Alaska
Caribou Hunts
Two Caribou limit for non-residents
- Click here for Rates
Alaska Wilderness Charters & Guiding offers world-class Alaska caribou hunting. Both our unguided Alaska caribou hunts and guided Alaska caribou hunts are based out of Kotzebue. Northwest Alaska is home to the largest herd of Barren Ground Caribou, called the Western Arctic Herd, with a population of 500,000 animals. Barren Ground Caribou hunting has never been better! Alaska Wilderness Charters & Guiding is the premier guiding operation in northwest Alaska. Our success is unmatched. Caribou hunters have enjoyed tremendous success on this hunt over the years.Our success on our unguided caribou hunt has ranged from a low of 89% with most seasons at or near 100%. Guided caribou hunts have been at 100%. There is no other place in Alaska where you can find better odds in harvesting a trophy caribou.
Caribou
hunting in Alaska also provides a true “remote” arctic adventure.
Alaska Wilderness Charters & Guiding bases operations for caribou,
moose, and grizzly bear hunting out of Kotzebue. Kotzebue is a
small native village with a population around 3000 people, which
sits on the tip of the Hotham Peninsula on the shore of the Chukchi
Sea, just north of the Arctic Circle.
Caribou Photo
Gallery
Left: Scott Grange
(Browning)
Middle: Kevin Howard (Winchester Ammunition)
Right: Bryce Towsley (Outdoor Writer)
Alaska Caribou Hunt - (Unguided Package) Click here for Rates
This is a great opportunity for an
Alaska Caribou hunt. Alaska
Wilderness Charters & Guiding has many years of experience in providing
quality caribou hunting packages
On this hunt you will be flown into the
remote Arctic tundra, where your group will set up camp along the
caribou migration route. From there you will conduct your fair chase spot and stalk hunt. The Western Arctic Herd is the largest barren ground caribou herd
in the world, and is the best choice for trophy potential. If you have dreamed of a remote, fly-in, do-it-yourself
adventure, at an affordable price – this is it!
These hunt packages have no “hidden
costs.” The package
includes airport pickup/delivery, all food, tents, cots, camping
equipment, transport of meat, cape(s) and antlers back to Kotzebue. Our logistical support and coordination assures your trip will go
as planned from start to finish.
As a bonus on this hunt, for the mere
cost of a wolf tag, you can add wolf hunting for no additional charge!
Char and grayling fishing are also available. An added bonus is getting
to hunt in the Arctic Circle! The unique geographical features and pristine rivers provide
spectacular scenery. You
will be amazed at the “caribou trails” crossing the tundra – many of
which have been used for hundreds of years. In addition to caribou, hunters regularly see moose, grizzly
bear, black bear, wolves, dall sheep, wolverine, and musk ox. The vast and open tundra, virtually untouched by man adds to this
true wilderness adventure.
Don’t miss this opportunity to harvest
your trophy bull caribou. This is a very popular hunt, so call now before the spots fill up!
This caribou herd is growing each year
and is now numbered at over 500,000 animals!
We offer 3 options for Alaska caribou hunting; fully guided,
unguided outfitted, and unguided drop off (hunters supply
everything) packages. These options let each hunter choose the
one best suited to their personal needs and preferences.
Unguided
Caribou Hunt Package (with Equipment Provided) Click here for Rates
Our unguided caribou package is a very hassle free hunt for the
do-It-yourselfhunter. Hunting caribou in remote Northwest
Alaska can bring many challenges in preparing for a hunt. Items such as buying and shipping all of the camping
equipment, buying food, cooking equipment and fuel, transportation
to and from the field, transportation in town, dealing with the
meat, capes, and antlers, return shipping, and many other hurdles
must be addressed (notice you haven’t even selected a hunting
location yet!). This is just the start of the things hunters need to consider when
hunting caribou in Alaska. Our packages are designed to
eliminate all the headaches and hidden costs that one can incur. When hunting with us, you will have help
and guidance with all of these sometimes-difficult tasks, allowing
you to concentrate on enjoying your vacation. We take care of all the logistical hurdles, and provide you
with detailed pre-trip information about your hunt. You will find our Hunter’s Information Packet covers a wide variety of topics to
answer many common questions, and assist you both in preparing for
the hunt, and while in the field. Our detailed gear list provides “worry-free” packing, and will
ensure you have the proper and necessary items with you.
