Kshorthairs
FNG
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2015
- Messages
- 59
What a great post. I watched all the videos last night. Terrific footage! I did wonder though what you did with the meat from first bill to last in terms of storage around camp.
We only crossed water a few times, and waders were the only way to go for me. Those seemingly small creeks were sometimes 7 feet deep and 4 feet across. Other option would have been to strip down and wade that way, but washers were just as easy. Its annoying to take waders on and off but a lot better than walking in wet clothes and boots. Those patagonia waders pack down to the size of a nalgene bottle, so they dont take up much space.Really good list. Thanks for sharing! How much water did you have to cross and how did the waders/old sneakers work? Did you feel like taking your boots off and putting them back every time you had to cross water was a pain? I've been researching this a bit and sounds like there's no perfect solution (ie rain gear and duct tape, wiggy's, chota hippies, full waders), but curious what your thoughts are on the subject?
Thanks, John. And I get the same treatment when practicing calling in the house.Take a gander at the videos. They are quite enjoyable and answer a lot of your questions.
Thanks for the vids Brad, I like 'em a lot. Although the excessive turkey calling in the last one caused my wife to revoke my YouTube privledges unless she isn't in the house.
We set it on bushes down by the lake to get air flow all around the meat. Didnt have any spoilage or bear issues, even with some of it being there for nearly 7 days.What a great post. I watched all the videos last night. Terrific footage! I did wonder though what you did with the meat from first bill to last in terms of storage around camp.
We were in the field 7 days and I took a few extra days of food in case we were stranded. We ate hearts, tenderloins and some back straps in the field.Thanks for putting this together Brad! I too enjoyed the video and find this to be a handy starting place for anyone looking to do something like this.
I think I can glean from the list, but I assume this was for a 9-day on-site hunt, or did you take an extra ration of chow in case things got western? How much caribou did you eat in field?
Do check out the videos as you can get a good sense for most of those questions from them. But here is some more infoBrad, your list is really thorough, albeit a little heavy on the clothes! To be fair, my first couple of trips to AK I was also heavy on clothing, have pared it back quite a bit over the years.
Apologies if I missed your post-hunt writeup somewhere (and I did NOT watch the Youtube video); I wanted to pose a few questions that first-time AK hunters might not know to ask, but which might be helpful in their planning and setting expectations –
What dates were you in the field? What were the approximate coldest and warmest temps you encountered?
How bad were the bugs? Were they a constant, or were they not around much during the cooler temps or when it was breezy?
Bears. Guys coming from states without any or many grizzles would be curious – did you run into any/many bears? If you did, when did you encounter them, and were they close or at a distance?
Was it fairly easy to find a flattish camping spot? Was the ground under the tent dry, a little spongy, or pretty wet?
How long did you keep your meat in the field?
Was there anything in the field (temps, conditions, terrain, other) that was MARKEDLY different than what you expected or were planning for?
We hiked anywhere from 1 to 5 miles from camp each depending on circumstances and what we saw. And we did not take bear canisters but we did put our food and smeallables in a designated spot a ways from our tents and did all our cooking and eating in that area.Alaska DIY Caribout Hunting Gear List
Thank you for posting your pack list. My family really enjoyed the videos. How far were you guys walking from camp each day? Did you put your food in a canister or anything?
Great question. I think it really depends on the specifics of where you get dropped off. The terrain varies so much, it's hard to say. Some places have a lot of water around, and others not so much. I don't think it is a bad idea to be prepared to carry waders, but by no means is it mandatory. I did not carry waders every day, and instead only did it when I was planning to go a direction I knew I needed them. I have buddies that have hunted in the Brooks range in areas with very little need for waders, and others who used them every day to cross creeks to access places. Honestly you could also just not carry waders and disrobe for creek crossings. Cold, but simple.
Where we were at, there was really only one creek that it was nice to have waders for. Other than that, tall boots or boots with gaiters would have sufficed for normal tundra walking.
I also say this with a bit of humility knowing there are many other folks that have more extensive experience than I do in the Brooks Range and may have different insights.