ARCAT:
I tried this last Fall, in connection with two other hunts. The 'bou hunt was the last hunt and it was a flop. We hunted out of Dillingham, in the Southwest interior, and when it was time to fly out to the caribou hunting grounds, the pilot told us that they couldn't find the animals. It was warm for late September and the caribou hadn't started moving yet or herding up. I was very dissappointed in our pilot.
One of our guys flew all the way from New Jersey to spend 5 days in a Dillingham hotel and then go home. You can imagine how dissappointed he was. :BLEEP:
I will do another caribou hunt but I will do things differently next time.
I will book just a caribou hunt and not try to combine it with any other hunt.
I will book with a reputable pilot who will GUARANTEE that they can find caribou and put us down near them.
I will book with a pilot who has small planes with tundra tires as well as float planes. Our pilot last Fall had only float planes.
I will still go unguided. We don't need a guide if the pilot puts us in the right place.
I don't need a drop camp. I do need the drop but not the camp, because I have all my own gear and I would rather plan and provide my own food and gear. I can do it better than they can.
I will make sure that we have determined the price in advance for services including the following;
A place to camp in Illiamna while waiting to fly out,
Three flights from Illiamna to hunting grounds;
- the drop-off flight (guaranteed to be where there are caribou),
- one flight to pickup animals or to relocate our camp,
- the last flight to pick us up, including more animals,
cape preparation and freezing,
freezer space rental for meat,
a place to camp in Illiamna while waiting to fly back to Anchorage.
I will hunt the Mulchatna herd, North of Illiamna.
Some different strategies for getting there.
First Strategy: Fly Penn Air to Illiamna. Meet our pilot there and fly to hunting grounds from Illiamna. This is probably less expensive if we can make arrangements with a reliable pilot.
Second Strategy: Fly out of Lake Hood or Soldotna directly to the hunting grounds. This will cost more for the bush pilot but may be the best way to get where we want to go.
KC
