DIY Caribou alaska
08-16-2019, 06:02 AM
#1
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 14
DIY Caribou alaska
Is it possible to do a NR caribou hunt using just the hunting rig in Alaska or do you need a Bush pilot to get in the right country? Never even been to Alaska let alone hunted there. Any and all info from the hunt talkers is welcome please. Especially info on costs of hiring a bush pilot if its 100% neccessary and pilot recommendations. Where to locate the herds that NR hunters can go after. How many days should I plan to be in the field. Weapon of choice for a caribou. And anything else you seasoned Alaskan hunters may be able to offer up. Thanks in advance -Sean
08-18-2019, 05:40 AM
#2
Spike
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 1
you don't necessarily need a bush pilot there are plenty of outfitters here in AK just depends on where you want to hunt and what your looking for. Obviously a guide is going to cost you much more than doing a DIY hunt. Your looking at 5 thousand or more for a guided hunt. for a DIY drop camp more around the 3 thousand mark. depending on the area you are hunting you will have just as much success doing DIY and its more rewarding of an experience. My personal recommendation is Deadhorse Outfitters up by Prudhoe bay, they are a great group of guys and not badly priced. The herd they hunt is the Central Arctic heard not a bad sized herd definitely not the largest. Most of your hunts are between 5 and 8 days. My preferred weapon is 338 Win Mag but that is my favorite rifle so I am a little biased LOL. Your going to want to have a rifle that you are comfortable taking a shot between 250 yards to 500 yards. I hope this helps some
08-18-2019, 08:25 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
well I have done the DIY caribou hunts in AKA before, been many yrs however since i did one, about 18 yrs now!
what I can tell you is this, like any hunt, costs can be one high or low, pending what all you want to do and how /where you want to hunt
meaning, if you plan to do it ALL yourself, , its NOT always cheaper
due to do factors of needing all the proper gear,
to do a drop hunt, you will need a tent and some other gear, some may have already some will NOT,
to do a drop hunt, with ONE Guy, over a few(at least one other) to help split costs pf air fare
and not to mention the safety factor alone of being out in no where lands without any help/helper!
BUT it can be done solo if your the type that wants that too,
but costs will many times be higher, as will work loads, that are not shared(making clean water setting up camp, meals, fire packing game and so on)
don't know where your located at, but if your NOT a resident of AK< just getting to AK with all your gear can be costly, been when driving there, so some times using a outfitter service can actually help LOWER the costs of hunt like this, and also pending outfitter, increase your odds of success on getting game!
as many will rent you tends, and gear and already have pilots and planes, and area's they know produce animals, and not be in an over hunted area, some even have camps with cabins and like set ups that are ready to go , saving you time once there., or sites that are more user friendly,, closer to migration paths, water, and or??
like all things the more research you do before a hunt, the better off you are,
you really have to be honest with yourself, on what your skill sets are and you can really do and NOT, Alaska is a beautiful place but it has things that can kill you too,
so some times paying for some help is a safer option too, and NOT just about killing a game animal
think I highly recommend, is a GOOD bug suit, bug tammer plus jacket/head gear gets my vote BIG time, seen a better suit yet! and take two head nets at a MIN< as if you loose one, you will go bonkers fast without one , as when bugs are BAD(black fly, skeeters) in AK< its insane how many there can be !
here is my vote on a jacket and I'd have two if I went again
https://shannonoutdoors.com/P/Classi...mer-Plus-Parka
my last several trips there I did DIY hunts with a small group of folks, some I knew some I got to know while there, we did this, to lower costs, , between flying from anchorage to Iliamna Lake , we would charter a plane, making it affordable when we could fill plane with at least 9 guys, then the lower costs of float planes when we booked for 9 as well
we would all chip i and decide how far we wanted to fly fromIliamna Lake , as the float planes would charge by time in the air, so you can sort of budget things and get an idea on how far your money will literally take you
BUT keep in mind, these pilots fly ALL the time, they KNOW where they see caribou and DON"T, or know what way there going and heading or past already
dis advantage is, if things are out farther than your pre planned budget allows when you have a group all flying same distance/price
as my last trip there, things were WAY farther out than the guys wanted to spend $$ to fly to, and we ended up not doing as well, due to main herds were just farther away
had I been solo, I could have decided to PAY more $$ to be flown a little farther closer to main herds, if you follow, , but since only 2 guys in a plane at once, no way to ask others if they also wanted to spend a little more to get closer>
we did OK< got 13 caribou between us, but had we flown a little farther, we would have done a LOT better, so having a set PRICE/budget, can have some draw backs
as for driving and parking to hunt caribou, I gather its possible, but never done this, most migration routes I gather don't pas by towns on purpose, but sure stragglers do so!
