Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Haul rd caribou

I was on the haul road a few years ago after caribou with bow and arrows. It was in July and hot. I have an invitation to go back again with my buddy again, he lives in Anchorage, but this time in August. Hopefully we will catch the migration this time. Anyone been there in the middle of August, and I know it depends on a lot of condition, but are we going at a better time? It is a long hike from Anchorage but I am looking forward to the trip and the hunting/camping as a bonus. You guys sure do have a beautiful state. Any comments welcome

Thanks
Mark

My buddy goes up around the end of August/early September and he does pretty good. He is a rifle hunter though and he has complained about having to walk past caribou to get out to the line. I think you should definitely see more animals than you would in July. Just curious but did you get checked at all? A bowhunting friend of mine went up there super early in July and someone called him in because they saw the racks in the back of his truck. The trooper made them lay all the meat out on the hot pavement to prove that they took everything. He didn't want to "miss anything". My friend was not amused as the trooper took his time to look everything over and some of the meat got spoiled from sitting on the pavement. Not a lot but still.....

I went the last week of August and part of the first week of September last fall. Didn't see a single caribou from the road on the way up or back. Got in the airplane and went about 20 miles east and were in the thick of them. Pilot said they seemed to be staying further east as they wandered southward last year with very few near the road.

In the end the real answer is, who knows? I'm not sure caribou know where they're going or when they're going. The pattern seems to change every year so it's anyone's guess as to what they'll do this fall.

Thanks. FishinHank, we did not get checked although we only were able to get two small bulls. It was a long week but we did see a pretty nice griz and a wolverine. My first sighting of a wolverine. He wanted to cross the haul rd but we were in his way, or so he thought. He stopped and leered at us once, an if looks could have killed, we would all have been dead. One of the highlights of the trip. This was towards the end and still hot. We did see a few more caribou on our way out but ran out of time as work demands.



I am hoping the migration is crossing the road but we may hike to see if we can find them. Tried crossing the Sag once last time but too deep where we were.

Thanks
Mark

Man those critters are my favorite! So freaking tough! I have yet to see one alive in the wild that hasn't been in a trap but I have nothing but the upmost respect for them. Thanks for the picture!

Luckily for him the wolverine was not in season at this time. I would love to have one mounted and extra special if I could take one myself. Especially being a Michigan "Wolverine" fan, the wolverine the University of Michigan mascot.

I am lucky enough to have trapped a few of them.

for 10 years I spent an average of 80 days or better living in nylon in the bush. Have only ever seen 7 or so wolverines.


love how they bound around.


we had a Michigan State alumni as a client one time that offered a $500 bonus if we could get him a wolverine.

his occupation had him interacting and entertaining in his home a lot of Michigan alumni.

swore he was going to have it mounted with it's head stuffed up it's azz on his fireplace mantlepiece.


never saw one the whole time he was there. but always amused me what his intent was for it.


though my personal opinion says a wolverine trophy should be treated with a tad more respect than such.

glad you got to see one and glad you had a great trip.

thanks for coming up

Oh yea, there is quite the rivalry in Michigan with U of M vs Michigan State. And then we have the state to the south who we don't care for and they really don't care for us. Of the three mascots, which U of M doesn't have a live or a person in a wolverine out fit, I am glad to have the mascot of the tenacious WOLVERINE. Now Spartans I have respect for but can't figure out the buckeye nut for a mascot??? Kind of glad your client didn't get a wolverine as that is pretty disgusting, his idea that is. I can't imagine Sparty mistreated, especially with the motto "Molon labe". Now we did castrate some pigs nuts....ah different kind!!!

Thanks for the photos of your trapped wolverines. That would be a blast also.

Just received a report from a truck driver that the bou are all over the road just south of town (Deadhorse) today. He said a couple guys had some good bulls down. Meanwhile I am sitting here at work....grrrr

Oh great and we only have about six weeks to go!! That's what I say, grrr. akwillyum, are you heading up soon?

If I ever had a client come up with something like that, I'd have done all I could to make sure he never saw one.... Dollar be damned, outfitter be damned. Probably why I quit guiding as a matter of fact, over ethics...

Don't worry, you could fly up today spur of the moment and drive, and never see one...

They can be really flighty at times.

I came in one year, pilots just came in, and we had to wait the next day, personal friend that shot for my 4H team years before, and he worked for the pilots and was flown by them a lot also... so no lies, were over 3500 caribou in one area, and close to same in another.

We flew out next morning, saw a few, maybe 200, and landed, and didn't see one for a day, then a few, then none, then a few. Came back and folks came off a strip where they had all killed, we flew in right behind them coming out, didn't see one for 2 days, saw one, I killed it with a LONG shot that evening, after my buddy found some about 6 miles off across a river and a BIG one in that small bunch, he said to dangerous to go and spend the night... knowing what I do now I'd have done it in an instant today..... we found 4 or 5 more bringing mine 5 miles back to the strip the next day, one for him to shoot.

Flying out, we found the masses way out in the flat tundra, where no one could get to really until it snowed.... and froze...

You never know.

Best of luck, most of the fun is being in AK, killing is only a huge bonus.

polo50 I live in AK and I work in Deadhorse. Had two nice bulls out my bedroom window and a griz trying to get in my dumpster yesterday. The bou are here one day and gone the next so you never know! I love hunting the haul road. This is the first time in three years that I will not be driving up here to hunt:(

akwillyum, very nice to see that kind of wildlife. Are griz a problem in town? We did get up there for gas and ate a couple times and we hadn't seen a caribou for a few days and then this:



We did see a herd of muskox and they were around camp most days.

The bears are definitely a presence up here but not really a problem. Our dumpsters are all "bear proof". I think they move with the caribou as they come through. We did have one come into an open shop door last week but he ran off when he encountered a person. These are griz I am speaking of not polar. I am in Deadhorse so we dont get the polar bears that far inland. I did see a polar bear last year while driving north from Deadhorse and he was really far inland near a herd of ox.

Different ice conditions will often put polar bears into Deadhorse. Over the course of my 23 years up there I saw quite a few of them. One tried to catch a wireline hand on the south pad of drill Site 14 about 20-25 years ago.

Wow, now that would make the trip by itself, to see a polar bear!! I won't hold my breath and it will still be a great trip. Hopefully some pics after I get back.

I'm not sure caribou know where they're going or when they're going.

Kid - you have obviously hunted caribou......

Sitting in Dead horse gassing up and getting a good meal at Prudoe bay hotel. Been hunting since Sat around Toolik lake area. Only one cow so far and haven't seen many bulls but still trying. Good trip anyway with a couple inches of snow today!!!