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Caribou or Moose DIY hunt - Alaska

A lot of this information is based on a hunt out of Kotzebue but most of it can also be applied to most villages in Alaska.

If you are planning a DIY hunt for either Moose or Caribou in Alaska, there is a lot that you need to know in order to have an enjoyable and successful trip. I know cost is probably the driving force behind most decisions whether or not to go guided or DIY, (It was for me on my first trip also) but don’t let that be your only deciding factor. I have been to Alaska 14 times on trips that involved DIY, guided, and now as a guide myself. I have spent a lot of time talking to hunters in town and in the field about their trips. I have heard horror stories from guys that blame everyone but themselves for their failed trip that could have been avoided with just a little bit of prior information and planning. Hopefully the following information will help you if you are planning a DIY trip. One of the biggest problems I have found is that everyone from the lower 48 is on a tight time schedule. Alaskans are not. Up there, the weather dictates what you’ll do and when you’ll do it. When you get off that last scheduled airline flight, leave your date calendar and watch behind. You should PLAN on not returning on the date you expect. Low ceilings, poor visibility, wind and rain kill hunters and pilots every year in Alaska. Every one of them would be alive today if they just didn’t HAVE to get back to town or back to work. If you're "scheduled" to be picked up on a certain day and the weather is poor, don’t get all in a huff if your plane doesn't show up. The weather may be nice where you are at but it may be horrible just over the next mountain range or along the coast where your pilot is trying to fly out. He could have fog, wind, zero zero visibility or a broken plane being fixed. A cautious and safe pilot is a blessing in Alaska and you should be thankful, not upset, he doesn’t want to fly in marginal conditions. He’s trying to save his life and yours. Plan on delays and you’ll have a much more enjoyable trip.

