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.
