I just got back from Africa [and feel better now]for the first time ,and have decided i want to do a caribou and muskox hunt or a brown bear hunt next year.Can anyone advise me on dos and donts? what time of year to hunt? who is a good outfitter at reasonable price?whats a good calibre to take i have a 30-06, 8x68, 340 and other recommendations or advice for this first timer ,thankyou

I think our Musk Ox hunts are by drawing permit only. Odds are really low on drawing.

As for the bear, contact 458Win (Phil).

I believe some guides offer combined caribou and interior grizzly hunts, and that would be a fall hunt. Brown bears are hunted in the spring and fall.

I don't know what you consider reasonable prices, but Alaska is much more expensive to hunt than Africa. That is based on it being mostly wild and uninhabited country where everything has to be flow in, and out in small aircraft. If you are looking for a bou only hunt, airfair, hunting license and tags and a guide will probably be in the $8k range, add an interior grizzly and your looking in the $12k range, coastal browns will all costs include will be upwards of $15k.

velodog: What DPhillips and Paul outline is right on the mark..getting a muskox tag is tough for for everyone. There are plenty of bear guides that offer hunts where caribou also can reasonably be hunted, but as Paul points out, that would be a fall hunt (Sept).

Phil Shoemaker, who posts here as 458Win, is a well respected guide that specializes in hunting really big brown bears on the Ak Peninsula. There are caribou down there too. You might start with him to a get a feel for what is available. But Alaska is a big place with lots of different opportunities.

p.s.: The your .30-06 would do fine on caribou with good bullets, but if you hunt bear the .340 would be the minimum in my book...the .340 would be good alround cartridge.