First, it took way to long to write this all out, and it is a long read with more than plenty of photos. If this is your cup of tea, enjoy.


Drop Camp Caribou Hunt – Southwest Alaska

Date of the Hunt:

Actual trip duration was 9 September though 28 September; actual days in the field were 11 September through 15 September (planned to be there until 22nd but called out early).

Commercial Flights:

Dallas to Anchorage – Non-stop, no problems – sat right next to someone, he and his wife were headed to Homer for fishing, that was from near where I lived and knew one of my college buddies - lots to chat about.

Anchorage to Bethel and return: Alaska Airlines, no problems – beautiful scenery of the Alaska Range; the return was early morning and rainy.

Anchorage to Dallas – Alaska Airlines, except for the screeching (just to be heard) 2 yo girl about three rows back on the leg to Seattle, was non-hassle. Earplugs were nice. Note to parents (these had three kids total): there is nothing wrong with telling a kid to hush. If they can speak, they can be quite. Nothing wrong with duct tape either. Please don’t raise obnoxious humans – half the plane was ready to throw the child out the exit window – she was probably too large to get down the toilet.



Never, ever bring this much stuff! But I had to throw in this photo of the Tuff Pak for Mims.

Flight Outfitter:

PaPa Bear Adventures, Bethel, AK, http://www.pbadventures.com. They operate a DeHavillan Beaver, with relatively low air miles, and are very conscientious. Robin Powers met us as we gathered for our luggage and took us by the store for a couple of last minute items, and then she carried us to their lodge (very nice) where we met Steve Powers and Boris (the pilot). We were offered the option, and took it, to leave out that afternoon due to the very nice weather. We changed clothes and then began weighing our gear (125 lb. limit) – it had to have multiplied, or ate some cookies, – something, while on the Alaska Air flight. We had to leave stuff, and we both swore off bringing so much ever again (more on this latter). Then, we got some of the rest of our licenses and paperwork taken care of; Steve is very thorough and will help you keep out of trouble with the AG&FD. I think it comes from his military background. Then off we went to the river so we could load up and take off. There was no problem when we called in for an early pickup. We stayed the night at the lodge after our return (as someone else said, “hot showers are NOT over-ratedâ€), Robin brought eggs, sausage, and biscuits, and Steve took us to meet our flight at 8:00 am the next morning. Overall, I’d rate them a top notch outfit. They fly their areas regularly, and do not put people on top of one another. From what I understand, the nearest other group was 10-15 miles away at another lake. They also rarely miss fly-out or pickup days, probably because there are not the high, dangerous passes to fly through to where they drop people off.

Camp:

The area was stunningly beautiful. I really couldn’t have dreamed of better scenery. We set up camp right near the lake out of the wind – but not out of the bugs.


Is this for real?

The Hunt:

This is not one of those “we hunted until late on the last day when a great bull appeared, a made a solid, one-shot kill at 350 yards, and then we spent hours cleaning and packing all the meat, cape and horns 5 miles back to camp†hunts. Try Guns & Ammo’s “Wild Hunts†Magazine if you like that sort of story. This is a story of a Regular Joe, who needed to loose another10 pounds, got lucky, and had a blast on his first trip to wild country of Alaska.

Day 1

On the float plane trip out we moved from the flat tundra surrounding Bethel into the Killbuck Mts. where we would be hunting. We were to be hunting at lake that isn’t name on any map. If you want to know where, you should call PaPa Bear; I don’t want to give away any of their operational “secretsâ€. Anyway, it was mostly sunny with these clouds scattered about spitting rain. We got into a little valley began our approach on our lake with a view of glacier in the background. Bob, who is pilot himself, was very impressed with Boris’ landing.


The obligatory “plane leaving us†photo.

Once we landed, I could really see and take in our surroundings, and I would rate it stupendous. I really couldn’t have dreamed of better scenery. We our gear unloaded and picked out a camp sight right near the lake out of the wind. Steve said that he’d seen some bulls in the area and told us they came off of a nearby hill (it’ll rate as a mountain anywhere else) and often walked a ridge that was above camp. The first thing we did was set up the tent and began to sort out our gear. Then we decided to head for the river draining out o f the lake and see if we couldn’t kick up a ptarmigan and then let Bob do some fishing.


Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops just disgorged themselves on the Alaskan tundra.


Look Ma, no camo!

