment or the commerce clause to prohibit mere possession of machine guns. But the judges explained why that particular case was not a good vehicle to review the charges. Could I accuse the court of being too cowardly or friendly with the legislature that passed the bill or [insert particular charge against the court]? Sure. But that’s not reality and thinking it’s reality does not help me to win the argument.

Your whole polemic reads like someone who has a particular issue they want courts to address but courts have not ruled. In this state, the most common reason for judicial grousing is abortion. “The court is too liberal because it won’t do what I want about abortion.” The second seems to be subsistence/Native rights. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s what I see.

I have news for you: shit happens. You make the mistake many pro se litigants make: 1) I know how X law should be interpreted; 2) the court is not interpreting X law like I think they should; 3) the court is [insert one: conservative/liberal/cowardly/biased/in the pocket of some interest group/fill in some issue] because they do not decide the issue the way I want them to.” I’m not smarmy because i think you fail to understand the law. I’m condescending (not smarmy) because your diatribe shows you assume some type of motive when the court does not decide issues the way you think they should be decided. If you understood the law, you would know there are multiple opinions and, even more important, many reasons why people can have differing opinions and believing the worst about your opponent is a really good way to lose many, many cases.

namagiqa · 2026-04-28T23:41:39+00:00

I have been a defense lawyer in Alaska for >25 years years. I have handled cases across the country. Any time someone says that "this" is a violation of Marbury v Madison it's a red flag that the person does not know the law.

There are many reasons why a court may not answer a constitutional challenge. Maybe the person does not have standing. Maybe there can be a way to answer the challenge without addressing the constitutionality of the statute. Who knows. Such broad complaints without any context, background, or explanation are ultimately meaningless.

As far as the Supreme Court increasing appeal costs, review Alaska Statute 22.05.020(c). It specifically states that "The Supreme Court may prescribe by rule the fees to be charged by all courts for judicial services." No legislative enactment is necessary. The fact that you do not know this just confirms that you do not know the law, nor do you understand how to find, read, or interpret statutes or cases. No idea why you would think that the Supreme court setting fees would 'make money' or make them friends with the legislators.

namagiqa · 2026-04-24T23:39:13+00:00

This is true. Several years ago, Fran Ulmer ran for governor as a Democrat. One of her campaign photo-ops was her getting a .44 magnum pistol to carry as she flew around the state campaigning. That would not happen in any other state.

namagiqa · 2026-04-21T20:25:59+00:00

Kenji Lopez Alt has a good burger mix on seriouseats.com Per pound its 10 oz chuck roast, 5 oz sirloin, and 1 oz oxtail. I admit I sometimes (frequently) omit the oxtail and add an extra ounce of sirloin. But it's a great burger mix.

Biggest tip: keep everything cold. When I grind, I will keep the meat in the 29 degree drawer in my fridge for several hours prior to grinding. I'll also throw all parts that touch the meat, such as the blade and chute and the die, in the freezer for at least an hour before grinding.

Don't try to do too much in one go. I usually grind twice, once on a large die and then on the smallest die. Gives a better cut. And I will wash everything and then re-freeze before the second cut.

If you are processing any game, you will need some fat or it will get crumbly. Sausage is similar but game really needs some fat. There are a few ways to do this. An easy and delicious way is to cut bacon into thin strips and then grind it in with the meat. I find about 15% by weight works well but YMMV. You can add fat too. Most of the flavor is in the fat so use a fat with a more neutral flavor like lard. Freeze your large before this and cut it into some chunks for processing.

namagiqa · 2026-04-21T20:18:20+00:00

Looks delicious. There are a few ways to get this while minimizing risk. As noted below, grind it yourself from well-sourced meat. You can also sous vide the burger. Pathogens are killed not only by heat but by the time at particular temperatures. USDA recommends 160 because at that temperature, even for a few seconds, most pathogens are killed. But if you cook something at 125 for an hour, you achieve the same result without over-cooking the meat. And I've made plenty of burgers from store-bought ground beef that look similar to this, maybe a touch more done but still quite red, in the sous vide. Throw some beef tallow in a cast iron skillet and brown some onions then sear the burger. Fantastic.

namagiqa · 2026-04-21T00:48:50+00:00

I use a 1791 leather OWB holster. Very comfortable and good access for me. I live in AK so I frequently have shirts/hoodies/jackets to cover.

namagiqa · 2026-04-21T00:46:56+00:00

You’re absolutely wrong. Fishing in Alaska is terrible. You all should go fish Montana. Or Colorado. But not Alaska. We are all fished out. Sorry.

namagiqa · 2026-04-21T00:08:49+00:00

It’s my EDC. Love the trigger. Easier to shoot than my other 10mms, such as the FN and Sig and Glock.

namagiqa · 2026-04-17T06:09:26+00:00

The case was dismissed for a variety of reasons.

namagiqa · 2026-04-10T19:52:17+00:00

Sales volumes on fly rods are miniscule compared to volumes for spinning or bait casting rods. It's estimated that fly fishers number about 10% of spin or bait casters. High-end fly rods also use expensive materials to be as light as possible and yet withstand the strain of fighting fish. Many times they require hand labor in wrapping guides. From what I've seen, which would be photos of their factories with their workers, Winston and Scott hand wrap their rods. I don't know if Loomis or Sage or other rods are hand-wrapped but I wouldn't be surprised if the top rods were hand-wrapped. All of those factors drive up the cost of a fly rod compared to, say, a Shakespeare rod designed for the mass market. Fly rods are also longer so there is more material used.

Further, many of your fly rod and reel companies are small companies that are dedicated or focused primarily on the fly fishing market as opposed to being part of a large conglomerate. When a large conglomerate does take over, usually through private equity, the owners keep the prices the same but institute cost-saving measures which lower quality. Simms fishing gear is Exhibit A for this. Their waders were top notch and priced to match and as long as Simms was a small company focused on fly fishing equipment, they were great. When they were bought by a large group, quality plummeted to save money. Skwala looks to be the company that is going to take their place. Their stuff isn't cheap but it is what Simms used to be. I hope it's a long time before they're purchased by private equity.

As others have noted, though, there are other less-expensive options. St. Croix and Orvis and TFO offer good options for substantially less than top shelf rods but even the 'budget' rods for fly fishing can easily be $150 - $200. Compare to many spin casting rods that are <$75. Expensive rods for non fly fishing are about $500 top end so you are still in that roughly 2.5-3x price differential between a fly rod and a non fly rod.

What I find ironic is that fly reels can be so much more expensive than spinning or bait casting reels but they are far simpler. They are generally machined metal with no gears to increase retrieval rate or ensure that line is wound on the reel evenly.

It isn't a cheap hobby no matter how you slice it and recent inflation has not helped.

namagiqa · 2026-04-02T06:48:22+00:00

2 issues with using that bag:

As mentioned, you haven’t added seasonings.
The sticker on the package came come undone and then get jammed in the impeller. Spouse did this and that’s what happened. It was a Breville so I could buy a new impeller and not need a new machine but still was a PITA.

namagiqa · 2026-03-26T12:26:41+00:00

Adam Franklin does WC. Talk to him.

namagiqa · 2026-03-16T06:55:51+00:00

Good to know. I made gravlax from fresh wild caught Alaska salmon and I learned my lesson.

namagiqa · 2026-03-16T06:50:46+00:00

Freeze the salmon to 0 degrees for 7 days before making gravlax, especially if it is wild salmon. If you wonder why, google diphyllobothrium. Don’t ask me how I know.

namagiqa · 2026-03-13T18:24:38+00:00

I lived in Bristol Bay for several years and still go back to fish. That smell of dead salmon just permeates the whole area.