might be a lower odds hunt IMO,
7 of the 9 guys I hunted with all lived in AK and were budget guys, if they could have saved more money and expected to kill as many , I doubt they would have done the hunts the way we did!, flying and all that if they could have drove to a GOOD high odds place!,
what I can tell you is this, like any hunt, costs can be one high or low, pending what all you want to do and how /where you want to hunt
meaning, if you plan to do it ALL yourself, , its NOT always cheaper
due to do factors of needing all the proper gear,
to do a drop hunt, you will need a tent and some other gear, some may have already some will NOT,
to do a drop hunt, with ONE Guy, over a few(at least one other) to help split costs pf air fare
and not to mention the safety factor alone of being out in no where lands without any help/helper!
BUT it can be done solo if your the type that wants that too,
but costs will many times be higher, as will work loads, that are not shared(making clean water setting up camp, meals, fire packing game and so on)
don't know where your located at, but if your NOT a resident of AK< just getting to AK with all your gear can be costly, been when driving there, so some times using a outfitter service can actually help LOWER the costs of hunt like this, and also pending outfitter, increase your odds of success on getting game!
as many will rent you tends, and gear and already have pilots and planes, and area's they know produce animals, and not be in an over hunted area, some even have camps with cabins and like set ups that are ready to go , saving you time once there., or sites that are more user friendly,, closer to migration paths, water, and or??
like all things the more research you do before a hunt, the better off you are,
you really have to be honest with yourself, on what your skill sets are and you can really do and NOT, Alaska is a beautiful place but it has things that can kill you too,
so some times paying for some help is a safer option too, and NOT just about killing a game animal
think I highly recommend, is a GOOD bug suit, bug tammer plus jacket/head gear gets my vote BIG time, seen a better suit yet! and take two head nets at a MIN< as if you loose one, you will go bonkers fast without one , as when bugs are BAD(black fly, skeeters) in AK< its insane how many there can be !
here is my vote on a jacket and I'd have two if I went again
https://shannonoutdoors.com/P/Classi...mer-Plus-Parka
my last several trips there I did DIY hunts with a small group of folks, some I knew some I got to know while there, we did this, to lower costs, , between flying from anchorage to Iliamna Lake , we would charter a plane, making it affordable when we could fill plane with at least 9 guys, then the lower costs of float planes when we booked for 9 as well
we would all chip i and decide how far we wanted to fly fromIliamna Lake , as the float planes would charge by time in the air, so you can sort of budget things and get an idea on how far your money will literally take you
BUT keep in mind, these pilots fly ALL the time, they KNOW where they see caribou and DON"T, or know what way there going and heading or past already
dis advantage is, if things are out farther than your pre planned budget allows when you have a group all flying same distance/price
as my last trip there, things were WAY farther out than the guys wanted to spend $$ to fly to, and we ended up not doing as well, due to main herds were just farther away
had I been solo, I could have decided to PAY more $$ to be flown a little farther closer to main herds, if you follow, , but since only 2 guys in a plane at once, no way to ask others if they also wanted to spend a little more to get closer>
we did OK< got 13 caribou between us, but had we flown a little farther, we would have done a LOT better, so having a set PRICE/budget, can have some draw backs
as for driving and parking to hunt caribou, I gather its possible, but never done this, most migration routes I gather don't pas by towns on purpose, but sure stragglers do so!
might be a lower odds hunt IMO,
7 of the 9 guys I hunted with all lived in AK and were budget guys, if they could have saved more money and expected to kill as many , I doubt they would have done the hunts the way we did!, flying and all that if they could have drove to a GOOD high odds place!,
