2019 Alaska Flyout Caribou Hunt

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  • MDHunter

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 12, 2007
    1,207
    Free America
    In late August/early September, I was back in Alaska for another remote flyout caribou hunt. I opted to go again with the bush pilots I’ve been flying with since the mid-2000’s – 40 Mile Air out of Tok, Alaska. They’re really good pilots, run a safe and organized operation, and fly into some really wild country. In addition, they have a chilled boxcar back in Tok where they take your meat until your hunt is over, which is perfect for a meat hunter like me. I skipped my AK hunt last year to take my girlfriend to Alaska, so it was great to see the guys again and get back into the mountains of Alaska.

    I’ve had great success finding AK hunt partners on forums like this one; that wouldn’t be necessary this year. A former high school baseball teammate and small game hunting partner back in the day was interested in going, and had never been to Alaska. Tom and I met for dinner back in November; I brought pics from past Alaska hunts, and described how this hunt is much more work than we’re accustomed to hunting whitetails on the East Coast. He was up for the adventure, so on December 1 I called 40 Mile and booked our spot for a 6-day caribou hunt.

    We flew into the mountains on August 29; the caribou were still scattered all over the mountains, and not yet showing any consistent travel pattern. 40 Mile opted to fly us far north into the Charley River country, about 125 air miles north of Tok and deep in the mountains. The flight into and out of the wilderness is always one of the highlights of these trips.

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    We were dropped on a ridge that 40 Mile hadn’t used before this year; the couple hunting there before us had both been successful, and it offered a great view of several travel corridors, so we opted to give it a try.

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    While we began to set up camp, we had some interested spectators on the top of the ridge…

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    My typical camp setup – sleep tent in foreground, and cook/gear tent in the background. We don’t bring any food into the sleep tent.

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    Our sleep tent with the bear fence in place. Probably didn’t need it at this campsite, but had it with us, and it only takes a few minutes to set up (except for tying all of the ribbons on the electric wires).

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    As we were finishing setup of the bear fence, this guy came down to investigate, and got within 150 yards or so of the tents! He was as big as any bull we saw later, a trophy to be proud of…if it wasn’t fly-in day.

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    Tom all geared up and ready to hunt, with my backup pack and Kifaru Gunbearer setup for the rifle. That pack has hauled a lot of meat over the years.

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    Our camp, with mountain in the background, taken from the knob where we watched a saddle with multiple travel corridors.

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    If we walk in this direction, after a while we will get to Canada…

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    We were fortunate to see lots of caribou on a daily basis, more than I’ve seen on any previous hunt in the 40 Mile country. When a group without shooter bulls would pass, I would sneak a little closer and take some photos.

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    As we were about to head back to the tents for some dinner on Hunting Day 2, I glanced back at the saddle before leaving, and saw a group of 6 caribou coming with 2 nice bulls. I called Tom back to the rock outcropping we were sitting on, and he started to get setup; the caribou were about 400 yards out at that point. He had bumped his scope against a rock when we were preparing to head back to camp, and we were planning to check the zero after dinner; so I handed him my .338 Winchester Magnum. The caribou walked to within about 160 yards of us, and he dropped this nice bull with one shot.

    We got him caped, field dressed, quartered, and hauled the meat back to the ridgetop just before dark. Tom was elated with his bull, and it wasn’t a bad pack as meat packs go – only about ½ mile, and the terrain was easy walking.

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    I had caught a bug just before flying into the field, wasn’t sleeping well, and felt a little run down on this trip; so I decided I was going to shoot a bull close to the ridgetop for an easy pack (if the caribou cooperated, of course). On Day 3 we didn’t see any shooters close to the ridge, so I took photos of some of the smaller caribou that passed through. I didn’t try too hard to stay concealed, so they would notice me and wonder what I was…

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    On the afternoon of Hunting Day 4, I saw a bald eagle fly onto a rock outcropping about 400 yards away, and convinced myself that was a positive sign. A short while later, 4 caribou came up the ridge from the trees, and a nice bull was leading them. I let them keep coming, and shot him when they were about 150 yards away. I’ve shot bulls with much bigger antlers, but this bull had the heaviest body of any I have shot – lots of prime meat for my sisters and family in Anchorage! I was only about 250 yards from the part of the ridge where the planes could land, so we didn’t even put the meat in the backpacks – we carried it to the ridgetop by hand.

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    After I shot the largest bull, the 3 others with him hung around for a while, trying to figure out what happened to their buddy. Gave me a chance to take some pics of them right on the ridgetop, only about 150 yards from camp.

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    After spending a couple hours the next morning trimming and bagging the meat, I called 40 Mile for a meat haul, and to see if we could get an early flyout since we had filled our tags. They had lots of flights scheduled that day, so it didn’t look likely at first. But Jake stopped by to grab the caribou a few hours later, and told us if we could get camp taken down they could fit us in that evening. We took camp down in wind and rain, and Jake and Leif came back around 6 PM to get us and our remaining gear. After drying the tents and gear in our hotel rooms for a couple of days, I was able to get everything clean and stored up for the next adventure.

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    MDHunter

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 12, 2007
    1,207
    Free America
    Do you just bring back the meat or antlers also?

