Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Want to try Adak this year

Anyone here ever make it down that way to hunt caribou? Anyone want to go? I'm thinking early August, like around the 1st or so that way I can be back to hunt the sheep opener.

Any idea as to cost per pound?

I'm working on getting a rough idea on costs now. Also, would like to find the phone # of the person(s) down there that rent four-wheelers.

Ideally, would like to go down there for 4 or 5 days and shoot 2 caribou.

4 wheelers would be the way to go.


Unit 10, Adak Island

Residents and non-residents

Bag limit: no limit;
no more than two bulls, AND no bulls may be taken between Jan 1-Aug 9

Season dates: no closed season

Hunt requires harvest ticket

I was on private contract with the United States during the Cold War and Adak was a fall back when things became too "strenuous" while stationed on the so-called "outer-islands". Aside from the prostitutes allowed on-island during the 1980's, the caribou hunting was fantastic. The caribou were ecologically introduced via the Feds and the State, back in the 1950's, to support the military. The caribou came from the Nelchina Basin and the hunting on Adak has been phenomenal since then. Bulls in excess of 360 B&C inches have been killed there (Adak Island).

Did they get in the way?

Damn caribou!

Jack Stewart or joe galaktionoff are the guys I would talk to about renting atvs or trucks. I dont have their numbers handy. A lot of the island is off limits to atvs I think, but there are a lot of roads too. I've only really been there in the winter and in summer, but never during the fall. In the winter the bou tend to be closer to town, in the fall they are further south. You can fly there easily on airline miles as long as AK airlines keeps flying the route. You can rent a house from Aleut enterprise pretty cheap with a freezer in the garage. Fly up with coolers of food and fly home with meat.

Googled Jack Stewart and found this

http://ngwphotography.blogspot.com/2010/05/adak-caribou-hunt-story-in-alaska.html

Going there to hunt Caribou is on my bucket list. My guess it would not be an inexpensive hunt. Hunting Lic and tags aside, travel to and from and transport while there, along with food and drink( Milk and such, maybe a beer or two) and housing of some sort, I like tent camping myself, and the other stuff you never think about. My guess 6 to 8 thousand from were I am in CT should cover the bill I would think. Give or take a few dollars.

Here's an article regarding hunting caribou on Adak Island.

http://www.fws.gov/alaska/nwr/akmar/visitors-educators/caribhunting/adak.htm

KC

$1200 round trip from ANC. Flights on Sundays and Thursdays.

Is this the banana belt of Alaska??

If you have an Alaska Airlines Visa credit card you can fly for free. I could fly for free from Denver to Adak using my credit card points.

KC

I can fly to Maui or to the east coast for less money than that, $1200 is ridiculous for an instate flight.

And there are better places to hunt caribou than Adak.

The times I've flown out there it was 15k airline miles round trip. A pretty cheap hunt I think. That said, I agree that there are places I'd much rather go to hunt caribou.

15k is a cheap ticket as AA miles can be purchased at $27/k so $405... Problems are many though and planes are often diverted, delayed, and just plain cancelled...

Just for having a card? That's awesome. I'm in!

Pretty close. You get 25K points just for signing up.

I'll look into it. Thanks!

The Ak card has gone downhill somewhat since we first got ours, we use to be able to fly first class for the price of 1 ticket plus $100. Too many people bitched about not being able to buy a first class ticket so they scratched that option about 2 years ago.

You can still get a companion fare for an extra $100 so it's still a good deal.

If you're not a member already Mike, join the Club 49, that way you get free bags and some other bennies only good for us Alaskans. We've been members since it's inception and just the free bags are worth it (it's free to join).

2587 Nautical Miles, should be about 14 days from here. About $3600.00 in fuel one way.

Of course I have an AK Air card and a club 49 member. Who in AK does not?

Double check my first post here and remember who I am!

Of course I have an AK Air card and a club 49 member. Who in AK does not?

Double check my first post here and remember who I am!

Adak has some unique advantages, no mosquitos, no predators, no devils club, great visibility and a wow factor off the charts. The logistics are not very easy though.

