First Caribou hunt with Arctic Air - 2025

[TheLostTracker]

Hi All. My father and I will be going on our first caribou hunt in August of 25 with Arctic Air. Before deciding on them I did as much research as one could do on the possible transporters. Each seemed to have pros and cons. I just wanted to see if anyone hunted with them this past season and how your experience was? Thanks for any information provided!

 

[TheLostTracker]

And yes… I have read the good and bad reviews of them on this forum already. Hoping for some new reviews. Thanks again!

 

[TX338]

I’m booked for September ‘24 with Artic Air.
Can give firsthand feedback then.

 

[CC11]

My brother and I are booked with them for early September of '25 as well.

 

[arctichunting]

So from my understanding that unit will be a draw tag in 2025?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[blakees307]

I hunted with them last year. Gary and crew were nice. We used their camp package and everything provided was pretty good. We never saw any bulls for the week of hunting. Decent amount of cows and calves. The group before us in the same camp both shot bulls. One was really good. I wish we were one of the first groups instead of one of the last. Seemed the groups before all had success. Maybe they just shot the resident bulls and nothing new ever migrated through. The group after us also never found anything to shoot. Just go with a good attitude. I honestly feel like this hunt is a lot of luck. If the caribou are there then you will have a great hunt. I don’t think Gary would purposefully send people to bad hunt locations. He runs a business and the more people that are successful the better the business he has. But they were taking tons out last year to make up for the off years and you are bad to have some people have bad experiences. Just not enough places to go. Just go with a good attitude. Worst case scenario you get to spend a week in Alaska seeing country most people never will get to experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scottf270]

Seems like everything is a gamble anymore. You can do all the research you want, but it's still hunting. I will say as the resource shrinks, most outfits are not gonna cut back on the number of hunts, which in effect is a pay cut for them. Has anyone ever voted to cut their own pay?

They are getting calls everyday and the demand far exceeds the supply. They have people begging for them to take their money.

I agree hunting in wild places is an adventure, but if I want to just go camping, I can do it for a hell of a lot less. I don't expect a guarantee but I should have a reasonable chance at the animal I'm after. If not, I consider the outfitter a failure.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

Ya... keep in mine they are caribou. You could fly over a herd of 1000 land in front of them a ways hoping they stay on thr same track. All it takes is a few to get curious about something, a tree, a hill piece of trash blowing in the wind and could pull the whole herd off "your" track. Caribou are going to caribou, if you get placed in an area where they historically have been that time of year, there's always a chance.

Sent from my SM-S921U using Tapatalk

 

[EricBender208]

Hi All. My father and I will be going on our first caribou hunt in August of 25 with Arctic Air. Before deciding on them I did as much research as one could do on the possible transporters. Each seemed to have pros and cons. I just wanted to see if anyone hunted with them this past season and how your experience was? Thanks for any information provided!

Im booked with them in August of 25.

 

[EricBender208]

I hunted with them last year. Gary and crew were nice. We used their camp package and everything provided was pretty good. We never saw any bulls for the week of hunting. Decent amount of cows and calves. The group before us in the same camp both shot bulls. One was really good. I wish we were one of the first groups instead of one of the last. Seemed the groups before all had success. Maybe they just shot the resident bulls and nothing new ever migrated through. The group after us also never found anything to shoot. Just go with a good attitude. I honestly feel like this hunt is a lot of luck. If the caribou are there then you will have a great hunt. I don’t think Gary would purposefully send people to bad hunt locations. He runs a business and the more people that are successful the better the business he has. But they were taking tons out last year to make up for the off years and you are bad to have some people have bad experiences. Just not enough places to go. Just go with a good attitude. Worst case scenario you get to spend a week in Alaska seeing country most people never will get to experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What time of year did you?

 

[blakees307]

What time of year did you?

September 9-16


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Catag94]

September 9-16


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If I may, where di they drop you?

 

[blakees307]

If I may, where di they drop you?

