Is the "Caribou" considered, "Entry Level" Trophy Hunting....???

[Lelder]

I’m hoping to do an Alaskan caribou hunt in a few years. I figure what a great way to
“dip my toes” into hunting Alaska and experience the sights, learn more about hunting different species, and if I’m lucky harvest a caribou ( any caribou would be a trophy to my family) and not break the bank doing it.

 

[SierraOneSix]

What is the driving motivation, to spend a lot of money, and have a "NOT" blissful wilderness experience, if all you get is "ONE" caribou........???

To turn this around.......try to imagine, if I discovered that recently lots and lots and lots of long time Alaskans, were incurring substantial expense, to fly to the lower 48, and then pay someone to sleep in their currently unused chicken coop, pay for a non-resident hunting license, pay to have the "local" drive them to "Government" land to shoot a wild boar, or a armadillo. Plus to discover they were spending $1,400.00 for special "SITKA" brand hunting clothing, and $2,000.00 for a "super-duper" designated pig-gun. Plus pay, for special shipping to have parts of the pig shipped back to Alaska, then write up a hunt report on some internet forum.....complete with photos, and jabbering about the bullet and powder and optic, and special boots required.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that hunters desire to experience an Alaska "Wilderness" Hunt. But the more I read on this forum and other hunt forums about non-resident hunters experience with the hunt for "one single" caribou, it just seems there needs to be a "full STOP" and rethink this madness.

Not if your choosy.

 

[Big_wals]

If people want to hunt and harvest Caribou, that is fine with me. I am simply proposing that perhaps, some are being led my profit driven businesses. I am asking "WHO" started this idea of harvesting caribou as any level of trophy. When did this idea originate....??? And who profits....???

Now......is there such a thing as "Trophy Caribou"......yes. A few. But I look at the photos that people are posting and few if any would be trophy level. Marketers, and promoters, and profiteers have herded non-residents down this road.

Of course its profit driven. Thats the country we live in, if you have an idea and can sell it to the public, then do so! Its the same reason that brands like Sitka, First Lite, Kuiu and others exist when camo from Walmart is literally 1/10 of the price, and the newest iphone costs upwards of $1500 ( I checked, 1599 for the 13 pro max or whatever it is. Lol, not an iPhone guy)

Are the top brands actually 10 times better? No, but theyre quite a bit better, and the rest is marketing and hype. In a world where a new pickup truck is easily 50k, five grand for a hunting experience in a new state for an animal that a lot of people in the lower 48 may never see in their life starts to sound like a bargain. I for one am glad to live in a country where we have the right to spend 2000 on a rifle if we so choose, and travel across the continent to hunt with it

 

[Button]

I just like the outdoors and getting away from people. If I can hunt or fish for something that’s a plus. One reason I love surf fishing and camping out while doing it, big fish, fire, food, no people. I catch enough bull reds(redfish, tx coast) that anything under 45” is great but I’m casting for 48”+. But I still love it even when it’s a little guy. If you can’t get pumped about a 40” red you are doing it for the wrong reason. However when people I take out catch their fish of a lifetime however big it might be I’m stoked for them. It’s their experience, if it gets theirs rocks off..hell yeah. I’m not going to put them down, that might be the biggest fish they’ve ever caught and the only time they will encounter that species. Different folks different strokes. I’d be pumped to go hunt bou, I hope to do it hopefully in the next few years.

pics from several years back. I draw 31” All 3 fish were successfully released to eat more mullet. I think we caught 18 that trip

 

[fatlander]

Have a great day.


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[Kevin Dill]

I hope I am always able to focus on my own hunting efforts and reasons while NOT examining and judging the motives or rationales of others. Caribou are magnificent animals and definitely worthy of trophy status for those who dream of hunting them.

 

[Trial153]

That is a pretty shallow way to look at things.
A hunt is so much more than just the animal you take away from it. An Alaska Caribou hunt will put you in some of the most beautiful wilderness a man can experience, with scenery, Mountains, rivers and other wildlife that needs to be seen first hand to appreciate. Not to mention the weather and all it’s nuances and we should all be so lucky to be able to put ourselves in same county those magnificent animals live in, to appreciate what they are and how well suited they are to their environment. We should also take away a desire to protect and conserve their existence so other can one day be so lucky to experience what we did.

 

[Thunder]

@Sourdough is one of many factors for the AOD exodus by so many. Wait until he starts his "for sale" posts. Its coming. Spoiler alert, he never sells anything but will lead you on and on and on.

I doubt the guy has spent any time in the woods and he's shown no evidence of such. If he really did he wouldn't post 1/2 the stupid chit he posts. Fact.

 

[Sourdough]

I doubt the guy has spent any time in the woods and he's shown no evidence of such. If he really did he wouldn't post 1/2 the stupid chit he posts. Fact.

Never even been to Alaska, but read a lot of books about it.

 

[Thunder]

Sourdough asked if I would post this hunting picture for him. Its not actually a picture but a drawing as most of his hunting was done before cameras were invented. I know youre thinking "wow that dude killed 3 BC bulls" but he didn't kill them by fair chase so they do not qualify. He's such a natural born killer B&C ruled its pretty much illegal to be as deadly as he is.

 

[Whip]

Caribou are magnificent animals that live in some of the most beautiful country on earth. That's about all I need to know no matter what somebody else thinks.

 

[Andouille]

I’m hoping to do an Alaskan caribou hunt in a few years. I figure what a great way to
“dip my toes” into hunting Alaska and experience the sights, learn more about hunting different species, and if I’m lucky harvest a caribou ( any caribou would be a trophy to my family) and not break the bank doing it.