Sure enough, it wasn’t long until we flushed a ptarmigan. Bob circled around to near where it landed and downed his first ever willow ptarmigan. Check one.


First blood.

We worked our way probably one-half mile from camp and into the river. I took up guard (at this time we, okay I, were still leery of bears) and began grazing on some of the abundant blueberries (which were just past peak). Bob took to fishing. Within about 10-15 minutes, he landed his first lake trout.


Fishing the river.


Nice catch!

After he got his fill of fishing we made our way back to camp just reveling in doing something we’d always dreaming of doing. As we got close to camp we spotted 2 caribou on the ridge above camp, just as Steve had said, one bull and a cow. We glassed them really hard, and decided the bull was a shooter. Dang that no shooting on the flying day. I can’t say that a little red-neck devil wasn’t sitting on my shoulder saying, “hey, it’s almost dark, there is no way a trooper would be in here this time of day.†But, I fended him by saying, “it’s a good spot, some more will come around. Besides, it’s almost dark and there is no way I want to be up late cleaning a caribou in the dark.â€


Late evening rainbow on the first day.

Day 2

The first morning dawned with a mix of sun, clouds, fog. We dressed and geared up for a full day of spot and stalk hunting: rain gear, food, extra water, the whole works. We walked up to the ridge above camp and began to look around with a little trepidation as the fog looked like it was rolling up the valley toward us. To our south lay the lake and we saw a good number of ducks sitting off one of the points. Always the duck hunter, Bob took my binoculars for a good look. “There are caribou out on that point, and one of them is pretty niceâ€, he exclaimed! “Whereâ€, I asked? I was a little nonchalant at this point as it was just the first few minutes of the first hunting day. A few seconds of searching revealed two caribou traipsing along near the shoreline near what appeared to be an old campsite. One did have some promise. Do they all look so tiny and far away up here? Off comes the pack, and I dug out the spotting scope. Resting it on the pack, I can tell immediately that the tops are very nice on one; the other is either really young or a good cow. My pulse quickens as I sling the pack back on. “Let’s move,†I said and off we went.

We hurried, as best you can over tundra and through willow thickets two or three small ridges over to where we could see the old campsite. Nothing. We sit and catch our breath. Where are they? They couldn’t have gone far because we had moved between them and the closest big hill and they were moving toward us. I think that I hear grunting below us and behind a small ridge slightly below us. Minutes pass, well maybe just seconds. Bob asks, “did you here that?â€
“What?†“Splashing water.†We turn and look sort of behind us and to our right. “There, on the shoreline†he whispers, loudly! Binoculars focus in. The largest of the caribou has taken to walking just barely in the water along a peninsula jutting out into the lake away from us, and is about to go around the end. The willows along the shoreline were about 6 or 7 feet tall, plus the lake had a drop-off of about a foot. The caribou was obviously trying to stay out of the thick vegetation and had passed by us unseen. Did I mention my pulse quickening? Anyway, if the caribou stayed on the shoreline, He’d come back at us, but would be out of sight. “Let’s go,†we said, again. We backtracked about two hundred yards through some of the muckiest willow thicket there was and clambered up on to the end of another little ridge overlooking the opposite side of the peninsula. There he was, headed straight at us about 175 yards away, and a few more seconds would put him back on the near shore behind the vegetation again. Propped a bit on my knee, I fired. And missed. The bull startled, confused by the muzzle blast ahead of him and the bullet whacking the shoreline behind him. Second shot was wide right, in the water. Holy crap! “You missed him a foot and a half to the left,†Bob said, screeching through his teeth. Third shot was a hit, down the bull’s side and he turned to his right, my left. “Pop!â€, right through the shoulders. He tried to head away, but a couple of steps were all he could make. Hooray! Alright! What a deal! “If you’d not came through and lost that bullâ€, Bob says, “we’d have probably had to get a divorce!â€

The bull had fallen in knee deep water – all of about 300-400 yards across the cove from the tent. We went back to the tent and got our waders, a tarp, and my game bags. Back to the bull for photos, and beginning the work. As we arrived, I looked down at a relatively fresh, big splat of “already used†blue berries. I said, “that looks like bear sh!t.†Bob replied, “what bear sh!t?†I looked up at him, and he was in the process of changing out his ptarmigan hunting loads to slugs. No worries mate!?


The “grassy knollâ€, the bush had been trashed by caribou rubbing their antlers.


You shot him in the water??


It’s a good thing caribou float.

