In case any of you have considered Adak but have been put of because of the logistics, I'm posting the results of my caribou hunt last week. I'll apologize in advance for the length of this post.

The trip up to Adak was uneventful, except for the 24 hours it took to get there from Dallas.

Boy, talk about misconceptions ! I thought that Adak would be a flat, barren, wind-swept grassy island with nothing but a few draws and short ridges to navigate. Was I wrong ! The island is gorgeous, reminding me of pics I've seen of New Zealand. Not really any mountains to speak of, but plenty of hills (they'd qualify as mountains to us flatlanders from outside) and lots of green basins. All of the island I saw was very green, lots of grass and cover intersected with many streams and cuts. Oh, and the wind ! We did have abundant sunshine and fairly low winds the first two days of the hunt, though. It's kinda like that ol' saying about Texas ... if you don't like the weather wait five minuites and it'll change. Up here, though, it's not a small change, but dramatic. From sunshine, to rain, to wind-blown sleet, to all three at the same time.

My non-hunting buddy and I hunted with Mark Wagner (Wags on here) who is guiding on Adak; this is his first year up there. We stayed in 'town', a village of about 80 people, in government housing built years ago while the military had a large presence on the island. Now it's like a ghost town. It really seems to be a shame with all the infrastructure remaining and no one to utilize it. There are many, many housing units and larger buildings that are totally abandonded and in various states of disrepair, along with a few housing units and some commercial building being used. Since the Aleuts acquired the entire island and buildings from the feds the low population just can't keep up with all the many buildings and such remaining. It is quite interesting to go through some of the old structures, though, including bunkers and ammo dumps throughout the island. In fact, a couple of other hunters we met, Tim and Chet from Anchorage stayed in an ammo bunker for their hunt. It was large and dry and served them well, as long as you didn't talk too loudly...the echo was deafening .

Yes, I got a caribou. On the first day, in fact. He's big, and I'm extremely happy with him. While some of the bou were 'rutty' this one wasn't and the meat is great. The hiking was enough for these old legs but the scenery and the constant sightings of bou kept me going. We had scoped a group from a road just out of town the day before we started hunting and had decided to take a closer look with rifle in hand the next morning. We climbed to where the bou were the previous evening and discovered they had moved on. We hiked a couple of miles inland and immediately started seeing bou. In fact, one group we stalked bedded down and we eased up to them ending up only about 60 yds from one group of cows and calves. We knew there were a couple of good bulls in the group so we took it easy for about 45 min waiting for the bulls who had bedded in some cuts to stand up. While we were relaxing Jeff, Mark's very able assistant, went aound the side of the hill to check out the next drainage. He came back a while later and he and Mark had a heated conversation that we couldn't hear. Then Mark left. Hmmmm ... He returned a short while later and told us they had found another group around the hill and across a creek that had a super bull in it. Here we go !

We eased back from the bedded caribou and made out way to the other spot. After looking at the bou from the top of our hill we decided to get a little closer, which meant going down the hill (very steep) to more accessible shooting spot. The bull they had found was very nice and was also bedded with a group of cows, calves and other bulls. There was no doubt that he was the boss of this group! I must admit I'm a real wuss when it comes to heights, but we managed to get into position for a good shot across the canyon. Mark ranged it at 272 yds and I prepared to shoot. I have ample confidence in my .300WSM left-handed Savage and felt ok with the shot. We got set without the bou becoming too uneasy. Then the bull got up and started to move; we were afraid our good luck had come to an abrupt end. However, he just got up to pee and wander a bit. I got set with my foreend over a pack and just as I was about to pull, a calf walked right behind the bull. Man ! Good timing, I thought as the calf cleared and offered a good broadside shot. The trigger seemed to pull itself and I never felt the recoil. I heard a solid 'whump'; the next thing I know is my back being pounded by Mark and a single "Awesome !" from Jeff. The bull never moved, except to go down. The 180-grain Barnes Triple Shock took him in the spine.

It was a kinda hairy decent to the creek bed then back about halfway up the hill to the bull; I discovered it's a lot easier to sit on my butt and slide than to try to walk . The bull lost absolutely no size on the trip across to him, though, and I was amazed and very pleased with him when we arrived.

He's almost prefectly symmetrical, with seven points on each top, nice bezzes and a double shovel. To say I was pleased was a vast understatement.

