AK Caribou Hunt

[bbbass]

As far as rifle goes I was thinking this would be a great excuse for me to finally get a lightweight rifle that can take most NA game, was thinking 300 win mag (I know overkill for 'bou, but I reload so figured i could download it and go with lighter projectiles).

Hmmm, you could or maybe a flat shooting Creedmore... lightweight and has more legs than the 300WM!

 

[bbbass]

Gotta go sing tonight. But will check in later.

Be sure to take a beacon, even if you have a sat phone... I worked at a radio shop and can tell you those sat phones don't always hook up. Only the Iridium is worth having anyway. But if you light off an EPIRB, they will be on the jump!!

 

[Dwesson]

So for a guided hunt, what should I be looking at price wise? A quick google search look like 8-10K not including flight to Alaska etc?

My buddy is a bit of a skinflint so that may be a tough sell, even harder him selling it to his wife...will see how that convo. goes before I get too far down the rabbit hole.

Any guide recommendations if that's the route we go?

As a total aside, I get guiding operations can't be cheap but hot damn some $20K for a bear, $15K for a moose etc. I mean my wife and I make decent money but I'd be hard pressed to justify that on a hunt.

Will look into an EPIRB as well.

Thanks for all the info so far fellas.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

I'd bring a gun that can kill anything. Just in case.
And here is a some really A+ advice.
Bring the best of the BEST CLOTHING. The best rain gear! The best boots. My brother hunts up there, and you better be prepared for helloia rain storms. Like pouring for weeks straight. So bad most don't leave the tent.

 

[LuckySG]

I will PM you a name and number for a guide that was highly recommended, sounds like he is a pilot as well.

 

[bbbass]

Okay, here is the info my buddy Tom sent. He was in the USCG up there and stayed after he retired. Hunted everything. His word on this is serious stuff!!! :

Hi, Unless he's going with an Alaskan that "KNOWS" the area, how to survive, has the equipment & a buttload of money - then Yes!, go with a guide. NEVER go hunting in AK without someone that "knows" his stuff, & have a "SAT" radio each. Going to cost more but well worth it. Winter is no time to mess around. I never even tried to hunt in winter. I went during the summer/fall hunts. It is also better as you can get a grizzly tag. Caribou hunting is not hard if you "know" where they are. They migrate long distances, except some of the herds that stay in a general area & even they migrate, though not as far. In winter when no bears are around a 7mag or similar is good. When I hunt I use a 300 - 375 due to bears. I have shot "bou" with 7, 300, 338. Hit them in the shoulder or similar bone area & you can loose a lot. Heart/lung are the way to go. Any guide will tell you what you need to bring, but rubber boots, "good" rain gear, layers of clothing to match the weather, etc etc, too much to list. I primarily hunted out of King Salmon area, but I had an Air Force base there to base out of or friends on Lake Illiama, where I could stay & we would use their boats, atvs, etc. & had their "guide" help, so not germane to this situation. Again, I would NEVER hunt in winter without the services of a "Master" guide & their equipment. FWIW Tom
By the way, most of my shots were 250-500 yds.

Btw, the earlier comment about the rain was right on! Recently, my daughter's boyfriend that works on the slope took his son on a float trip for moose and the constant rain mooshed their tent, filled their raft, drenched them, made them slip around trying to load the moose, and made them want to quit and go back to base camp. Doesn't sound like fun to me. I've been there a few times in the early summer and the mosquitos are really bad!!!

 

[Dwesson]

Okay, here is the info my buddy Tom sent. He was in the USCG up there and stayed after he retired. Hunted everything. His word on this is serious stuff!!! :

Hi, Unless he's going with an Alaskan that "KNOWS" the area, how to survive, has the equipment & a buttload of money - then Yes!, go with a guide. NEVER go hunting in AK without someone that "knows" his stuff, & have a "SAT" radio each. Going to cost more but well worth it. Winter is no time to mess around. I never even tried to hunt in winter. I went during the summer/fall hunts. It is also better as you can get a grizzly tag. Caribou hunting is not hard if you "know" where they are. They migrate long distances, except some of the herds that stay in a general area & even they migrate, though not as far. In winter when no bears are around a 7mag or similar is good. When I hunt I use a 300 - 375 due to bears. I have shot "bou" with 7, 300, 338. Hit them in the shoulder or similar bone area & you can loose a lot. Heart/lung are the way to go. Any guide will tell you what you need to bring, but rubber boots, "good" rain gear, layers of clothing to match the weather, etc etc, too much to list. I primarily hunted out of King Salmon area, but I had an Air Force base there to base out of or friends on Lake Illiama, where I could stay & we would use their boats, atvs, etc. & had their "guide" help, so not germane to this situation. Again, I would NEVER hunt in winter without the services of a "Master" guide & their equipment. FWIW Tom
By the way, most of my shots were 250-500 yds.

Btw, the earlier comment about the rain was right on! Recently, my daughter's boyfriend that works on the slope took his son on a float trip for moose and the constant rain mooshed their tent, filled their raft, drenched them, made them slip around trying to load the moose, and made them want to quit and go back to base camp. Doesn't sound like fun to me. I've been there a few times in the early summer and the mosquitos are really bad!!!

Thanks for asking your buddy for me. To be clear the hunt would be in the August time frame when the weather is a lot more reasonable. From reading if you're hunting the 40 mile heard which is more E-SE Alaska, temps are mid-70s typically and don't drop below freezing. Not to say I wouldn't be prepared, but to be clear I wouldn't even think about heading into the Alaska backcountry in the winter without an expert!

