Dalton Highway ?'s
Caribou
My buddies and I decided to say screw it after being burned by a transporter for Kodiak island. We put together a plan to hunt the DHCMA. I have a couple questions I would love some feedback on. Caribou has been a dream species for me and I have a little over a month to get my ducks in a row here. 1. Flying Alaska airlines, has anyone been able to put a pistol in a soft sided case, inside of a locking hard bow case without issue. 2. Would it be worth it to bring my own cooler there or just buy some cheap ones in Fairbanks or Anchorage for (hopefully) hauling meat back. (I believe I get a couple checked bags free for being military but I am uncertain. 3. I plan on bringing my kifaru 22 inch frame with the gnargali bag (not full) as a carry on has anyone done this without running into carry on size issues. 4. What would you recommend for covering antler tines for flying a rack back and does that rack need to be completely boxed or would they ship it open. 5. I don't want to pack water jugs, so I'm looking for a good high volume water filter recommendation as I normally rock with a bladder in my pack. 6. We are going in early September towards the end of season, what weather should I realistically expect. 7. Looking for items people have missed having on the trip, we are planning on renting a UHAUL so we aren't super concerned about added weight, just space. And yes we will be taking plent of fuel jugs. 8. Any other tips and tricks regarding caribou behavior, tips for getting close out in the tundra would be phenomenal.
Thankyou all, looking forward to this trip big time and can't think of a better place to find advice.
I've done that with my handgun many times. Just make sure you declare the gun and at least one of the cases locks. I think its best the outside bow case locks. When I do it both my bow case is locked and the case my handgun is in locks. TSA will need to get in both.
Nick Muchi is the vessel of all knowledge regarding caribou on the haulroad.
Take me! Just kidding. I cable locked my hard sided pistol case to the frame of the suitcase. You have to cut the inside of the suitcase, but worth the piece of mind. I took a mystery pack completely packed as a checked bag. Buy the coolers there, you can buy dry ice there too. I 5ink you only need to cover the tips of the rack with cardboard and duck tape. Rack needs to be split and taped together
Buy insulated fish boxes in Alaska to transport meat back and check them as extra baggage. One box should fit 45# of frozen meat, stay under 50# per box.
Can ammo be in same case as firearm?
I've flown to Alaska with my revolver a number of times. Handgun in it's holster next to a box of ammo inside my bowcase. The bowcase should be locked with NON-TSA locks. At Newark, TSA will scan the bowcase. In other airports, including Anchorage, they've opened it and physically checked the gun. I've never had a problem though.
"The bowcase should be locked with NON-TSA locks"
You talking about tie-wraps? By tie-wraps I mean what most call zip-ties... Sorry I'm old school after a 43 year career in telecommunications we called them tie-wraps before they became readily commercially available... Thanks Boreal...
Another question, following these type thread through the years, I thought ammo had to be in a separate case but now see not so, but also thought ammo must be in factory box/boxes, it that true? I've never flown with a firearm, so don't know...
Why I'm interested, I flew one time with a take down bow and and a few cased arrows, the only time I ever took a bow and it was only a short flight from NE Ohio to Raleigh NC and had the bow and cased arrows in a army type duffel surrounded by neatly packed cloths and amenities... Anyhow they tore apart my duffle and threw my stuff back any old way,,, both ways... I was not a happy camper...
"Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container and transported as checked baggage only. As defined by 49 CFR 1540.5 a loaded firearm has a live round of ammunition, or any component thereof, in the chamber or cylinder or in a magazine inserted in the firearm. For civil enforcement purposes, TSA also considers a firearm to be loaded when both the firearm and ammunition are accessible to the passenger. For example, if an individual has a firearm in accessible baggage and ammunition in his/her pocket, or any combination where the individual has access to both, the firearm is considered "loaded" for purposes of assessing a civil penalty. Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks."
Above is right from TSAs website. No problem with ammo in the same case because it's not accessible. The case gets locked in front of a TSA agent after it's been examined and only the owner has a key to open it. My bow case has TSA locks, so I made cables that secured it shut and put non-TSA locks on them. I've talked to other guys who got through with just TSA locks but the way I read it, that's a risk.
I get not allowing to have ammo or gun on your person or carry-on, but see nothing on there about ammo having to be in factory ammo box/boxes, so say I want to take ammo of mixed or different loads to Alaska can do so like in a plastic ammo box?
"My bow case has TSA locked, so I made cables that secured it shut and put non-TSA locks on them. I've talked to other guys who got through with just TSA locks but the way I read it, that's a risk"
I'm a little confused of what you said there...8^)
"My bow case has TSA locked"... What do you mean TSA locked?
"I made cables that secured it shut and put non-TSA locks on them" You talking about tie-wraps?
Do you happen to have picture of how your case is closed with cables and are locked?
Thanks for the good info...
If you read the last two sentences of the TSA quote above you'll see that they could be read as contradicting each other.