I went last November and again in February of this year. Do yourself a favor and call Jack. Also, you will hear stories about people shooting caribou right off the road or near the airport. Well, maybe but we had to go looking for them. Tent camping is a bad idea as the wind can REALLY blow. Jack's place is the cleanest, nicest place on the island. Bring groceries because they reopened the Alaska Cod cannery and the workers buy up everything out of the meager stores on the island. Scenery is beautiful (outside of town) and it is a great time overall!

I was going by the info from this post.

I would like to go play on Adak, I got the miles for a free ticket/ I could care less about going to the lower 48.... the land of less folks is a lot better ........ there was a write up in the paper about this hunt about a month ago ..I think ...well wherever I heard about it >>> sounds like something different then sling'ing arrow's off the haul road !! (man- I miss the mid 80's and the no people factor of hunting the haul road) spending more than a couple hundred bucks to "shoot" a tundra rat would seem like a waste imo.....

First post:


Just being a smartass.

Just loaded up some ammo for friends who leave next week. Two couples on AK airline miles maybe $500 each for
oddments...Just a cow shoot for meat.

It's a great hunt to do, but expect to walk. The caribou are skittish of ATV's. I did it as a backpacking hunt 2 years ago (South side of island is Wilderness/ no vehicles), and harvested 2 young bulls that were absolutely delicious as far as table fare goes.

It is wet and windy, and the terrain is steeper then what most topo maps would lead you to believe. It gets slick when packing a heavy load, and the soil being volcanic likes to give away under you when sidehilling. A lot of people suggest rubber boots out there, but I used Goretex hiking boots along with Goretex gaitors: they worked great for crossing streams up to about 8" deep, and provided better traction and support.

The store will have most of the supplies that you need, and while more expensive then Anchorage, is cheaper then other remote villages in Alaska. I would recommend taking a white gas backpacking stove, as the store carries Coleman fuel. If you take a canister stove..... good luck!

Take a good spotting scope. I didn't, and wished I had. Folks there are super nice.

I am planning on going back around early October this fall.

For some reason, this hunt really appeals to be, off the beaten path, wide open spaces, high on the adventure list; just not sure how practical it is!

Years ago there was an Outfitter based in Kodiak who used to take some great trophy bulls on Adak. He charged top dollar accordingly. Anyone know who I am thinking of ?

How is the Trophy quality there these days ?

Lots of good info and gives me some thinking to do. Thanks for that!

I guess I need to read the regs better as I didn't know bulls were restricted some parts of the year. Not that I wouldn't shoot a big bull if I see one, but this would be nothing more than a meat hunt for me.

Tim Booch

From my limited understanding, since the Navy pulled out of Adak, the herd has more then doubled, and the quality of the bulls has gone down hill. While there are still some decent bulls on the island, it is typically seen more as a meat hunt. A unique and fun hunt that is off the beaten path, and can be done for real cheap if you plan it right (I did mine for less $500 total). But I don't think it would be fair to call it a Trophy Hunt. YMMV.

How did you manage a <$500 cost? At that rate, it might be worthwhile!

22-250 country !!

Tag

Used miles for the plane trip, hooked up with friends on Adak, processed all my meat out there, flew it back frozen via Club 49 for @$100 in two coolers that I had taken out to Adak loaded w/ fresh fruits, veggies, bread, box wine etc. for said friends.

I used a .30-06 w/ 165 TSX hand loads. Wayyyyyyyy overkill. Apparently a lot of the residents prefer the .223.

Expected it to be via award miles.

Those are good friends to have.

I though I had heard of a boat based outfit that went over there a few years ago . He stayed for 2 years or so and smacked the chit out of the monsters and then quickly departed. Did anyone else hear something like that? I though he was from the SE somewhere and really didn't have a great reputation. It's been a while and my memory is foggy so don't quote me on this.

There used to be a guy that posted on the forums that went by AdakJeff he had a web page or a blog about the place and frequently helped guys out that wanted to hunt down there with info. I think he may be off the island now though.