Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Gear for Caribou hunt

Hi Guys -
Going to be going on a fly-in Caribou hunt in Alaska with my Dad in September. The hunt is through 40-mile air and is DIY once you hit the hunting grounds, and you need to provide your own gear. Hunting grounds are units 20B/E in the Yukon Charley Rivers area north of the 40-mile river. This is where I have a few questions for the fire members that have done back country camping hunts before (both dad and I hunt extensively, and have done some camping, but never combining the two). So, here goes.

1. Tent. 40MA stipulates that no wall tents are allowed, so I was thinking of something along the lines of a Cabelas 4-person Alaskan Guide Geodesic tent. Any advice anyone could give here would be appreciated.

2. Sleeping bag...I have no idea here, other than that the old Coleman cotton/fleece one I have today probably ain't gonna cut it.

3. Pack. I own a Cabelas Alaskan I frame pack that I have used for many years that I really like. Would this be sufficient for my hunt?

4. Food/Water/stove. Do people typically collect and boil, or collect and run through one of those filtering devices? Also, my initial thought was to not pack a stove, and pack MREs for food, but someone had mentioned that a stove is useful for heating in cold temperatures, so is a stove needed, and if so, what kind?

5. Shooting sticks. What can people recommend that they have used? I'd like something that can double as a hiking stick.

6. What do people run for footwear? I have a couple of pairs of Rocky hunting boots as well as a pair of Instinct knee highs, but I have used neither in the type of terrain we will be hunting.

7. Rainwear. From what I understand of AK weather, there is a very high likelihood we will encounter rain on at least one of the days we are hunting. My current camo rainwear, which is nylon, isn't going to cut it because it does not breathe. Any recommendations here?

8. Game processing. Should luck be on our side, and we get some Caribou, I had planned on having the following in addition to knives, saws, etc.
Meat bags
Salt
Citric Acid spray for meat.
anything else I may be missing here?

9. Anything else anyone can think of or any tips or tricks will also be greatly appreciated.

thanks much
Northerner

Northerner,

I've flown with 40MA for decades and have probably hunted where you are going. The herd is looking good and you are flying with the best. But still you are hunting the unpredictable caribou.

PM me and I'll go through your list with you or give you my phone number.

Vern
Delta Jct, Alaska

My answers may not count for much.;

The thought of a wall tent on a fly in hunt isn't even in the ballpark.

1. Tipi, floorless with small wood stove.

2. sleeping bag, depends how you sleep, but down for that hunt, 20 degrees colder than I expect it to be. But I don't like hunting early caribou.. I like late fall.

3. Pack is fine. Its one hunt. You are used to it. Hauled half a bou bull once in a bass pro cheap pack... about 5 miles...

4. Water, find it and filter it.
Food, MRES are HEAVY.. we carry a parted out one, in the backpack for emergency, thats it, and often not that, often a pocket rocket and oatmeal and tea bags. And a cliff bar.
Food- freeze dry all the way with a few extravagants like cheese, salami or such and some choc bars. Stove for tent, TI Jet Boil all the way.

5.Sticks. We carry walking sticks, none of that other fancy stuff, IE Weight and if you know how to use a stick you don't need the other stuff. Lots of times we don't even carry the AL or carbon hiking ones but one of us carries a leatherman and just cuts off a dead stick... drop it or loose it or forget it, no biggy, and its not nearly as noisy as AL bumping things..

6. Hiking boots like Hanwags and gaiters are one way. Extra tuffs or mucks or whatever is the other route. Just depends on how wet its going to be where you are going and how much hill climbing you will do. Wife likes danner pronghorns but they are a one season boot and then fall apart but fit her right and are light. Hiking boots will leak no matter. Plenty of liner and thermal socks to dry and swap.

7. Depends on what the time of year forecast is... for heavy rainy HH rubber is about the only way. We run Impertech currently and its been fine but would not want to go through heavy brush with it. No way I'd run goretex type stuff, it gets heavy, soaked and will eventually wet through and its just not worth specifically having it. For us. Have taken a light sylnylon tarp a couple of times for sitting in the rain and about to start taking that ALL the time.
In the meantime have taken to a cagoule from wiggys XXL since it covers my backpack too if we have travel in the rain. But for sitting a tarp is the cats azz.

8. Good to go. Havalon piranta for us. Small saw or axe for firewood. Take an extra regular knife along for joint work and just simply dejoint everything except the skull cap... if taking the head, its just dejoint...

Good luck have fun, have a way to communicate out for emergencies.. SPOT if nothing else, or rent a sat phone. Go slow, be careful of what you do, espeically with guns and knives. Enjoy being in AK. Let the rest work itself out.