Mark went all the way back to where we had started the morning's climb to retreive our packs, etc. while my buddy, Jeff, and I stayed to guard the bull against the eagles and ravens that had already started gathering. After caping and boning the meat, we took the meat that we couldn't pack on this trip along with the rack to the bottom of the hill. At the creek we cached the remaining meat and the rack for them to pick up the following morning.

Dinner was on me! When we got back to town in the dark we ran into the boys from Anchorage. They had taken a nice bull also, so they had a tasty beverage with us before heading off to the house and to bed.

We got the rack and meat the next morning and had a cook-out that night after inviting the Anchorage guys over to make the party. The best Angus steak couldn't have tasted much better than that caribou backstrap on the grill.

We also took a boat ride around the east side of the island that day, and saw many, many more caribou in that area also. There are many places to camp on that side, as long as you can get a boat to take you there.

As far as going up on your own, it's possible. The major hurdles are finding a place to stay and transportation around the island. There are few 4wheelers on the island and they wouldn't be too usable in the field anyway due to the many drainage crossings. This makes it pretty much a hiking type hunt. If you can get around to the east side of the island you'd have it to yourself. That's where I'd go if I were on my own. Of course, I didn't see all of the island. There are some cabins available, but they're spartan (no stove, etc) and they're all hike-in. Oh, by the way, Alaska Airlines just started flying direct from Dallas and has some incredible fares right now. I'd think they're pretty good from other places, too. If not, here's a tip worth a few hundred $$: simply join Alaska's frequent flyer club (it's about the best around anyway) and buy the miles you need for the trip .

Overall, I'm glad I went with a guide this time. Mark turned out to be a super nice guy and has figured out the logistics. Jeff, his assistant guide, was very professional beyond his tender years.

We recovered the bullet and it looked just like the magazine ads with the exception of one of the petals. Though still attached and well mushroomed, it had bent a little; probably from hitting the spine. I'm very happy with the performance.

Sorry this post is so long, but after all my research indicated that there's not a lot of info available I thought some of you might appreciate a current update. October seems to be a great month to go, weather-wise. The season is open year-round.

I picked up my antlers from Alaska Air Cargo just now; all came through without any chips or bruises. The cape's in the freezer awaiting its trip to visit Jerry Huffaker.

If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

Post Driver,

Thanks for the post, wish it was even longer! An Adak trip is hopefully in my future, racking up as many Alaska Air miles as I can right now, even doing a bit of work in AK to help out.

Any chance I can contact you off line?

Thanks!

Sure, email me at :

dennism@airmail.net

postdriver;

thanks for posting this.

see my comments on the other web site that you posted your report on.

standing by.

many thanks.

postdriver

Glad all turned out well. Actually it sounds more doable than I had originally thought when we spoke or at least less of a hassle. We need a pic of the monster bou!

Do you have contact info. for Mr. Wagner?

Mark

Ok, are some pics of the bull. I'm on the left, and Mark Wagner, the guide, is on the right in the last one.

Great hunt, and nice write-up.

Curious of your choice of forums, however. There is an AK forum...

Thanks for posting, but second on the need for a few pictures!

Pics just posted (we must have crossed paths). I chose this forum since it's for hunt reports. I also mentioned it on the AK forum as well.

Here are some scenery pics to give some idea of the topography.

Gorgeous, and what a bull!

What a breath-taking landscape! Incredible!

Fantastic, well worth mounting!

Is the bag limit one caribou on the island?

Did you find the animals more/less trusting of humans than elsewhere?

Cheers,

Gabriel

Post Driver,

Congratulations on the hunt and thanks for the report.

Can you resize a couple of those scenery photos for the folks that don't have high-speed internet?

Regards,

Terry

that is beautiful country!

I'd love to hear of some of the costs ? Airfare, guides etc.. Well done !!!

quote:

Originally posted by scruffy:
I'd love to hear of some of the costs ? Airfare, guides etc.. Well done !!!

Yea, me too!

And, congrats on the bull! I'd love to hunt one like that.

PostDriver
Nice Caribou.
Good story and pictures. Good shooting too.

Hey Guys.....I am looking for a partner for next Aug/Sept. to hunt caribou in Alaska. I have "some" ideas that may or may not be helpful.
If anyone is possibly interested in a fairly budget-minded hunt, please communicate.
Thanks.

conifer, I'm interested!

OK.....will communicate. Thanks

I was wandering the internet, looking up old haunts and came across this thread. Brought back some near-dead memories.

