Flying in to the Frank (Unit 26)

[PanhandlePilgrim]

The title says it all. A bucket list hunt for me and the flight is officially booked. I am reaching out because I would like to hear everyone's personal account of their adventures (or misadventures) in the Frank Church Wilderness. We'll be flying with McCall Aviation and will be after mule deer.

Cheers!

 

[doginme]

Flew in once, great time. A lot of hunters camped on the edge of the runways. Better if you can base camp it a few miles in. Tripod and good glass. Deer can be hard to spot with all the old timber and rocks and such. Is this a rut hunt?

 

[jdmaxwell]

Good luck.

 

[PanhandlePilgrim]

We plan on hiking a long ways from the runway. We are going at the end of the general season at the end of Ocotber.

 

[Troy614]

Sounds like a fun time. Good Luck!

 

[Diesel]

Get in shape.

 

[Ucsdryder]

We rode horses 26 miles in. That was in 1990 and I was 9-10 years old. We sent meat out on the planes. I can only imagine how different it is 20 years later.

 

[zion zig zag]

We rode horses 26 miles in. That was in 1990 and I was 9-10 years old. We sent meat out on the planes. I can only imagine how different it is 20 years later.

Different, but still the same. That's the beauty of it.

 

[Poser]

We rode horses 26 miles in. That was in 1990 and I was 9-10 years old. We sent meat out on the planes. I can only imagine how different it is 20 years later.

I expect there are a lot more flatbills in 2020 than there were in 2010 or 1990.

 

[Krustyroo]

What airstrip are you flying into?

 

[Krustyroo]

Two years ago we fly into Bernard by the Flying B and camped by the river. We did not have Mule Deer tags, only Elk. Early October, the Muleys we down by us with a local bear who was eating from the Flying B trash pile. When we went high is then and only then we caught Elk sign.

 

[aussielr]

Used an outfitter to drop camp a few years ago. In hindsight would have preferred to have been able to spike camp and move a lot more but fitness and not being prepared to do that meant we couldn't. If was doing it again either flying or drop camping I would be spike camping for 2 to 3 day stretches

 

[Crippledsledge64]

Flew in with McCall air in2017, they’re great pilots. It’s difficult to put into words how hard that country is until you’re here. Beautiful remote hunt but there’s very little game let alone big game in the frank. Hardest thing for us was finding water that wasn’t 2000 feet below us

 

[PanhandlePilgrim]

What airstrip are you flying into?

Cabin Creek

 

[eltaco]

I’ve hunted the Frank Church a couple of times, though about 10yrs ago. My experience is a bit varied from yours, as we hiked in from trailheads at the wilderness boundaries. Almost no other hunters to speak of, absolutely giant country, and very few animal sightings, even glassing over some BIG country.

I ended up tagging a bull on one of the hunts, but had a very challenging time finding a buck on my deer hunt.

Beautiful country, and still a place I’d love to go back to... but yes, it’s big and vast. I can only imagine how the internet and freedom of information have changed the way that hunt looks in 2020.

 

[sneaky]

I’ve hunted the Frank Church a couple of times, though about 10yrs ago. My experience is a bit varied from yours, as we hiked in from trailheads at the wilderness boundaries. Almost no other hunters to speak of, absolutely giant country, and very few animal sightings, even glassing over some BIG country.

I ended up tagging a bull on one of the hunts, but had a very challenging time finding a buck on my deer hunt.

Beautiful country, and still a place I’d love to go back to... but yes, it’s big and vast. I can only imagine how the internet and freedom of information have changed the way that hunt looks in 2020.

Internet hasn't changed the Frank hunts nearly as much as NR tag quotas have. It's cut down on a ton of pressure on the late hunts. If anything, word gets out pretty quick that game is scarce in the Frank. Great predator hunting though.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[kzkammo]

Definitely a dream hunt of mine, I'll be in there in the next 2 years for sure. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Broomd]

First of all, what time of year?
Have an evac plan-comms, snake bite kit, well-stocked first aid, and be prepared for spontaneous fire, 100* or blizzard conditions. The other issue is water. You'll likely have to carry what you need, it can be many miles between water opportunities. Two gallons is 16lbs alone.

One of the tougher places on Earth to pursue (ungulate) game. Wolves are another story.

 

[PanhandlePilgrim]

Flying in at the end of October. We'll have everything pretty well covered i think. This isn't mine or my buddy's first rodeo, just our first time flying to the rodeo. Lol.

 

[Kmk343]

Good luck!! I would enjoy seeing the results of this hunt. This is a hunt I would like to try a few years down the road.