Early August Caribou worth it?

[Deercentral]

A group of 4 of us are planning a trip through Arctic Air for Caribou. We would prefer end of august to early September but the only options are august 5-11 2022 or we wait until 2024 to get dates we want. We just don’t want to show up early august and spend a week in Alaska and not see or have the opportunity to take a nice Bull. Trophy size would be nice but not required. It’s the experience of seeing them and having the chance to take a nice bill we are after. Anyone have experience with an early august hunt? Is it still a good hunt? If it’s all that’s available for the next two years would you do it? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[VernAK]

The meat is good at that time but my personal preference is early September. But I have the ability to choose my time. The antlers are shedding velvet and the animals are getting winter fur with white necks and the bugs have usually froze out.

 

[Shooter2medic]

We are going up after caribou august 7th of 2022. So I will keep you posted.

 

[Firemedic710]

Just remember your headnet and bring good meat bags to keep the bugs out

 

[Deercentral]

Just remember your headnet and bring good meat bags to keep the bugs out

Have you hunted for caribou that early in the season? Is it still going to be a good hunt during that time? We just don’t want to spend the money and waste a trip and the hunt be bad. We understand that no one can predict the hunt or the animals. We just want to have a successful hunt. Id the only time available was early august would you go?

 

[Deercentral]

We are going up after caribou august 7th of 2022. So I will keep you posted.

If we go we’re looking at the same time frame. August 5-11 of 22. Not sure what you’ve heard as far as hunt quality during that time. We just don’t want to spend the money and get a bad hunt because it’s to early.

 

[Deercentral]

The meat is good at that time but my personal preference is early September. But I have the ability to choose my time. The antlers are shedding velvet and the animals are getting winter fur with white necks and the bugs have usually froze out.

Have you done an early august hunt or know anyone who has? It can be an expensive camping trip if we don’t get the opportunity to see anything and that’s what we’re afraid of lol. We aren’t needing to see 300 caribou a day to have a successful hunt. We’d hate to wait two years to get in on a hunt.

 

[VaHntr]

I’d be cautious about going at that time with that specific transporter. I went with them in mid August of 2021. The weather before we got there was hot, and they told us their hunters in early august were struggling as a result. We saw a total of 4 bulls on our hunt that was supposed to last 6 days, but ended up lasting 11. No huge bulls, and our group went 2 for 3.

You can’t control weather or migration, but you can control who you fly with. I’d encourage you to search for other threads on their recent reviews.

Ask lots of questions. Why do they have an opening on relatively short notice? How many other hunters do they already have scheduled for those dates? How might that impact the level of service you receive? Based on my experience, I’d be wary.

 

[Deercentral]

I’d be cautious about going at that time with that specific transporter. I went with them in mid August of 2021. The weather before we got there was hot, and they told us their hunters in early august were struggling as a result. We saw a total of 4 bulls on our hunt that was supposed to last 6 days, but ended up lasting 11. No huge bulls, and our group went 2 for 3.

You can’t control weather or migration, but you can control who you fly with. I’d encourage you to search for other threads on their recent reviews.

Ask lots of questions. Why do they have an opening on relatively short notice? How many other hunters do they already have scheduled for those dates? How might that impact the level of service you receive? Based on my experience, I’d be wary.

Good advice thanks! I understand no one can predict weather or migration and we’re not sure who to go with as far as reputable companies. Every hunter can have a good experience or a bad one and every company can advertise to get the appeal they need to stay in business. That’s why I figured I’d ask hunters on here what there experience was with early hunts. Thanks!

 

[JonS]

I went with Golden Eagle, can't say a bad thing about them. We went mid/late September and had cold weather and beautiful times.

 

[TSAMP]

My opinion, since you've mentioned multiple times your worried about going not seeing anything. Your rolling the dice in early August, and the odds arent in your favor. If you want to maximize your odds, going later is what i would do. Your getting last pick on dates, there is a reason everyone else choose later in the year. IF you have to go this year, make it happen and work your tail off it could certainly work out. As stated above, use the search function on this site, AA has a very well documented past on this forum and i am confident there are better outfits you could choose.

 

[LongWayAround]

Consider that the locals are pushing hard to get us outsiders confined to the river corridors this year. I had the opportunity to book for August 2021 but waited for September 2022. We'll see how that decision works out for us.

 

[Jackal7]

Arctic Air uses float planes. They will likely place you south of the Brooks. On lakes. Which are often further from the mountains where the caribou may be that early in warm weather. When we were there with AA in the first week of September 2019, it was warm and we saw little movement out of the mountains south to where we got dumped by AA on a bad spot. Just my two cents.

 

[Doc Holliday]

There is a reason those dates are available.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

If your goal is harvest success and going out of Kotz, early august is tricky. Most of the caribou are north and east of howard pass still, with only scattered groups scouting trail networks west and south of the Divide that early. Your pilot will usually have to fly extra far to reach concentrated groups that time of year. Plus, with warmer august temps in recent years you'll often find groups of bou using higher elevations for wind and insect relief...not frolicking across vast lowland tundra. Weather conditions and temperatures will dictate.

I wouldn't go that early for my own hunt in that region. I've seen large groups on the south side (GMU 23) in late july, but they are widely scattered and generally moving fast, some goin south toward the noatak and others headed upstream toward the hillcountry and into GMU 26A.

 

[Deercentral]

Thanks for all the advice and input! It’s greatly appreciated! We have found Ram Aviation and thought about giving them a try. Anybody have any experiences with Brian and his crew there? Reviews on a lot of these places are hard to find. Thanks

 

[AkRyan]

Hold off for 2024 imo. Heat and bugs will be hard on the meat.

 

[DFloTN]

I’d be cautious about going at that time with that specific transporter. I went with them in mid August of 2021. The weather before we got there was hot, and they told us their hunters in early august were struggling as a result. We saw a total of 4 bulls on our hunt that was supposed to last 6 days, but ended up lasting 11. No huge bulls, and our group went 2 for 3.

You can’t control weather or migration, but you can control who you fly with. I’d encourage you to search for other threads on their recent reviews.

Ask lots of questions. Why do they have an opening on relatively short notice? How many other hunters do they already have scheduled for those dates? How might that impact the level of service you receive? Based on my experience, I’d be wary.

Lots of good advice here.


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[sspurlin]

In 2020 my son and I had success off the Steese Hwy. Kept going out until we were away from the locals.

 

[mtnbiker208]

I have done 2 early august float trips for caribou. However, that was the mulchatna herd and non residents can't hunt there anymore. But one hunt, caribou everywhere, and i do mean everywhere. 2nd hunt, no caribou. Same exact river.

Bugs will be very prevalent, and the temps will not be conductive to meat care. Fun trip though at that time.