You’ll have to decide if you are going to use a registered guide or a transporter to get you back into your hunting area. Cost is about the same for either one. If you are thinking about bringing your entire camp and not using the gear from an outfitter or fly-out service, it is nearly impossible today with the extra cost of baggage on the plane and also the fact that you cannot bring a lot of the essential items that you will need even as checked baggage ie: fuel or propane. Forget trying to bring along a raft, large tents, or heavy cooking supplies and food. So that leaves you with using someone else’s gear. Transporters can rent you equipment in town and then fly you out to a site and then you’ll set it all up. One important aspect to remember is that a transporter is not allowed to provide a camp that is already setup and ready to go (state law). The advantage to using a registered guide for a drop off type DIY hunt is that he can have a camp already setup in an area that already has caribou or moose there. If you’re using an outfitter, he should have a camp already setup ahead of time. Since transporters are not allowed to set up a camp ahead of time, some of them end up dropping off hunters in any place that isn’t already taken. What this means is that they (you) may be getting the less desirable sites. If it was a good location, it would already have a camp there. You must also be prepared to fix all of your own meals in a DIY camp. This takes time to prep your food, cook it, then clean up your mess so you have clean dishes at 5AM the next morning. Believe me, a good guide works his tail off on a hunting trip for his clients, this is just one of those examples. Most hunters on a guided hunt (despite what most say) don’t help out in camp and expect that their meals are prepared and their trophies are packed out and properly taken care of. (heck, that is what they are paying for). Most hunters I’ve talked to just don’t realize all the work that is involved in a DIY hunt, especially for moose. Caribou are not much larger then deer and can be packed out in two trips. Moose are a completely different problem. If you are planning on bringing back the cape and antlers, you must take care of them in the field. Cutting off the antlers correctly is critical unless you are willing to pay your taxidermist to fix them once you return. Capeing out your animal is also critical and if you don’t know how to do this, you probably shouldn’t be on a DIY hunt. The cape must be fleshed of all meat and fat in the field. The ears must be turned right away along with the lips, eyes and nose. Then it must be salted and dried for several days, then rolled up. NEVER ever put salt on a cape that has not been fleshed property and turned!! You will ruin your cape. Salt will dry out the meat and fat and it then becomes impossible to remove later. In the area around Kotzebue, where I hunt, it is a law that you must bring out the bones of your Moose or Caribou also. You cannot de-bone it in the field. That means when you get an animal down, it will take 9 or 10 pack trips for Moose and 2 for Caribou to get it all out. Also, you cannot bring out the antlers or cape of any animal in Alaska until ALL of the meat is back to camp. So, if you plan on taking several days to pack it out, you need to make sure the carcass/meat doesn’t get taken over by a bear. Bears love moose! I’ve had more then one bear show up to take over a carcass and they don’t share willingly. The laws in Alaska about wasting meat are very strict and the state patrol (wardens) will land to inspect your kill to verify that every ounce of meat has been taken out. I take pictures of all of my carcasses just so there is no question. I know of one hunter that was back home for almost two months when he had a knock on his door from the Alaska State Patrol. He was given a ticket for wasting meat. They had flown in after he left and taken pictures of his kill and found out who had dropped him off and later flew down and hand delivered his citation. It cost him thousands of dollars. (don’t remember what area of Alaska he was hunting in). The town of Kotzebue has no taxidermy shops and no facilities for storing your meat or a company that will pack and ship it out for you. You will have to have these arrangements in place before you get up there. Once your meat is back in town, you have to get it flown down to Anchorage and into a cold storage locker right away. Northern Air Cargo is one option for shipping meat and antlers down to Anchorage. Alaska Airlines will NOT ship antlers. The airlines will ship your meat and cape back only if it is sealed and in a proper shipping box. However, you guessed it, there are NO shipping boxes available in Kotzebue! You will have to take them up with you and leave them in town until you return from your hunt. Phone service is marginal in Kotzebue. Until last year (2008) there was no cell phone service. Now, only a handful of cell phones work up there. In general, the natives in Kotzebue do not like those of us from the lower 48 ( I guess they don’t appreciate all their free subsidies) and are not willing to help out much if you find yourself in a bind. There is a state patrol office in town and they also handle all of the fish and game duties. Flying into Kotzebue is by Alaska Airlines only. They have three flights in and out of town each day. I would highly suggest booking your flight directly with Alaska Airlines. There is a good chance you may need to change your return flight. If you use one of the booking companies like Travelocity, Orbitz or Expedia, the airlines will not change your flight for you, you will have to go through the company you booked your flight with to change it. I’ve seen some very frustrated guys in the terminal in Kotz trying frantically to get a hold of their booking company. Not easy to do from Kotzebue.

Packing for your trip should be taken very seriously. If you are planning a trip to Alaska, feel free to send me a PM and I’ll forward on to you the packing list I’ve come up with after more then a dozen hunting trips to AK.

Here are a few questions/info that you need to take care of before your trip:

1. If flying out to camp on a bush plane, you will have to limit your baggage to around 70 lbs.

2. Do you have confidence that you can take care of your trophy in the field? Field dress it, pack it all out, fleshing it out turning ears, lips, eyes ? Did you bring salt with you?

3. Do you have plenty of game bags, plastic bags and boxes to ship your meat home? Moose weight around 1200lbs plus!

4. Do you have an extra duffle bag to bring your cape back with you? Moose capes weigh around 50-75 lbs. after they are fleshed and salted.

5. How are you getting your antlers back? Airlines will NOT ship antlers anymore.

6. Are you prepared to spend a few extra days before, during or after your hunt due to poor weather?

7. Are you prepared to fix all of your meals and clean up after every meal. This all takes time away from hunting. 8. Have you scheduled an extra day in Anchorage on the way home to take care of shipping arrangements for your cape, meat and antlers?

Some contact numbers for Kotzebue:

Alaska State Patrol Kotzebue, 907 442-3222, Bayside Hotel and Restaurant 907 442-3600, Nullagvik Hotel 907 442-3331, Taxi 907 442-2244 or 907 442-3651, Northern Air Cargo 800-727-2141 Rates are around 35 cents a lb. for back haul to ANC., Alaska Airlines 800-654-5669

After all our clients were gone this year, I had 4 hours one afternoon to hunt so I grabbed my gun and found this guy a few miles north of camp.