I don't have pictures of when I cable my bow case closed. There are four metal loops on the sides of the lower section of the bowcase. You can see the two front ones in my picture. I take a piece of high tensile steel wire (horse pasture fence) put it through the back loop, make a loop in the wire and use a crimping ferrule to attach it. I stretch it over the top of the closed case and make another loop in the wire so that the total length of the wire is about two inches short of reaching the front loop. I use a small cable lock to attach the wire to the front loop. It's probably overkill but my worst fear is getting to the airport with a handgun and not being allowed to check it.
"My bow case has TSA locked"... What do you mean TSA locked?
Autocorrect, I changed it to TSA locks. Built in locks that TSA has master keys to.
Trust that flat tires on the Dalton are a thing. And the gravel sections are in better shape than the paved stretches.
Oh I get it now Boreal, but how do you let TSA open it with it wired down? Thanks...
Tsa takes you into a seperate room to check it. I lock it in front of the agent after it's been checked.
Thank you sir, much obliged for the great info...
Owl-I have to drive to Wiseman 5 hours on the haul road by myself in September. Your comment about blown tires caught my attention
Any advice on how not to get a blown tire?
I rented a truck
JG,
Matt and I drove from Fairbanks to Wiseman 2 years ago. Fantastic trip.
1) Never trust what looks like a large crack or crease in the pavement as you approach. If it looks to be a couple inches deep, it's really an 18" deep pothole that you'll hit before you realize your mistake. Be hyper-vigilant. If you want to get mesmerized by the scenery, do so on the gravel sections of the highway. Darkness only exacerbates the issues.
2) SLOW DOWN. There are sections of road that require tactical maneuvering to not wreck your front end. So, obviously, add time to your drive. If I remember, our trek from Fairbanks took longer than 6 hours.
3) Make sure your spare is inflated and you have all the tools required to change a flat.
4) Cell service is practically nonexistent so, the road conditions are another reason to consider carrying a sat. phone.
Thanks. Sounds like I’m in for an adventure
Curious, are parts of the Haul Road still gravel or is it all paved?
1. I've done that several times.
2. Buy them there unless they're free for you to check. If you check coolers and fill them with your stuff, you still have to get your stuff back. If you buy fish boxes, they will bleed all over before you get back. Bone out the meat and use coolers.
3. In AK, I've gotten away with murder bringing full packs onto planes. But you may not get out of the lower 48 with it. You still need to bring your crap, so you may just want to put that in a normal carry on luggage piece and also bring a large backpack that is meant to go under the seat, but you can often times put in the overhead.
4. Buy a garden hose and that blue painter's tape in Fairbanks, cut the hose into 5-6 inch pieces and put them over the tines and tape them in place with painter's tape. Don't use duct tape or it will leave goo on your antlers.
5. I use a Sawyer Squeeze.
6. Bare minimum, it'll be getting cold at night. It could snow. It will definitely rain.
7. Zip locks, contractor bags, and zip ties. Extra dry socks to sleep in. Extra pair of warm gloves. Bring rubber boots and consider bringing a pair of hip boots.
8. Send a PM to Nick.
Is it cheaper to use your checked bag allowance on bringing meat back on the plane and just ship gear back home bu USPS/UPS/other shipping service?
Curious, are parts of the Haul Road still gravel or is it all paved? -To my experience, as of 2 years ago, yes.
"To my experience, as of 2 years ago, yes"
Yes still gravel, or yes now all paved?... Thanks...
I just spent the last 2 days driving from Palmer to Deadhorse. My wife rode along so we took our time coming up. The road was the roughest I’ve ever seen it with lots of construction along the way. Took us 5 hrs from Fairbanks to the Yukon river.
Gas in Coldfoot was $7.50 per gallon and a sign on the door saying Tire shop is closed till further notice. Very few bou spotted with them all being close to Deadhorse.
With all those negative comments above it is a amazing drive and you get to see a lot of what AK has to offer
lol, Zbone. My apologies. It was mostly paved but there were long stretches of gravel.
Thanks for all of the great answers guys, I really appreciate it!
Most the time the gravel sections are better than paved since they are often graded. The paved parts can be full of pot holes so be careful.
I rented a pickup in Fairbanks.
Any issue running out of gas? Obviously I’ll leave with a full tank
JG,
Gas available only at Yukon Crossing, Coldfoot and Deadhorse. Do the math; bring what other gas you need!
Pete
I was up there the last weekend of July. There is a lot of construction going on between the Elliot and the Dalton so be prepared to wait. One flagger told us they are going to move to close to Cold Foot soon so that should make the next trip up fun adding another possible wait lol. The road is still dirt, gravel, and paved in some places. Anytime I have flown and need my pistol I put it in my bow case as mentioned above. But luckily, I live in Palmer, so this is just a beautiful 17.5-hour drive lol. Oh and be prepared for any weather that could possibly happen. It was 80 and sunny when we pulled into the franklin bluffs area and dropped to 32 with some wonderful rain/sleet for the remaining couple of days.
The road is the worst I’ve ever seen it as of today. Took us over 8 hours to get to Coldfoot from Fairbanks.
Nick,
Clearly you need to drive faster...!
Pete
Nick - I’m flying into Fairbanks. Rented a truck and heading to Jonah’s
It’s like 240 miles. Do I need to bring extra gas to make it to coldfoot? Never drove a truck that long that slow