With Bob helping some (he went to the old campsite to get some straight poles that had been left), it took me better than half the day to get the bull skinned and packed way. We just slung the game bags with the hams and shoulders over our shoulders and carried them about 100 yard down the shoreline and set them up on cut willows and under a tarp. The backstraps, tenderloins, and neck/rib trimmings went in large zip bags and then into a laundry bag which was sunk in the water as we were worried about the high temperature. We also sunk the skull and cape (not sure if that was a good idea yet) because I was too tired and bug-bitten to get it caped out. Finally, we drug the rib cage, etc. around the end of the peninsula and up onto the bank. They must have weighed a couple hundred pounds, but we wanted them out of the water and out of sight of camp, just in case a bear found them.



The fun (?) part of the hunt – got to get every scrap.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned the bugs. The drop-off day and this day were both warm – over 65 degrees – and the bugs hatched. White sox, I learned later. Just thinking they might be like mosquitoes and not eat much, I didn’t use much spray (didn’t carry much) or use gloves when I was cleaning my caribou. Mistake of huge proportions – as my hands, face and ears swelled that night. Some places were still itching three weeks later. This night the temperatures got down to freezing and they died down a bit, though out of the wind they were still tough. The bugs were the only true surprise and disappointment. I really thought that they would be gone that late in September and I never dreamed I would react to them the way I did.

During the afternoon/evening we took to walking the ridges above camp just to get away from the bugs. We first tried to stay in the tent, but, even with just the screens zipped shut, it was too warm to stay there. We just walked back and forth, with Bob looking for ptarmigan a bit and me seeking out places the wind would blow and keep the bugs at bay. Finally, as we neared camp again, we sat down and watched the sun dip below the far mountains. Immediately, the temperatures dropped and I caught a chill. I’ve never experienced such thing before – being hot, and sweaty one moment, and shivering the next. Now I understand how that can be dangerous.


Can’t we just sit for a minute?

Back at camp, I made some hot soup, and we collapsed into the tent. It was the best night of sleeping the whole week.


Goodness I’m tired and hungry.

Day 3

The night had been cold as evidenced by the ice clinking around in our water bottles that had been left outside the tent. The cold was good for the meat, and I never thought I’d like to stay in a tent because it was warm. Also, my hands had swollen up overnight till I looked like I had Popeye hands; I had to remove my rings and watch.

I spent most of the morning caping out the skull, and I kept it intact because I wasn’t sure how the cape would react with being in the water overnight. Bob headed back to the river below our lake to try and rustle up a ptarmigan and fish. While fishing he had three caribou SWIM up the river and get out just across from where he was and shook off. They were close enough to have shot one with a slug from his shotgun, or a pistol if he’d have had one. He took a couple of photos, then yelled and scared the bejesus out of them.



Bang! or Boo!

By the time he made it back just about lunch, the weather was headed downhill. We took the poles that Bob salvaged the previous day, and utilizing the willows and one of our tarps, we constructed a little lean-to shelter to cook under and keep some of gear out of rain. (Note: this should be one of the first things you should do – we knew that but where too excited the first day and too busy the next.)


Ain’t camping cool?

We then discussed bugs and a possible car tour and call into PaPa Bear and arrange to come out early on Friday. Evening brought rain, and we retired to the tent early. Rain and blustery wind proved no contest to our tent, which just flapped a little because I had failed to attach the fly to the poles with the Velcro straps. (Note: if there is even a hint of a root under your tent, remove it.)

Day 4

Now this day was what I thought Alaska would be all about, cool with intermittent showers. Bob and I geared up and headed over the ridge above camp to another part of the river. It was a sight-seeing trip more than anything else. We crossed the ridge, an old beaver dam, and up over another ridges to where we could see down to the river. While resting a bit, and nibbling blueberries, Bob (old Eagle Eye) said, “hey, Raymon look over there.†Over there was a bull caribou coming off the hill and down along the ridge toward us – smallish bull, but a bull none-the-less. With the wind blowing from him to us, there was no way he could sense us. He sort of angled down the ridge and posed broadside at about 200 yards. I was looking at him through my riflescope – it is absolutely amazing how still one can hold a rifle on a big game animal when one has no intention of shooting it. After that, he headed into the valley, spooked at something, ran back up ridge, back down, and finally across the river. For the life of us, we couldn’t figure out what in the world he was doing. We also were amazed at the ease with which he covered ground at a trot or run, and the distance he covered in minutes which would have taken us more than an hour.


