Any Previous Tok Air Service Hunters? Booked for 2024 and have some ?'s

[Timvz26]

Hello, everyone, I previously posted that we were looking to book a caribou hunt and was lucky enough to book with Tok Air service, I am aware of the drama that went on in 2020 and not looking to hash that out, wanting chat with anybody who has hunted with them in the past few year to find out about gear and weight, what worked and what didn't, and what to expect. We haven't set an exact date yet but looks to be around the 10th of September next year.

Few of the questions we have are:

Seek Redcliff and stove for 3 people, plus a gear tent, is the stove worth it? is there plenty of wood around?

Water Filtration? Some people say you don't need to filter water some say you do?

Vortex spotting scope, its a 20x60x80mm, its great but weighs a ton, is it worth bringing it?

Sidearm, with the 50lb weight we are contemplating not bring a sidearm or just one for the 3 of us? Thoughts?

Ptarmigan....Were they around and how did you harvest them? thinking 40 cal birdshot out of the 10mm if we bring it.


Thanks, Tim

 

[glass eye]

I have not flown with them but I’m a very light packer.

If you really want ptarmigan or grouse, take a shotgun or.22 because I have shot Mearns and Gambels Quail with a .44 mag shot shells and you have to be around 5 yards or less to be effective.

I have hunted in New Zealand where glacier fed streams are the clearest most beautiful water and yet there was a dead tahr rotting in it. Don’t trust the water.

 

[glass eye]

Here I’m hunting ptarmigan but also carrying my 300 win mag for caribou.

 

[glass eye]

At 1:33 in the right side of the screen there’s a dead tahr wedged in the rocks in the stream.

 

[mdhunter61]

Hello, everyone, I previously posted that we were looking to book a caribou hunt and was lucky enough to book with Tok Air service, I am aware of the drama that went on in 2020 and not looking to hash that out, wanting chat with anybody who has hunted with them in the past few year to find out about gear and weight, what worked and what didn't, and what to expect. We haven't set an exact date yet but looks to be around the 10th of September next year.

Few of the questions we have are:

Seek Redcliff and stove for 3 people, plus a gear tent, is the stove worth it? is there plenty of wood around?

Water Filtration? Some people say you don't need to filter water some say you do?

Vortex spotting scope, its a 20x60x80mm, its great but weighs a ton, is it worth bringing it?

Sidearm, with the 50lb weight we are contemplating not bring a sidearm or just one for the 3 of us? Thoughts?

Ptarmigan....Were they around and how did you harvest them? thinking 40 cal birdshot out of the 10mm if we bring it.


Thanks, Tim

I haven't hunted with Tok Air Service, but have hunted caribou many times with 40 Mile Air, so I was hunting the same country that you will be. Responses to your specific questions below...

Seek Redcliff and stove for 3 people, plus a gear tent, is the stove worth it? is there plenty of wood around?

The will be wood around in most places you could be dropped off in that country. There may be a few spots where wood isn't readily available or you have to haul it a ways, but my camps typically were close to a wood source.

Water Filtration? Some people say you don't need to filter water some say you do?

Filter your water. That's not a chance you want to take, anyone who has contracted giardia will tell you.

Vortex spotting scope, its a 20x60x80mm, its great but weighs a ton, is it worth bringing it?

In much of that country, you can see for miles. Better to bring the spotter and save the wear and tear on your legs. Let your glass do much of the walking, until it's time to stalk a shooter bull.

Sidearm, with the 50lb weight we are contemplating not bring a sidearm or just one for the 3 of us? Thoughts?

Can't you wear the sidearm on you in the plane? That way it would be part of you, and not part of the 50 pound gear limit. With 3 guys in the sleep tent, seems easier to have the pistols in the sleep tent with you, and leave the rifles (or 2 of them anyway) in the gear tent while you sleep.

Ptarmigan....Were they around and how did you harvest them? thinking 40 cal birdshot out of the 10mm if we bring it.

How many days are you planning to hunt? If you're chasing or shooting ptarmigan, doesn't seem like you are focused on caribou. I know you can run into them in caribou country, but you don't know how many of your days in camp will be huntable, and how many will be bad weather days spent in the tent. I'd photograph any ptarmigan you see and stay focused on the bou.

Caribou hunting can be easy if they're around, really tough if they're not, and weather can play a big factor. This year we had 3 hunters in camp on a 6 day hunt; it rained or snowed every day except one, and we spent a lot of time in the tent when visibility was too poor to glass or hunt. Stay focused on the caribou (or wolf if you see them), and take pics of any other animals.

Best of luck to you, hope the weather in 24 is a little better than it was this year.

