Alaska hunting

[abbrown]

Sounds like the caribou never went through the Ivishak or Ochooka rivers this year. Sometimes they just decide to go another way. Spent 6 days upriver with airboat drop off with my boys in early August. Didn’t see a damn thing. Hour after getting back to the truck I was full draw on a bull at 60 yds right off the road. All that time and effort to just stumble out of the truck with untied boots to stalk a bull close to the road.


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Also just left those river areas without seeing much of anything. Did you hear where the herd did end up spending more time?

 

[rickyw]

Also just left those river areas without seeing much of anything. Did you hear where the herd did end up spending more time?

They were all crossing the road headed east at pump house two

 

[TandKHunting]

Sounds like the caribou never went through the Ivishak or Ochooka rivers this year. Sometimes they just decide to go another way. Spent 6 days upriver with airboat drop off with my boys in early August. Didn’t see a damn thing. Hour after getting back to the truck I was full draw on a bull at 60 yds right off the road. All that time and effort to just stumble out of the truck with untied boots to stalk a bull close to the road.


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We would have had multiple opportunities at bulls from the road if we had brought our bows. We were cussing ourselves for not bringing them.

 

[TandKHunting]

We were on the river system this week. The air boats are a plague. Camps every half mile for as far as they could go. Was told one (of two) transporter had 46 groups on the Ivashak. It’s was more crowded than Colorado OTC.

We caught some animals crossing the river and got lucky. Every animal we saw came in running crossed the river and got away from the river at a run. I have no doubt the an animals are learning to avoid the rivers based on how loud the boats are and the density of drop camps.

Without a doubt. We were glassing camps for miles up and down the river. I honestly believe transporters are over booking, making as much money as possible, and not really concerned about success percentages or the pressure it causes on the herd. I wrote an article on our website going over the hunt and our transporter experience. I wasn't thoroughly impressed with it. I will be back next year, but I have a different plan.

 

[crich]

Without a doubt. We were glassing camps for miles up and down the river. I honestly believe transporters are over booking, making as much money as possible, and not really concerned about success percentages or the pressure it causes on the herd. I wrote an article on our website going over the hunt and our transporter experience. I wasn't thoroughly impressed with it. I will be back next year, but I have a different plan.

There are a few companies operating out of that confluence, some of which are 100% taking as many groups back as they have time for IMO. They're all capable of and providing pretty much the same service, the biggest differentiator is their customer service. I'd encourage anyone looking to book with one of those outfitters to get a good read on the guys running the outfit. I've had a few less than impressive conversations with a few while BSing around the parking area. If someone uses an airboat transporter up there bringing packrafts is a no brainer to have the ability to move camp easily if needed or save money to float/hunt your way out.

 

[Marbles]

Negative. We were air boated in well past the 5 mile. Dropped off in a camp that was clearly inhabited before us. We walked 29 miles from camp over 5 days. We didn't glass a single caribou. Transporter didn't seem to care that we didn't see anything either.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to boat in with a transporter. Unless you like gambling with money. I was pretty bummed.

If I could go back, I would have brought my bow or booked an airplane.

Sorry to hear that.

Caribou are where they want, when they want. A previously used or active camp is not going to make much difference. A guide can help you find them, a transporter is legally prohibited from helping you locate animals, doesn't matter if he pilots a boat or a plane. It sucks, but sounds like the transporter did their job.

 

[wyosam]

Sorry to hear that.

Caribou are where they want, when they want. A previously used or active camp is not going to make much difference. A guide can help you find them, a transporter is legally prohibited from helping you locate animals, doesn't matter if he pilots a boat or a plane. It sucks, but sounds like the transporter did their job.

This. The fact is that if a bunch of caribou come through, there will be a bunch of success. If they don’t, there will be a bunch of disappointment. The clock is ticking on that hunt. Expecting anything but a junk show on the last remaining “budget” OTC caribou hunt is going to lead to disappointment. You can work your butt off DIY to get away from people, and hope that spot also happens to have caribou while you’re there. Anything that makes the 5 miles easier is going to draw a crowd, whether it’s waterways or the couple places that a road gets you part of the way, which have unfortunately been mentioned by name in this forum.


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[TandKHunting]

I

Sorry to hear that.

Caribou are where they want, when they want. A previously used or active camp is not going to make much difference. A guide can help you find them, a transporter is legally prohibited from helping you locate animals, doesn't matter if he pilots a boat or a plane. It sucks, but sounds like the transporter did their job.

I'm not saying they didn't do their basic job. They transported us past the 5 mile. But, there were other aspects I wasn't happy with. No different than a company sending a product out. They did their job shipping the product, but the job of keeping and retaining a customer expands further than throwing a product in a box and slapping a label on it. I do understand a transporter can't guide. All I'm saying is we spent 6K for what I believe to be a low odds hunt. For that kind of money you could certainly do a guided hunt in the lower 48 with higher success rates, or spend a bit more to fly in with an outfitter if Caribou is on the menu. There were definitely people filling tags via air boat, I just find it to be more of a gamble, which is a sentiment others are sharing here. Some people save up for years to do hunts like this, so it's completely fair to share what my experience and thoughts were.

I'm not saying going to a camp previously inhabited would decrease odds, but it seemed commercialized in that sense. Being plopped on the river with camps around us like a factory line. The guys before us didn't even bury their own poo poo. Just knowing what I know now, I would have done it differently. I think that's a fair opinion.

Hunting is hunting. There is never a guarantee, but one must be able to compare risk and reward if they are spending several mortgage payments on something.

 

[Bluumoon]

I did not utilize the transporters. The point is people should know what they are buying into w the transporters, you are buying into a hunt where you will potentially see 15-20 other hunters a day (per folks we spoke to). T and K is being generous when he says camps are a mile apart.

