Haul Road 2014 transportation

[colonel00]

So long story short, my father turned 65 this year and for his birthday I decided to take him up to Alaska for a caribou hunt. He is really excited and I am already in the planning stages. I did the trip last year with some buddies and it worked out well and we learned a lot. I am fairly confident that with the right amount of time and some good planning, I should be able to get him on a bou. The tentative plan is to float on the Sag and get to the other side. From there we will probably hike a smaller river and stay out of the tundra as much as possible to get to the 5 mile boundary so he will have a better chance of bagging a nice animal. One thought is to go with a packraft that we could maybe float down the smaller river or even walk the raft carrying the meat. I plan to put a bug in Larry's ear as the PR-49 sounds like a slam dunk for this. Anyway, on the way out we will float back out and pull out at Happy Valley.

Now, here is why I am posting. This trip is being planned on a fairly low "DIY" budget so I am trying to keep costs down. Originally this trip was planned to be 4 people like it was last year but that may change to just me and my father. This works well with 4 people as we can manage a larger raft and split costs. We rented a truck from GoNorth last year and that worked out well but it is pricey. It is even more painful when you have to rent for 8 days but the vehicle sits parked for 6 of them. On top of that, splitting the costs only two ways is brutal.

So, anyone have tentative plans to head up that way next year? I am thinking that we will go sometime around the last week of August and we will only be actually in the field for 5-6 days or so. I would love to maybe find a couple people heading the same direction to split up some expenses. Perhaps someone is doing a fly-out from Happy Valley and is also needing to arrange transportation. I am open to any and all suggestions.

 

[realunlucky]

Hey shoot me a pm I'm having trouble with my phone. My bil and I have been thinking of giving the haul road a shot

 

[colonel00]

Shot you a PM. If anyone else has questions feel free to post them or PM. I don't mind sharing information but sometimes I like to keep it off an open forum. This is an amazing trip and everyone should give it a shot at some point.

 

[Snipershirt]

Give me a shout, I'm taking a buddy up there from outta state and doing a similar float hunt around that time. Wouldn't have a prob if you need to hitch a ride.

$

 

[colonel00]

This ^^^ is why I love forums like this. I will shoot you a PM

 

[Snipershirt]

Got your PM Brad, I'll get back to you later on tonight

 

[elkmule123]

I'd love to do something like this, but have no clue on how I'd go about getting information to plan something like this.

 

[colonel00]

It isn't too bad really. I do plan to put up a thread or two regarding the planning and logistics for a non-resident. Really though, you just need to get to Fairbanks, rent a truck that you are allowed to take up the Haul Rd and be ready to work your tail off. Feel free to question away though.

 

[Doc06]

This is something a my brother in law and I have talked about for a few years now. I would love to do caribou on a budget and it just seems like prices for guided hunts in Canada are doing nothing but sky rocketing. I need to do some serious research and get this done soon. This forum has been great and probably the most informative I have seen so far. I am new to the site and so far...it is awesome. Guys here seem to be very different than they are on most others.

 

[Nick Muche]

Get a flight to Fairbanks, buy tags and drive north. Likely the most cost effective caribou hunt on the planet for a non-resident. I hope you come!

 

[colonel00]

Yeah, the biggest challenge and expense will be the vehicle rental. Hence the reason for this thread.

 

[Stid2677]

If I was a non resident, I would buy a truck, use it and sell when you leave. I would even help any roksliders they could park it at my place if it took a while to sell, even if you sold it for 1k less than you paid you would be ahead. Most rental companies do not allow their vehicles up the Haul Rd and the way that mud gets into everything you can't wash it enough for them not to know.

A few examples, nothing too cheap as that is a long rough drive

http://fairbanks.craigslist.org/cto/4299259724.html

http://fairbanks.craigslist.org/cto/4298865414.html

http://fairbanks.craigslist.org/cto/4298338304.html

 

[colonel00]

Yeah, GoNorth is the only place I can find that does rent them for use on the Haul Rd. Personally, I think it would be a great idea for someone that lived in Fairbanks to just buy a truck and "rent" it to Roksliders that wanted to come up

No kidding on the dirt either

 

[Stid2677]

Alaska has some very strict laws concerning outfitting and guiding,, very easy to get in trouble renting to hunters.

 

[Mike7]

Stid/Brad, interesting ideas. Is a shuttle a viable option for a couple of guys looking to go on the cheap, but not coming in a large enough group to justify renting a vehicle? Would the shuttle option be particularly good if a guy or two were planning on hiking up a river to rifle hunt at 5 miles, as opposed to cruising the Haul Rd. with a rental vehicle and bow?

Googled and this came up.... Dalton Highway Express. Think of this as a bus service rather than tour. DHE makes quick stops, no stops for photos. Reservations must be made at least 14 days in advance. $116-428 round-trip. Also Northern Alaska Tour Company, +1 907-474-8600 Provides round-trip bus trips to Arctic Circle only ($189). And Trans Arctic Circle Treks, +1 907-479-5451 ([email protected]) .

