Caribou hunt

My buddy is trying to get me to join him on a caribou hunt with these outfitters. North slope area. I have it on my bucket list but also like always not good timing.. we would leave at august 5th for the hunt to base camp..anyone know anything about this outfitter and hunting in that area at that time

https://arrowheadoutfitters.com/caribou-hunting-northern-brooks-range/

I don't know anything about them but their prices are on line with most other air charters up there and their rental equipment looks to be of high quality and the right items you would need. Going that early the caribou antlers will still be in velvet and soft and plenty of bugs. But I have no doubt you will find caribou.

Bring quality binos, range finder and spotting scope.

This business is NOT an outfitter. They are merely a licensed "Transporter." All you get for your money is ride to where there might be some caribou! They are not licensed guides.

I don't know anything about them personally. I would however suggest that anyone who advertises, as they do, that there are "record book" caribou all over the place, may be willing to spoof you on other things! Very few B&C caribou come out of that area.


Btw, Aug 5 is pretty darned early for good caribou hunting. You will have a lot of problems with mosquitos at that time of year. Bulls will all be in velvet; antlers not finished growing. Antlers will be a stinky mess after a few days in the heat and rain! Don't wait until Sept 20 and get snowed out and die of hypothermia, but maybe something in between. Caribou are much easier to judge when they are in hard antler.

Check references. Do your homework. Choose wisely.

Pete

^^^^^^
X2!!!

I would run the opposite direction from anyone trying to sell you on a caribou hunt on August 5th.

I have no knowledge of these folks but I would certainly trust Pete's comments ! ( did I just say that ? )

One observation........if I was interested in a hunt like that I think I would prefer a Cub on wheels. That floatplane may be just fine in that country but the caribou may be quite a hike from the nearest pond of adequate size. I would prefer to land on a ridge top and look down, rather than landing in pond and having to hike through a few miles of muskeg.

Don't be surprised to be hit with additional costs for getting your caribou out of the hunt location.

Just because you can land in a pond doesn't mean you can throw a couple caribou in the plane with you and get OFF the same pond.

Also, wherever you hunt, be cognizant of the 'same day airborne' regulations

I know nothing about caribou hunting, I am however currently a licensed guide in two states. Check references! Ask for a couple references of people that were unsuccessful, see what they have to say. Did they have a good hunt and were unsuccessful because they were simply too picky, or bad luck (scope broke, etc.) what do they think of the outfit? Decide what you want, do you want a chance at a record book bull or do you want to see lots of caribou and have a real good chance at getting a caribou even if not a record book one? Be very specific on how strenous, what kind of hunt it is and realistic on how good of shape you are in. I guide elk hunters every year who honestly believe they are in good shape, meanwhile I am putting on extra clothes to keep warm because I am not doing enough physical exercise to stay warm, while they are sweating like a pig and having to stop for breaks. I can and do guide hunters who are physical unable to hike and successfully get them critters, but be aware the better shape you are in the more versatile you are and the better your chances are going to be.

The bottom line is there are good outfitters out there, but there are a lot of liars also. Read between the lines of what they tell you, check references! Get in the best shape you are capable of, and have realistic expectations. Also, decide what you want and how much you are willing to pay. A lot of the best hunts with good opportunities and plenty of game have an extremely low chance of killing a real big animal, whereas a better "trophy" opportunity may not involve seeing near the quantity of game and is very likely to include a lot more money, physical effort, or more likely, both.

I have hunted caribou in early august twice, (tail end of the Mulchatna heydays), and to say bugs were fierce would be more than an understatement.
Meat care is also a challenge not to be under-estimated.

I have hunted north of the Brooks several times. Went between August 15th and September 10th. If I were to do it again I would target third week of August.
I miss the grayling fishing up there.

That post offers good advise regarding selecting a guide. Your post is also illustrates a good example of the confusion (often intentional) that exists about "guides" and "transporters" in Alaska. The OP's inquiry is about a transported hunt. A "Transporter" will outfit you for a hunt; they will rent you rafts, tents, cooking utensils, and they will drop you off somewhere to hunt. But they are NOT guides, and the law precludes them from doing anything that guides you towards game, they aren't in the field with you, and they aren't really even suppose to give you suggestions specific to where you might find game. That last point leaves a couple of legal gray areas that cause many transporters to cross the line. Often times Transporters mislead prospective clients into believing that they are providing what many hunters would consider a guided hunt. The industry has been cleaned up somewhat in the past few years, but there are still some shady guys out there.

