2025 Caribou Hunt with Arctic Air

[TheLostTracker]

I have already started a thread about flying with Arctic Air and have received some good and not so good reviews. My father and I will be flying with them in August of 25. I Wanted to start another thread for people hunting with Arctic Air this year (2024) and what their experience was like and how the hunt was. I have read there have been major issues with weather causing hunts to be moved to the Fairbanks area. Any helpful information regarding Arctic Air is greatly appreciated!

 

[LCoult]

I am interested in booking with arctic air for 2025 as well. Interested to hear how other people have done with them.

 

[TAF65]

Hunted out of Kotz using Artic Air this year. Camp gear rental package was as described. Was dropped on a gravel bar on a river too big to cross bounded by creeks 1 mile in each direction. Saw 1 cow caribou on other side of river on day 1 for 30srconds s mile out and nothing else for rest of trip. Spent lots of time each day behind glass. Saq nothing. Was told same as others have noted to "watch gravel bar for Caribou crossing" After a few days it was obvious we were placed there as it was convenient to land. NO effort on the part of AA to pre scout at all. Essentially it was a camping trip. Pilots were great and comments shared were not positive regarding Mr. Colbath. This trip was a long time coming and my group was sadly disappointed. Hope to try again if health and finances allow. AA moving to Fairbanks will most likely be a cluster. Good luck and Beware!

 

[TheLostTracker]

Wow. That’s too bad. Can I ask you to dive a bit more into what the pilots had to say about AA. Also, were you close to other hunters or did you seem to have the area to yourself? Talk to anyone else when you returned?

 

[280rem]

Looks like more than plenty buyer beware available on this site. How many times a person asks a question never changes the answer. To each their own, I suppose

 

[TheLostTracker]

Just trying to get as much info as possible.

 

[TAF65]

Pilots basically noted there was alot of folks backed up and expectations to fly as many as possible per day were unacceptable to them.

Yes saw other camps within a few miles each direction. Also on a gravel bar.


Other hunters using AA noted similar results. Spoke to several who were waiting to get out. AA doesn't control the weather, contract reflects that.
We got out fortunately which was a positive.
Our hope was to at least be placed in an area that was scouted and had an opportunity at game. Seeing nothing was very disappointing, and yes I know it's hunting....scouting would have helped imo.

 

[Nick Muche]

What river?

 

[TX338]

Just got out of the field Friday night. Arctic Air drop camp hunt out of Fairbanks. In Seattle on a layover headed home. My group went 3 for 3 on bulls, but were the only 3 caribou we saw, all 3 bulls together and we shot all 3. Partly luck they came through. We were out about 2 miles from camp. I’ll do a write up later this week with more detail about hunt and AA experience. I spent some time with Gary driving 4 hours from Circle to Fairbanks, and picked up some insight into their move and operations, planned changes for 2025 and 2026.

 

[Scottf270]

TX338 you guys got lucky as hell those three came in together. Better to be lucky than good!

 

[TX338]

You are not kidding…luck was huge on this deal, but you can’t shoot em from your living room. We knew the uncertainties of AA, and decided to roll the dice for the adventure regardless.

 

[TheLostTracker]

Just got out of the field Friday night. Arctic Air drop camp hunt out of Fairbanks. In Seattle on a layover headed home. My group went 3 for 3 on bulls, but we’re the only 3 caribou we saw, all 3 bulls together and we shot all 3. Partly luck they came through. We were out about 2 miles from camp. I’ll do a write up later this week with more detail about hunt and AA experience. I spent some time with Gary driving 4 hours from Circle to Fairbanks, and picked up some insight into their move and operations, planned changes for 2025 and 2026.

Nice bulls! Can’t wait to see your write up. Thanks for the info!

 

[Slugz]

Looks like more than plenty buyer beware available on this site. How many times a person asks a question never changes the answer. To each their own, I suppose

Agree. With the amount of info out there I really gotta question the research people are doing.
Not hard to put the puzzle together.

 

[medvedyt]

Pilots basically noted there was alot of folks backed up and expectations to fly as many as possible per day were unacceptable to them.

Yes saw other camps within a few miles each direction. Also on a gravel bar.


