I would like to plan a hunt north of the arctic circle. Because I want to be able to say I've hunted there.

I am looking for general information. I would prefer a do it myself type hunt which means caribou/moose. I have bowhunted the Mulchatna herd twice (drop and float) and had a great time with both. Although I would not be oposed to an interior grizzly hunt (realizing I would have to hire a guide).

What kind of general suggestions, warnings, & hints/tips can you give me for time of year, areas, jump off points, air services, etc.

This trip is being planned for sometime in the future. I already have a SE Alaska do it yourself backpack/hunt trip planned for 2006.

Thank you in advance.

You should probably hunt out of Kotzebue. There are a few outfitters there that will do a drop camp. I go up every third year with some friends for a Drop Camp with Moose and Caribou.

Moose hunting, where we go, is good. We have taken Moose from 55 to 68 inches and the largest 'Bou scored around 450 SCI. A lot of Bears on the River and close by in the berries. The 'Bou are migrating so the best spots are near the Rivers. They are all over though. Did I say be prepared for Bears?

The weather can be good to bad so be prepared. A few years ago it was 90 in Noatak on the 31 of August and 20 on the 4th of September. That is good by the way for the Moose rut.

Don't worry about rain much because the Arctic is pretty much a Desert with low precip. It can rain but lightly and shortly.

quote:

Don't worry about rain much because the Arctic is pretty much a Desert with low precip. It can rain but lightly and shortly.

Not trying to start a pissing contest, but that is bad advise. Be prepared for all types of weather including lots of rain, any time you hunt in Alaska. I worked above the Arctic Circle for a couple years, and believe me, it can rain buckets. It may not happen often, but it can happen. 3 years ago, my northern Caribou hunt in the 2nd week of August started with 6 inches of snow, turned to 2 days of rain resulting in flash floods. A hunter from Wyoming died this week because he was not prpared to deal with the wet conditions he encountered, it wasn't north of the Arctic circle, but it is a grim reminder of how unforgiving this state is of the unprepared.

Another option may be to fly out of the Coldfoot area and hunt the Eastern Brooks range for Caribou/Moose. There's usually a couple of outfits that fly from there or use planes on floats out of Grayling Lake which is about 25 miles or so south of Coldfoot. Outfits also use the Airstrip at Happy Valley if you want to go further north. When I worked up there, I encountered a lot of hunters that flew commercial to Fairbanks, rented a truck and drove to Coldfoot/Grayling Lake, then flew in to their drop camp/ float site. Try this web site, it has a lot of good information. http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/

JD

akjd;

good advice.

can you provide a link to the story about the wyoming hunter that you referenced?

many thanks.

Thanks for the info. It it a good place to start.
This is just the initial research stage. Planning for 2008.

What is the difference between the eastern Brooks and the western Brooks range? Weather? Geography? Different/better caribou herds? better moose hunting?

What about the grizzlies: Different color phases or size due to food availability? I realize interior grizzlies are smaller, but what kind of weights do you expect 400-500lbs?
Just curious and looking for information.

Interior Grizzlies are 'Generally' smaller but the one time World Record came off the Noatak in the late 90's.

It is much drier on the Western end of the Brooks I believe. I don't know about the differances in the 'quality of the animals.

I'd just like to reiterate about the whether in the arctic. While I've been in -40, and down to -90 with windchill, the most bone chilling cold I've felt in Prudhoe has been when it's a few degrees above freezing, foggy/drizzly and windy. That cold just cuts to the bone.

Most folks get wet not from falling rain, but from wet vegitation, and fog/drizzle get's brush just as wet as driving rain. Much better to be a bit cautious on choice of clothing/shelter and not need it, than not have it and really need it. During the fall the weather can vary from 70F and sunny, and 20F and a blizzard, and you can experience both of those within a day or two of eachother. If you look at average highs and lows for a given time of year, and add 25 degrees to the high, and subtract 25 from the low, you'll have a pretty accurate guide of typical weather and temps.

quote:

Originally posted by Mickey1:
Don't worry about rain much because the Arctic is pretty much a Desert with low precip. It can rain but lightly and shortly.

I went to Alaska in the Brooks range last year in August & September. I was about 150 to 170 miles North of Bettles. I was given the same advice you just gave about the Arctic is pretty much a Desert with low precip. We arrived and it was light rain, the second day was windy and the third day we woke up to 4 inches of snow, and it turned to rain. It rained and snowed on day 6 & 7 and then cleared up day 8 & 9.

My advice is prepare for rain and snow. The weather up there can change without notice. Common since made me not listen to the advice I received and I packed for wet conditions.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul H:
...
the most bone chilling cold I've felt in Prudhoe has been when it's a few degrees above freezing, foggy/drizzly and windy. That cold just cuts to the bone.

Yup, Prudhoe/Deadhorse in in early June was worse than January....

On my second trip to Nome for Moose, the weather started out beautiful,... and went to crap from there.

We spent the entire hunt in Helly Hansen rain gear. I remember 2 days in particular. We headed out for an over nighter on the quads. It was raining lightly when we left, but as we continued, it started to rain harder. By the next day, creeks that we had crossed were now raging torents. We barely made it back to camp.

Be prepared for any sort of weather. I will second the fact that the very worst weather to get cold in, is below 40 degrees and raining. A little wind and that kind of weather can kill you.