Alaska Caribou DC 590

[Bowhunter@10]

Was able to draw the tags for the DC 590 Caribou hunt this year (14A, 14B) and am pumped for the opportunity! We have only heard great things about this unit and the potential for shooting a special caribou. We have our air services lined up and decided to hunt from 9/1-9/14.

Wanted to reach out to fellow rocksliders to see if they have any experience in this area and what we should expect for weather, migration, hunting terrain, additional tags we should consider (NR options appear to be: moose, black bear, wolverine and wolf) and any other helpful thoughts/tips.

Also any suggested gear list for this type of drop hunt as we will be DIY for 14 days. Our air taxi allows for 80 pounds of gear per person, although we don't anticipate using all 160 pounds it allows for possibly adding some luxury items.

Thanks in advance!

 

[usmc99]

Hunted that tag 2 years ago. Your gonna have a blast. Beautiful country. Plan for everything weather wise. I had rain snow sleet and clear sky's all within 24 hours. who ate you flying with? PM me if you have any questions

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

 

[Bowhunter@10]

Hunted that tag 2 years ago. Your gonna have a blast. Beautiful country. Plan for everything weather wise. I had rain snow sleet and clear sky's all within 24 hours. who ate you flying with? PM me if you have any questions

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

Hunted that tag 2 years ago. Your gonna have a blast. Beautiful country. Plan for everything weather wise. I had rain snow sleet and clear sky's all within 24 hours. who ate you flying with? PM me if you have any questions

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

Thanks for the response usmc99, I don't have enough posts it appears to be able to PM. I would welcome a chance to pick your brain a little more given you hunted this area so recently. Just have some general questions of what we should be planning for. I can't remember the name of our pilot off hand, he is a friend of a friend- I will try and find that out and let you know.

 

[usmc99]

Sent you a PM. Don't know if it will let you reply or not till you hit the designated post number.

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

 

[Bowhunter@10]

Sorry for the delayed response my response keeps getting flagged and not let through.

Overall it sounds like it is going to be an unreal hunt, I know we sure are getting excited packing and repacking all of our gear.

With being at sheep elevation did you have to deal with a lot of bugs or was it cold enough to knock everything down?

Also what was your optic system? Spotting scope, 15x Bino's, 10x's etc?

Definetly planning on wearing gaiters everyday to keep the feet as dry as we can (famous last words in Alaska). Did you wear leather or synthetic boots? Otherwise planning on the weather being anywhere from 20-70 degrees.

Were you seeing any other game other than the Caribou and Sheep?

I think I will have my caribou tag, a moose tag and a handful of wolf tags.

Hunting partner will have Caribou tag, Black bear tag and wolf tags.

If/when we fill our Caribou tags we have the option/will most likely be moved to a more moose friendly area but just curious if we need to be prepared for moose here as well.

So many thoughts to run through, I really appreciate your insight!

 

[Dhosera]

Hunted that tag last year.....Stunning country for sure, but its a freaking sheep hunt where those things live. They are few and far between and we struggled to find a decent Bull and ended up taking a small meat bull on the last day. View attachment 117260

 

[Dhosera]

I can answer some:
Bugs: Were out when the sun was out......Not bad tho.
Optics: 10x42's and a spotter is all you need. We spent far more time behind the binos than anything. When you see a bull you'll know its a little one or one you need to make a move on with Binos.
Boots: My picture will answer that (Attached)
Game: We'd see caribou daily. Saw as few as 0 on the fog days and as many as 14 on sunny days. Sheep some days. Saw 1 grizz and took him.
Wolves: Our transporter said there's really only 2 packs in 14 and not many critters at that. I wouldn't expect to see one.
Moose: You'll be down on the river where there is a chance at seeing moose or high in the alpine where there will be zero chance. Pretty thin population if you are after Bou and the areas don't really overlap.
Black Bear: Only if you are down along the river. None in the alpine

 

[Kopmana]

Hello, can anyone give me an update on this caribou hunt in the last year or two? My brother drew the permit for 2025, wondering if its worth going? I see the Nelchina herd numbers are down about 75% is that correct? what should he expect on this hunt? looks like it could be extremely tough.

 

[FAAFO]

Hello, can anyone give me an update on this caribou hunt in the last year or two? My brother drew the permit for 2025, wondering if it’s worth going? I see the Nelchina herd numbers are down about 75% is that correct? what should he expect on this hunt? looks like it could be extremely tough.

He should expect a bou with the rack the size of a cow so get real good at looking for a pecker. He can dream of a big bull but unless he burns a bunch of av gas it will likely only be a dream.

Is the hunt worth it? Not for me, that’s why I don’t put in for it. But for a lot of people it’s worth it, thus the low draw odds

 

[BrooksRanger]

I flew out for a 10 day hunt for this tag last September. I saw two Caribou, and they were on the wrong side of the river. I hope he has more luck than I did…
I did not put in again for this tag.