Unguided hunt in Alaska

[EAGLEI]

I have done three unguided hunts in Alaska for Caribou and Goats. The most recent was last September. I may be able to provide some information on equipment/ clothing/ food to bring and the flying services I am familiar with.
Good rain gear, boots and hip boots, and a light weight rigid packframe system are musts. MRE'S for dinner are great.
I have always used a 30-06 and keep a 44 mag pistol in camp for last resort.

[Redhawk1]

i have also done unguided Caribou hunts in Alaska. What a blast I had and we are going back next year.  

[Sourdough]

Unguided Moose and Caribou hunts are OK.  But to hunt Dall Sheep, Goats, And Grizzly/Brown Bear you have to have a guide or resident family member.

[Dand]

One might be aware that more and more areas in Alaska are requiring unguided nonresidents to view an instructional video before they can be issued their hunting tags.  The idea is to help hunters avoid common mistakes (judging legal bulls, removing antlers before meat) and how to avoid breaking the law.  Often a skinning and handling video is recommended as well.  I know of a few hunters who later said they were glad for the videos as they avoided shooting a huge bull that was too far off the river (and in mucky tundra) to retrieve.

Allow time for the instruction period before your hunt. Good luck.

[Redhawk1]

I tell you what, it was a job and a half getting to the Caribou I shot. I took a 300 yard shot and it went down in tall grass the had about 5 inches of water and was like walking through the marsh mud. I was wore out by the time I got to my Caribou. Even harder coming back with all the meat and hide and horns.  2 of use had our packs full and a mile hike back to camp, and we had to cross a river both ways. When we got back to camp and un packed we were just resting and had 8 big bull Caribou come a little over 200 yards from camp. My buddy got the shooting sticks and took the biggest one at 208 yards from camp. That was a life saver only had to move the meat , hide and horns 208 yards.    Third Caribou was taken the next day and it was about a mile from camp also.  :grin:

[Dand]

Redhawk, you have similar luck to me.  One trip I shot a caribou about 3/4 to 1 mile from camp, with some mucky tundra to cross.  And  it was only about 4 weeks after my appendix surgery.  The rest of the group took caribou within 50-400 yards of camp over the following days. Then the caribou disappeared.  We had seen 100's on the flight in.  We saw 1 on the flight out.  When they leave, THEY LEAVE.

Good luck.

[Daveinthebush]

As Dand stated knowing the regulations is important.  I was reading the State Police reports the other day and there were 2 reports of F&G fines for failure to forget to mail in goat draw tags.  Forgetting to mail in you draw tag will cost you $110.

If you do a self guided hunt please read the regulations.

[Redhawk1]

Daveinthebush, that was one thing I made sure I followed, we only left the bones and the part of the hide we did not need. We caped the Caribou out right there on the spot. Alaska can be a very challenging hunt, but well worth it.