A walking ad for Cabela’s.


Where’s the tent?

At the river, Bob fished and I gathered blueberries. On the way back toward camp, we came to the same beaver dam we had crossed earlier and saw an otter swimming around – thus the name of the pond became “The Otter Pondâ€. Bob fished it for a minute or two. After a bit of a rest, we decided to try and climb the hill above camp. On the way up, the hill became a mountain. We made it probably 2/3 of the way up before tiring legs (I had even left my pack about ½ the way up) and fading daylight made us decide to turn around. If only we had started the climb up early that morning …. On the way down I pointed a ptarmigan for Bob.


What a climb!


Last bird.

Day 5

Take out day. We got up and phoned in to give a weather report (the weather was iffy) and to find out if we were still on schedule. Boris assured us that we were, and we began to pack everything but our little tarp shelter. Some food we left for the mice and bears. We picked up what little trash was left and took everything to the lakeshore. About midday, Bob heard the plane, and Boris had it down in no time. We hurriedly loaded the plane and took off as Boris said there might be a little weather. There ended up not being any and we made it back to Bethel without any difficulty.


Me, Steve, and Borris after returning to Bethel.

Once there, I started getting my horns ready for shipping and boxed up my cape and what meat I could get in the box. Steve made arraignments for giving away the rest. This is where bringing too much stuff hurts; I wanted to bring back more meat, but the costs was just climbing. We made a trip into town to get our flights changed to the next morning and arrange for shipping the antlers. The antlers went UPS ground back home; you have to ensure there will be no maggots on your skull or UPS will trash it. I put salt and Barkeeper’s Friend (it’s got a mild acid in it) all in and around mine before wrapping the skull in trash bags and duct tape. Then we settled in at the lodge, showered, ate, visited with some other hunters also staying the night. One was headed home from a fishing trip and the other two were headed out for a caribou/bear hunt.

The next day we got on our flight and made it to Anchorage about 9:00 am. We then loaded up our gear in a rental car, dropped my cape and meat for storage at 10th & M Seafood and headed north to Fairbanks. We stayed there for two days while touring around north of town. Then we traveled down to Delta Junction and took the Richardson Highway south to the Alaska Highway, and then back into Anchorage. From there we went on a day trip to Portage and Whittier. We saw lots of great country and I would recommend any sort of unguided trip for those who have never been to Alaska. In mid-September the rates for rental cars and hotels are reduced because the tourist season is essentially over. The down side is that some of the tourist sites and shops are closed, but that is something that didn’t concern us greatly.

Later, I attended the national meeting of The Wildlife Society and continued to have a great time. I made one more trip to Portage when the weather was clear and got to take in some of the local flavor of downtown Anchorage.


Big country around Fairbanks.



A stop on the Richardson Highway.



Scenery on the way to Portage Glacier.

Equipment List and Review:

My entire equipment list is available for those that are interested. This is just a list of the major items and comments I thought might be interesting.

Firearms: Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in 30-06, stock is a take-off unit I bought and had bedded. I used Federal Premium 180 gr. Barnes TSX loads. The load worked well, but I still do not have complete faith in this rifle (and I think it showed). I’m considering sending it off to HCR for an accuracy upgrade. The reliability and speed of action are great. Grades: Rifle B-; Load A.

S&W snubbie 357 Mag. I carried 10 rounds of Buffalo Bore, 180 gr. cast loads, and 10 rounds of “rat-shotâ€. This was for sleeping with, in case a grizzly bear decided he needed late-night snack. By the second night I didn’t care where anything was except the sleeping bag. Grade – NA

Optics: Riflescope – Leupold VX-III, 2.5x8, what’s not to like. Grade – A
Binocular – Swarovski 10x42 SLC, a tad heavy, but…. Grade – A-
Spotting scope – Nikon Spotter XL (bought used on e-bay), workable and light, but very grainy at the high end of the magnification range, very short eye-relief. Grade – B-

On my list for next time is a pair of 10x25 Leica, a better spotting scope, and a range-finder.

Tent: The North Face Evolution 45, bought used on e-bay. It’s supposedly a 4-person, but the two of us (and some of our stuff) filled it up. It stood up well to one slightly stormy night and held in the heat very well. Grade - A+ If I were to have to buy a new tent, I might go for the Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1 or 4; I like the rectangular design.