WOW, thanks for the info. I've had a lot of those questions for a while!

Great read... Thanks for sharing...

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Great information! Thanks for sharing!

Been on 8 DIY hunts in Alaska and they are great! I don't see the need for a guide for any species, but one is required by law for brown bear, goat, and sheep. Which is absurd! I'm pretty sure I have more wilderness and survival experience than 75% of the nimrods in Anchorage, yet they can hunt without a guide. Go figure! Definitely nothing against guides, they work their tail off and for those that don't have the time or will to do it themselves, they are a great service. My philosophy has always been that I can do at least 2 DIY hunts for the price of one guided hunt. I get to hunt Alaska twice as much for the same money. Always been an easy choice for me.

I agree, NYB, but I think we both know it's all about the money. I always hear the argument that it's a SAFETY concern, that is why you are required to hire a guide for Brown Bear, Sheep, Goats. That's a bunch of BS! Hunting is inherently got some danger involved, that to me is part of the adventure. Any hunter who takes up the challenge to climb a mountain or face a grizz on his own knows the risks, and should be allowed to take them. Seriously, a cow moose with a calf poses a greater threat than a mountain goat, so the safety argument hold no water with me. No, I say it's gotta be about the money. If the outfitters all had their way we would need to hire them for any animal, as a non-resident. The other argument of maintaining a quality hunt for the resident Alaskan holds no water with me either because that could be managed via a drawing or some other form of limited entry, not by dictating a guide must me used.

Ok, off my soapbox...

The resaon you need to hire a guide in AK for certain species is only about an industry that keeps people employed. Its only about money, thats it. And thats fine with me and actually its probably fine with alot of non-residents who hire the guides. I've guided a TON of hunters who only want to shoot a caribou or moose, species they don't need a guide for. Some just want a guide so that they themselves don't have to touch the guts of thier dead animal, or arange to have their meat donated or packaged for transport home. I have no doubt whatsoever that most of the fellows I've guided were just as good or better an outdoorsman as myself and could of handled anything that AK throws at them while hunting, its just the logistics that they chose to let a guide take care of.

St.Croix and Jim, they can spin it anyway they want but the Alaska Professional Hunters Association is very powerful. I certainly understand them wanting to protect their livelyhood, I just wish I didn't have to suffer for it. Like Jim said and as I mentioned above, guides are a great resource for those that choose to use them. I just don't choose to use them and would love to hunt grizzly, sheep, or goat in Alaska. Guess I never will unless I pack up and move. Trust me, I've considered it.

Yeah, I have no problem with outfitters making a buck, but to pigeon hole a whole group of capable hunters by making certain species off-limits seems borderline criminal to me. The choice should be mine, and I alone accept responsibility for the outcome. The way it's run now it's no different than if the government said all vehicle drivers must buy "X" brand of vehicle.

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

....unfortunately, those that accept total responsibilty for their actions in the outdoors are somewhat of a rare breed as evidenced by the number of rescues needed every year for those that get into trouble. I realize that the vast majority of "bowsiters" are more than capable of handling any outdoor situation alone, but if any and every "Tom Dick and Harry" could go up from the states (or elsewhere) and think that his boy scout training will get him out of trouble, or help him butcher a moose etc.or deal with the sudden extremes in weather that can occur, I think all of our tax dollars would be going for increased S&R efforts....this goes for those that venture into our natl. parks and forests knowing that S&R is there 24/7. Guided and outfitted hunts also serve the purpose of time management. Not all of us have the luxury of being able to take off for 2-3 weeks (or more) for a DIY hunt. I've done both over many years but as I've gotten older, the long distance, harsh climate DIY's have become few and far between...good luck to all this fall regardless of how you go after 'em...

I guess more S&R expense of my tax dollars is far more palatable to me than what Obama has in mind for it.

Look forward to it Dennis. I've seen as many as a thousand animals from one spot before but never this many. They are staked up in this spot because of the left over snow which helps keep the bugs down.

I think AK should add moose and caribou to the "guide required" law! A lot of NR hunters unecessarily waste meat because they don't realize what it takes to take care of that much meat in the field.

