Arctic Air DIY Caribou Hunt Kotzebue in depth review with map

[bpietila]

Some people live in the area. Also not good practice to post specific hunting locations on a public hunting forum. That’s how spots get blown up.

 

[RyanT26]

This seems to be the new reality of Alaska caribou hunting. I went with a different transporter (airboat) and I saw more hunters than caribou. There was a new transporter in the area that was dropping guys every 1/4 mile.

 

[TSAMP]

Sounds like a tough hunt. I do think if you read deeper into other threads there are folks that had similar experiences with Mike and Sheila as well. I think its the nature of this style of a hunt. Lots of first timers(high expectations)and a high demand hunt = a fair bit of risk to be stacked ontop each other.

Personally I think this hunt is perfect for those Outdoor international folks, right up their alley. They are glorified travel agents/realtors and tell you anything to get something booked.

The best a person can do is consult as many non biased information sources they can and be direct and upfront with your transporter. Wherever possible cut out the middle man.

 

[TurkeyReaper69]

Sounds like a tough hunt. I do think if you read deeper into other threads there are folks that had similar experiences with Mike and Sheila as well. I think its the nature of this style of a hunt. Lots of first timers(high expectations)and a high demand hunt = a fair bit of risk to be stacked ontop each other.

Personally I think this hunt is perfect for those Outdoor international folks, right up their alley. They are glorified travel agents/realtors and tell you anything to get something booked.

The best a person can do is consult as many non biased information sources they can and be direct and upfront with your transporter. Wherever possible cut out the middle man.

That was my impression from speaking with an Outdoors International agent prior to booking with ram.

 

[alaska_bou]

"Personally I think this hunt is perfect for those Outdoor international folks, right up their alley. They are glorified travel agents/realtors and tell you anything to get something booked."


Not all booking agencies are created equal. The previously mentioned agency did in-fact ignore clients and refused refunds with the old "you should have purchased insurance" excuse when Arctic Air screwed so many people. And those that booked directly with Arctic Air were SOL as well. Some had hunts cancelled two weeks before their scheduled arrival, using the weather as the scape goat, if you can believe that. Their clients were left with no resource who actually cared about their experience.

I know firsthand of another booking agency who was equally screwed over by Arctic Air that year (whom I won't name). They were able to get all 22 of their clients FULL REFUNDS because they actually cared about the situation and went to bat for the clients.

 

[TSAMP]

"Personally I think this hunt is perfect for those Outdoor international folks, right up their alley. They are glorified travel agents/realtors and tell you anything to get something booked."


Not all booking agencies are created equal. The previously mentioned agency did in-fact ignore clients and refused refunds with the old "you should have purchased insurance" excuse when Arctic Air screwed so many people. And those that booked directly with Arctic Air were SOL as well. Some had hunts cancelled two weeks before their scheduled arrival, using the weather as the scape goat, if you can believe that. Their clients were left with no resource who actually cared about their experience.

I know firsthand of another booking agency who was equally screwed over by Arctic Air that year (whom I won't name). They were able to get all 22 of their clients FULL REFUNDS because they actually cared about the situation and went to bat for the clients.

Well that speaks volumes. You are saying Outdoor Intl did not refund while other sellers using the same transporter did?

 

[alaska_bou]

Well that speaks volumes. You are saying Outdoor Intl did not refund while other sellers using the same transporter did?

Yes, that is exactly right. Those who booked through that agency or direct with AA were SOL. And the hunters who booked the same hunt through another agency, I believe 22 in total, all received their money back in the end.

 

[TSAMP]

Yes, that is exactly right. Those who booked through that agency or direct with AA were SOL. And the hunters who booked the same hunt through another agency, I believe 22 in total, all received their money back in the end.

I recall a few members coming on here discussing the lack of refund from AA. Seems like information they hopefully were also aware of.

 

[Colt Sauer]

I hope this in-depth review of our trip helps someone in the future. This was kind of a messed-up deal with everything leading up to the planning and execution of the trip. GMU closures, deposits, ownership change, my suggestion is to for sure spend the money on trip insurance and I know there is never going to be a transporter contract that is in your full favor but discuss how close they set camps. In conversation going back to the hotel we were told the success rate has now fallen from 85% 2 weeks ago to hovering in the 60’s and my projection is probably falling. It seemed like Gary’s biggest concern was just dropping people where they could so that the planes are full going out and full coming back getting the most bang for their buck not actually worrying about getting you on the game. When they dropped us off they jumped up the gravel bar to our immediate south maybe 200yds and picked up a group of 4 to fly out.

