Leaving next wednesday 9/10 out of Soldonta for a caribou rifle hunt, has anyone been up there...whats in store for us

What's in store for you? A great time if our experience from 2001 was any indication. We flew out of Soldotna about a week later than your date. Soldotna is a neat town on the Kenai river. If you get weathered in for a day there are things to see and do there. When you take off, you'll reach the Cook Inlet in a few minutes. 10 minutes later you'll be across the Inlet and heading toward a gorgeous pass with mountains above you and glaciers below. You'll be seeing a lot of trees when you exit the pass but they'll start thinning out as you keep going. Hopefully your pilot will find the herd and put you down in a spot that's in the path of the migrating groups. Our pilot did and we saw 600-1500 caribou per day. Finding the mature bulls we were looking for wasn't easy, and a spotting scope saved a lot of energy. You'd expect to find a good bull in a herd of 150 caribou, but often there wasn't one, so we didn't have to hike closer to check them out. It's truly a wilderness experience. From wolves howling at night, a fresh wolf-killed caribou half a mile from camp, and the bleached out skull of a bull caribou likely killed by a bear at a stream crossing, you're clearly not in a zoo! You might see other hunters. We did, but none of them was within 3 miles of our camp. We took 3 mature bulls in 5 days (2 hunters), and could easily have filled another tag with a lesser bull. We had the nagging feeling that one day we'd wake up and the caribou would be gone, but that didn't happen to us. Hopefully you'll have some long days of butchering and hauling meat. The wind will blow. It will rain some. There will be some bugs. But if you're fortunate none of those things will be too bad. About day 5 you'll start thinking about something other than oatmeal for breakfast and dehydrated meals for dinner. Sal's Klondike Diner in Soldota satisfied both cravings when we got back to civilization. Have a grand time. I still smile when I think about our trip.

What flying service did you use, weare there for 8 days hope to tell you a similar story

We used High Adventure Air, and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. Talon Air is also based in Soldotna and has a good reputation, too. I hope you're in a 2-caribou area, and if so, be sure to buy the 2nd tag. It's hard not to get anxious about getting the first one down, and having a 2nd tag in your pocket makes the decision easier.

We almost chose them (High Adventure). Have heard lots of good things about them. We went with Talon Air instead. Talon has a turbine Otter which supposedly gives them more range and it flys above Lake Clark pass instead of through it, so weather isn't an issue like it is for lower flying airplanes.





Hey Raamw....how much does your gear weigh? I'm going to start weighing what I have today. I don't see how we are going to even come close to our 125 pound limit per person.

any word on the herd?he he he

We went out with Talon....returned on the 8th. We saw lots of caribou, came home with 14..all cows.

The only nice bulls we saw were far away, and we were just hunting for the freezer, so it worked out well.

dave

I heard the "herd" wasnt all that great this year but some nice bulls are still coming in. It seems that the big boys are coming more from the western side of the state.

Talon is great to fly with. I highly recommend them. One year 4 of us went out and came back with 18. The only reason we didnt come back with 20 (5/apiece) was because one guy was a trophy hunter with a pistol.

good service to use.

What are those guys flying..C-130's <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Mike

We flew in a single-engine otter on floats. The pilot told me he had up to 30 caribou in it once..quartered out, that is.

They put some high powered turbine engine on it this year, it's a sweet plane.

dave

ROTR,

If they could put floats on them hercs I'm sure they would <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />



We flew out on the otter and in on a beaver, they rerouted a 2nd plane to get all our antlers out. Good people at Talon.

Man that's a lot of stuff on a plane...guess that's why they are still king! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Mike

Well here they are! Check out the preceeding link too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

