Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska DIY drop camp Brooks Range August 2017

There aren't any Beavers North of the Brooks Range.

Filters &/or boiling water is a waste of time & resources.

Just drink it!!

"beaver fever" or giardia, is carried by virtually all mammals from humans to mice and most definitely is found north of the Brooks range.

Fortunately most people who get it never even know they have it. In fact it is found in a high percentage of municipal water supplies and as many 80% of the people who get it never have symptoms.

Giardia is actually the perfect pet, it goes where you go, eats what you eat and it is no problem to clean it's cage.

I had a case of the perfect pet many years ago, I was camped at the mouth of the Horn River, 20 miles below Ft Providence in the NWT. It was great for weight loss; I think I lost about 20 lbs. before it was all done. But, definitely I would filter wild water these days. Also sometimes wonder what is really in most municipal water systems, as you mentioned.

I've had water borne illness twice in the last 5 years - first time in Haiti from the shower, second on a CO elk hunt 2-3 years ago. I didn't drink native water in either instance. Giardia and several other water borne nasties make for a great weight loss program and fodder for America's Funniest home videos.

As a graduate degree and professionally certified hydrologist, I wouldn't drink unfiltered/boiled native water if you paid me. I've tested 1000s water sources across the Continental US - I'll pass. I'll leave that to the he-men. Most people only have to go through water borne illness weight loss program once before they decide maybe native water isn't such a good idea.

Thanks again for all the feedback. I like the few thousand caribou comment a lot. We're primarily bow hunters at home and a good bow hunt is just seeing a deer.

We've already got filtration gear. We're gonna use it. I'm with bwinters. I drank the water once where I shouldn't have and spent 3 days on the toilet after that. It's just not worth the risk. We've got a full filtration kit of some kind for camp and life straws for our packs.

We are flying with Brooks Range Aviation. They seem to be highly recommended by everyone that we've encountered.

After two perfect pets I will do about anything to avoid number three. Mice and their relatives are a monster host pool...

For camp water get a gravity feed system. I have yet to see a straw worth carrying... have not tried them all, but the ones I did would not suck!

Any thoughts on whether or not it's worthwhile to bring along a shotgun for ptarmigan in this area?

Art - I've used the Lifestraw quite a bit and have yet to suffer any ill affects. I know people that have used them in third world countries supposed drinking water out of mud puddles with no I'll effects. I'd not do that but have drank from the Smokys in TN, Elk Mtns in NCO and the Snowys in SWY with one. I still prefer filter and boil from water sources, especially those running through pastures/rangeland or beaver looking areas.

Yeah, I've talked to people that have used Lifestraw on missing trips in some pretty nasty places, also with no ill effects. In camp we'll use something that can handle more volume but when we're hiking I'm pretty confident in the Lifestraw.

If it is dampish, for drinking water I generally just catch water off the tent fly or rain cover tarp (first choice) or spread a tarp in a dip and hope the little bastards don't think it is a custom built swiming pool for them for the few days I'll be using it. Hot drink and food water gets boiled anyway.

A carry along filtration system for away from camp/run out of canteen water scenario.

Rinse a new water tarp well first, or the water tastes funny from, I assume, manufacturing residue which probably isn't that good for you......

you might ask your air taxi about the bird population but they can be great on some years.

As for collecting water, clean tarps are a great way if you will be staying in a permanent camp. Although most folks I know who actually live remote have adjusted well to giardia, clean, close water is always appreciated.

Camp is just a DIY tent drop camp and we're getting there via float plane, so we're planning on using the lake we land on as the primary source of water.

Lots of water in AK is mighty turbid... lifestraws do not do well in nasty stuff for long. Safe, but they do not make enough water to be effective.

No straws for me.....let gravity do it's work while your hunting.

Take a slingshot for ptarmigan as they are easy at that time and no noise to scare game away.

That sounds a bit outside of my skillset.

You can get close... a slingshot is good advice.

If you're bow hunting stick a couple arrows with Zwickey Super Judos on them in your quiver. I'm not much of a slingshot shooter either but I've been know to shoot small game with my bow. Or pack a 22, I had an old Stevens single shot I cut the barrel off at 16.25" and sawed the stock down to koddy dimensions that I shot piles of ptarmigan with. It and a box of shells weighed about 3.75lb and it was the same length as my pack frame, bungee that sucker on my pack and go.

I have a super light 22 that hold 17 rounds. It's a collector's item my Dad gave me. Somehow the make escapes me, but that might be an option. I'd have to take the scope off it and get the iron sights set properly, but that just might be the ticket. Of course I just love my Savage Arms Fox Side by Side 20, so if I have the room it's gonna be hard to pass up bringing it.

Katydin base camp filter bag
Is sweet. Lightweight and drains quick for a base camp water supply. I love mine.