Ideally (for work and school and to make room for elk hunting) we'd go in August, and therein lies the problem.
Is it reasonable to hunt Alaskan caribou, DIY, in August, and if so, what herd would you target?
I've hunted the Mulchatna herd in August before -- but that was back when there WAS a Mulchatna herd, and I'm sure the game is far different in different corners of the state.
Alternatively, we could push the trip into September, compromising a bit on those other important activities, or consider an August blacktail hunt further south.
These are my thoughts at the moment, sure to change, but what are Bowsite's thoughts after hearing this?
I dont think some people realize you live in Wyoming and have some 'pretty good' hunting not far from where you live... ha ha!
Spike bull / cow elk in Utah??? Scoff scoff!!
wildwilderness's Link
I would totally do a Sitka Blacktail hunt on Kodiak!
read this thread:
http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread-print.cfm?threadid=339313&forum=7
I would do it every year if I could find the time to go on multiple trips. With the mild winters the past few years it should be good.
I'm really just looking for anyone with experience hunting caribou in August, recently, who'd be willing to share the "Ups and Downs" of choosing August over September.
As an alternative, we would consider September caribou or August blacktails, but each of those options has some significant downsides for us, so we're really hoping to find that August caribou are still "do-able".
I was in AK back in late August, hunting above treeline in the Fortymile region. There are plenty of caribou around then; some coming out of velvet and some not. The bugs were totally a non-issue. I hunted a particularly superb hideaway which was game-rich. I had run-ins with big bulls (caribou), wolves, Dall sheep and grizzlies there. I also spotted black bears and moose. I'd rate that trip as probably a top-tenner and will do it again. In that area you can harvest one caribou and black bear, plus wolves.
Also, I've been talking to a friend about a November blacktail hunt in the next 3-5 years anyway, so it would somewhat "duplicate" my long-range planning. Not a deal-killer, but caribou are what got us talking about a trip.
I assume the season is short?
Are they up high, to the north on the coast, or where?
Anything accessible from Fairbanks would be great, saving transportation to the other spots on your list. (Though I have to admit, traveling to some of the smaller communities in AK would be part of the "adventure".)
I'm assuming that large herds are not the norm in August.
Was sheep hunting 80 miles north of Tok this last 8-21 August. We saw bou every day including some decent bulls and a few very big ones. Flew out with 40 Mile air out of Tok. Expensive but they are honest and reliable. The enclosed pic was taken by my son without telephoto. I had a tag, but have killed a lot of bou and wasn't going to pay the flyout for anything except a monster.
Trouble is they want $800 for a gear flight. That's also the bou flighout cost.
