Arctic Air Unguided Caribou Hunt

[Robinhood21]

AK Air only gave us that caution on our flight back to Anchorage from Kotzebue, not into Kotzebue. We put the meat and antler boxes on standby status. FYI: Delta charged us $540 for two boxes of meat and one antler box. AK Air didn't ding us on our Anchorage leg. Not sure why. Good luck and I hope the weather turns for your hunt.

Here are the 'bou pics. I put them up on the Meat Pole too. We don't have any pics of the third one as both those guys' phones had died.

Beautiful Bou Jackal7!!

 

[mooster]

Dang. Looks like wind should be calming down. Good luck! Luckily we shipped up a bunch of beer for the trip and this type of delays, lol.

Beer!?!? Not around this hotel. No restaurants either.

 

[a2thak]

Yeah, I've stayed there before. My plan if delayed is to sleep in cot in hanger. Done it with other outfitters. Not sure if they are ok with it up there, but I'll cross that bridge when/if needed.

 

[mooster]

Switched hotel to Bibbers B&B, owner is very nice, friendly to hunters and beer. That said be aware if you buy here $10 alcohol permit, $30 for a 12 pack.

 

[william schmaltz]

FYI if your flying AK Air into Kotz be aware only two checked bags are assured to fly with you on a flight. Additional bags may fly standby on a later flight. You designate which bag(s) would be the standby bag. So if your flying out same day as you arrive this may be a concern if all bags are essential.

This is a stupid new rule I just learned about. I got 3 bags including rifle case. I plan to prioritize my two luggage bags and tell them they can decide if they want to break the law by leaving my firearm behind.

All your bags make it?

 

[mooster]

Yes plane wasn’t full.

 

[Jackal7]

Two of us got out of the bush on Saturday as planned. My other two buddies were stuck in the field until Monday afternoon due to the winds. They only got home yesterday at 2:30 pm. Good luck and hope you aren't delayed too long getting dropped into camp.

 

[mattparliament]

We were supposed to get to the field on the 12th but had 1 day delay due to the winds. Once out there we had a good hunt. Seemed like we were in a funnel, everything we saw was moving NORTH! to a drainage in the mountains north of us. On our midday break back at camp the second day we had a group of bulls show up and we pulled a quick "double". Just when you think nothing is happening... Had a visit from a grizz that night and let me tell you, when you put your headlamp in his face at 40' their eyes look like glowing tennis balls! He left but apparently returned, we lost one bag of meat and a piece of hide I was going to bring home to make a rug for the wife. Regardless, successful trip and no complaints with Arctic Air's service. twincedar, nice to meat you, let us know how you did!

 

[MNGaryB]

We were supposed to get to the field on the 12th but had 1 day delay due to the winds. Once out there we had a good hunt. Seemed like we were in a funnel, everything we saw was moving NORTH! to a drainage in the mountains north of us. On our midday break back at camp the second day we had a group of bulls show up and we pulled a quick "double". Just when you think nothing is happening... Had a visit from a grizz that night and let me tell you, when you put your headlamp in his face at 40' their eyes look like glowing tennis balls! He left but apparently returned, we lost one bag of meat and a piece of hide I was going to bring home to make a rug for the wife. Regardless, successful trip and no complaints with Arctic Air's service. twincedar, nice to meat you, let us know how you did!

Very impressive
Nice work

 

[rlmmarine]

Looks like a great trip any other problem with the griz did you have a fence id love to here the story

 

[mooster]

We were supposed to get to the field on the 12th but had 1 day delay due to the winds. Once out there we had a good hunt. Seemed like we were in a funnel, everything we saw was moving NORTH! to a drainage in the mountains north of us. On our midday break back at camp the second day we had a group of bulls show up and we pulled a quick "double". Just when you think nothing is happening... Had a visit from a grizz that night and let me tell you, when you put your headlamp in his face at 40' their eyes look like glowing tennis balls! He left but apparently returned, we lost one bag of meat and a piece of hide I was going to bring home to make a rug for the wife. Regardless, successful trip and no complaints with Arctic Air's service. twincedar, nice to meat you, let us know how you did!