    I am half Eskimo and was born in Alaska, have 2 sisters and lots of extended family in Anchorage. I bring out all of the meat, including the heart and the tongue. Drop the animal at my sisters place in Anchorage, and they and my cousins get together and cut it up and divide it in one day. I brought home 8-10 pounds of backstrap and tenderloin.

    I gave the antlers to the guy that hunted with me, I never keep them but have to bring them out of the field with the locking tag on them.
     

    AV8OR

    Active Member
    Jan 22, 2010
    238
    Always enjoy these posts each year. Congrats and good work. Please add me to the list if you ever need a hunting pal.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Always enjoy these posts each year. Congrats and good work. Please add me to the list if you ever need a hunting pal.

    If still doing it in a couple of years add me to the list also :-)

    Alaska hunting is on my bucket list. I was there last summer with my in-laws seeing the sights and a little fishing. I am dying to get back and any excuse will do (I’ve been looking for a job, but limited in fed jobs in my area of expertise for a transfer).
     

    ironpony

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 8, 2013
    7,191
    Davidsonville
    Thanks for posting! Has to be the best thread I've read here in a while. With this type hunt I am guessing the camera choice is almost as important as the rifle.
     

    MDHunter

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 12, 2007
    1,207
    Free America
    I look forward to these posts also. Awesome country, pics and successful hunt.

    The country is so picturesque, a fancy camera isn't needed. I use a little Nikon Coolpix 10 Megapixel camera that I bought back in 2009 that fits in my shirt pocket. I just take lots of pics and delete the ones that don't come out well. I am not a skilled photographer, but have improved a little with practice.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,667
    Not Far Enough from the City
    The country is so picturesque, a fancy camera isn't needed. I use a little Nikon Coolpix 10 Megapixel camera that I bought back in 2009 that fits in my shirt pocket. I just take lots of pics and delete the ones that don't come out well. I am not a skilled photographer, but have improved a little with practice.

    Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. Great thread!
     

    remrug

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,762
    manchester md
    I was eating lunch at a job site with other tradsesmen.One guy noticed me cutting up some deer bologna and stated how much he missed eating it.I offered to bring in some for him the next day.He asked me if I wanted to trade some for caribou stakes he had from a hunt he went on.Since I never ate caribou I jumped on that trade.

    I let a pack thaw during work and grilled some when I got home.When I opened a bag,the meat had grass ,leaves and some hair on it.I think they let a blind person wrap the meat up.I wasnt expecting much out of the taste,but lo and behold.....it was the best tasting venison I have ever had.That right there makes me yearn for more caribou
     

    hi3cho

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 16, 2012
    1,306
    Edgemere
    If you don't mind me asking, what does a trip like this run? and how much less than a guided hunt. This trip may not be in my near future but when my boys are older, a trip with us three would be on my bucket list for sure.
     

    MDHunter

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 12, 2007
    1,207
    Free America
    I was eating lunch at a job site with other tradsesmen.One guy noticed me cutting up some deer bologna and stated how much he missed eating it.I offered to bring in some for him the next day.He asked me if I wanted to trade some for caribou stakes he had from a hunt he went on.Since I never ate caribou I jumped on that trade.

    I let a pack thaw during work and grilled some when I got home.When I opened a bag,the meat had grass ,leaves and some hair on it.I think they let a blind person wrap the meat up.I wasnt expecting much out of the taste,but lo and behold.....it was the best tasting venison I have ever had.That right there makes me yearn for more caribou

    It's hard to take care of the meat when you're 125 miles from the road system, like we were this year. I cut 9'x9' Tyvek sheets, wash them once in the clothes washer (no detergent) to remove the annoying loud flapping sound, and we carry them in our backpacks. When we field dress and quarter an animal, we place each piece on the Tyvek sheet as we remove it from the animal. Keeps a lot of grass and dirt off the meat.

    We haul the meat back to the ridgetop where the plane will pick it up, and lay it on another 9'x9' Tyvek sheet. When I have time (I did this year), we let it lay overnight on the Tyvek, without putting it in game bags. The next morning, we spent about 2 hours trimming fat and sinew off the pieces, and picking off any remaining pieces of grass and dirt. Then we put it in the game bags, and call the plane to come get it. Doing our best with the meat in the field really helps when we get it to town.
     

    Antarctica

    YEEEEEHAWWW!!!!
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 29, 2012
    1,728
    Southern Anne Arundel
    Last pic/sentence. Do you leave/store gear in Tok? Or was that pic taken back home?

    Great write up - thanks for posting. Would love to find a way to do a DIY AK float hunt for moose, but I can't even get my buddies to go out west for a DIY elk hunt. Maybe when my kids (3 and 4) are a bit older I'll figure out a way to make a family vacation of it.
     

    MDHunter

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 12, 2007
    1,207
    Free America
    Last pic/sentence. Do you leave/store gear in Tok? Or was that pic taken back home?

    Great write up - thanks for posting. Would love to find a way to do a DIY AK float hunt for moose, but I can't even get my buddies to go out west for a DIY elk hunt. Maybe when my kids (3 and 4) are a bit older I'll figure out a way to make a family vacation of it.

    I have a storage unit in Anchorage where i keep my AK hunting gear; that pic is at the storage unit.

    Float hunt - you're a better man than me. That is a ton of work, got lots of respect for guys that float hunt the AK rivers.
     

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