This is my one of my ultimate goals. It will take years for me to save up and afford it but I'll make it happen one of these days. Have any of you ever done it or plan on doing it? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I've been looking into these guys... http://www.fortymileair.com/
Check back with me in September. If I can get my friend to give me his deposit money, we are booking our reservations within 2 weeks. We are doing an August Sitka Blacktail hunt on Kodiak Island. What species do you want to hunt? If this one goes well, I would LIKE to return for a Caribou or Moose trip, but that is a bucket list type hunt rather than short term hunt. Rob (KodiakArcher) would be a great resource for information once you get some plans built. The Alaska Fish and Wildlife page is a huge information source too.
Thanks TEmbry. Yes, I definitely want to do a Caribou hunt. So far I've priced out a DIY hunt for 10 days at about $4k. It seems I should be able to get it done cheaper than that. Thoughts on what I'm prob looking to spend?
I'm going in September on a Moose,Caribou, Wolf hunt for a lot less then you might think. My buddy went on it a few years ago and had a blast so we haope to have the same kind of trip.
I think a lot of the cost is in flying, and the little float planes as I understand it charge by weight units. To get you out of the "bush," but I wouldn't think $4k if that is all inclusive sounded bad at all.
I am going next year with 3 other guys on an archery moose hunt, Lord willing and the creek doesn't rise.
HCH, I recognize you from another forum that I won't mention out of respect for sponsors etc. Great season last year and I would love to pick your brain about this Alaska thing!!
My buddy huntnmuleys(Brad) from AT is in charge and getting it together. He is in Africa right now. I am letting him book it. We are driving to Alaska, as we want our meat, racks, equipment, etc to get there and back safely. We plan on going to Washington state in our truck, ferrying up the coast, and getting on our drop plane in Anchorage, and leaving our vehicle at the Anchorage airport. All we have to do is book our pilot. We aren't using a guide, just a drop in service. A friend of mine from IA is going and Brad has a friend that is going from WY.
Not entirely accurate but close. They charge by the hour of flight time but that's per hour that the plane is in the air so if it takes an hour to get to your spot you pay for 4 hours of flight time (in and out to drop off, in and out to pick up) unless you can piggy back part of it with another party (They get dropped off when you get picked up). The way that the weight thing comes into play is that each type of plane has a weight load and the bigger the plane the more expensive it is per hour (but you can potentially split that cost with more hunters so a big palne may actually be more economical). As an example; our POW hunt was 1/2 hour in to camp so we payed $966 for 2 hours of flight time in a DeHavilland Beaver which has a 1200 to 1500 lb. payload (that's persons plus gear) depending on the individual plane and whether it's on wheels, floats or is amphibious. Keep in mind that the $966 figure is a bargain rate since I've been using these guys for a few years and they cut me a break. One thing to research when you're shopping for a flight service is that some of them provide you a package deal where you're allotted a certain weight limit for the type of hunt you're going on regardless of what plane they decide to fly you in or how many trips they are taking to get you there. The rate is a flat point A to B and back to A with all your game. There are pluses and minuses to each system. The second type tends to be more expensive but it requires less planning on your part. The big problem these days for a DIY hunt is getting all the gear in and then all the gear, meat and trophies back out of state/country via the commercial airlines. At $15 for bag 1, $25 for bag 2 and $100 for each bag after that it's just not feasible to bring it all with you any more. (Figure on 8 50# boxes of meat for a modest moose plus the rack!!!) The best bet is to get it all shipped to your rendezvous before the trip via air cargo. Then there's the whole HazMat issue to deal with. Don't plan on shipping or bringing anything that's flammable including: lighters, bug spray, bear spray, ShoeGoo... but especially not gas cookstoves. You'll need to bring a propane or butane stove and buy fuel canisters when you get there (be sure to call ahead to ensure they are available when you get in). Pay attention to every detail and do your homework and you'll do fine. I've been doing this kind of stuff up here for over 15 years and I still screw up some mundane detail or forget something(s) on every trip. I like to think I do it to keep things exciting but in honesty it just seems to be getting worse as I get older!
Don, could you make your signature a little bit larger please? It doesn't quite take up a full screen! LOL!
