Razor Clams

[Crossfire600]

Originally Posted by akdreamin

About how long is the drive from anchorage down to the razors? Gotta make a whole day trip outta it I assume, and head out in the early am?

Looks to be about 4+ hrs from anchorage down there, is that right?

I live outside of Wasilla and it's about 4 1/2 hours to Ninilchik. As far as when to leave you need to look at the tide charts and time it with the low tide. We are heading down on Monday and hunting Tuesday. The low tide on Tuesday is around 10:45 am.. We usually get there about 2 hours before low tide so we can follow the tide out and back.. We use a clam gun which is a device, I believe, is designed to seperate your pelvis from your spine when extracting the little buggers. It is similiar to trying to extract a plug of concrete from a newly laid road.. We stay at one of the camp grounds. There are two right on the highway. One is on the left right before the bridge and one is on the right about 1/2 mile past the bridge.

[Rance]

Clam gun!!!! You mean to tell me your not down on your hands and knees furiously digging with your hands? No razor like cuts in your fingers? No broken shovel handles? No wet and dirty up to your arm pits?

[Crossfire600]

Originally Posted by Rance

Clam gun!!!! You mean to tell me your not down on your hands and knees furiously digging with your hands? No razor like cuts in your fingers? No broken shovel handles? No wet and dirty up to your arm pits?

Actually, I had a buddy running the clam gun after my SI joints separated. I ended up getting down on my hands and knees and running my arm up to the shoulder trying to catch the little buggers. I found the clam gun get's them about 60% of the time.. the other 40% was good ol' hand work

[starlite9]

It is/was neat to watch the brown bears of Katmai dig for clams, they either put a paw on them and shove down on themc to twist them open, or hold them in one paw like you would, and take the other paw's claw and open it as if you used your pointer finger.

[Rance]

Originally Posted by Crossfire600

Actually, I had a buddy running the clam gun after my SI joints separated. I ended up getting down on my hands and knees and running my arm up to the shoulder trying to catch the little buggers. I found the clam gun get's them about 60% of the time.. the other 40% was good ol' hand work

You have to be lightning fast with a shovel. You have to creep up on the dimple, slam that shovel home, get 2 quick scoops out, then dive in with your arm and grab them by the scruff of the neck! It's amazing how fast they can dig down.

[Crossfire600]

Originally Posted by Rance

You have to be lightning fast with a shovel. You have to creep up on the dimple, slam that shovel home, get 2 quick scoops out, then dive in with your arm and grab them by the scruff of the neck! It's amazing how fast they can dig down.

If I wouldn't have seen it myself I wouldn't have believed it either. They are fast, really fast for being in sand.

[rotorhead]

I think I caught that same show, Starlight. It was pretty impressive how delicate a touch a huge bear can use when it has to, poking just one claw to open up a shell, or just "wiping' them open with a twist of a huge paw.

Strangely enough they too were up to their armpits in the mud, digging like crazy to catch the clams. There doesn't seem to be any shortcut for that part, even for the bears!