Caribou Hunting in Alaska
by Jason Lesmeister - The Alaskan Guide
There are a
number of reasons hunters come to Alaska to chase caribou. Most
often they just want to see the huge herds of caribou that roam
the migration routes. It’s an interesting phenomenon where each
year these huge herds of big animals follow the same route
trampling a path that’s impossible to miss. While caribou
typically follow the same path each year, occasionally something
spurs them to change routes and it is an interesting sight from
the air as you view old trails that have been abandoned and the
new trails that are currently used.
I hunt the
Mulchatna herd which spends July and August in that
southwestern/western section of the state. Where I hunt I’m
catching the herd right before they begin their winter migration.
The beauty
of this part of the state is there are plenty of landing areas and
you can stay ahead of the herd. You figure out where they’re
heading, and depending on how big the herd is, you choose your
landing spot dependent on whether you wish to land ahead of the
pack or in the middle of them somewhere.
What many
people don’t realize is that the herd doesn’t always stay
together. They might intersect a big lake or a mountain range,
which causes them to scatter for a couple of weeks. They will
group up again but when a herd of caribou splits up you will have
little bands of 20 to 30 caribou and each group will vary in
size. One group might have nothing but small bulls and cows.
Another might have a few big bulls to choose from.
By the end
of August and through September the caribou are going to be
together in a large group. The big bulls are starting to get into
the rut period and through September there will be a lot of
posturing with the big bulls battling each other until the
dominant bulls move off with a bunch of cows. There will be what
I refer to as “Satellite Bulls” hanging around the edge of these
smaller groups. But now the breeding begins. When the mating
process has ended the herd reconnects and it’s off to the
wintering grounds.
The
Mulchatna herd keeps growing. Right now there are over 200,000
caribou in that herd. They are a member of the barren-ground
caribou which is the largest caribou of all the species and the
Mulchatnna herd is always providing Boone and Crockett animals
every season.
Hunting
caribou finds you on a rustic hunt. I call it the Super Cub
(that’s the airplane we use to transport gear and hunters) and
Tundra Hunt. You get delivered to a location where there are two
Bomb Shelter tents; one for sleeping and one for eating.
They are
usually nice tents with cots and there are some small folding
chairs in the cook tent.
The day
after arrival the hunt begins. If you’re doing a drop hunt –
where you’ve just been dropped into a zone and left with the gear
– you’re on your own. You then need to scout the herd and try to
locate the animal that’s right for you. If you’re on a guided
hunt the guide should have some trophy animals scouted out for
you.
The country
you’re likely to start out in is smaller mountains and hills. As
the herd moves you end up out in the flats. More than likely you
will be in sight of your tents when you’re pulling the trigger on
your caribou. That’s not saying you won’t have to pull a
five-mile hike to find the trophy of your dreams, but if
everything is working properly you shouldn’t have to hike more
than a mile or two in any direction to be into huge bulls. The
biggest bull I’ve ever guided to was only 40 yards from my tent.
It’s a
low-impact hunt and you’re seeing a lot of animals. It’s the
prefect hunt to bring a young hunter so they can witness one of
nature’s natural phenomenons: The Great Migration.
I can’t say
that you won’t see other hunters and you will see other camps when
you’re flying in. There are just so many caribou and people want
to hunt them, so you should expect to have other hunters nearby.
But the herd is huge and most hunters in Alsaska have a lot of
respect for others and they tend to steer clear when they know
you’re nearby. There are obviously plenty of animals for
everyone.
The first
couple of weeks in August the caribou will be in velvet. The
third week they begin to lose it. Some hunters want a rack in
velvet, but there’s some planning involved in that process. If
it’s a hard-horn mount that’s preferred you just peel the velvet
and wash the rack. By the third week if you see a bull with no
velvet left on the antlers you know he’s probably big.
If you could
only make one hunt to Alaska in your lifetime I would highly
recommend the caribou. It’s the most economical hunt, the
landscape is tremendous and positioning yourself in the middle of
a huge herd of migrating caribou is an experience that has a
lasting impact.
Jason
Lesmeister is a registered Alaskan Guide, Visit his web site at
www.frontiersafari.com