I don’t remember where exactly. They flew us out of kotz


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Zig4648]

I just returned from my hunt (camping trip) with Arctic Air/Unguided Alaska. This hunt is a overbooked factory money scam, Gary and Corey switched they're operation to Fairbanks due to the bad weather in Kotzebue. Prior to us leaving Corey called and said Kotzebue is less than 50% success and moving to Fairbanks is in our favor as the the test groups are 100% success. The truth is Kotzebue is on the coast and the weather is to unpredictable, and they fall behind getting hunters in the field. The switch to Fairbanks was dumped on a another aviation company. The pilots were great and straight shooters, saying the amount hunters Artic Air books is beyond insane. Neither Gary or Corey have flown out in the Brooks mountain range to preview where to put hunters. I was delayed getting in the field 2 days and once in the field I was put on gravel pennisula where two rivers came together. The rivers are big rivers that are impassable even with waders, the area was extremly thick moose country river bottom NOT the TUNDRA. BARREN GROUND CARIBOU live on the BARREN TUNDRA. I never saw a wild animal for a WEEK and they told us to sit on the gravel run way that where the caribou cross. There wasn't even old tracks or droppings. I went for hike to try and make my own luck walked the river bank for over a mile still never saw a caribou track or a animal. When I was picked up and returning to Fairbanks there was hundreds on caribou 15 miles from on the BARREN TUNDRA. I asked why we placed there. The pilots said theres no where for them to land there THEY HAVE NEVER DONE CARIBOU DROP HUNTS until ARCTIC AIR called them amid the choas in Kotzebue and doesn't want keep rolling over hunts and not make money. The pilot said they still have 150 more hunters to bring in. I spoke to the guys that went in when I went in they were also put in moose valley river bottoms. A group of 6 guys got one the first day they could hunt. Caribou stumbled in, never saw another. A group of 3 guys sat 16 hours a day, they had 3 yearling bulls walk in the day they were waiting to be picked up. No other groups saw or got anything. The groups that could see the tundra 20 miles away saw caribou in spotting scopes. We all made contact with each after we came out. All agreed it was a waste, of hard earned money, and time, complete joke not what a true caribou hunt we signed up and paid for. Alaska is expensive, hotel if delayed a day $400 a night, flights, meat shipping etc.... plan on $10,000. If I was to do it again go to haul road, or call a independent aviation company ask them to fly you to where they have seen caribou. Aviation companies charge $1250 a hour, so 1.5 hour is actually 3 for round trip, cost $3750 not $6000 of what Arctic Air is charging. The only positive thing I can say is the camping rental is good equipment and decent food. Althought I had PBJ and never was given bread or tortillas. The aviation company admitted they ran out of places to land and put hunters and had them camping on remote refueling runway, they had to hunt from the runway. BE AWARE DO NOT BOOK just trying to save others from being taken advantage by being promised they re dream hunt

 

[TX338]

That is hard to hear. I am scheduled with Arctic Air into Fairbanks this coming Thursday. Heard the same story about better success with the change into Fairbanks. They have our money, not sure how much we can get back through our trip insurance if we bail. 2.5 days to decide.

 

[AKBorn]

That is hard to hear. I am scheduled with Arctic Air into Fairbanks this coming Thursday. Heard the same story about better success with the change into Fairbanks. They have our money, not sure how much we can get back through our trip insurance if we bail. 2.5 days to decide.

I would call your trip insurer today and get as much info as you can about what amount you can get back, then talk with your hunt partners and make the decision based on being as informed as you possibly can be. Sorry to hear that this is happening, and best of luck.

 

[TheLostTracker]

Wow that’s too bad. Sorry you had to go through that. Do you think the craziness was due to the move to Fairbanks? I am scheduled with them next August and have seen both really good and really bad reviews.

 

[Zig4648]

The craziness will settle in Fairbanks, the problem is caribou drop camps aren’t the norm out of Fairbanks. All the landing areas are moose areas.

 

[TheLostTracker]

So it sounds like the bad weather in Kotz caused the mess? Or was it more on Arctic Air and their issues?

 

[Catag94]

The craziness will settle in Fairbanks, the problem is caribou drop camps aren’t the norm out of Fairbanks. All the landing areas are moose areas.

There are plenty of caribou hunts that have launched from Fairbanks for years. However, most are already full of hunters with transporters that always work from FB. AAO suddenly deciding to take their clients to 25A was a problem from the start because of this. It’s not like good areas weren’t already being used and were just waiting on AAO.
I’m sorry this happened to you and I know from experience what it was like.
I encourage you to read through your contract and decide if they broke it. If so, start talking to them about making it right.