We just got back from our 8 day hunt. Weather was great, no rain. Since weather was so nice the great migration had not yet started, however we did see about 75 to 100 caribou...it seemed like the same groups just milling around the area waitting for the other herds to start. We flew out of Sodotna Alaska for about 1 1/2 hours into the Mulchatna drainage basin. The day we arrived we had a herd of 10 or so caribou pass by at around 300 yards with 5 of the biggest caribou we would see during the hunt..true trophies, unfortunately you cannot hunt the day you fly. We had hopes we would find them in the morning but not so these animals cover ground. Latter that day my partner shot a nice bull 1.8 miles as the crow flies from camp (GPS) He shot his at about 200 yards after a 200 yard crawl with a 280 Remington, two shots to put him down this equated to about a 3 mile haul to bring the meat back. The next day after watching for most of the day in 30 mph winds I returned to camp to get something to eat and a herd of 30 or so animals meandered into our valley about 3/4 of a mile away. We glassed them and there was about 5 or 6 bulls. I figured they would move on so I continued to make dinner and sure enough they bedded down. I had to walk parallel for a 1/4 mile to get a small bunch of trees between us before I could start my stalk of 3/4mile. The wind was blowing 30mph into my face so I knew they could not smell or hear me, all I needed for them to do is stay put which they did. I initiaslly though they where bedded down directly on the other side of the trees maybe 200 yards so I figured it would be an easy shot. If anyone has hunted tundra it has to be the worst walking conditions imaginable, spongy, water , rocks clumps of undergrowth thats trips yous, mud holes crevaces frost heaves, and if you short legged like I am that multiplies the problems.
None the less I got there and my partnerfdid not indicate that they had move (since I could not see them) I got my shooting sticks ready and chambered a round into my 375. When I got to the other side of the cover the herd was still bedded down but they where considerably farther away than I initially thought. I left my range finder behind and there was no cover to use plus it was 1 1/2 hours to dusk I figured it was now or never. I glassed the herd and found the biggest bull laying by himself. He appeared almost white, I placed the cross hairs on his upper back and fired, nothing.. the bull stood up so I crossed haired a foot over and fired...nothing. This time I went 2 feet over and fired and woop came the report that I hit him. He stood there hunched up as the herd started to move away. I watched as other animals walked around him and I was certain he went down. I waited a while than started my approach, when I got there I did not find him so I glassed the herd and found him limping at the rear of the herd with what appeared to be a broken front shoulder. The distance was a little farther and the wind was still gusting. I finally anchored him at ab estimated 600 yards since I was holdiing about 4 feet over him, I had one round left and was waitting for him to either lay down or go over the ridge wherein I good get close enough should he need another shot. My partner somehow snuck around and figuring I was out of ammo started shooting, funny thing was I thought it was other hunters shooting since I did not think he could have gotten there so quickly but he has long legs and it was him. He had a nice rack a littlesamller than my partners but a much bigger body. The first hit went through his front shoulder breaking it but exited through his lower neck not hitting any vitals or major arteries. This bull was a heck of a trophy mainly because of the stalk, and distance. I had the rifle sighted in for 2" high at 100yd and had the trajectory table taped to the stock shich indicates that if my shooting style was good the bull was at about 450 yards or so when I hit him. I was using 300 grain Sierra SPBT at chronograrhed 2530 out of a browning stainless stalker with 26" barrel, this combo would print slighly less than a MOA if I was shooting good so I knew the gun had the power and capability to do its job at that range. I 'll post pictures when I get them .
Talon does have a great plane a 1958 DeHaviland otter retrofitted with a 1000hp turbo prop, it carried out 8 hunters with all their gear and at least 8 caribou and it didn't miss a blink.

I am off to the herd !!!I leave in the a.m., I give you guys the details when I get back wish me luck..

Good luck wildone. I hope you bag a nice bull.

You really need to use a range finger with shots at 450 yards or more ! Something that is accurate out to 1000 yards or so.

Here is a picture of my bull, we did not have a camera with us for my partners. There are three identical lakes we where camped at the farthest one away in this picture. The herd laid down between the second and third (closest) and if you look real careful in the right of lakese 3 & 2 you can see the tree bunch that I used to stalk them. As it looks it was windy and cold .