OP. I looked at the link you provided. They make it pretty clear that this is a self-guided hunt and is in no way guided. That being said, it appears to me that you provide all the food, and equipment for the hunt and all they are providing is an air taxi service. They suggest you rent a car in Fairbanks and drive 445 miles north of Fairbanks from which point they fly you out to camp. IMO, $3500 per person is a mighty steep price to pay if all they are doing is flying you from that location out to a hunting area.

Do your research on where in Alaska you want to hunt caribou, then locate an air taxi service in the region and book a flight with them to a place you select. Have a few general places in mind and see if your air taxi service has suggestions regarding where they can land you near your preferred area.
Common points to fly out of would be Kotzebue, Fairbanks, Fort Yukon, etc..

I really have serious questions as to what shape any meat might be in after several days in the field, then a 445 mile drive back to Fairbanks and then getting it into some facility to cool it down and process it; all in early to mid August. Hmm.

I will say that caribou bulls are delicious in early August but there are certainly draw backs to hunting that early.

I am going to archive and save (maybe even frame...) this particular post FO-EVVA!

Pete

$3500/head just for puddle-jump transport with one animal, $1000 to transport an additional caribou. No lodging at base camp, gear or groceries. Is that really the going rate these days? I haven't looked in a few years.

A friend and his buddy did a transport hunt a couple of years ago. The transporter picked the location. The cost was $3500 and included flying out the caribou if they were successful. They didn't even see a track. He offered to fly them to a different location the next year. Friend had a heart attack and chose not to go.

^^^^^
Guided caribou hunts have in fact become quite expensive. But, that's mainly due to the lack of opportunities in Eastern Canada now. Maybe some Transporters are taking advantage of that fact, so that $3,500 for a transported hunt next to $12,000 for a guided hunt doesn't appear that bad to some hunter who is comparing costs at a Sportsman's show.
However, any hunter willing to do even a modest amount of planning can do it themselves for a reasonable amount. Definitely for much less for what you rightly referred to as a puddle jump.

Just for comparison, 4 of us did a DIY fly-in for Fortymile caribou (from Circle Hot Springs) in late September this past fall (2020) for a TOTAL bill of what you are paying for one person with that outfit up north.

Pete

FWIW, the current rate for a 206 on floats is about $550 per hour. A comparable plane to that Maule they are using.

That would mean they are charging EACH of you for about 6.5 hours of flying time. I think that is not realistic. Unless they are operating out of really short lakes, I guarantee you they will put both of you in plane and deposit you somewhere else within an hour's flying time.........probably less than that.

Bottom line..............it looks to me that they are charging you for 12-13 hours of flying when in fact it will be closer to 6-7.........or less

Between Rokslide and here, https://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/
your probably covered.
There is a forum just for "Transport" on the second site.

I also think Trip Advisor has guide reviews as well.

If I aint mistaken that outfit is just above pump station 2 there on the little lake. We stopped in there once just to check the pricing and they are to spendy for me, but the guys that were coming out they had bou, dont know what their success rate is or was. We normally roll up there the first week of August and bow hunt for a week. It seems the herd comes in between the first and third week of the month, it is always hit or miss. But when it hits it is one of those magical moments. We plan on being up there this year Aug 1

Are you taking a freezer and a generator?

Nope never have. We normally hang them and cover with a tarp. Cool enough that time of year up there that as long as they are in the shade they stay cool. We take coolers with ice just in case but we have never had to use them.

Thanks

Thanks for the advice guys, I guess I did know they were just a transporter and not a guide, but I realize I didn’t explain that and sorry for the confusion and should of called them a transporter.

I appreciate all the help and comments

I think 2 good transporters are flying out of Tok. 40 mile herd and likely better chance at a good rack. Good meat too! Have seen good reviews for both of them.