Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 2013 Alaskan Campfire Hunt

After getting some positive hits on the feeler thread I am going to start this to get who wants to attend so we can get a hard number situated and see who wants to hunt what.

• SPECIES WANTED TO HUNT
  [1] Sitka Black Tail Deer
  [2] Black Bear
  [3] Caribou

• PRICING (NOT INCLUDING AIRFARE AND LODGING AND GENERAL EXPENSES)
  Nonresident Annual Hunting $85.00
  Nonresident Deer -- $150.00
  Nonresident Caribou -- $325.00
  Nonresident Black Bear -- $225.00
  Nonresident Brown Bear Guide Required $500.00
  Nonresident Grizzly Guide Required $500.00

I can assist with getting a guide set up if you are set on bagging a Alaskan Brown/Grizzly.

• BAG LIMIT AND HUNTING SEASON INFO
• DEER
  Bag limit: Four bucks
  Season dates: Aug 1 � Nov 30
  Hunt requires harvest ticket
• Black Bear
  Bag limit: Three bears
  Season dates: no closed season
  Hunt requires harvest ticket
• Caribou
  Bag limit: One bull
  Season dates: Aug 10 � Sept 20
  Hunt requires harvest ticket

Myself and AlaskanMatt will be the spearhead for this and will try to keep everyone updated as best as possible.

We are shooting for the most inexpensive route for now as myself and a few others are not able to spend thousands on a "dream hunt" and we believe that we are just as apt to have a successful hunt with out overspending. Our options are (depending on species hunted) use a bush charter service to fly the group to a remote location and set up a base camp (we are figuring 4 days should be ample time to get down what we want). or possibly use 2 boats (6-8 passenger boats we can rent from base) to get us to our hunting location. If we have a good amount of interest I will contact a few hunting lodges for rates (also depending on species hunted).

Most likely we will be doing this hunt in August/September of 2013 as there are plenty of hunts that are open during this time frame and I think it will give us the best opportunity.

Please post up if you are interested in joining on this hunt and include what species you are interested in taking.

I'm already looking forward to this one! species doesn't matter to me - it's all meat in the freezer. I figure I'll go with whatever group has the greatest need of the resources I have available at the time. I can see this becoming a big gathering with more than one hunt going in various directions.

I definelty will be watching this.

I'm interested but would like to know more before committing. 2013 is a long ways off, what type of commitment are you looking for?

I would like to go for black tail and caribou - not so interested in shooting another black bear.

How about a 2012 hunt?

Both Bearkiller and I will still be in Afghanistan during the 2012 fall season, so that's out unless someone else wants to get something going. Also, just fyi - Caribou and black tail habitats are separated by many hundereds of miles, so it may not be feasible to hunt both on the same trip, depending on how long you intend to stay.

2013 is fine with me.
caribou is my first choice, and blacktails 2nd.

no interest in killing another bear.

this way i can a cruise in with the wife this year.

My two cents.

A boat based hunt for Sitka deer on Kodiak Island.

It provides the best chance of success for everyone in a group. The logistics are very easy and meals are lodging are included.

Brown bear for large group ??? $$$

Caribou means remote ??? $$$

Black Bear and Sitka in SE Ak ... Doable.

I'm interested in caribou & black bear or deer & bear. I'd need exact dates by September this year in order to bid for my vaction.

RH

That about describes me as well. Put me at Caribou for first choice and Black Bear for #2. Wifey wants to visit that state anyway, and do some Salmon fishing so we could make the journey together. I should be quite healthy enough by then and with that much time to plan and save should be able to make that part of it work as well. Would help if the destination was close to where we could get my truck and Camper to but I am not sure that would be an option.

"Caribou and black tail habitats are separated by many hundereds of miles, so it may not be feasible to hunt both on the same trip, depending on how long you intend to stay."


Not only hundreds of miles but it's not as simple as driving from one hunting spot to the other. To get to the prime locations requires driving, a plane ride, a boat/ferry or a combination of all three - in most cases - generally speaking. It can be done but ...

Boat based Sitka makes the most sense, but I'd surely not do that in September.

Good luck all.

For the Sitka idea the boat trip in could be a bit hazardous. Due to the tides and weather most likely we would fly into sitka from anchorage (for the alaska folks) and the rest could fly in from their starting destination. As for the Bou hunt we could work that angle (Fly into Fairbanks for the out of staters and I could drive up with the transportation assets (quads/argo). This hunt is still very much in the planning phases but I should have hard dates here shortly (waiting on a few emails to be answered and such.) The sitka deer/black bear combo is VERY easy to work with and the Bou/Black Bear combo as well could be worked just remember Caribou are not as easy to locate and will involve a lot more miles to walk in on. More to follow as I just got off work and am checking emails and such to see what info I have lined up.

I'm just curious..

What's the budget per person? Nothing is cheap in AK.
What's the physical requirements going to be? You get some lard ass who can't hike 200yds without cardiac arrest, then what?



Seems a little half assed right now.

Planning a 2012 hunt, you are WAY behind if you are thinking that way, its way late to do that. 2013 is actually much more in line if not 2014 to get it all worked out. Unless you have a pilot or boat on standby as needed which is hard to do. I have connections so I"m lucky on that part.
BTW if you wanted to do something for 2012 that needed a draw you are way to late for that too.

Remember things in AK are a bit different, you can't drive to CO and unload the truck and start hunting(mostly)

Jeff

As previously mentioned, costs have not been set yet. Physical requirements? This is hunting. Anyone who hunts knows there are physical requirements beyond walking around the mall. Let's call it "implied physical requirements". Common sense is to be used.

And your last comment... You obviously didn't read the thread. This is in the PLANNING STAGE. I don't see how any of this can be considered "half-assed" when we're planning for a hunt over a year in advance.

Didn't your mother ever tell you "If you don't have anything nice to say......"

I plan on returning to AK in September 2013. Sitka black tail deer is on my list and so is black bear as the one I got was kind of small. If the group decides to do a boat based hunt in September 2013 in the pan handle, then I'm in.

I already have two caribou and although each hunt was a great adventure, I'm not interested in paying the cost of a bush plane to get another 'bou.

KC

I'm sure you have good intentions.. Why don't you toss up your Alaskan hunting "resume". It's one thing to dream big, but to lead a group and not have it turn into a circus is a whole nother story.

Agreed, October or November would be the better timeframe IMO.

Calvin, lighten up a little, a group hunt can be done quite easily. I did a group float hunt in 2007, there were 12 of us and we all had a great time and made it home alive. SOme even came home with meat!

Can you hunt Sitka's and black bears at the same time?

Dink

My Alaskan hunting resume is in the little pic on the left. I'm no professional guide, but neither am I a greenhorn. Bearkiller also earned his name.... in Alaska.

Dink: Yes you can. Just aim for the blacktail season. In almost every GMU in the state, there is no closed season for black bears. Blacktail is hunted in the fall though, when black bears have been into the fish, which tends to make them inedible. Early spring when they are just waking up, or late fall right before they den up is the best time for bears if you're after a rug. The spring bear I killed last year was the best meat I've ever had.