Man those are awesome, congrats. Unfortunately, we had the opposite experience. Shared a lake with other hunters and were bound by a river on the other side of us. So we’d split up one going W and the other E along the river trying to see something crossing.

We didn’t see but 12 bou between the river and our side of the lake all week. We too lost a day going in late due to hi winds. We saw maybe a 100 bou each day on the horizon miles away. Sometimes they’d approach but only to parallel the river tantalizing us from 6-800 yds.

We shot the only bull we saw on our side of the river, did so at 730pm on our last night. They were both embarrassingly small. We packed until 1230 am, then up at 6am in 18F our last morning to carry out our last load b4 the plane arrived. We did enjoy the northern lights to guide us back to camp with laden packs.

We didn’t see a bear, nor wolf, didn’t catch a fish (too busy hunting, and winds were whitecapping the small lake), nor fox, eagle, or anything else that we’d hoped for. Still had an amazing time, incredibly difficult environment to hunt hiking miles on the tussocks, and trying to stay warm choking down endless mountain house meals.

 

[AKBorn]

Man those are awesome, congrats. Unfortunately, we had the opposite experience. Shared a lake with other hunters and were bound by a river on the other side of us. So we’d split up one going W and the other E along the river trying to see something crossing.

We didn’t see but 12 bou between the river and our side of the lake all week. We too lost a day going in late due to hi winds. We saw maybe a 100 bou each day on the horizon miles away. Sometimes they’d approach but only to parallel the river tantalizing us from 6-800 yds.

We shot the only bulls we saw on our side of the river, did so at 730pm on our last night. They were both embarrassingly small. We packed until 1230 am, then up at 6am in 18F our last morning to carry out our last load b4 the plane arrived. We did enjoy the northern lights to guide us back to camp with laden packs.

We didn’t see a bear, nor wolf, didn’t catch a fish (too busy hunting, and winds were whitecapping the small lake), nor fox, eagle, or anything else that we’d hoped for. Still had an amazing time, incredibly difficult environment to hunt hiking miles on the tussocks, and trying to stay warm choking down endless mountain house meals.

Sorry you got dropped so close to other camps, that is always my fear on remote flyout hunts, and is the biggest reason I keep going with 40 Mile Air as opposed to trying other parts of the state and other transporters.

Nothing wrong with that caribou, congratulations! Every one I take is a trophy in my book, and this one even moreso because of all the work you put in and the conditions you endured to get him!

Good on you guys for keeping after it, and adapting once you got into the field to the conditions that were presented to you.

 

[Gobbler36]

We won’t end of August, sounds like the weather hasn’t turned out great. We were seeing lots of animals each day, the weeek prior had a big storm and then temps dropped and had strong north winds each day, that brought frost in the mornings, ended up taking the two biggest bulls we seen for the trip. Congratulations to everyone

 

[Gobbler36]

Two bulls

 

[mooster]

Two bulls

Nice! Btw did you add extra tie out lines to your tipi? I don’t mine recall having some that high up the sides.

 

[Gobbler36]

Nice! Btw did you add extra tie out lines to your tipi? I don’t mine recall having some that high up the sides.
[/QUOTE
No this is how it came from the factory

 

[Sconnie77]

I have a 3 man group booked with Arctic Air Flying out of Kotz for Sept 8-14 2019. We went through Outdoors International and they set us up with them. Cost was the same 3750.00. Hope its it a great hunt.

How was your hunt? Did Arctic Air provide the level of service you were looking for?

 

[mooster]

Thanks! I'll double check mine.

 

[River Rat]

just got home from hunting with with arctic air. We was the last camp out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mooster]

just got home from hunting with with arctic air. We was the last camp out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats awesome bulls. What lake were y’all on?