Guy's,

The wife and I decided on going to Alaska Next year on a Caribou hunt. We would like to go on an unguided float trip where we could hunt, fish and camp out. Do you guys have suggestions on who to use for an outfitter or who to speak to about this trip?

Thanks

RUST'S FLIGHT SERVICE 907-243-1595
I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE RAFTS
AK RAFT AND KAYAK 907-561-7238
AK RAFT RENTALS in Palmer 45 miles from Anchorage
907-745-2447 alaskaraftrentals.com

AK,

Being that you are from there or go there a bunch, I hope that you don't mind me leaning on you a little.

Could you tell me, with the type of trip that my wife and I are wanting, should I be going through some type of outfitter? Is there an outfitter up there that I can call and say hey, this is the type of trip my wife and I want, this is the type of animals I want to hunt and this is how I want to do it. At this point he could give me his options and costs.

I know I said I wanted a DO IT YOURSELF type hunt but what I mean is set up everything drop us off and let us do it at our own pace.....

Thanks for your help AK.

stone cold- well i don't know of any outfitters. whoever flys you out will need to have a big game transporters lic. then by law they can not assist in the hunt including picking spot to hunt, spot game or any aspect of the actual hunt they can provide transportation, food and camp. and spot to drop you off. only area i know of that you might be able to do that is the Ivashak river on the north slope but i don't know who is doing flights to the lake to drop people off and then as you get down river you would have to deal with other hunters using boats to access the river. a friend that was a guide there used to do drop offs but he was flying winter cargo flightsfew years ago in western AK and go into a white-out and is no longer with us. there is an airboat service that takes people and drops them off , might be able to take you up river and you float out at your leisure.
noatak river area would also be a spot to go.i have heard of alot of folks floating that for sheep , bear, moose and caribou.
i'm sure that there are outfits that provide that service i just don't know them. in 29 years in Alaska i have only done 3 fly in hunts. i thought ak raft rentals might do that and both the raft places can probably tell you who does. google search may also bring up some hits. check state of ak web page under occ. lic. then guides and it will have some listed for the area you are wanting to go to. they list them by game management unit. i have a few friends thatare guides. one has worked for a guy i beleive upeast ofKotzebue. he is appearently getting away from guiding and going to do drop offs i don't know if it will also be float trips. good moose and caribou area. i will check with a couple guys in know that fly and one has guided so they may have some ideas.....i get off tomorrow for 2 busy weeks of spring bear and bowfishing for pike i probably won't see him until i return...jog my memory with a PM if i don't get back to you..at 57 i get attacks of CRS so i might need to be reminded.
if you are bowhunting only i can give you an idea...not totally remote but most of the time you would never know it......or if you are a very skilled rafter there is another spot i could suggest. i would like to take my raft and do that tripif my skills were better and "boys" larger

Stone Cold,

Contact Larry Bartlett through his company Pristine Ventures. Larry does hunt planning and really knows his crap. His planning services cost a few bucks, but you usually make it back in the savings that he can figure out for you. Here's his website:

http://www.pristineventures.com/adventureServices.html

Larry also wrote the book "Caribou Hunting: A Guide to Alaska's Herds." It's a great resource for a newby Alaskan caribou hunter.

AK Jeff

Stone Cold we represent an AK. outfitter who provides float trips/Big Game Transportsand in some instances will fly you into a wilderness area and then start the floattrip into the huntingareas. They do provide big game transports and will setup the camp and maintain it while you do your unguided hunt. Their trip includes guided trophy fishing too. They do not assist in your hunt at all , they just get you into the areas that have the game your looking for and setup and maintain your camp with cooking included. Call me toll free 1-877-647-9926 or email me for more info. Our email is in our signature.