Time to Pay Up - A Father/Son Story

8/17/24
Day 2: This was by far a day to remember. I’m glad I got to check off firsts with my son in tow. Those were driving crossing Arctic Circle, Atigun Pass, seeing Muskox, seeing Dall Sheep, and seeing Caribou too! The Dalton Highway slash Haul Road is everything it was claimed to be and then some. The drive through Atigun Pass over the Brooks Range was incredible as well! We also saw Moose, Ptarmigan, Chipmunks, Muskox, Marmots, and Red squirrels. On our stop at the Arctic Circle and my son hand fed a red squirrel fritos. The videos and photos we were able to get in one day were out of this world.

We even had time to put in 4 miles on the tundra. Little man did extremely well (right at 4 miles!) but I have a feeling he will be whipped tomorrow. Caribou move at an alarming rate across the landscape. I couldn’t figured out if they were bedding, coming, or going. They were all over the place and out of our reach to make a stalk with an 8 year old in tow. Otherwise navigating the tundra wasn’t as intensive as I’ve experience before. Tomorrow we will get some rest then make a run at them again. We finished the day by picking out a spot that over looks the Sag river and the view is incredible.
 
8-18-24

Day 3: Went to sleep around 11 with it still daylight outside and woke up at 3 to pitter patter of rain on the tipi. This tent has been one of my better purchases. It’s definitely been the go to on these hunts where I stay days at a time in the wilderness. When we woke I was able to glass up Muskox. We went ahead and circled back where we last saw Caribou and I was able to barely glass up some. Managed to talk my son into going further than he wanted by agreeing to nap once we got to a ledge where I could get a good view of highest point about 2 miles away. The caribou are plentiful in this area but no rhyme or reason to their daily routines. We took our nap on a hillside in the tundra some 1.5+ miles away. He was not having it and I could tell he was sore. I know I was annoying him with routine questions but I mainly wanted to make sure he wasn’t pushing himself to be tough for my cause; which he was haha. I ended up figuring out that his boots finally soaked up enough moisture that his socks were damp. Anyways we made a run back to camp and decided to pick up rod and reels and go find some fishing holes. We first tried the Sag River but no such luck then made it back to main road where we found a bridge to fish under. We managed to pull 2 grayling out of there and I pan fried them up. He was impressed and really like the taste of the fish. It eventually came time to go to sleep so we got ready for bed but before doing so he glassed up two caribou across the river from camp. They were very much closer than what we’ve been seeing but there’s not really a spot where you can safely get across with a child by yourside. We watched them for a little bit then with disappointment headed to bed knowing we couldn’t make a run at either bull.
 
ThePecosBilly said:
I didn’t really know where to put this but chose Caribou section because this is the animal my son attributes Alaska to the most. With that said I’m currently in the beginning stages of searching for something that suits my unique situation but first it involves a story.

I may owe my 8 year old son a trip to Alaska due to a deal I made with him back in August 2023. We have in TX what is called an AR (accelerated reading) point system that students use for reading. The students read books and take a quiz to test what they have retained from their reading. The more books they read the more points they receive. This year my son asked what I would do for him should he get 1st in his entire school. I saw this as a very high bar and felt he deserved something awesome should he achieve such a momental task. My deal was that I would take him to Alaska should he get 1st. Did I believe he could achieve it? Nope sure didn’t haha Well I am learning that the kids have reached the deadline for 2023-2024 school year and that he’s at 280+ points! I’m also learning that my son is currently vying for 1st place. Word of our deal has gotten around and now the teachers and administration are keeping a tight lip till this Friday before they release the results. There’s a very good understanding that he may just have taken 1st place the day of the deadline hahaha


