Alaska Caribou and maybe sheep..

Hey guys,

My Nephew is in the Air Force and stationed in Fairbanks. He came home for a funeral a couple of weeks ago and was all gung-ho about me coming up to take him hunting. He grew up without a dad and I was his hunting mentor for whitetails here and a trip to Wyoming for antelope before he joined the service.

So I'm looking at taking him on a Caribou hunt near the Brooks Range. Doe anyone have any experience good, bad, or ulgy with any Air Taxis or unguided flying outfitters that base near the Dalton Highway?

Anyone have any insight on Sheep hunting along with Caribou. Since he will have been there a year, I think he is considered a resident for not needing a guide to hunt sheep. And the tag is like $45.

Any other suggestions appreciated.

I've been to Alaska a couple of times backpacking and fishing but never had the chance to hunt.

Thanks!!

Are you looking at 2017? You have have a hard time finding a reputable air taxi this late in the game. We booked our 2017 moose hunt taxi last year at this time.

You might be better off using Wright Air out of Fairbanks, very reputable transporter and have been doing this a long time. There are/were some good outfits flying people off the Dalton, but some of those have had hiccups the past few years due to trying to take too much business and having weather create customer backlog issues. Also, the non-res hunting opportunities in some of the northern Game Management Units have changed, which is significantly altering available hunting areas in the northern part of AK. So, could be tough to get a slot at this late date, but give Wright Air a call.

mdhunter61 said:

You might be better off using Wright Air out of Fairbanks, very reputable transporter and have been doing this a long time. There are/were some good outfits flying people off the Dalton, but some of those have had hiccups the past few years due to trying to take too much business and having weather create customer backlog issues. Also, the non-res hunting opportunities in some of the northern Game Management Units have changed, which is significantly altering available hunting areas in the northern part of AK. So, could be tough to get a slot at this late date, but give Wright Air a call.

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I agree...most quality air transporters are booked up by November 2016 for 2017 fall hunts.
Also most are more expensive than most people expect, but that is the cost of doing business.
For example, the base rate drop-off hunt with 40-mile air for caribou is $2300 per person (super cubs).
Your resident hunter relative could hunt sheep in the Yukon Charley area ($2300 drop off rate) and
you could hunt 40-mile caribou.

In general, you get what you pay for.
One potential hunt would be a drop-off hunt with 40-mile Air out of Tok
(200 miles from Fairbanks). I've hunted sheep, caribou and moose with them
many times over the past 25 years and they have always been quality hunts.
Many caribou herds in Alaska are declining (including the arctic herd).
The 40-mile caribou heard is stable and currently has the best trophy potential in Alaska.
My guess is that 40-mile air, and most quality transporters are booked solid for 2017,
but you might ask to get on a list in case of a cancellation.

The 40 Mile herd may be stable, but caribou are still caribou, and highly unpredictable. I've hunted caribou many times with 40 Mile, and have always been fortunate to harvest an animal. But some years we've seen hundreds of bou, and some years just a few dozen. Either way, 40 Mile is a safe reputable outfit. I'm using them for a moose hunt this year.

Yes I've also always been successful with 40-mile drop-off hunting for caribou.
Plus the caribou country is gorgeous alpine, with high likelihood of seeing bear, wolves, moose, etc.

In the 1990s the Mulchatna herd was a popular herd in southwest Alaska, then that herd crashed.

The central arctic caribou herd has been popular hunting off the Haul Road.
That herd peaked in estimated population in 2010 at 70,000 animals,
but has declined in estimated population — to 50,000 in 2013 and 22,000 in 2016.

Thank you guys for the help. I know I'm way behind the ball with the timing. Dealing with the whims of a 20 year old and his military schedule is making planning difficult at best.

Thanks again!

Camdu7 said:

Thank you guys for the help. I know I'm way behind the ball with the timing. Dealing with the whims of a 20 year old and his military schedule is making planning difficult at best.

Thanks again!

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The nice thing about 20-year olds in the military is they can be awesome, ambitious meat packers.

Hope you get to hunt with him in Alaska!