Spaulazzo
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2017
- Messages
- 115
Just got back from Kotzebue AK hunting caribou using Arctic Air as our transporter.
Cliff notes
10/10 experience
3 for 3 on caribou tags
Highly recommend. New owners are awesome.
With all the closures, negative reviews and new owners, our group was quite nervous on what to expect this year. We did not want to bail on a hunt that we booked back in 2021, we highly considered canceling and ultimately decided to go.
Upon showing up in Kotzebue we were able to get from airport to hotel seamlessly. We made contact with Gary to meet later that day for an orientation. We then repacked our bags preparing for bush fight. We had meeting and made a plan on when we were going to get picked up to go to hanger.
Next day we got picked up. All our gear weighed. Got in planes and were dropped in the field. As we were flying into our spot we saw about 20 caribou. Landed and dropped us off. Immediately we were seeing caribou everywhere.
We set up camp and had to wait til 0300 the following day. We headed out around 0200 to start hiking. Upon 0900 we had found a nice group. Planned a stalk. By 1000 my buddy and I doubled up on caribou. We took photos, cut up and packed all meat. Got back to camp around 1700. We had one more for caribou tag to fill. That was my brother who was hunting with a recurve.
My brother was about to get it done with a 22 yard stick bow shot a few days later.
Pilot was able to come in and pick up our meat for us. The following day he picked my brother and then 2 days later he picked my buddy and I up.
During the hunt we say 1000s of caribou. They would walk by our camp everyday. Saw a few grizzly’s, one wolf (season didn’t open til 8/10), fox and a dall sheep. This is one of the best hunts I have ever been on.
Arctic air was very helpful in every way. The had fish boxes for our meat. And bigger boxes to put your antlers in (had to modify box). Arctic air also picked us up from hotel to bring us back to airport on day we left.
If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
High recommend flying with these guys. We will be back again if there are no more unit closures.
Cliff notes
10/10 experience
3 for 3 on caribou tags
Highly recommend. New owners are awesome.
With all the closures, negative reviews and new owners, our group was quite nervous on what to expect this year. We did not want to bail on a hunt that we booked back in 2021, we highly considered canceling and ultimately decided to go.
Upon showing up in Kotzebue we were able to get from airport to hotel seamlessly. We made contact with Gary to meet later that day for an orientation. We then repacked our bags preparing for bush fight. We had meeting and made a plan on when we were going to get picked up to go to hanger.
Next day we got picked up. All our gear weighed. Got in planes and were dropped in the field. As we were flying into our spot we saw about 20 caribou. Landed and dropped us off. Immediately we were seeing caribou everywhere.
We set up camp and had to wait til 0300 the following day. We headed out around 0200 to start hiking. Upon 0900 we had found a nice group. Planned a stalk. By 1000 my buddy and I doubled up on caribou. We took photos, cut up and packed all meat. Got back to camp around 1700. We had one more for caribou tag to fill. That was my brother who was hunting with a recurve.
My brother was about to get it done with a 22 yard stick bow shot a few days later.
Pilot was able to come in and pick up our meat for us. The following day he picked my brother and then 2 days later he picked my buddy and I up.
During the hunt we say 1000s of caribou. They would walk by our camp everyday. Saw a few grizzly’s, one wolf (season didn’t open til 8/10), fox and a dall sheep. This is one of the best hunts I have ever been on.
Arctic air was very helpful in every way. The had fish boxes for our meat. And bigger boxes to put your antlers in (had to modify box). Arctic air also picked us up from hotel to bring us back to airport on day we left.
If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
High recommend flying with these guys. We will be back again if there are no more unit closures.
