1st Alaskan Caribou Hunt

mlycrzy · Apr 28, 2012

I have always wanted to go on an Alaskan caribou hunt but never could quite get things to fall into place until this year. Last week a friend called and invited me to go on a 7 day hunt on the North slope in the Brooks range. We have a transporter out of Happy Valley lined up to fly us in for our unguided caribou hunt at the end of August. We can take up to 2 bull caribou and purchase up to 5 wolf tags should we be lucky to see any.

Anyways i've already gathered some great info from the past threads in this forum and would appreciate any other advise anybody with experience is willing to share. I've been told anything cotton is a no-no and the mosquitoes are THICK! Thanks.

EVILNR · Apr 29, 2012

Sounds like a hunt I'd like to do too. I've been itching to get back to AK, would love to hear more.
Yes, no cotton,& I've seen mosquitoes,white sox, moths and some green fly looking thing built like a tank with snow on the ground.

oneaway · Apr 29, 2012

I agree cotton is a big no-no! Buy a good set of rubber boots, and a good set of hip waders! That tundra looks like easy walking, but infact it is the opposite. Very uneven and filled with water!

AKHUNTINFOOL · Apr 30, 2012

Cottton kills.
Bug dope, headnet, latex gloves, lacross ankle fit hipboots, good raingear, 4 season tent, sat phone,...etc

O2BNAlaska · May 3, 2012

I did that same hunt last year. End of August, flew out of Happy Valley, unguided. Had great weather. Mosquitoes not bad, white socks sorta' bad. Merino wool is the way to go (no cotton-gets wet/sweaty, stinks). We only took one caribou each. Saw no wolves or bears, but saw tracks of both. Tundra is tough to navigate. Depending on the area you are in it may or may not be real wet.

GREAT HUNT! I would be happy to share more more of the experience if you wish.

mlycrzy · May 4, 2012

Thanks for the info posted so far.

O2BNAlaska...pm sent!

EVILNR · May 4, 2012

Some other things coming to mind. Get some Outdoor Research CROC GAITERS, these things are awesome!!! Sealskinz gloves, and I loved my 3/4 length Helly Hansen rainwear. I wore 1 pair of cabelas microtek pants for 9 days on a brown bear hunt, good stuff.
Dont forget to be MENTALLY prepared too.
After 9 (13hr.) days and only seeing 2 bear with no shot opportunities I was absolutely mentally exhausted and ready to go home. One day I'll be back.

berto · May 14, 2012

i do not know the timing of your hunt, but the end of august is a good time to go to avoid insects. the downside is weather may quickly become winter-like, so there is a risk, but the same risk exists anytime on the N Slope.

i am not trying to rain on your parade, but several of the transporters that operate out of happy valley are known to drop unguided caribou hunters within 2 miles of each other. you should tell your transporter you do not want to be part of a situation like that...why bother to hunt AK if you are bumping into the competition each day as you would in the L48? that said, either the bou will be within 2 miles of your drop off location, or they won't. you may want to talk to your pilot about getting moved if there are no bou after 3-4 days. most transporters will accommodate a move, sometimes for "free", sometimes not. if you will be dropped on a gravel bar in a river, you should take your spinning rod with you...excellent char fishing that time of year and a great way to pass the time if the bou aren't around.

good luck and have fun.

AZBob · May 15, 2012

Definitely buy the 2nd caribou tag. You don't have to be 100% certain about the size of the first one you shoot if you have the 2nd tag in your pocket. They are probably different from anything you have hunted before, so you can be a little uncertain about whether you're judging them right.

mlycrzy · May 15, 2012

Thanks for the advise and yes the hunt runs the last 7 days of August. Can't wait to go.

mlycrzy · Jul 26, 2012

Well the hunt is less than 3 weeks away and I feel way more prepared than I did 2 months ago. I had to buy a whole new "wardrobe" as I have never been to AK and most everything I own is cotton.

Besides the obvious are there any other recommendations for gear or clothing any of you feel is a must?

AKHUNTINFOOL · Jul 27, 2012

Be prepared to take care of the meat. Have enough game bags and a plan on how you to keep the meat dry. Also read the regs on salvaging all meat and not transporting antlers from the kill site before the meat comes out.

Bring a gps and know how to use it. A rangefinder and shooting sticks can be useful where it can be tough to judge distances with little or no vegetation.

Bring a good book for days when the weather is nasty. Be patient at the air taxi as weather can totally disrupt their schedule and you may not get out to the field or picked up when scheduled.

Take your time, enjoy the experience!

mlycrzy · Jul 27, 2012

Great info AKHUNTINFOOL! Thanks.

toxophilite · Aug 22, 2012

Sounds like you are days away from your hunt. please post when you get back. Pictures, info, and anything else you think might me useful. I leave a few days after you get back. would like to get the details of your hunt!

mlycrzy · Aug 22, 2012

>Sounds like you are days away
>from your hunt. please
>post when you get back.
> Pictures, info, and anything
>else you think might me
>useful. I leave a
>few days after you get
>back. would like to get
>the details of your hunt!
>

Our hunt was actually cancelled until next year. We are using Mike Mcreary of 70 North out of happy Valley for or transporter. Mike spent alot of hours searching the area along with 2 helicopters but could not locate very many caribou. He actually had 12 hunters in the field with only one small bull harvested. Mike did us a huge favor by informing our group of his findings nefore we flew to Alaska. It could have ended up as just a glorified camping trip. This was a week ago so I am not sure what has taken place since. It looks as though the caribou have either migrated a totally differnet direction or are very late in coming this year. We rebooked for next year so not all is lost. Let me know what you end up finding out.

toxophilite · Aug 24, 2012

We are going further north to Kotzebue. They have been seeing good numbers so far with most hunters being successful for 2 tags. Hopefully that trend will continue for a few more weeks... Total bummer on your trip. good luck for next year. are you able to transfer your plane tickets for next year as well??