Other hunters using AA noted similar results. Spoke to several who were waiting to get out. AA doesn't control the weather, contract reflects that.
We got out fortunately which was a positive.
Our hope was to at least be placed in an area that was scouted and had an opportunity at game. Seeing nothing was very disappointing, and yes I know it's hunting....scouting would have helped imo.

why they will scout for you? caribou are moving a lot and i doubt even legally they are supposed to scout as they are not outfitters but only transporters unless im wrong. what i do know is for caribou unless you are using a plane to drop you in the middle of a migration or if you have resident caribous then it is really part of a big luck as there is no way someone on foot can follow them ... again just my experience as a guide but not in alaska.

 

[hereinaz]

I wasn’t with AA, but you are at the mercy of the caribou migration… transporters transport, no more. It’s pretty much paying for a chance to go hunt AK.

My experience was similar with a different transporter last year. The caribou are there or they are not. Camps on the other hand will be there regardless. My partner and I each killed the one caribou we each saw on different days.

Definitely do research about where and what to expect. I talked with a guy who had flown to a spot with mountain caribou multiple years and had their pick of caribou. It wasn’t the bulk drop off of many transporters.

 

[NEPAhunter]

I hunted with Arctic Air out of Fairbanks this fall. Our group was notified of a fuel surcharge shortly before putting down our final payment. This was not specified in their contract but they had half our money and we wanted to caribou hunt. Our hunt was initially booked with the previous owners. It seems as if Gary didn’t do his due diligence and maybe purchased the company without fully knowing how many hunts that previous owners had lined up.

From the get go communication was an issue with Russ/Gary and whoever else represented AA. They were constantly rushing and struggled to have enough people to transport hunters to/from air strip, hotel, hanger and Air BnB rented by AA where you could process your kill. They were late to everything and even asked hunters to do some of the work (like drive to Circle, AK).

Generally, groups were booked to fly in and out so quickly that any delay (we had weather and mechanical delays) would make the hunting groups pile up.

We had a great hunt but that shouldn’t be attributed to AA at all. They don’t (and can’t) scout locations. We rented the gear package. Most of it was decent but for the price they could have provided food that wasn’t expired (most tasted decent). Biggest issue is that the two water jugs provided had so many holes they didn’t hold water. The gear had clearly been purchased with company and not updated in any way.

I’d love to go on this hunt again but would never go with Arctic Air, at least while Gary owns it. This company is full of incompetence and it starts at the top.

 

[arctichunting]

I hunted with Arctic Air out of Fairbanks this fall. Our group was notified of a fuel surcharge shortly before putting down our final payment. This was not specified in their contract but they had half our money and we wanted to caribou hunt. Our hunt was initially booked with the previous owners. It seems as if Gary didn’t do his due diligence and maybe purchased the company without fully knowing how many hunts that previous owners had lined up.

From the get go communication was an issue with Russ/Gary and whoever else represented AA. They were constantly rushing and struggled to have enough people to transport hunters to/from air strip, hotel, hanger and Air BnB rented by AA where you could process your kill. They were late to everything and even asked hunters to do some of the work (like drive to Circle, AK).

Generally, groups were booked to fly in and out so quickly that any delay (we had weather and mechanical delays) would make the hunting groups pile up.

We had a great hunt but that shouldn’t be attributed to AA at all. They don’t (and can’t) scout locations. We rented the gear package. Most of it was decent but for the price they could have provided food that wasn’t expired (most tasted decent). Biggest issue is that the two water jugs provided had so many holes they didn’t hold water. The gear had clearly been purchased with company and not updated in any way.

I’d love to go on this hunt again but would never go with Arctic Air, at least while Gary owns it. This company is full of incompetence and it starts at the top.

Fuel surcharge when flying out of Fairbanks area vs Kotz is wild probably $5 a gal cheaper there


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[Zig4648]

In short Arctic Air/Unguided Alaska over book hunts, instead of providing good quality hunts to hunters, in quality hunting spots. They taken on a large amount of clients, to maximize profits. The Bottom line as even the pilots will tell you there’s only so many Caribou hunting spots they can land in the Brooks range. You may get lucky rolling the dice and get one of those spots, or get stuck on a Brooks range camping trip. For $10,000 hunt that’s a big gamble. They push getting hunting insurance which is another red flag that they can’t fill full what there selling. There’s a reason reputable hunting companies are booked several years ahead.

 

[Natekraft]

Bummer to read more bad reviews on AA as we are booked for 2025. I thought a lot of the mess was being sorted out after the 2023 season?

 

[EricBender208]

Bummer to read more bad reviews on AA as we are booked for 2025. I thought a lot of the mess was being sorted out after the 2023 season?

I’m booked with them this August too. They were saying that they booked less for 2025.