 

[colonel00]

I remember seeing that before but there was something that just wouldn't work or at least it would be difficult. First, it only runs through the end of August. This isn't absolutely crucial as you could get a hunt in before that but for me, this year I will be up there at the beginning of September. Second is the amount of gear you would be taking and what they could transport. Last time, for the four of us, we had quite a bit and a big raft that took up basically the bed of a pickup. Third, I don't know how they would feel about you piling in a few bags of caribou meat and some horns. Also, they don't have stops on their schedule between Galbraith Lake and Deadhorse. This doesn't mean they wouldn't stop but somebody may not know to stop and pick you up. The pickups in the area are between 8 and 10am on Sunday and Wednesday. That leaves a lot of time in between should you be delayed and miss a pickup.

The bitter pill really is to just rent a truck if you cannot find someone to team up with or you don't want to buy a vehicle as Stid suggests. Buying a vehicle isn't a bad idea but might be a little more involved than some might want to deal with. For instance, I don't know how you would deal with licensing and paying any fees or taxes or whatever. Especially if you didn't make the purchase until you arrived. Plus, you would have to get insurance and make sure the vehicle was in good running condition before making the 1000 mile trip into barren land. Personally, if I could find a way to store a vehicle affordably for most of a year, buying one would be a great deal since I am up there almost every year. But, if you only go once or twice, just renting a vehicle is the easiest route.

Now, it is expensive compared to regular rental rates...sorta. Looking at the dates I am planning which is after GoNorth's peak season, I can get a pickup for $104/day with 100 miles a day included. It sucks that the truck is going to sit parked since we are rafting for most of the time but we still have our own vehicle to move and find the animals if we need. I don't have a definite plan yet but I would figure we will be looking at 10 days rental which is only $1040 (plus all the fees and crap) and that gets us 1000 miles. I would prepay for a couple hundred more miles and hopefully stay under the 1200 or so since I don't plan to drive up and down the road a lot. Without adding it all up, I would say we would be close to $1500 or maybe a little more. By comparison, that last summer I was up there for two weeks and had a midsize SUV (I think a Chevy Equinox) as a rental and it cost me right around $1000-1100 I think. And, I think that was because I basically had two, week rentals which discounts the rates.

That is really not bad for 4 guys and honestly pretty bearable for 2 people to split. Since I am taking my father as a gift hunt, that was a little painful to swallow but I would still rather do that and have control over my own transportation. If we get done early, the truck is there waiting and we are on our way out. If we get delayed due to one of a thousand possible reasons, the truck is still there waiting with warm, dry clothing and food. Just some things to think about.

One other thing about GoNorth. I see on the site where it says there is a $23/day charge for a Collision Damage Waiver. However, for some reason I seem to remember that we were able to avoid that charge as we all had to provide written statements from our insurance companies that fulfilled GoNorth's coverage requirements. I could be wrong on this so I will have to look into it further.

 

[colonel00]

I should also mention, as I did in another thread, that I plan to put up a thread and maintain it like a wiki with notes and information as I continue the planning process. There are a lot of things that a non-resident needs to consider that may be taken for granted by a resident up there. I don't mean this a slam by any means as I truly enjoy and I am grateful for any assistance and information offered up by Alaska residents. I am just saying that there are things to consider and plan for that a resident would never think twice about. As an example, people rarely give thought to what they will do with the meat, hide and rack in regards to the trip home. You really need to plan a day at least at the end of the trip to take care of things like cooling/freezing the meat, getting boxes for the meat, cleaning and prepping the antlers, cleaning the rental vehicle, shipping gear home via USPS to save on checked bags on the flight, knowing what your bag fees and weight limits are and weighing stuff to make sure you don't exceed the limits, and most important, take a warm shower, eat a decent meal and relax a little. A little planning ahead of time can mitigate many of the risks and unknowns. Remember, the devil is in the details.

 

[Stid2677]

I should also mention, as I did in another thread, that I plan to put up a thread and maintain it like a wiki with notes and information as I continue the planning process. There are a lot of things that a non-resident needs to consider that may be taken for granted by a resident up there. I don't mean this a slam by any means as I truly enjoy and I am grateful for any assistance and information offered up by Alaska residents. I am just saying that there are things to consider and plan for that a resident would never think twice about. As an example, people rarely give thought to what they will do with the meat, hide and rack in regards to the trip home. You really need to plan a day at least at the end of the trip to take care of things like cooling/freezing the meat, getting boxes for the meat, cleaning and prepping the antlers, cleaning the rental vehicle, shipping gear home via USPS to save on checked bags on the flight, knowing what your bag fees and weight limits are and weighing stuff to make sure you don't exceed the limits, and most important, take a warm shower, eat a decent meal and relax a little. A little planning ahead of time can mitigate many of the risks and unknowns. Remember, the devil is in the details.

Oh, I think Alaskans know a bit about those things too, since we fly and hunt Kodiak, Kotz, King Salmon, Dillingham and many more. More places off the road system than on.

 

[colonel00]

Very fair and excellent point. I did not mean to insult yourself or anyone else. I guess I am just speaking from experiences I have had with eager to help, well intentioned people that forgot that things are a little different for a non-res. Like one guy who was giving me info on the caribou and told me to pick up an OTC sheep tag as there were a bunch by the pass or another gentleman who gave us info on some bears and we eventually realize he is talking about grizzly. Another was nice enough to put us on a place that had a freezer only to find out later that place closed years ago. None of it was malicious, just simple mistakes.

 

[Stid2677]

I hear ya,, I can't believe that no one in Fairbanks really targets transient hunters, freezer, washer dryer, packing material and stuff like that. I have been thinking of opening a B&B to do just that,, if I can stop hunting during that time.