I should add, listen to Vern.

And my deal on the cagoule is more about the poncho part of it, trying to keep a backpack dry, and myself, and a few other things that are nice about a poncho type top. But if no pack, then I go back to an impertech top.

And we now own a waterproof backpack so that can change how and what we pick for raingear for a given day.

Bug spray and head net.

Good point, we keep that on hand year round so to speak. Forgot that.

Luci Light.

1) BA Copper Spur 3UL + good tarp to go completely over your camp.

2) Marmot 0F- Never Summer - Down Defender+ lots of loft and you can find it on sale.

3)Pack is fine.

4)Black Diamond FL- Trekking Poles. flitlock

5)Frogg Togg Canvas Hip Boots

6) 1 pair of goretex socks, 4 pairs of darn tough, smart wool or Farm to Feet socks(Merino Wool).

7) Minimoto Jetboil Stove( 3 big fuel cannisters(Primus brand-TSA approved for air transport)

8)Helle Hanson Rubber rain gear.

9) 9X12 tarp-keeping meat clean and for hanging meat( keeping dry.)

10) Silky Gomboy folding saw.(wood for campfire and skull plate).

11) flagging tape( for going back and forth from kill site to camp.)

12) 300 ft of 550 cord. You will find use for it.

13) Tag Bag - Game bags.

14) Real Good headlamp. with extra batteries.

PM KC on here. He's done it several times and has written an article on it. I think he flys with 40 MA as well.

Remember, 40 Mile Air has a 50LB weight limit on your pack if you're flying in a Super Cub. Plan on carrying all your heavy stuff (ammo, fuel bottles (they don't allow butane/propane canisters), knives etc in the pockets of your coat/jacket, pants. Your cotton sleeping bag is out (too heavy). Let the weight limit be your guide.
sbsmith

Plan on getting snowed on. Might not happen, but I've been snowed on in that country as early as August 9, tho the next day it was 75. Killed my first ram on the 11th.

The last time I hunted 40-mile country, we cut our walk-in sheep hunt short in semi-blizzard wet snow and fog conditions before even getting to sheep mountain. Time frame and weather both..... Did kill a caribou on the way out on August 13, tho. For our hunt, which may not be the one in question now, the opening date for caribou has been moved to Sept 1 I think. ( Us from the road hunters were just too good!) Almost guarantee snow by then, tho it may not stick. Heck, we may be hunting that country again next year if we leave here!

The bag should be "comfort rated" to at least zero, with of course an insulting pad underneath. I've always used a 72" closed cell foam pad, light, not too bulky, and insulates from ground well. Roots, rocks, and bumps be damned!. If a chance of getting it wet, choose synthetic fill. It is warmer than down when wet. Heavier either way tho. A cheap, light poly tarp or two of at least 8X10 is invaluable for any number of uses.

Fire starting sticks, ribbon, magnesium, etc. is advisable if wood is wet from prolonged rain. Second on cutting your own walking/shooting sticks on site.

Take a filtering device, tho the likely hood is that you can catch all the drinkable water you need off the fly.

My rule and experience has always been: Take care of your feet, sleep warm if not necessarily dry, and get enough calories ((read fat content), and everything else is manageable.

You'll laugh about it later.......

Good luck!

Take that advice, and you won't regret it.

Jeff

DEET, a head net, and light gloves. Beans, rice, pasta, dried fruit, spices, oat meal/cream of wheat, powdered milk/eggs, etc.

We have never done the water filtering stuff. More bulk and horridly slow.
From FEMA and Red Cross: “You can use household liquid bleach to kill microorganisms. Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, colorsafe bleaches, or bleaches with added cleaners. Because the potency of bleach diminishes with time, use bleach from a newly opened or unopened bottle. Add 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach odor. If it doesn’t, then repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes.

A small 6 oz squirt bottle will do camp for weeks.

Do find some sort of sheltering/windbreak cover to camp in.

Bleach will not get the giardia cysts.

Filter, or if enough wood, boil. Don't waste stove fuel on boiling water.