Pack: Kifaru Long Hunter, 5,200 cu.in. with most all the bells and whistles. For what little I used it – mostly for working out prior to the trip and set up as a day pack. When used with the “cargo chairâ€, the little platform digs into the top of my gluteous maximus a bit more than I care for. Grade – B+

Boots: Kentrek 13†Grizzlies. The jury is still out. I just don’t think the tundra is easy on many boots. Next time I may try a mountaineering type boot – I got a good review from a guide on the Lowa Hunter GTX while I was looking around Barney’s Sports Chalet in Anchorage. If anyone has a recommendation for a good high alpine tundra boot, I’d like to hear about it. Grade – C+

Sleeping Bag:Wiggy’s Superlight, Reg/Wide, 0 Degree. Probably don’t need a 0 degree bag for this sort of hunt, and it would be really heavy for a sheep hunt, but I was very pleased. The temps got to freezing one night and I never noticed. I didn’t and wouldn’t take the pillow, but I will take a down jacket or vest with a pillow case the next time. This time I had a fleece jacket in a stuff sack – not really the best. Grade – A

Stove: MSR Dragonfly. Once I got the lighting procedure down, it was great. Multi-fuel, boils fast, and simmers. Grade – A
My buddy brought a Coleman two-burner, propane stove -way too much weight, way too pricey fuel there in Bethel, and way too slow to cook (though he did make biscuits one morning). Grade – D
MSR Pocket Rocket. No fuel (isobutene) in Bethel. This might be a better option if you fly from somewhere off the road system; otherwise, the haz-mat issue gets you. Grade – INC

Coleman Space-Saver Bags – these are possibly one of the best inventions
since sliced bread. All sorts of clothes get more tightly packed, and the bags hold up well in the field for repacking. Grade - A++

Socks: Smartwool light hikers. Are there any better socks? I also carried a pair of Cabela’s brand “gore-texâ€-type socks and used them one day when my boot liners were still a bid damp. Grades – A

Shirts/pants: I wore a Cabela’s plaid fleece shirt, Cabela’s Microtex shirt in Outfitter camo, a green wool/nylon blend pair of pants, and a pair of Cabela’s Microtex pants in Outfitter camo. I cannot say enough good things about the Microtex shirt, but the pants were not fit very well. Someone has got to come up with a better sewing pattern. There is just too much material in the front. Shirt grades – A; pants grade B.

Unmentionables: I used 3 white polyester short-sleeved workout t-shirts, 2 Nike & 1 Russell Athletics. They seem to have a bit more loft than UnderArmour, and a little softer feel. Grade – A-
On the other hand, UnderArmour boxer briefs are hard to beat (please no jokes). Grade – A
I carried but never unpacked two set of long underwear – would carry only one set for emergencies in the future. Grade – NA


Sights to see in/around Anchorage if you have the time:

If you like local flavor, try the White Spot Café for the best halibut sandwich and Club Paris for a bar experience on the order of Cheers. Both of these are in the downtown area. The Alaskan Native Heritage Center http://www.alaskanative.net/ probably has better prices on “native crafts†than other places. For more male oriented places of adventure, feel free to PM me.

If you have time before or after a hunting trip there are several day trips you can make. Please get yourself The Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer for the maps.
First is the trip south along the Seward Highway (start early) – make it to Portage Glacier, and stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, http://www.alaskawildlife.org/, at least drive by the Alyeska Resort, http://www.alyeskaresort.com/, in Girdwood, and go to Whittier via the longest highway tunnel in North America (the toll is $12) and eat at The Inn at Whittier, http://www.innatwhittier.com/, though it is a bit spendy. On your drive stop often and look for beluga whales in the ocean and goats, sheep, and bears on the mountains.

Second, or first if it’s clear weather, drive up to Talkeetna, the little village is neat, and the view of Denali (I say Denali, you say Mt. McKinley, blah, blah, blah, it’s the same mountain) is stunning.



The Second tallest mountain in the world.

Third, drive at least as far east as Sheep Mountain on the Alaskan Highway. The sights of the Talkeetna Mts. on the north side of the highway and the Chugach Mts. on the south are stunning. (Have I used “stunning†too much? Well, you really can’t when talking about Alaska.)

Sights to see in/around Fairbanks if you have the time:

We stayed at the Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, http://www.pikeslodge.com/, for two nights and it was very nice, and, since it was off-season, reasonably priced. The restaurant next door, Pike’s Landing, http://www.pikeslanding.net/, was also very nice, but if you want the “Fine Dining†you should make a reservation. The best fur prices that I found in all my travels were at the Alaska Raw Fur Company on 4106 Boat St.