Like I said, we will find out this week so I’m currently looking for ideas that lead to an adventure that won’t break my pocket book . I’m trying to steer him towards a fishing trip but he wants to tag along on a hunt with me. My dad(a non hunter) would also like to tag along but not if it’s going to ruin any opportunity to book my son and I. If adding him is a deal breaker then he’s fine with sitting this trip out. I’ve made it clear to him that he would have to pay his way should we be able to make something work. Does anyone have any hunting adventure suggestions or recommendations for 2024 that I haven’t thought of? The boy is all in on caribou but I’ve explained to him that they are very pricey and popular target for many hunters these days (there’s a supply and demand lesson in there) I’ve mentioned he would enjoy possibly going after deer in SE area or we could settle for fishing this time around. 2025 Spring bear is out because I’m booked already and Moose is scary expensive. In order to draw a clear picture of myself and capabilities I would call myself a pretty seasoned spot and stalk bowhunter plus my son has tackled more hunts with me than most grown men have experienced themselves. I also have a 10 day diy moose hunt under my belt that I did in central Alaska along with my own gear that most Texans don’t keep in their hunting inventory. I know he is not prepared for a 10 day endeavor of that level. I also understand what I’m trying to broker is a monumental task. Trophy is not important to me. Our purpose on this trip will be to make memories and get him a taste of Alaska adventure by immersing him into something now so he’s prepared when he gets older. It’s also a way to show him that if he puts in the work that others are not willing to do he will achieve many accomplishments/successes throughout life. Anyways I figured y’all would get a kick out of this and hope by sharing my story that this leads to an opportunity, a referral, or friendship in Alaska. I don’t have much to offer but I’d be willing to barter a little such as a free range axis or aoudad hunt in West Texas. Or I could even line you out on SETX Waterfowl hunt and possibly even a Gator. Both options come with lodging, food, good company, and unique experience View attachment 712177
Click to expand...
great!
 
8-19-24

Day 4: We woke up around 5-6am and started moving about. I ended up with my best sleep of the trip and felt really comfortable despite the rain and traffic on nearby haul road. We went and glassed the same spot and i immediately found 11 caribou but still too far for my son to tag along. I ended up driving to Deadhorse for fuel and to take a look around. I also wanted to claim we’d driven the entire haul road so it was a must do. Along the way we made few stops to catch grayling. One particular spot we caught several over the 16” mark. This day will probably go down as the highlight of my son’s trip. He definitely enjoyed each catch plus we got to snap some good video and pics. The only down side to the trip was that we ended up getting little man’s second set of footwear wet. Once in town, it was short lived with a stop for fuel and food then back on the road.
 
8-20-24

Day 5: It got windy last night and temperatures plummeted to right at freezing. The tent ended up sweating inside and the outer edges on the outside of tent iced over. There was a mixture of dew and heavy frost all around camp. By 7 o’clock we were still in the tent doing our daily journaling while we sipped hot coa coa and discuss yesterdays fun. Today we made it a go at the caribou one more time. Last nights weather really got the caribou moving. My son and I located 4 caribou this morning and decided to put on a stalk. 4hrs, 12 minutes and 3.93 miles later I got within 106 yards of one mature bull, one immature bull, one cow and one calf. The younger bull busted me as I took a range and it was all over. In all we did 5.8 miles on foot for a total of 6hr 4 minutes. It was the best opportunity I had with child in tow and I was pretty excited about the opportunity presenting itself so close to the road. We then went by camp before trekking towards the Pumpstation 2. There were many small bands of caribou starting to show up here and there along the road. It actually began to turn into a circus watching guys bail out of their U-Haul rental trucks and start sprinting towards these singles and doubles showing up around 2 mile mark. The problem is those caribou move too quick to chase down. I honestly believe it’s pretty much automatic if you can get to that 4-5 mile mark with a bow. I think if you commit to a camp out there for 2-3 nights you are going to likely come back with meat and headgear. I will spare the details on the rest of the trip but this was an extremely fun and memorable trip with my son. It was a good to scout without the pressure of being successful. The hard work, the expenses, the travel, the patience haha It was all worth it!

Happy Hunting!
 
I am so happy for how that turned out for you guys! Congrats and I hope it's the first of many trips for you guys. Way to go dad!
 
Looks like an awesome trip. You will never regret taking your kids along with you. I took my son up there when he was 12 and we did the 5 mile hike. I carried almost everything so it wasn’t miserable on him he shot one out there the first morning. It was a great time and he enjoyed every moment.
 
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