40 mile herd advice

[cocky84]

Looking for someone who has been on a caribou hunt (40 mile herd). Went last year moose hunting and have decided to go back in 18 caribou. Looking for someone who would be willing to share any information they would be willing to share. Help to decided between float hunt or drop camp. I know the success rate is higher on the drop but the adventure of the float sounds pretty awesome. Hoping to get a little advice about what the terrain might be like and what adjustments we might have to make to our gear setup. Thanks

 

[bowuntr]

I've been twice with 40 Mile Air and did drop camps. I wouldn't suggest a float trip for caribou because you won't be able to predict where the caribou will be at any given time. Watch this video and it'll answer some of your questions. Ed F

4 in 48 - YouTube

 

[cocky84]

pm sent

 

[VernAK]

If considering a float hunt, contact Larry Bartlett first as I've seen hunters dragging boats for miles in shallow Charley River waters.

 

[cocky84]

If considering a float hunt, contact Larry Bartlett first as I've seen hunters dragging boats for miles in shallow Charley River waters.

Thank you. Contacted Larry and he offered some great advice.

 

[VernAK]

Larry is a straight-up guy and his customers tell me he earns his fee.

 

[goose21]

I did a drop camp with 40 mile air. Great hunt and I shot a nice caribou. Next year, I am going with Larry Bartlett and doing a float hunt for moose. Can't go wrong with either. Both going to be awesome hunts just a lot different

 

[alexanderg23]

I've been twice with 40 Mile Air and did drop camps. I wouldn't suggest a float trip for caribou because you won't be able to predict where the caribou will be at any given time. Watch this video and it'll answer some of your questions. Ed F

4 in 48 - YouTube

That was an awesome video!

 

[wmp1991]

Did anybody fly up to tok commercially and then drive over to tok or take a charter to tok then to the bush?

Trying to figure some logistics on our 2019 hunt for caribou.

Thanks!

 

[mmcneil]

We had the luxury of time so we drove to Tok from Georgia. 40 mile air has a mail flight that come in from a few major airports once or twice a week I believe. You can catch a flight with them to Tok.

 

[VernAK]

Airline service to fairbanks is the closest at 200 miles. 40 Mile has a mail plane flight at times and there is van service daily.

 

[ndbuck09]

My crew flew commercial to Fairbanks and rented a truck and drove. We did get in late at night so we spent 1 night on the front end in Fairbanks, then enjoyed ourselves on the drive to Tok to check in for our flight into the bush the following day. This resulted in 2 days on front end of the trip. It was a nice drive seeing the scenery along the way, taking Alaska in.

On the rental car, some talk about renting a uhaul truck being cheaper but you have to pay for the mileage with that. This was going to be very close in price ($950) to renting a full size truck for our whole trip when looking at the mileage to and from Tok plus running around fairbanks on the backend taking care of the meat, antlers, cargo shipping, etc. It was nice to just do enterprise and not worry about the miles driven.

 

[cocky84]

Yeah we have flown to both Fairbanks and anchorage, rented a vehicle and drive to tok. Rentals at fairbanks is about 1/3 of the price of Fairbanks and a lot shorter drive. However the drive from Anchorage to tok is pretty amazing scenery.

 

[wmp1991]

Awesome - Thanks for the help.

What dates did y'all make it up to go hunt?

- - - Updated - - -

With it only being a 3.5 hour drive from fairbanks to tok, i think that is the plan we're thinnking.

What time of year did y'all make it up there? Typically what time does 40 mile take you out at? i.e. should we drive up to tok the day of or do they take off when the group wants/weather permits?

 

[AKBorn]

40 Mile likes hunters to arrive in Tok the afternoon before their scheduled flyout day. It takes about an hour that afternoon to settle the remaining hunt costs (assuming you have only paid a deposit so far), weigh your gear and make adjustments if you’re a little heavy, and complete the pre-flight paperwork.

They have a couple of rooms with mattresses that they offer for hunter use; these rooms have typically been filled and are first come, first served. I always rent a room at Young’s Motel or the other hotel in town that’s pretty good for interior AK. Both Young’s Motel and the other place offer rooms with 2 double beds and a decent amount of room to set your gear and prep it for flyout. Cost is around $110-110 for a night, pretty good rate for what you get.

40 Mile starts flying early in the morning, they have typically asked us to check in around 7:00 – 7:30 the day we’re flying out. If you try to show up on the day you’re flying out, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be the last group flown out that day, as everyone else will have weighed their gear and completed their paperwork the night before.

They start flying in the morning as soon as the weather allows; there is no taking off when a group wants to. Show up at the hangar with all of your gear in the morning ready to fly out, and they will let you know the anticipated sequence of groups – this is determined by the weather, where groups are going, and the number of hunters in each group, and can change due to changes in the wind or weather. Just plan on showing up early on your flyout day and being patient. 40 mile is very organized and value safety above all else, so relax and let them do what they know how to do.

 

[cocky84]

Awesome - Thanks for the help.

What dates did y'all make it up to go hunt?

- - - Updated - - -

With it only being a 3.5 hour drive from fairbanks to tok, i think that is the plan we're thinnking.

What time of year did y'all make it up there? Typically what time does 40 mile take you out at? i.e. should we drive up to tok the day of or do they take off when the group wants/weather permits?

We made it up the last week of August. If saving a little money is major concern, consider going after September 1. Thats the end of tourist season and vehicle rentals and rooms are cheaper.
We rented an f150 for 8-9 days for $430