Planning a Alaska Caribou Hunt 2008

[Twobears55]

My hunting partner and I are trying to plan a Caribou hunt for the fall of 2008 in Alaska. What we are planning for is a unguided hunt in a two bull area north of, northeast ofor in the area of Fairbanks. We're having trouble locating a transporter ortransporter/outfitterthat don't want an arm and a leg. We mailmost of our equipmentto Alaska to be held until we arrive and then we rent what we can't ship.We primarily bowhunt but we also have a rifle backup. If we could even find someone who owns a plane to fly us in and out we could offer some quality hunts in W. Kentucky in trade. Deer, Turkey, Super Bowfishing. Our boat has harvestedfour State record fish. We've successfully done a Alaskan Moose hunt DIY, Canadian Black Bear DIY, Colorado Elk DIY, Wyoming Antelope DIY most of these more than one time.

[AK Jeff]

There aren't any two bull areas right around Fairbanks so you'll have to travel a ways from there. The White Mountains and 40-mile areas are all one animal and the 40-mile registration hunt usually closes within just a few days of opening because the quota gets met so fast. If you want to try for two then your best bet will be to hunt the Western or Central Arctic herds out of Kotzebue, Bettles, or Coldfoot as those are multi-animal areas for non-res. You could bowhunt the Haul Road after Oct. 1 when the limit jumps to two bulls, but plan on cold temperatures, lots of competition, and potentially few animals right around the road. If they aren't along the Dalton then you're pretty much SOL because you can't really move away from the road without killing yourself on the tussocks. I'd doubt you'll find anybody with a plane that willdo a swap either. They're just too expensive to run, so people either charge an arm and a leg or they use them strictly for themselves and their close friends. One of your best bets is to contact Larry Bartlett (Pristine Ventures) about his hunt plan service. Larry is a top notch guy and he can put you in with good transportation and more importantly a good area, and even equipment if you need it. He stays on top of the game so his expertise is worth the price he charges, especially when you look at the overall hunt price. There's lots of scam artists out there that will dump you in the middle of nowhere for a week and don't care if you even see an animal. So what if you give them a bad recommendation too, because there's ten unsuspecting saps lined up behind you that they can do the same thing. Do your homework or pay somebody else to do it for you. I'm not trying to sound like a stick in the mud; I just want you to be prepared for the good and the really really bad that Alaska can dump on you if you're not prepared.

Good Luck,

AK Jeff

[Twobears55]

Thanks Jeff, I'll be doing a lot of research.
I know there a lot of vultures out there just hovering around for the easy pickings. That's what I'm trying to avoid.
I thought Unit 23 had gone to a one animal limit for non-residents. Perhaps I'm wrong. I'll look a little closer at Kotsebue. If you have any contacts in that area or suggestion I would appreciate it.
I know planes are expensive to operate. I'm a pilot. I have three planes. I know how much it costs to maintain and fly them. But I realize the costs are more in Alaska than in W. Kentucky.

Thanks againg. I'm sure I'll have more questions.

Twobears55

[jgcoastie]

I'd take a look at the Caribou hunts in Unit 10, specifically ADAK Island... There are tons of caribou on the island... The caribou have no natural predators to amount to anything, and there's not just a ton of folks that go out there to hunt... Round-trip flights with Alaskan Air from Anchorage will run about $1200 each... You wouldn't have to mail your gear unless you just wanted to... You can check guns on airlines in checked baggage as long as it's in a locked, hard-sided case (I'm assuming it'd be the same with a bow)... Just some food for thought...

[AK Jeff]

ORIGINAL: jgcoastie

I'd take a look at the Caribou hunts in Unit 10, specifically ADAK Island... There are tons of caribou on the island... The caribou have no natural predators to amount to anything, and there's not just a ton of folks that go out there to hunt... Round-trip flights with Alaskan Air from Anchorage will run about $1200 each... You wouldn't have to mail your gear unless you just wanted to... You can check guns on airlines in checked baggage as long as it's in a locked, hard-sided case (I'm assuming it'd be the same with a bow)... Just some food for thought...

The problem with Adak is that it's so danged expensive to get out there and most of the caribou live on the opposite side of the island from the town/small road system, so you need to get a boat transporter to take you over there too. If I'm not mistaken there was talk of limiting the number of bulls that non-res could take on Adak because of the increasedtrophy harvest that was going on there. There is some incredibly trophy potential there, but there's a lot of places I'd rather spend my hunting budget on than the middle of the Aleutians.

Another option for multiple caribou is Kodiak Island. There's no closed season and no limit on caribou (feral reindeer that look just like 'bou) there so you could do a deer/'bou combo in the fall if you were inclined. Most of them are supposed to be down on the far south end of the island. Transportation to Kodiak would be a lot cheaper than going to Adak.

AK Jeff