I'm a relatively new caribou hunter in Alaska and have completed three hunts on a budget of $200-700 ish each time. Each time our group planned a hunt off a road system or flew on airmiles. Splitting costs for lodging, gas, and food makes this very doable. We then hiked out to find caribou, going just a mile or two further than the "average bloke" to find our caribou. Good gear and training was key to reach caribou and pack them back. I wouldn't say that all three hunts were a smashing success and we certainly didn't harvest "trophy" bou, but we came home with meat that was thoroughly appreciated and had a grand and memorable adventure each time.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Since we are listing our bona fides, I was born and raised in Alaska and spent about every minute not in school or sports out in the woods. I commercial fished out in Bristol Bay (Egegik for the fact checkers). My boss out there was a subsistence hunter and his large family lived mostly on caribou and salmon. I did my senior AP Biology project on the Mulchatna herd. I love hunting caribou.

I live in Colorado now for a pile of reasons, but love any chance I can get to go back to Alaska. If I have a few friends that want to, as mentioned earlier, dip their toes into hunting Alaska, I think caribou hunts are a great introduction for them.

The country is amazing, the challenges are plentiful, and the hunt is relatively affordable. I can do 3 or so caribou hunts in Alaska for the cost of a single guided elk hunt an hour from my house in Colorado.

Caribou are about the size of a cow elk, so most hunters can go after them on foot and pack them out much easier than a moose.

They sport the largest headgear compared to body size of any North American ungulate. Many folks in the Lower 48 don't have any experience with them so they look awesome on your wall.

I decided a long time ago that mastering one type of hunting doesn't make you a great hunter. It makes you a great (insert species here) hunter. I have hunted from AK to Africa and have been successful with a bow, rifle, pistol and muzzle loader. This isn't said to toot my own horn, it is to show that I like going new places and figuring out new species, new methods of take, and new terrains. I think a lot of folks feel the same way. They want a challenge in trying their mettle against a new quarry.

They all sport such unique headgear they are way cooler than another boring semi-identical turkey or something to look at for years to come. (I love turkey hunting, but the taxidermy of a turkey doesn't hold a candle to a caribou in my mind)

 

[thinhorn_AK]

No such thing as “entry level trophy hubting” so….no.

 

[wyosam]

Strange......that does not seem consistent with much of the postings on this forum reference traveling to and from Alaska.

I just got back to Wyoming. I drove up a week ago, flew back yesterday. No issues. I’ll drive back up in two weeks, and my wife and daughter will fly up. Again, I expect no issues. Its not that hard. People complaining about it are just looking to complain about something.


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[crich]

What is the driving motivation, to spend a lot of money, and have a "NOT" blissful wilderness experience, if all you get is "ONE" caribou........???

To turn this around.......try to imagine, if I discovered that recently lots and lots and lots of long time Alaskans, were incurring substantial expense, to fly to the lower 48, and then pay someone to sleep in their currently unused chicken coop, pay for a non-resident hunting license, pay to have the "local" drive them to "Government" land to shoot a wild boar, or a armadillo. Plus to discover they were spending $1,400.00 for special "SITKA" brand hunting clothing, and $2,000.00 for a "super-duper" designated pig-gun. Plus pay, for special shipping to have parts of the pig shipped back to Alaska, then write up a hunt report on some internet forum.....complete with photos, and jabbering about the bullet and powder and optic, and special boots required.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that hunters desire to experience an Alaska "Wilderness" Hunt. But the more I read on this forum and other hunt forums about non-resident hunters experience with the hunt for "one single" caribou, it just seems there needs to be a "full STOP" and rethink this madness.

Ummm.... because they want to?

Same reason guys will spend 20k on a boat, 2k on a dog, 2k on a benelli, another 5-10k in gear and decoys, get up at 2am to beat the rush to the boat ramp and hunt all morning to sometimes only shoot a "single" duck. I mean cmon right!? Its just a duck!

Its the experience man and if people want to do it its their money so what. You can buy a $400 rifle that shoots moa or spend 5k on a custom because you WANT to. This post largely contradicts what this whole forum is about.

I normally avoid these emotion filled threads but this one annoys me. I see your point but it sounds to me like your in the wrong frame of mind; or the wrong forum even...

 

[Sourdough]

Ummm.... because they want to?

I normally avoid these emotion filled threads but this one annoys me. I see your point but it sounds to me like your in the wrong frame of mind; or the wrong forum even...

I am sorry I upset so many members. I was attempting to to help, clearly I failed. I do find it interesting that only one person in this entire thread, grasped my point, then asked........"tell me about the other trophies to hunt in Alaska that cost the same or less money". Again.......SORRY for the trouble I inadvertently caused.

 

[Sakohunter264]

I consider any drop style hunt in the backcountry to be more advanced in both outdoor and hunting skills. I wouldn’t want to be hunting caribou without some good knowledge of hunting and knowing what to do if a situation arises.

 

[crich]

I am sorry I upset so many members. I was attempting to to help, clearly I failed. I do find it interesting that only one person in this entire thread, grasped my point, then asked........"tell me about the other trophies to hunt in Alaska that cost the same or less money". Again.......SORRY for the trouble I inadvertently caused.

No harm no foul here. Everyone has a different perspective on things. Im sure a guy that only gets to hunt 1.5yo whitetail bucks in an over hunted area of florida might be overjoyed to fly up to fairbanks and geek out over a caribou hunt and ehat gear he is using Its much less about the animal and more so the experience. But for someone driving a few hours to shoot a few bou in jeans and a carthart to feed a bunch of kids and elderly parents has a whole different outlook Id suppose. I mean that in a very general sense. I guess the whole point of this forum is so that guys can talk about doing just that since we enjoy it. Im sure my wife thinks I'm bat shit crazy for reading "specs" of a pair of pants and talking to a buddy on the phone about them

 

[Short Track]

I went to Newfoundland. Smaller Caribou, & more expensive.