I'm thinking about reaching out to these guys as they seem pretty reasonable:

Caribou Hunting | Caribou Hunt Prices

I found a decent gear list here:

https://www.billymollsadventures.com/gear

I'll keep you guys posted as I learn more/plan. Hopefully I have some great stories to tell and some meat come late summer/early fall next year

 

[bbbass]

Thanks for asking your buddy for me. To be clear the hunt would be in the August time frame when the weather is a lot more reasonable. From reading if you're hunting the 40 mile heard which is more E-SE Alaska, temps are mid-70s typically and don't drop below freezing. Not to say I wouldn't be prepared, but to be clear I wouldn't even think about heading into the Alaska backcountry in the winter without an expert!

Yup, my pleasure.

Sooooo, East of Fairbanks, West and South of the Yukon River, Tenana, Eagle, 40Mile R, and north of the AlCan. I wouldn't make too many assumptions about the weather... that is where my stepdaughter's boyfriend went for moose and they nearly drowned in torrential rain.

 

[Dwesson]

Yup, my pleasure.

Sooooo, East of Fairbanks, West and South of the Yukon River, Tenana, Eagle, 40Mile R, and north of the AlCan. I wouldn't make too many assumptions about the weather... that is where my stepdaughter's boyfriend went for moose and they nearly drowned in torrential rain.

I thought I only had to worry about freezing to death

 

[bbbass]

I'm thinking about reaching out to these guys as they seem pretty reasonable:

Caribou Hunting | Caribou Hunt Prices

I found a decent gear list here:

Alaska Big-Game Hunting - Billy Molls Adventures - Gear

Good info! I'm impressed!!! And that price does seem reasonable compared to what you mentioned earlier.

 

[bbbass]

I thought I only had to worry about freezing to death

Or being eaten by bear or mosquitos, drowning, forest fire, getting lost, cutting/falling injuries... earthquake, volcano... glacial ice, being left by guide/pilot...

But hey, at least shooting a wolf is free!!!

 

[Dwesson]

Or being eaten by bear or mosquitos, drowning, forest fire, getting lost, cutting/falling injuries... earthquake, volcano... glacial ice, being left by guide/pilot...

But hey, at least shooting a wolf is free!!!

I can see it now...I'm going to use that line on my wife when I'm paying for the mount should I actually get a wolf:

"Look the wolf was free!" "Sure looks like the taxidermist is charging you to me!"

 

[bbbass]

I can see it now...I'm going to use that line on my wife when I'm paying for the mount should I actually get a wolf:

"Look the wolf was free!" "Sure looks like the taxidermist is charging you to me!"

This thread is good relief from the political threads that I usually haunt. Thanx!!!

 

[bbbass]

Your avatar pic is dark to me... is that a Spaniel?

 

[Dwesson]

Your avatar pic is dark to me... is that a Spaniel?

It is, she's an English Cocker Spaniel, here's a better pic. She can be hard to photograph clearly. I never hunted her, but she's naturally very birdy and retrieves fairly well with a soft mouth.

 

[bbbass]

I love all dogs, and I love Spaniels in particular! Our family dog when I was a young child was a Cocker. Good breed! Ours wasn't a hunter at all. Maybe a hunter of handouts, which was strictly illegal but I used to slip cooked carrots of my dinner plate.

I've had some buddies with Springers... great hunters but hard to get the burrs, etc, out of the ear hair. I alway had pointers myself, but I do appreciate a good flusher and/or retriever.

 

[Dwesson]

I love all dogs, and I love Spaniels in particular! Our family dog when I was a young child was a Cocker. Good breed! Ours wasn't a hunter at all. Maybe a hunter of handouts, which was strictly illegal but I used to slip cooked carrots of my dinner plate.

I've had some buddies with Springers... great hunters but hard to get the burrs, etc, out of the ear hair. I alway had pointers myself, but I do appreciate a good flusher and/or retriever.

I grew up with a liver and white Springer which is probably why I like spaniels so much. My springer growing up and this girl are both definitely food hounds and it's pretty hard to resist the doleful look they give you as you eat.

Our springer was really energetic and I thought the English Cocker might be notch lower..but I'm not sure about that.

The Pointers are fantastic but a GSP or wirehaired wears me out just looking at them! I knew a guy that had one that would just stand on top of a giant hill with a chuck-it so the dog at least had to retrieve up hill. He said that dog could go all day!

Someone should start a thread to post up their hunting dogs (or couch potatoes!).

 

[KKG]

I believe that a lot of the hunting by non-residents requires a guide. I would suggest you contact the AK Game Department. I don't know if you have to have draw a permit but I wouldn't be surprised.

A Caribou hide(hair on) hangs on my wall and has for a number of years. Mine came from my Mother-in-law. It's actually a Reindeer - they're the same animal - and was purchased in a Butcher Shop in Norway.

 

[Dwesson]

I believe that a lot of the hunting by non-residents requires a guide. I would suggest you contact the AK Game Department. I don't know if you have to have draw a permit but I wouldn't be surprised.

A Caribou hide(hair on) hangs on my wall and has for a number of years. Mine came from my Mother-in-law. It's actually a Reindeer - they're the same animal - and was purchased in a Butcher Shop in Norway.

That's awesome, if this happens I'll definitely be getting a shoulder mount since it is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime type things and I am baking it into my costs.

I know that the Brooks Range tags are over the counter for non-residents and unlimited. The 40 mile heard I believe is a registration hunt, meaning you have to buy ahead of time and they can close the area down if game harvest targets are met, but I'm not sure how common that is in that specific area. I have found a few DIY services in that region but most guided stuff appears to be further north in the Brooks Range.

 

[KKG]

Wish you Luck with your hunt. Just remembered, my first choice is the back straps!