Back in '77 when I was a weather guesser at Naval Station Adak, AK, I harvested a caribou. It wasn't a hunt. We just went to the southern part of the island to shoot animals that had no fear of man. (The weekly supply flight from Elmendorf AFB (Anchorage) hadn't been able to land for 5 weeks due to bad weather and food was running low.) We walked up to the herd and I shot my cow in the head from about 25 yards. In ten minutes the cooks had it quartered and on a sled back to the tugboat. It was as easy as shooting a dairy cow. We took 12 bou in about half an hour and were back in the boat in less than two.

I suppose it costs big bucks now.

I suggest that noone ever go tundra stomping there alone. It's a good way to end up missing. There are sinkholes everywhere filled with water and they're just barely covered by overgrowth. I found one that was 15 feet deep. We used to mark them with a long pole with red tape streamers. The constant wind is always a hypothermia threat.

The wildlife was great. Sea otters, seals, sea lions, whales, killer whales, salmon, arctic fox, ptarmigan, teal, bald eagles, and caribou.

The last time I was on Adak was in 1987 while assigned to USS Arkansas CGN-41.

Great report and pictures... super trophy! Thanks for the post.

I had a friend do this hunt about 3 months ago, he was very disapointed in the quality of the animals and the logistics of getting there are a nightmare. He also said that Adak had been hit very hard by hunters and most of the big caribou had been taken. He and his son did take 1 caribou so it wasn't a total bust. I would say if your hunting for meat, there are many other places in Alaska that are much better and if your hunting for huge antlers you could possibly get one here that would make B&C, though it is getting a lot of pressure since the Mulchatna herd has dwindled in numbers. The cost of getting to Adak isn't cheap and you could probably fly round trip to the east coast and back from here for the cost of a ticket to Adak. I thought about going there but after my friends report I think I could find a better place to hunt caribou. Just my .02

quote:

dennism@airmail.net

Dennis
I sent you an email asking to send some pictures of the island before I read further in the thread. I was stationed there in 1970-71 and
it looks just like I remember it. A woman behind every tree. LOL. Because there were no trees.

I'm sorry but those photos must have been taken in a studio somewhere ..... I've been to Adak on several occassions and if that were really Adak you would be soaken wet, look like you ran a marathon wearing hip-boots and it would have been so windy you could not stand up straight.

O.K. Confess! Where were they really taken?

quote:

Originally posted by trailblazerltz:

quote:

dennism@airmail.net

I was stationed there in 1970-71 and
it looks just like I remember it. A woman behind every tree. LOL. Because there were no trees.

What,they logged off the Adak nat. Forest???? I'v got pictures of it around here somewhere,my dad took in the early 60's. (2-3 stunted fir trees maybe 3 feet high) Dam greedy timber co.s!

Norwester, the Adak National Forest is alive and well and has, in fact, expanded.

There are now SIX trees and they're about 5' tall ! Progressive forestry management at its best .

Bill, those pics were actually Adak ... taken on the one semi-clear day we had during the trip.

M70Nut, I'm sorry to hear that your friend had a bad hunt. Last year a transporter came to Adak and took a god-awful bunch of folks in there, staying on his crabber. They took off about 125 bulls, most of them very nice. It has effected the age structure of the herd. The bou on Adak travel the island over although they're in small groups and can usually be found all over the island. It'll take a while for the age class to recover. BTW, that transporter will NOT be back.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a phone call from the USFWS guru, Greg Stikine (sp?) and spent a couple of hours chatting with him. They're going to issue guide use permits to two or three outfitters for the island. Tim Booch, Mark Wagner, and a guy from Kodiak (can't remember his name right off hand) had applied for them. We had a very good conversation and he's quite interested in getting the population of cows and the age class where it needs to be.

It's a unique place, all right.

PostDriver, Thanks for posting your story. My father was stationed on Adak in '45 or '46.

He said it was the most desolate place on earth. At that time he said there were no caribou or other large mamils on the island although the halibut and crab were very easy to catch from the navy docks that he guarded. He said when the supply ship would come in everybody would race to get all the butter they could so they had it to dip there crab legs in. He also said A LOT of rations were dumped off shore as they were never eaten. But then again if I had to choose between fresh crab legs or franks and beans I think I might be dumping soem franks and beans myself!

I have always wanted to get there to see where my father served. Can you give me any idea as to cost involved?