The previous owners had a good success rate and discussing with them it was always about 85% for the season. I inquired about the other 15% and was told that is most time guys trying to bow hunt, looking for a particular trophy ex. Big tops, double shovels, etc… or people that don’t have the physical ability to hunt far from camp. Us not being picky and in fairly good shape hunting with rifles had no problems harvesting 2 nice (to us) bulls.

First of all, THANK YOU for providing this very detailed review! My hunting group booked with Artic Air through Outdoors International back in 2021 for a fall 2022 Caribou hunt. Because of the GMU closure and Artic Air ownership change and my groups scheduling conflicts, our trip has now been rescheduled for mid-September 2024. We've been a bit skeptical and concerned about how the new ownership was going to handle the backlog of hunts that Shiela and Mike had booked prior to the GMU closure.
I passed your review along to the rest of my hunting party. Based on our skepticism and reading the review of your experience with Artic Air, we are seriously considering forfeiting our deposit and caulking the entire trip up as an expensive and unfortunate lesson. I really don't like the idea of walking away after several years of planning, saving for and talking about making this trip, but it seems like it might be time to cut our loses and move on to another hunting adventure.
Nothing would be more frustrating than going through what you and your group went through. Sorry it turned out the way it did.

 

[WI Shedhead]

I would keep your deposit active and keep shoving it back if they let you. One thing you can count on is change with this hunt, and things could be right back to normal in 10 years. Thier are outfitters holding deposits and not taking guys and telling them they’ll honor thier deposits if/when the hunt happens. Stranger things have happened, maybe someone would be willing to buy out your deposit/spot in line, sometime too

 

[coyote_out]

All good information. Thanks for sharing

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Keepin it real, I like all of what has been stated. For anyone who has booked and are gonna go for it, I might suggest making the owners aware of this thread and the "vibes" you're getting don't give you the warm and fuzzies. State your concerns and see how they reply. At least they'll know you know everyone's watching this unfold online.

 

[EricBender208]

I don’t like hearing any of these stories, as we are booked with them in 2025

Wha days. I’m booked with them too.

 

[TX338]

I am booked with Artic Air for ‘24. Originally booked in ‘21 for ‘23, but pushed a year with the new owners. Here is some communication we got from Gary last night:

“Hello,

I'm writing to thank your group for its patience waiting for Alaska to make some decisions about our hunting season and that has now happened. I'll start with the GOOD NEWS, we get to hunt this year! Although some changes in regulations were made to the Units we hunt and restrictions were extended, non-resident hunting remains viable for the Western Arctic Caribou Herd. The disappointing news is that it appears the federal government will extend the closure of the 7.9 million acre Noatak Federal Preserve to all non-resident caribou hunting. This closure was put in place for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and expired at the end of last year. We had hoped our future seasons would allow access to the Preserve again as the area is close to Kotzebue, more readily accessible in foul weather, and provides many options for camp locations. We hunted around those restrictions last year and will now be forced to do so again moving forward. Unfortunately, what that means for us is both a slight shuffling of our hunt calendar and a cost increase in the fuel surcharge we were planning. WIthout these changes, we cannot operate going forward with the closure in place - however with your help we plan to make your hunt happen this year as you hoped! Here is what that means:

DATES: Currently I have your group on our calendar for September xx, 2024. We had to move our weekly fly days around based on last year's experience and the area closure extension. Hunting north of the Preserve over the Brooks Range (GMU26A) or in the extreme western side of GMU23 requires more flight time than originally planned and weather delays are more frequent. Therefore we are limiting our number of groups and adjusting fly days weekly to try to keep things running smoothly and best access the caribou herds during each hunt week.”

Artic Air is adding a $1000 fuel surcharge for longer flight times and asking for a new contract, but honoring lost deposits prior to their buyout.

My group of 4 is on the fence. Gary is asking for final payment of hunt balance and the fuel surcharge by June 1.

I’m thinking to wait and see until the last minute when final payments are due. Abandon the dream, or roll the dice.

Appreciate all of you guys that continue to weigh in and share information.

TX338

 

[daveinohio]

They didn’t even show us a caribou from the air last year. Gary doesn’t decide where you hunt, the pilots do and they don’t seem to care about anything other than their tip.