You should read the affadavits from NR float hunters who are cited for not bringing in the legal amount of meat. My favorite is the one where: "The raft tipped over and I was only able to salvage the antlers..."

That said, NYBowman had the most telling comment about the cost of S&R!

Personally, I am a big fan of "natural selection...!"

Cheers,

Pete

NYB, here's a good one for you. I'm a licensed guide in AK. I'm also a NR. I drew a grizzly tag this year. I have to have another guide with me when I shoot my bear. I can guide anybody else to a bear but if I hunt one myself, I have to have another guide because I'm a NR! Fortunatley, she's as excited to come along on my hunt as I am!

I've not run into enough hunters or their kill sites in AK to have formulated an opinion but based on what I've observed here in the West, too many Rez AND NonRez mule deer and elk hunters "waste meat because they don't realize what it takes to take care of" ANY "meat in the field." There are big holes in our hunter education programs and parent-to-offspring lessons that I doubt would be filled by instituting a broader guide requirement. To a Lower 48er such as myself, caribou and moose are somewhat "exotic" and rare so the scavengers don't find much to munch on after I get through with my knife.

Pete, great point! It is hard to care for the meat even when you do know what your doing. I've not done a float hunt, but I did one on POW where it only rained twice - 4 days the first time and 5 days the second time. Fall bear meat isn't particularly great, but after 5 or more days of fermenting it ain't all that good! You don't even have to salvage it all there, but I can't waste it anyway.

I too like the gene pool absent of the idiot genes.

FullCry - Sounds like you won't be suffering too much! I hope you get 9+!

If you like DIY ,try a drop camp with an outfitter.Still hunting on your own and he can fly in and check on you or fly meat out so you can keep hunting.The guy we used has retired but he made this type of hunt awesome!If you wasn't in animals he would move us in the evening so you don't miss any days hunting.And these guys are right fish and game don't mess around up there i've seen them flying looking for kills .We take pictures after we are done butchering so there is no question if we done our job thoroughly

Great info saved it for my plans.

Guide laws, best arguement against them is a nonresident can guide a grizzly bear hunter! But he cannot hunt them himself! Are you kidden me? I can guide brown bears hunters in Ak but not hunt myself. Go figure. ahh well.

I can also hike, fish and hunt small gave in the wilderness in WY but cannot hunt big game there.

What makes a resident of Alaska, that has never hunted a day in his life, more capable than a non-resident that has years of hunting experience at "not wasting meat"? Or needing to be rescued from the field?

If common sense was common, everyone would have some. It's all about the money....

Some very good information on planning a hunt in Alaska!

But Pete I have to disagree, history shows Alaska Residents waste more game meat! Look at the land fills in May it's hard to blame nonresident for all the freezer burned fish and game meat. Nonresidents need to know there are to set of rules in Alaska. If they/nonresidents brake ANY law they will be ticketed!

Shamrock,

The answer to your question is: NOTHING does!

If I were the benevolent dictator, I would get rid of the silly "second degree of kindred" exemption to the guide-required statute! For the very reason that you point out.

Pete

BTT, seems a lot of guys are planning thier Alaska hunts right now, hope some of this info can help some of you have a better hunt.

Thank you, Mr. Hendrickson

We just found out there is a strong possibility of a DIY Caribou hunt this year, and we have already prepared for a Moose/Caribou combo hunt in 2012.

I will be reading and re-reading your information several times over, it is great to have info from someone with so many Alaskan hunts under his belt.

Best of Luck, Jeff (Bowsite Sponsor)

Very good info FullCry. I have a dream of going to Alaska to hunt someday and will definitely keep your info in mind. Thank you, Jeff

Everyone claims they are and will be responsible for their own mistakes. They don't need guides.

Until the @#$%#@ hits the fan and they need rescuing. Their family whines and complains. Then our state picks up the costs. Guides for sheep, goat, and bear are a good idea.

If it's your first DIY trip to AK, go with caribou. Super high success rate and a lot of fun.

Now if we could get a $100,000 rescue bond before they went hunting, I'd be in favor of no guides.

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