Brooks range carbiou hunt 13

[foundation]

I just returned from a DIY drop camp on the North slope of the Brooks Range. This hunt started last year by researching outfitters and various places to hunt. My huntin partner and myself decided to go with Ovis outfitters. We were meet at Deadhorse and then shuttled to Happy Valley were we flew out to the drop camp.

The first night we saw two bulls that blew our minds but of course we couldn't hunt until the next day. We decided to hunt together and my buddy one the coin toss for the first shot when it was time to hunt. The first day we could hunt my buddy made a great shot on a bull that had what seemed like a great lower end.

The weather changed and then the caribou kind of changed their habits for the next couple of days. We were getting down to the wire on time and I was getting the idea I was going home empty handed when we jumped some bedded bulls. I put down the widest bull and then my buddy put down his second bull. As the remaining bulls were leaving I put down my second bull.

We checked are GPS and realized we were two miles from our camp with three bulls down so needless to say we had lots of work ahead of us. I never had a idea that walking on those spongy tussocks and tundra was such a pain but after spending a week in that country I have a whole new appreciation about that type of hunting.

Packing meat back to camp one night it was two am and about as dark as it had been on the whole trip due to fog and the storm. We are taking a breather staring towards camp when I see what I thought was a caribou walking towards us since the visibility only let us a form. My buddy was dinking around and let out a howl like a wolf and all of sudden we realized the thing we had been looking at raised up and was now actually a grizzly bear standing. Luckily we started talking and off the bear went away from camp.

It was a trip that will always have a place in my memory.

 

[foundation]

This was my first bull. I wish weather conditions would have been better for pictures.

 

[Garion33]

Nice bull! Nothing wrong with the pictures. The pictures tell the story of what you had to deal with.

Garion33

 

[Oryxrus]

Congratulations!

I'll be going up Sept 15th, it'll be my first DIY hunt trip to Alaska. We will be south of where you were, northwest area of the Baird Mtns and upper Noatak. The last couple of years I read reports that the migration was moving later due to warmer weather, but looking at your pictures it looks like it's around the corner.

Did you get an indication where you where about in the migration at the time of your hunt? Early, Middle..?

Thanks

 

[Bambistew]

That's a GREAT bull! Congrats.

 

[foundation]

Oryxus I don't think we were really seeing any migration at all for our dates of 8/14-21. The outfitter/ air taxi had explained that this would be more of a transition area hunt. Some days it seemed like the animals were all heading in one general direction which according to my GPS would have been towards the ocean and then the next day they were heading parallel to the previous day direction.

The weather was finicky and as you can tell from the picture that day was cold but the next day the snow melted off ad we were packing meat in lighter jackets.

This is my second bull.

Your going to have a great hunt.
Thanks guys for the comments, I'm still tickled pink.

 

[eelgrass]

foundation, congratulations on your success! I think the photos are just fine too.

I did a solo fly in caribou hunt in Alaska about 20 years ago, and you're right, it's an experience that you will never forget.

Congratulations again, and thanks for the report!

Eel

 

[oneaway]

The pics are great. Your first bull is a stud. Congrats! Hunted that area in 2004. Good times!!

 

[flyingbrass]

awesome
flyingbrass
cold dead hands
NRA Life Member

 

[Oryxrus]

Thanks for the response. That last picture really tells it all! Thanks for sharing. I leave in two weeks and I hope to be as fortunate as you were on your hunt.

This being my first trip, Did you purchase evacuation insurance for your hunt?

 

[foundation]

>Thanks for the response. That
>last picture really tells it
>all! Thanks for sharing. I
>leave in two weeks and
>I hope to be as
>fortunate as you were on
>your hunt.
>
>This being my first trip, Did
>you purchase evacuation insurance for
>your hunt?


Hmmm I have never even heard of evacuation insurance until right now, so I didn't have that. On our commercial flight home we had bought the insurance because I had researched soo many stories talking about weather messing up travel plans. Sure enough trying to get out of the field we were delayed and missed our flight. We caught flights the next day but Alaska air said some thing about having to show a weather report saying we couldn't make the flight.
We ended up having a 100 fee for changing flights.

 

[berto]

I live here in AK and I think you did well on your bou hunt. Coming up here for the first time on a hunt is an eye opener for everyone. Thankfully, much of it gets far easier after the first time! Nice photos, and congrats on the successfull hunt.

 

[foundation]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-05-13 AT 10:27PM (MST)[p]Berto your a lucky man for getting to live in a amazing place. I'm all ready trying to figure out when I can go back or figure out a moose hunt.

Its funny when I was researching the hunt and talking with everybody I could I couldn't imagine how physical the hunt would be. Guys were talking about hiking two or three miles a day and in my mind I really questioned that because I'm used to hiking at least 10-15 miles a day in nasty country when deer or elk hunting. Even flying in I'm looking at the country and I'm thinking it looked like easy walking and hiking country and I had visions of covering a lot of country.

Reality hit big time when I started walking around on that spongy mess. The waterproofing held up on my boots fairly well until about the 5th day also the fall I had in the river probably didn't help with wet boots. LOL.

 

[foundation]

My buddy did well on his first bull that had some really cool extra junk on the lower end.

 

[goforbroke]

thanks for sharing. I'm trying to plan a moose hunt and it seems a bit tougher to have success versus caribou. Great caribou.

 

[Oryxrus]

Foundation,

I just returned last week from my hunt and I will agree with you 100%. I've hunted desert big horn sheep, ibex and elk in the southwest in some rough country. Climbed some crazy mountains that kicked my butt, but that terrain is something you have to experience to truely understand. Your right, hiking 10-15 miles in the tundra would be a death wish. I did 4 miles the first day, with the last mile with half a caribou in my pack and I thought my legs were going to fall off. I learned really quick to pick a ridge and sit down and wait for them to come to you. I couldn't imagine anyone doing 10 to 15 miles in the country I was in. They have to be hunting more stable ground.

In was an amazing hunt, we had a Griz in camp for 3 days diverting caribou so we had to hike farther out or they would have been near camp. He came within 75 yards but liked being at 1/2 to 600 yards out. Pretty Amazing. Saw two wolves, too far to shoot.

Weather was windy and cold the first 4 days and then it snowed the next 4. I used Neo River Trekker Overshoes... great choice, kept me dry the whole time and comfortable to hike in. They blocked the wind and actually increased my foot surface. Awesome product.

Thanks again for your advise and feedback.

 

[Gator]

Very nice group, In the planning for a caribou hunt in the next few years.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]

 

[jims]

Congrats on the bou! It's hard to beat AK for scenery and animals! I would be curious what the flight serviced charged for your drop? I've done AK sheep and mtn goat...and bou are next on my list.

 

[foundation]

jims sorry I haven't looked at this thread for a while and missed your question. I want to say the drop camp was like 3500 or 3800 and that was supplied with food and their equipment. We only supplied sleeping bags and our hunting gear.

They had a less expensive option that was basically just transport from Dead Horse to the field and then a bushplane flight in to the drop spot. We were kind of tempted to go the cheaper route and use or own equipment but after looking at the logistics of getting our gear from Utah shipped up there and the weight restrictions, it would have been pretty hard and really roughing it so the using their equipment and food was money well spent in my opinion