1. Tent: Cabelas "Instinct" 6-man tent with aluminum poles. As tough as they come and will stand up to strong winds. Lots of room for 2 people. The vestibule is big enough to set your stove on the dirt. This is the newest iteration of the Cabelas Alaska Guide tent.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...th-DAC-Aluminum-Poles-Person/2004686.uts

2. Sleeping Bag: Teton Sports 0° hybrid sleeping bag. You won't be backpacking so the weight/bulk of the sleeping bag is not that important. This one is big and comfortable and has synthetic insulation. It's also inexpensive.
http://www.tetonsports.com/Sleeping-Bags/Celsius/Celsius-xl-0.htm

Don't forget to take a Thermarest NeoAir mattress. https://www.rei.com/product/881576/therm-a-rest-neoair-xtherm-max-sleeping-pad

And a cheap foam pad. https://www.walmart.com/ip/G.I.-Foam-Sleeping-Pad-with-Straps/38080239

3. Your existing backpack is fine.

4. Stove: MSR Whisperlite, white gas stove. It works well in cold weather and the fuel is not as bulky as propane. https://www.rei.com/product/830341/msr-whisperlite-international-backpacking-stove

Don't forget to buy a couple of MSR fuel bottles.
https://www.rei.com/product/784303/msr-fuel-bottle-with-crp-cap-20-fl-oz

Buy a gallon of white gas fuel in Alaska. 40MA might be able to provide that.

Mountain House produces the least disgusting freeze-dried food. I'll send you via PM, my menu from our caribou hunt last September. It's a combination of freeze dried food, dehydrated food, canned foods. All non-perishable.

Buy a Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter.
https://www.rei.com/search.html?q=katadyn+hiker+pro+water+filter
Filter only clean water. Dirty water water will plug the filter. Remember you're filtering out microscopic organisms, not dirt. Drain and purge the filter after each use to prevent it from freezing.

5. Shooting Sticks: I carry a trecking pole and occasionally I will rest my rifle on that. Also a trecking pole will help when crossing marsh mounds and maybe prevent a sprained ankle.

6. Footwear: Oboz Bridger Mid BDry boots.
https://www.rei.com/product/857508/oboz-bridger-bdry-hiking-boots-mens
My Kennetreks and Danners just gather dust in the closet now.

OR Crockodiles gaiters. https://www.rei.com/product/846538/outdoor-research-crocodile-gaiters-mens

7. Rainwear: You need a Gortex/Nylon parka that actually works. Sitka Gear and Arctyrex both make good parkas that actually perform like they are supposed to. Avoid cheaper parkas because they will leak in the rain.

http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?country=us&language=en&model=Camosun-Parka

http://www.sitkagear.com/products/big-game/new/timberline-jacket

8. Your list of field dressing gear looks pretty good. Maybe add a havalon scalpel.
http://www.havalon.com/piranta-edge-skinning-knife-xt60edge.html

9. I sent you an article that I wrote regarding nonresident logistics for hunting in Alaska.

You might want to take a couple of small, lightweight, folding camp chairs.

Don't forget a set of pots & pans and a frying pan with folding handle.

Nalgene water bottles. Leave your water bladder at home because the hose will freeze solid.

Don't forget to take a GPS so you can hike several miles into unfamiliar country and find your way back to camp at night in the fog or in a howling blizzard. Remember that a GPS is just an augmentation of your USGS map and compass, which are essentials.

Don't forget fishing gear.

100 quart Igloo or Coleman cooler. One per person.

Also take a repair kit. Expect something to fail or break and be prepared to repair it or adapt to do without it. Be ready to repair stove, tent, air mattress, rifle, scope,etc. Take a multitool. Take an extra pump for your stove and a stove repair kit. Take a compact rifle cleaning kit.

Take a good first aid kit. Expect someone to get injured or sick and be prepared to care for them. A good first aid kit is not just a bunch of bandaids. It's got stuff in it to deal with serious injuries and serious illnesses. Don't think you will get a good first aid kit off the shelf. You will have to assemble it and you will need some scrips from your doctor.

I use an LED lantern like this one, in my tent. No heat so it won't burn a hole in the wall of your tent.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Generic-20287-Ozark-Trail-Lantern-300-Lumens/49332930

KC

P.S.
I just read some of the other responses. I agree with the following previous suggestions;
1/8" woven nylon rope (at least 100')
8'x10' or 9'x12' tarp
Hip Waders are a must (I use bib waders)
DEET

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Every time I brought a pump filter, I ended up drinking unfiltered water. The annoyance of filtering outweighed the fear of the fever. Have been using a gravity filter (sawyer) for a while now. Lighter, faster, and less messing around.

Of course next time, you might not find "clean" water

Disinfecting water link

My Cabelas tent weight 50 lbs and stove about 8 lbs. Do I need a lighter tent?

Thats a question to the flight service, if you read above all the posts, a super cub generally limits you to 50 pounds.

The lighter I can go via air thats the way we'll always go.

Even like KC, no pots and pans on a flight for us. Freeze dry period, I can live a week or two without other luxuries....100 qt cooler, at the strip in town, yes, out to camp, nope.

Of course if you are flying a beaver it won't matter...