Well , I am back ....and alive. First off I would like to thank Sitka Deer for showing me around after I got back to ANC , saw tons of goats and some sheep , by the way guys you have to see some of his wood work on stocks and his collection of game that he has aquired a lovely 407 bou comes to mind and the # 22 all time Sitka deer.
Well lets see where should I start( yes a little cryin and complaining coming but not too much). I arrived in Illiamna to start my hunt and was supposed to meet a guy from Detroit who would be my partner on my hunt ( he was arriing shortly after me and would meet me at camp) . Basically here is how it went , 30 minutes after arrival here is your license, where is my money ,there is the plane get in . 30 minutes into the flight hey your partner for the hunt never made it your going alone.Fly around for 15 minutes and see 20 caribou on the ground turn noth for another 15 minutes see nothing tell pilot it looks a little thin could you fly around some more and was told I have to watch fuel I need to get back and down we went . Hit the ground camp over there and the water is fine see ya later if you have any questions put one tarp out and emergencies put 2 out good by.. this is friday. No bou for the rest of the day on friday . Saturday nice day got up on my hill and glassed all day till dark with the spotter and binos closest 4 bou were on the horizon about 10+ miles out all day. 11 pm sat night wind and rain picked up to around 65 mph most of the night and day with rain stopping for short periods at at time letting me out to glass for about a total of 4 hours through out the day it finally stopped at 4 am monday no bou spotted at any range. Monday bluebird day excited maybe bou will be moving after the storm , set out 1 tarp to get taxi to land . Not one but two planes from the taxi service flew over my site acknowledged me and my tarp but did not land at 10 am.Glassed all day agian from various points within range of camp ( keep in mind I have ridge tops on either side of me at 10 miles away either side and I am in the middle of the flats here.) saw 3 more bou on the opposite ridge from the first 4 at 10 + miles and watched a guy in an orange hat through the spotter on 80 power kill one. Tuesday 1 am wind and rain starts up agian even worse winds 70 + harder rain all day non stop no oportunity to glass at all can't see more than 50 yards in bino's. Finnally 5 pm ish rain stops and I can get out , I get up high and glass one single caribou at 3 miles and coming my way slowly its a bull .I am camped next to a lake about a mile long and 3/4 wide at 7pm he decides he's gonna walk on the good side of the lake and pas buy my landing site at about 6oo yards. I stalk to within 255 and drill him and proceed to cut and carve like a mad man till dark. Manage to get hinds and straps to the runway, off to bed. Wednsday get up and pack front shoulders and neck and scraps and horns to runway . Packed up some things expecting a 10 am fly over #2 (was told everyother day weather permitting today was that day) 10 am came and went no plane . Oh well out her for another night it looks unpack food and such for dinner. At 5 pm managed to flag a pilot from another taxi service into landing , low and behold the passenger is a guy from AK that I sat next to on the ride into Illiamna from ANC . I asked if they could let my service know that I had one down and would like to get picked up in the a.m. Thank you's and congrats and they were off. 6:30 pm my service shows up , them " are you ready lets go hurry up " me " am I ready , I thought I was here till tommarrow when you guys were not here at 10 , I need 10 minutes to pack my sleeping back and pull my tent down " them " sorry , I have 5 others to get out , but IF I come back tonight have your stuff up on the hill in a hurry. bye " Coversation took 45 seconds and he was gone. Now if is not sounding like he is not comming back ,because there is only 2 hours max of daylight left and he said he has to take 5 others out I assume from what he said that I am there for the night . Not 15 minutes later he is back "are you ready lets go now hurry " me " Dude , I am in the same place as before , you made sound as if I was here for the night ." them " can't wait see you in the AM weather pending. bye " gone agian another 45 second conversation. Now seeing how this is going in the next 10 minutes I pack up everything except my tent and gun and put it under at tarp on the hill . 7:10 pm guess what ..... here he comes agian down he comes and is pitching gear and meat like a wild man as I pull my tent stakes and pack them 3 minutes time to the hill and I am off to base.Upon landing meat was put in the shed and my gear on the deck of the room where I would stay for the night ( the owners never left their cabin to see how things went They could care less, the husband never even introduced himself to the whole time befor or after. ) Sleep here well change your flight for you at the air port your outa here at 10:30 in the am .Not even a cup of coffee. If you would like to know who I would not recomend please send me a PM. I have not given up on AK and will be back agian but I knoe who I will not be going with when I return........Wildone

Wildone
Good to see you made it home... wish we had better weather for the day we got to ride around. Was good getting to spend that little bit of time and hope you make it back soon!

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art

Wildone,

Nice to have met you at the gunshow. Sorry your air taxi was a dud. Hope to see you again next year.

russell

I thought I knew enough to color a few letters so they might stand out to spell [color:"red"] [/color] Iliamna Air Guides, [color:"black"] [/color] but I guess I don't know enough to do that simple little task... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Sitka ... it was a good idea though (the color thing).
RDINAK.. same here man nice to meet you too , I will be back that is for sure, I may take you up on the offer you made as well .

It was nice to meet and put some faces on the people I speak to here on the site. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />