A buck that I harvested 5 years ago in Texas had a broken brow tine seen below. I never had it repaired.
Too cold to do much at 0ºF outside. Sounds like a great cold weather project for me to try. Maybe you have an antler that needs repair too.
Below, what the brow tine should look like.
I found a few YouTube’s to fix a broken antler with epoxy putty. You can look it up as well. You can use a taxidermist putty or wood repair putty. One fellow used polyurethane dark walnut stain once the putty was hard and dry. He wiped it on and off as needed to get the color correct.
Computer and cell phone savvy hunters and fisherman will find the GoPro Hero 13 jam packed with video and photo capability.
I went on youtube and found intro videos like this one below that begins with opening the box and provides recommended settings and connectivity links to your phone. It even has touch screen. I like it thus far.
The best way to learn my Hero 13 and my iPhone 15 app is to use the camera and try the many settings but before I begin, get the attachments kit below. I ordered the kit from Amazon. Due here tomorrow.
I go on the web and research recipes. One recipe I ran into utilizes a Buerre Blanc Sauce. It is a butter sauce with a dry white wine or white vermouth. Works with salmon and halibut. Julia C. would approve.
Thick pan seared halibut can dry out, but using this recipe can leave your fish moist and succulent. I will try this out.
To best catch halibut, fisherman often send bundles of fish chum to the bottom (100 to 300 ft) after anchoring. Then fish around the ball of chum. The scent will draw halibut from long distances. Some chum made up with more oily scent makes a difference.
Experienced halibut sport fisherman prefer eating smaller halibut up to 50 pounds and let the larger ones (usually female) go. The thicker older larger “barn door” fish are harder to cook thru correctly and can dry out the fish during cooking. We shall see…
That said, If I hook an 80 lb. halibut, am I going to throw it back? Probably not. But the rules state one of the two halibut per day you can keep must be smaller than 32 inches thus keeping sizes and gender under some measure of harvest control.
Male halibut are much smaller usually less than 3 feet in length. Large Females can spawn upwards of seven million eggs.
Fun Halibut Facts
Size Length to over 8 feet, weight to over 500 lb
Lifespan 55 years (males and females)
Distribution/Range California to the Bering Sea, west to the Sea of Japan
Remarks Both eyes on the right (upper side), with rare exceptions
Other Names Large halibut are called “barn doors,” small halibut are “chickens.”
Author Note: My strength and upper body, arm and hand exercise routine just finished week one. I can already feel the success. Fore arm and hand strength is terrific for a start. Only two of my Alaska fishing boat trips will be for halibut. The other two focus on salmon and a fly-in for brown bear photography and salmon.
As an older sportsman, without conditioning to fight trophy size fish, I have an opportunity to seriously damage my upper body, shoulders and arms if I am not in shape for reeling in say up to 100 pound halibut pulling him up from say 200 to 300 feet.
Or catching numerous lesser fish from similar depths and then hooking a whopper.
Accordingly, core conditioning and working my upper body and arms is essential before the trip. It will take me at least 3 months or more to get in shape and stay in shape. It’s all about stamina as I will be on a fishing rod every day for hours.
Below are some exercises that will aid in building stamina and muscle strength.
I have a rowing machine for cardio, stomach, back and arms. Below is my inexpensive $179 Yosuda Machine that I have been using for this past year. I like it for my daily exercise, quality and price (some assembly required).
But that may not be enough . Hand and arm strength is essential. Below, I bought a “Twister Arm Trainer” set from Amazon for $25 dollars. I love it because I can exercise while watching tv or news.
In case of muscle cramps and lactic acid buildup, I purchased some Theraworx® Muscle Cramp and Lidocaine roll on products to test before my trip. If they work, I will have them in my tackle box.
Ultimately, I want to be very prepared mentally and muscle wise for multiple Alaskan adventures in just a week. I eat well and daily take Balance of Nature fruit and vegetable capsules (I swear by these for their positive effects on my overall health).
Don’t let your older body keep you from being at your best in the outdoors. Some say check with your doctor if unsure of these exercise thoughts. I say as President Trumps says, Fight, Fight, Fight!
Life is too short. I have a bucket list and Alaska is on it.
I get email invitations from hunting and fishing outfits now and again, and found one that works for me. Fishing Alaska is achievable on my bucket budget.
I booked 6 days with a large well established outfit along the Kenai River (Alaskan Fishing Adventures www.alaskafishing.com ). I have no personal experience with them at this time but expect the very best.
I will surely write and video on my trip in June 2026.
I will be fishing primarily for halibut and salmon as we encounter them.
Just Some Of The Species That You Can Catch On Our Boats.
Yellow eye is a deep water rockfish that is a prized catch as well. All fish are filleted, vacuum sealed and frozen for return to New Hampshire.
One such trip includes a fly-in to fish salmon and view the neighboring brown bears fishing near us.
We catch fish with rod and reel… brown bears catch them with teeth.
Needless to say lots of pictures and video.
My Job is to get in shape, especially my arms, to reel in these huge fish.