Animals or not the transporters are packing people into a finite area detracting from the experience and I believe it will lead to the end of a good thing (the option of using their services).

I’m grateful for the experience and will be back to AK, but won’t be frequenting that area.

 

[Marbles]

I

I'm not saying they didn't do their basic job. They transported us past the 5 mile. But, there were other aspects I wasn't happy with. No different than a company sending a product out. They did their job shipping the product, but the job of keeping and retaining a customer expands further than throwing a product in a box and slapping a label on it. I do understand a transporter can't guide. All I'm saying is we spent 6K for what I believe to be a low odds hunt. For that kind of money you could certainly do a guided hunt in the lower 48 with higher success rates, or spend a bit more to fly in with an outfitter if Caribou is on the menu. There were definitely people filling tags via air boat, I just find it to be more of a gamble, which is a sentiment others are sharing here. Some people save up for years to do hunts like this, so it's completely fair to share what my experience and thoughts were.

I'm not saying going to a camp previously inhabited would decrease odds, but it seemed commercialized in that sense. Being plopped on the river with camps around us like a factory line. The guys before us didn't even bury their own poo poo. Just knowing what I know now, I would have done it differently. I think that's a fair opinion.

Hunting is hunting. There is never a guarantee, but one must be able to compare risk and reward if they are spending several mortgage payments on something.

People should certainly set expectations appropriately. Some people have great luck and they tell their stories and others don't realize the role luck plays.

Perhaps I'm reading things wrong, but I get the feeling you bought a product (transporter services) and expected more than you payed for. The poo around camp complaint reinforces this impression.
With a transporter, it is your hunt, there responsibilities are no more than the airline's. You can complain about the beverage service, but complaining about the airline because your destination is full of tourists is nonsensical.
Based on what you have said so far, your transporter may not be very "commercial" but there are multiple transporters, outfitters, and guides as well as private individuals that can also use the same area.
Surface pooping is unfortunately common, it could have been residents in their own boat. Camp sites along the Swanson River have 20+ piles with TP around them and that sees much less pressure. It is disgusting, but short of DNA testing it, hunting down the perpetrators, leaving them in an active septic tank for 10 days, then a public draw and quartering event with their remains displayed at access points, I'm not sure how to deter it. There is actually a Rokslide thread with those who crap on the surface complaining about the practice being condemned.
And found it https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/poop-shovels.264249/

 

[TandKHunting]

People should certainly set expectations appropriately. Some people have great luck and they tell their stories and others don't realize the role luck plays.

Perhaps I'm reading things wrong, but I get the feeling you bought a product (transporter services) and expected more than you payed for. The poo around camp complaint reinforces this impression.
With a transporter, it is your hunt, there responsibilities are no more than the airline's. You can complain about the beverage service, but complaining about the airline because your destination is full of tourists is nonsensical.
Based on what you have said so far, your transporter may not be very "commercial" but there are multiple transporters, outfitters, and guides as well as private individuals that can also use the same area.
Surface pooping is unfortunately common, it could have been residents in their own boat. Camp sites along the Swanson River have 20+ piles with TP around them and that sees much less pressure. It is disgusting, but short of DNA testing it, hunting down the perpetrators, leaving them in an active septic tank for 10 days, then a public draw and quartering event with their remains displayed at access points, I'm not sure how to deter it. There is actually a Rokslide thread with those who crap on the surface complaining about the practice being condemned.
And found it https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/poop-shovels.264249/

I'm simply telling my experience to give others insight for planning the same hunt. A transporter is expensive. You will be put in an area that may or may not have animals. You are confined to that little area because you are lined up with other camps on both sides of the river systems. As you said, "luck" plays a major role. If the caribou don't roll through your several mile camp radius, you will be SOL. These are things people need to know. I'm lucky enough that $6,000 doesn't impact me financially, but I would hate to see a blue collar guy making $25 an hour save up for 5 years and not know these things.

Rokslide is a place to share our experiences and opinions. My opinion of getting air boated in? I won't do it again.

I'm going back next year, so I'm not devastated by any means. I just know a lot of guys that save for years to go to Alaska, so I want them to understand what they are paying for.

 

[Mvaughan]

When we drove past the airboater’s and Arrowhead’s camp site this year there were exponentially more trucks than I’ve seen in years past. This is the first year I’ve seen Arrowhead in that location, maybe the huge influx was them. Either way, seemed lots more folks wanting to join in. You couldn’t pay me to join that airboat transporter circus act. They’re clearly in it for maximum profits over a few weeks period, not customer experience…but hey, capitalism.

We spent right at two weeks up there and saw a fraction of what we have seen in the past. As mentioned, caribou are going to caribou.

 

[BrooksRanger]

The whole situation that you guys are experiencing and describing, sounds exactly like a description of “the tragedy of the commons.”
While this is just one particular experience here in Alaska, I think it’s fair to say that this is happening across the state albeit to lesser degrees. However, it gets worse every year.

I’m really worried about what my kids options for hunting here are going to look like in 20 years…

 

[fatbacks]

Up until about three years ago, there were only two airboat transporters, and they did a pretty darn good job of not dropping groups on top of each other’s camps and maintaining a reasonable amount of people on that river.

Blown away air boats came in and that outfit will take as many people that are willing to give them money and won’t hesitate to drop people less than a quarter mile away from some other camps. Hard to blame him when you have a line of people willing to pay that much money for a 45 minute airboat ride.

Just like so many other places in Alaska, it will become such a gong show that someone will use the federal subsistence board to shut it down for everyone. It has been happening all over the state for the past few years and to expect it not to happen again would be crazy.

if I were looking for a premium caribou hunting experience, I would probably look at the draw tags out of Kotz and fly in with a reputable transporter up there. they aren’t charging much more than what the boats are costing.


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