 

[Timvz26]

I haven't hunted with Tok Air Service, but have hunted caribou many times with 40 Mile Air, so I was hunting the same country that you will be. Responses to your specific questions below...

Seek Redcliff and stove for 3 people, plus a gear tent, is the stove worth it? is there plenty of wood around?

The will be wood around in most places you could be dropped off in that country. There may be a few spots where wood isn't readily available or you have to haul it a ways, but my camps typically were close to a wood source.

Water Filtration? Some people say you don't need to filter water some say you do?

Filter your water. That's not a chance you want to take, anyone who has contracted giardia will tell you.

Vortex spotting scope, its a 20x60x80mm, its great but weighs a ton, is it worth bringing it?

In much of that country, you can see for miles. Better to bring the spotter and save the wear and tear on your legs. Let your glass do much of the walking, until it's time to stalk a shooter bull.

Sidearm, with the 50lb weight we are contemplating not bring a sidearm or just one for the 3 of us? Thoughts?

Can't you wear the sidearm on you in the plane? That way it would be part of you, and not part of the 50 pound gear limit. With 3 guys in the sleep tent, seems easier to have the pistols in the sleep tent with you, and leave the rifles (or 2 of them anyway) in the gear tent while you sleep.

Ptarmigan....Were they around and how did you harvest them? thinking 40 cal birdshot out of the 10mm if we bring it.

How many days are you planning to hunt? If you're chasing or shooting ptarmigan, doesn't seem like you are focused on caribou. I know you can run into them in caribou country, but you don't know how many of your days in camp will be huntable, and how many will be bad weather days spent in the tent. I'd photograph any ptarmigan you see and stay focused on the bou.

Caribou hunting can be easy if they're around, really tough if they're not, and weather can play a big factor. This year we had 3 hunters in camp on a 6 day hunt; it rained or snowed every day except one, and we spent a lot of time in the tent when visibility was too poor to glass or hunt. Stay focused on the caribou (or wolf if you see them), and take pics of any other animals.

Best of luck to you, hope the weather in 24 is a little better than it was this year.

Thank you for the reply. I need to confirm on wearing a side arm on the flight but I think he said it counted towards our 50 lbs. Thanks for setting me straight on the ptarmigan too, makes sense.

What time of year was your hunt?

 

[Bambistew]

Can't add much to what MDhunter said. I doubt you'll even see ptarmigan, but I'm sure you will now that I said that.

A sidearm is nice when packing moose, otherwise you will have a rifle. I never take one if I have a rifle.

There is usually plenty of wood around. A bigger tent is not a bad thing, and a stove is nice I suppose. Out of the probably 25 fly out hunts I've done, I've used a stove exactly 3 days our of 250(?) days. Rarely are we in a tent long enough to need or what a tent, plus the hassle. Up early, back late, no time for a fire if you're hunting, YMMV.

I wouldn't fly with Tok Air if someone paid me. Good luck!

 

[mdhunter61]

Thank you for the reply. I need to confirm on wearing a side arm on the flight but I think he said it counted towards our 50 lbs. Thanks for setting me straight on the ptarmigan too, makes sense.

What time of year was your hunt?

This year we flew in on August 30 and flew back to Tok on Sep 6 I think. All of my caribou hunts in that area were end of August fly-ins, hunt for 6 days or so, return to Tok around Sep 6 or 7.

To add to my earlier comments on wood, and to follow up on what Bambistew said - we never brought a stove. Gets light around 6 am, and dark about 830 or 9 that time of year, so we were focused on food and bed when back in camp. We did build a couple of outside fires, more for fun than anything.

 

[glass eye]

Here I’m hunting ptarmigan but also carrying my 300 win mag for caribou.

View attachment 302565

Ps.

Just because I’m ready to shoot ptarmigan when they suddenly flush in front of me doesn’t mean that I’m not focused on caribou hunting.
Notice the bino chest harness and head high walking stick that I use to steady my binos.

When you go days without seeing caribou it sure is fun to bust some ptarmigan while searching for caribou. The “focus on one or the other “ would only be true if I had left my rifle in camp. That would be stupid.

 

[Bill Zent]

A few years back I was hunting moose and caribou not far from where Tok Air dropped off hunters. It was on a ridge top with a long walk down to water and of course your game animals needed to be packed up to the airstrip which meant extra work. I talked to one of the hunters and he was not happy about that, but was otherwise.

Boil water to be 99% you won't get the "Beaver fever".

I bought a "doubler" for my 10x40 Swarovski binoculars to use as a 20x, but forgot and left it home. Duh me. It would have been very handy on the hunt.

Bill