Delta Bison Hunt Help

[bigharge]

Well I was one of the lucky winners of the Delta hunt this year and had been planning on flying up and hunting later this winter. I had talked with a few other hunters from past hunts and decided I wanted to try my luck in the colder months when the bison fur was a little thicker and closer to prime. Well as luck would have it I just got off the phone and was informed that due to a severe ice storm that took out more of the herd than expected the tags have been changed and the quota appears to have been cut significantly. Along with this the hunters have been given 2 week dates in the fall that their tag is good for and that is the only option I appear to have now. So I thought I had a little bit longer to prepare but if I want to take advantage of this once in a lifetime tag Im going to have to get my ducks lined up and get up to Alaska from Texas by Septemer 24th.

Im still wanting to plan and try to make it but it has me discouraged a little bit and with the new quota where the hunt will end once the allotted number of bulls are harvested has me thinking more if I can actually afford to make it work. I have talked with a few that have gone in the past and had some good advice on where to stay and what ranches to contact which has also dampened my idea of what I was expecting. I had originally planned on bowhunting but now will probably rely only on the rifle given the circumstances.

So with that being said does anyone have have any tips or experience hunting these guys early in the year like September. Trying to line up days off and flights right now to see if its still doable last minute but hate to miss out on something as unique as this could be.

Appreciate your time

 

[SS!]

You know it was a bad winter when bison die off. I don’t think ADFG has even begun to realize how bad the winter really was.

Only you can decide whether you can pull this hunt off. I don’t know your alaska experience which would be one of the main factors.

Have you hunted ak before?
What will you do with the meat? Bison are bigger than moose and it’s a lot of $$$ to get them home
How many days can you allocate not counting travel days?

I would recommend reaching out to the people on the list seeing what they are seeing for bison numbers.

It’s going to be a tough hunt no doubt. I would factor in 10 days hunting and pay the trespass fees.

 

[bigharge]

So I have a lot of experience hunting out west but this would be my first trip to Alaska. Was one of the reasons that I was so excited about it as my 14 year old was going to tag along as we both experienced it for the first time. I dont mind paying a trespass fee it just seems like you have to gamble and guess which fee to pay as I wont know where the herd will be until I show up and try and scout and at that point I am sure they might already have a hunter lined up locally.

As for the meat, we were so excited about that aspect of it and were willing to pay to have it all shipped back.

I feel like I could make it all work, just not sure its worth it to me at this point as I would probably have to go alone and miss out on things back home. My youngest has his 1st birthday and my 14 year old actually had a hunt planned all during that time I have been allotted. Scale just seems to be tipping more towards staying with each conversation I have, even though this is a rare opportunity.

 

[SS!]

So I have a lot of experience hunting out west but this would be my first trip to Alaska. Was one of the reasons that I was so excited about it as my 14 year old was going to tag along as we both experienced it for the first time. I dont mind paying a trespass fee it just seems like you have to gamble and guess which fee to pay as I wont know where the herd will be until I show up and try and scout and at that point I am sure they might already have a hunter lined up locally.

As for the meat, we were so excited about that aspect of it and were willing to pay to have it all shipped back.

I feel like I could make it all work, just not sure its worth it to me at this point as I would probably have to go alone and miss out on things back home. My youngest has his 1st birthday and my 14 year old actually had a hunt planned all during that time I have been allotted. Scale just seems to be tipping more towards staying with each conversation I have, even though this is a rare opportunity.

It is indeed a rare opportunity. I would say this though, this isn't your typical "alaska" hunt. Its much like pronghorn hunting, except a lot of less sightings. Its basically a road hunt with a few spots one could access via four wheeler/walking. But how far would one really want to pack a bison?

Shultz farm seems to routinely have bison, that is where I would start. There's public ag fields etc to mix it up.

The cost of getting the meat, hide and horns home should realistically be looked into. If you're a known shipper with AK airlines it isn't too bad. But it still might be out of ones budget. Factor in rental truck, place to stay (late sept can be VERY cold) and I can't see this hunt being done as a non res for less than 4k and likely going to end up more in the 6k range.

Remember regardless if you hunt it or not you must fill out the hunt report online.

Good Luck if you make it up here!

 

[Jerry]

It is indeed a rare opportunity. I would say this though, this isn't your typical "alaska" hunt. Its much like pronghorn hunting, except a lot of less sightings. Its basically a road hunt with a few spots one could access via four wheeler/walking. But how far would one really want to pack a bison?

Shultz farm seems to routinely have bison, that is where I would start. There's public ag fields etc to mix it up.

The cost of getting the meat, hide and horns home should realistically be looked into. If you're a known shipper with AK airlines it isn't too bad. But it still might be out of ones budget. Factor in rental truck, place to stay (late sept can be VERY cold) and I can't see this hunt being done as a non res for less than 4k and likely going to end up more in the 6k range.

Remember regardless if you hunt it or not you must fill out the hunt report online.

Good Luck if you make it up here!

I went on a Bison ? Hunt in South Dakota in 12/03 & it was fun- my Son got a super sized bull that made B/C. I learned that every bull is tough & old - like 12 plus years- that they harvest due to bad tempers- just facts. Huge critters. We bought a large carcass of of a yearling plus -great meat ?. We sold the huge bull carcass to the meat packer for 50 cents lb.
About $ 1,000. The meat ? from yearling was like $ 15-20 lb or more. Can’t remember exactly.
It’s on the Custer State Park from a yearly drawing that is approximately $ 3-6 k at that time. A big old bull carcass is enormous. They retrieved it via a tractor ? with front end loader & winch from a ravine. You’ll face a lot of problems on how to handle this hunt ! Not easy & very expensive $. But have fun ! Dress warm !
Jerry Gold ?