Upon arrival, hunters will be picked up
at the Kotzebue airport and taken to our operations base. Here they will be given a detailed orientation, look at all
the equipment and food that we provide, and get all of their
personal equipment ready for the flight out to the field. Hunters are then flown out to the field with all necessary
camping equipment and food to a location we feel will be the best
for success. We
encourage hunters to buy a wolf tag. Many of our unguided caribou hunters will have the
opportunity at taking a wolf. If you are into fishing, you will want to also purchase a
fishing license, and bring a packable rod and a few spinners. Northwest Alaska has fantastic char and grayling fishing. Char can grow to over 20 pounds in this region. At the end of your hunt, you will be flown back into town
along with your gear, meat, and trophies, where our personnel will
be eager to hear about your adventures in the field. Our personnel will assist you in making arrangements to
expedite your trophies, and get you and your gear to the gate for
check-in for your return home. This is the
ideal hunt to bond with your best friend or family member(s), as the
memories you share with them will last a lifetime!
Our fully guided caribou hunt is for hunters looking for that extra
edge in finding a trophy caribou, and prefer to have help with all
the work that Alaska caribou hunting entails. All staff
members have had many years working with us in this area and are
very professional and excellent hunters as well as outdoorsmen.
They are also first aid and CPR certified, in case of that
unexpected emergency. In these camps we have satellite phones for
communications and emergency use. Our professional guides will work hard
for you both in camp, and in finding a trophy caribou that you will
be proud to hang on the wall. Guided caribou hunts are much easier as your guide and packer
will do all of the skinning, packing, prepping the hide/cape,
cooking and camp chores; allowing you to sit back and enjoy the
beautiful arctic scenery and wildlife that draws us to this region. This hunt is a great hunt to combo with moose, grizzly bear
and wolf. Many of the
Guides also carry video cameras (or will operate yours) to capture
your hunt and daily activities for you to have forever to remember
your Alaskan hunt. Hunting days will be spent glassing the mountains for caribou,
moose, wolves and grizzly bear. Good binoculars are a must. Our main guided caribou camp is ideally located on top of a
long ridge; caribou migrating through this area often pass right by
camp. This location has
produced many record book caribou for us over the years as well as
many grizzly bear and wolf. It is also a great location for someone who cannot get around
well.
Our unguided drop-off hunt is for hunters who prefer to bring and
use their own gear and equipment. This takes do-it-yourself to
the extreme. On this package we handle the flying, and will
provide recommendations to assist you with your logistics, as well
as safety information, and our detailed hunter orientation prior to
departure into the field. You will handle all other aspect of
you hunt, including; selecting your gear, handling logistical
details for getting it to and from Kotzebue, as well as all in-field
duties, and game and trophy care.
Our experience in providing quality and
high success caribou hunts in northwest Alaska is unmatched.
The cornerstone to our experience is your safety, and Alaska Wilderness
Charters & Guiding will always keep your safety first. Our pilots
are among the best bush pilots in Alaska, and we have a Zero Accident
Safety Record. Alaska weather can be very unpredictable and
at times unsafe to fly. Experience in dealing with the sometimes harsh
and ever-changing weather conditions, as well as the terrain within the
hunting area is essential. No one (including us) likes to
encounter weather delays. Should such a delay happen, our
experienced staff will do all they can to assist you while staying in
town, or out in the field. There are many components which all come
together when referring to expertise. From accurate pre-hunt
information, to hunter recommendations, to gear selection, to logistics,
to on the ground guiding abilities, trophy care, etc.
All of this comes together to ensure your questions are answered, and
that all aspects of your adventure go smoothly as planned. Alaska
Wilderness Charters & Guiding has a very high return rate with our
clientele, and we believe there is no better testament to our expertise. Read on to learn more details!
Caribou hunting
information and caribou habits
Wolves are commonly harvested while caribou hunting.
Alaska Wilderness Charters & Guiding
starts caribou hunting during the early portion of the caribou migration
in late August. On these early caribou hunts, caribou have a
tendency to be in the mountains, coming down to the lower elevations to
feed, then returning back to the mountains in late morning to take
advantage of cooler temperatures. The caribou migration is directly
related to the weather. Cooler fall temperatures will trigger the
start of the migration forcing caribou to group up and move out of the
Brooks Range into the winter range of the Kotzebue Sound.