Just an observation:

For a place as wild and beautiful as Alaska (and with as many “No Littering†signs), on the road system, there are a lot of junky homesites and wrecked cars. Surely some of that “trust fund†that Alaska sticks back for its citizen’s could go to hauling of wrecked cars and litter abatement.


My token "wrecked car" photo from Whittier.

WOW! Great Trip and report!. Super photos and congrats on the caribou. Thanks for posting. A Man's wilderness adventure for sure.

Excellent report and great photos.

Good one!
Except for the last smart ass remark about the junk cars in the yard.
I've read a lot of reports from "outsiders" hunting in Alaska, this is the best one.
Come back and see us, some time.

Awesome pics. Thanks for posting.

Nice hunt and thanks for the story and great photos!

Very well done and thanks for sharing. Great caribou.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ:
Good one!
Except for the last smart ass remark about the junk cars in the yard.
I've read a lot of reports from "outsiders" hunting in Alaska, this is the best one.
Come back and see us, some time.

TJ,

I've added my token photo of a wrecked car. It was taken in Whittier. I know it must be fantastically expensive to tow cars in Alaska, so I can sympathize. But, there were some parted out, upside down, at "scenic stops" along the highway. That may be a bit much.

Loved my visit and want to bring my wife for a road tour. I also am developing a desire to go after one of those white sheep - I think its an infection I caught while I was up there. Prior to that will have to be a long vacation from that 20 extra pounds I don't need, and the close contact with about $10k extra that I don't have right now. I want to do it before I turn 45 though.

Unlike many that visit, I didn't catch the "I want to move to Alaska bug". I hear that many that do don't get to do what they want to (hunt and fish) because they end having to work all the time. My goal is to live in a place with a relatively low cost of living, help my wife make a few dollars (she's a veterinarian), and then be free to visit places like Alaska and Africa to hunt and fish as much a possible.

Redlander

Redlander...Wonderful account and pictures...Great job...!!...

I've done 5 DIY hunts in Alaska for caribou and moose, and reading your posts and looking at your pictures makes me yearn to go back...Wish I could afford to go every year...

Redlander,

That report was just excellent! Thanks for taking the time to do such a good job.

My wife & I spent 3 weeks traveling across Alaska (fishing & camping) a couple years back and fell in love with the state.

It is hard for me to capture & describe the shear vast spaces and extremes of the state to others who have not been there..... however, your report does a damn good job of relating Alaska... to us "outsiders"

It brought a smile to my face for sure!

Best Regards,
Dave

Thanks for taking the time to share an excellent report and pics.

Well done!!!

it looks like you had a great time

i think thats the best ever report,great hunt and efforts,regards

I'm glad a lot of you liked the report. It takes a bit to pound out one of these things (for me anyway), and it made me appreciate all the other hunt reports that get posted.

Redlander,

Thanks! What a great report. It really shows that you put some time and thought into it. Those of us who wish to go someday thank you very much!

Redlander
Real nice story and pictures. I will be going up into the Brooks Range unit 26 in Sep. 09 on a guided caribou/grizzly hunt. I can't wait. Actual trip accounts like yours keep me pumped for my trip. Thanks for the story.

Thanks for putting the effort into sharing your tirp. I really enjoyed it...don't understand why I ever left Alaska.

quote:

Originally posted by Toomany Tools:
Thanks for putting the effort into sharing your tirp. I really enjoyed it...don't understand why I ever left Alaska.

The cold and dark winters maybe?

Redlander,
I was looking through old posts and came across this one. I have done this hunt myself and I must say, how rewarding. I did not hunt with the same outfit as you but I think it is possible we hunted the same area, from looking at your pictures. Were the pictures of you at the beginning on the shore taken at the south end of lake Aniak? I hunted there in 01 but the river pics and the pics beside the lake are uncannily like the places I have hunted.
Jason

Great hunt report. Looking at the pics makes me think it's time to go back. It's been more than 3 years since I've been there.

Namibiahunter

Great report Redlander, makes me want to pack my bags and head North again!!!

Nice Caribou!!

Redlander,

Thanks for taking the time and trouble for a really nice report.

Grizzly

Great hunting report ans good eye for photos. That was a very interesting read. Excellent Job and congrats on the nice cariboo
Regards,
Graham