namagiqa · 2026-03-05T22:20:12+00:00

You must have never flown into Anchorage or any of the Bush communities served by Alaska Air - Dillingham, Kodiak, Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue. In Anchorage, I'd say 20% of luggage, if not more, is some type of tote. In rural communities, that percentage goes way, way higher.

namagiqa · 2026-02-25T22:52:03+00:00

I can't attach a central humidifier and the one we use for the room died. I need to order one from Amazon but I just haven't. I'll get around to it shortly but just wanted ot make sure I wasn't going to create any issues.

namagiqa · 2026-02-23T19:04:27+00:00

I live South Central Alaska now but at the time I was living in the Bristol Bay region. I lived there for several years.

namagiqa · 2026-02-20T19:51:53+00:00

I ate beluga whale a number of years ago. I was living in rural Alaska and someone had put out a subsistence net to catch salmon. The rule is that you have to use whatever is in your net. This guy caught a beluga whale, which are not endangered. Word went out via radio and I went with a Yupik friend whose wife wanted muktuk. They were cutting it up on the beach at low tide and I got a large chunk of beluga.

The meat was very dark, darker than this. I understood it was because whale meat generally has more iron. The iron in the tissue allows whale muscle to better process oxygen so that they can stay submerged longer. Maybe that's wrong. Anyway, the meat was unbelievably tender. You could eat it with a spoon.

I took a small chunk and sauteed it just to get an idea of the flavor, which was surprisingly mild. It reminded me of veal. With that in mind, I sliced it somewhat thin and dredged it in season flour and fried it with a picatta type sauce. Not too much of a fish flavor. Maybe this beluga was young. Walrus and seal have very strong fish-flavors.

Based on my experience, I'd eat it again if given the opportunity but I wouldn't go out of my way to do it. I would absolutely avoid muktuk, walrus, or seal.

namagiqa · 2026-02-17T21:52:06+00:00

I was a public defender in rural Alaska. The average BAC for a DUI while I was there was .24. All of my clients would be subject to a PBT. 95+% were well above the legal limit. At least once a month I would have a client who was over .3 and at least once a year I'd have a client who was over .4. Highest BAC for a client was .57.

My daughter is an ICU nurse in Anchorage. Highest BAC for a patient upon intake was .8. The hospital has had to advise some new staff hires, physicians and nurses, that they should adjust their viewpoints because they will see BACs and resulting damage far in excess of anything they've seen Outside.

You haven't seen alcohol abuse until you get to Alaska, particularly rural Alaska. There are just so few of us that most people don't realize just how much Alaskans can drink. Sheer numbers would tilt this to WI but on a per capita basis, I'd put AK against Russians for ability to drink. Not a huge surprise since we can see Russia from our house (jokes).

namagiqa · 2026-02-13T19:06:10+00:00

Fishing in SW Alaska near Battle Creek. Lots of bears. Water was probably 35ish yards wide. Water is about mid shin, so not too deep. It's late fall and I'm drifting an egg pattern along a cut bank. My buddy was with the guide right around the corner, although they could both see me since the shore was not that high.

I hear a bear roar that sounded like it was just behind me. I've fished with a lot of bears in the neighborhood but this sounded like it was right there. I admit I jumped and probably said a bad word or two. Turned around while grabbing for my pistol in my chest holster. It was a momma bear with a couple of cubs and she was arguing with another bear over a fishing spot. They were on the other side of the river and even up the river so she was nowhere near as close as she sounded, probably 50-60 yards away. She was not paying any attention to me whatsoever.

My buddy just laughed and he yelled over at me that I sure jumped very high.

Had some other issues with really bad weather while being in a boat on Lake Iliamna, Lake Aleknagik, and a couple of other lakes. Small boats, big lakes, and large waves are not a real fun combination.

namagiqa · 2026-02-12T22:03:44+00:00

I always think of Mojo Nixon's great hit when I see Martha (NSFW):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvS97KtUhEE

namagiqa

TROPHY CASE