The migration starts on the north side of the Brooks Range, where the
caribou have spent the summer raising their young and feeding heavily to
put on weight that was lost during the long winter. With our large
caribou hunting area we are able to keep hunters placed along the
current caribou migration throughout the hunting season. In
addition, hunters often see moose, grizzly bear, black bear, dall sheep,
musk ox, wolves, and wolverine while in the field.
Our caribou hunting camps are placed in
locations that have consistently produced for our hunters year after
year. Caribou have been using many of these migration routes for
hundreds of years. Hunters often ask, “How many caribou will I see
on my hunt?” Caribou are migratory, with weather playing a huge
factor in their movement. Caribou hunters should expect to see a varying range of caribou during
their hunt. Most hunters see from 20 to 500 caribou per day.
While herds of several thousand caribou are impressive to see, it is not
common, no mater where you hunt. Typically the caribou begin to shed
their velvet the last week of August, with the larger bulls shedding
their velvet first. During the remainder of the season, caribou
will be hard horned. Our hunts continue through the month of
September as the migration continues.
When
planning your travel for this hunt, you should plan on traveling to
Anchorage and spending the night at the hotel of your choice.
Anchorage has a wide variety of hotels and eating facilities from budget
to 5 star accommodations. Hunters should arrive in Kotzebue on
their scheduled arrival day via Alaska Airlines Flight 151. This
is the first flight out of Anchorage to Kotzebue in the morning.
Our staff will greet you at the airport in Kotzebue, and take you to our
operations base, where you will have plenty of time to prep your gear,
review the gear, equipment, and food we have prepared for your camp, go
through our detailed field orientation, and fly out to camp. We do not recommend hunters arriving in Kotzebue before their scheduled
date. Facilities in Kotzebue are very limited. This includes
hotel and dining facilities. The Nullagvik Hotel and the Bay Side
Restaurant/hotel are essentially the choices for dining and lodging – on
occasion there are others, but their availability cannot be counted
upon. In addition, Kotzebue is a “damp” village, so unless you
bring your own beverages, alcohol cannot be purchased. For your departure from Kotzebue, you
should book Alaska Airlines Flight 153 on the day you are scheduled to
be picked up from the field. This flight departs Kotzebue in the
evening, and returns to Anchorage. In Anchorage you can either
continue on your travels via a “red-eye” flight, or spend the night and
continue your travels the next day.
Equipment
On all of our guided and outfitted hunts
we supply only the best in equipment. All equipment is cleaned and
checked prior to your hunt to ensure that it is in proper working order.
Camps are supplied with Cabela’s 6 man tents, cots and chairs, and all
necessary cooking equipment, as well as a wide variety of quality food -
including fresh pork and beef, and many canned goods. On the unguided hunts, clients will be able to make many fast and
hearty meals. On the guided hunts, meals will be prepared for
you. Be
sure to check out our Gear list and Hunter Information
Packet for additional details.
Meat and Trophy Care
Alaska Wilderness Charters And Guiding
will help you with expediting your trophy. We work with Alpha Fur
Dressers in Anchorage. They will tan and ship your
trophies to you or your taxidermist. We do not recommend traveling
with or shipping green capes to the lower 48, as it is risky and very
expensive. Keep in mind that you will be in Kotzebue, where
many of the shipping options and conveniences available elsewhere, are
non-existent. We have extensive experience in shipping
to/from Kotzebue, and provide our recommendations for expediting to best
ensure the quality of your trophies as well as for the best value for
you. Hunters must also decide what they wish
to do with their meat. Caribou meat is very delicious; however
getting it back to the lower 48 takes some effort and expense.
Shipping meat to the lower 48 from Kotzebue is very expensive.We
recommend hunters wanting to take meat home check it as excess baggage,
and take it with them on the plane when they depart Kotzebue. The
excess baggage fees are far less than direct shipping costs. Hunters can
also donate their meat, and our personnel will assist with this.
However, remember the meat belongs to the hunter and it is your
individual responsibility to properly take care of (Alaska Law). Some hunters bring insulated coolers to
transport their meat home in. This does work well, however with
recent changes in commercial airlines baggage restrictions, we no longer
recommend this. Hunters can purchase airline approved “wetlock”
boxes in Kotzebue for a nominal cost to ship their capes and for meat
transportation.
Contact us for
additional information, and to book your adventure into “the Last
Frontier!”
