Hunting in Alaska is not like any other hunting you have done before. You can imagine getting around Africa in a Land Rover with a slew of packers. You can imagine getting on a horse in Montana and hunting the Bitteroot country. BUT, what most of you cannot imagine is what you are in for when you hunt in Alaska’s remote bush country! The simplest oversights, mistakes or errors can magnify quickly in the Alaskan Bush-there’s no one around to help if you need it AND In Grizzly/Brown Bear country you slipped down a notch on the food chain!
This is the place you have all dreamed and read about in every Sports Afield, Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazine article since you were a kid. You know, have read and heard how beautiful Alaska is, yes, we all have. BUT, few speak of how mean She can be. Amidst all that natural beauty lurks Lady Alaska. My book speaks of her often! She’s always there, around you. Waiting for a weakness or better yet, a mistake… She will kill you for it or if you are lucky, just ruin your trip. Readiness is ALL!
No matter how you plan for your hunt, do not plan on eliminating the need for packing meat-and lots of it! Not to mention the care of that meat while still in the bush and waiting to be picked up. The elements and the bears make that a chore too. Oh, but it adds so much to your adventure!
Bring a buddy that has your same enthusiasm. One that can do the work of three men: I’m not talking about Larry, Curly and Moe either! I’m talking about a real friend, one who has the same enemies you have.
I wanted to set the tone for the last two parts of this series. It’s going to be a hard hunt. That’s the adventure and that’s the challenge when hunting big game in Alaska on your own. It’s worth every effort, it’s true Adventure!
Food for camp. Eat good, sleep good and hunt better!
There are many variations here. I can provide you with a variety of camp menus upon request but I firmly believe in taking good food to camp. No, add-water meals in a bag please, they just don’t do the job meat and potatoes do while in the Bush on a “work” hunt. You might also want to make sure your buddy is a good cook!
You’ll probably want to purchase your camp food here in Alaska before you leave for the Bush. Whatever you purchase, make sure to re-package it in Ziploc bags back at the hotel room before you fly out. Cans and other trash will follow you the entire trip. YOU CANNOT leave them along the river-WE DON’T DO THAT HERE! Burying it won’t work either. The bears will dig it up and spread it everywhere!
Everything from your flour, sugar, coffee, tang, dried beans, potatoes, onions, garlic, and anything else you bring along, make sure it is emptied out of its bulky store container, put in ziploc bags and packed in a cardboard box for the trip. This method cuts down on bulk, weight and ultimately your trash while in the bush. Clean out your freezer and bring frozen meat along. It will help keep other perishables cold in the cooler and eat them as they thaw out. It also replaces the need for bringing ice. Dungeness Crabs legs (see photo) were a nice touch in the backcountry of Alaska during one of last fall’s hunts! They were frozen solid, and helps keep other food cold in the cooler (your raft seat), whatever thaws first gets eaten first! Beginning to see how it works?
Your Gear List
Add to your gear list a good camera. Each of you should have one. Before you fly to the river, trade cameras with each other, when the trip is over, trade back. That way, your camera will be filled with photos of you and the same goes for your buddy. Alaska is very photogenic, almost at every turn. Bring lots of memory cards/film and extra batteries.
You’re going to need waterproof bags for your gear. Two each should do the trick-make that work. Sleeping bag, clothes, hygiene items, all go in those two bags. Your backpack should remain emptied and bungeed to one of those bags. Stuffed backpacks don’t get along well with small aircraft. They are not “pack friendly”. Packing efficiently may save a flight at the end of your trip especially if there is meat and antlers to deal with.
Pack your rifle inside a soft case, then pack it inside a hard case for the flight to Alaska. You can leave the hard case at the air taxi’s place when you head to the bush. Hard gun cases pack horribly in small aircraft and are always in the way taking up space that in not necessary.
Hunting Alaska for the first time should involve floating a river. Rafts are a great way to see a lot of country and move at no additional charge if game is somewhere else. If you are simply dropped off somewhere you will not have that option. Rafts are very easy to maneuver as the oars are in the middle and they turn on a dime. Only one of you will be “driving”. Unlike a canoe, this eliminates a lot of stress on friendships where one blames the other for steering wrong.
Within a mile or two of river practice (WELL, MAYBE 10), you’ll be a pro. There are a variety of rivers safe to raft and have good Moose, Caribou and Black Bear populations in the areas they flow through. These rafts are workhorses and your budget should include the rental of a good raft. You and your buddy will have a comfortable ride too! There are plenty of places to rent them here.
When you decide on the location of your river hunt then purchase your topo maps of the area at http://www.topozone.com/states/Alaska.asp and study them. Work your way through the country stopping and hiking to the high points in the area. You’ll be glassing back across the river and the area you just hiked through. AVOID seeing anything too far back up the river to. Remember, that Bull Moose will have about 600-800 lbs. of meat to deal with! Not to mention the rack.
Study those topo maps and remember the high points nearest the river on your topo. They make for great places to glass. Game hangs around river bottoms we all know that. That’s the main reason I want first timers to float a river and hunt Alaska that way.
A good tent with a full tent fly that has plenty of tie-down loops is crucial. I highly recommend the Cabela’s Alaskan Guide Model. Alaska weather will beat on you while you are here, go ahead and assume that. Get a comfortable tent. One you can move around in and bring collapsible cots. They go with me everywhere and tie on the raft out of the way nicely.
Another piece of essential gear is your waders. I suggest they be ankle fit and not the “cheap” ones! You will do most of your hunting while wearing waders. Be sure to wear them and break them in BEFORE you arrive. That’s another mistake I have seen lots of hunters make.
The same goes for rain gear. Both pants and hooded rain gear are recommended and essential. Again, do not buy the cheap stuff; it won’t make it through your trip! A good sleeping bag will be your ally at night. It does not need be a sub-arctic bag that is the size of a bushel basket when rolled up! Remember, your gear will eventually end up in the back of a small plane. Inexpensive sleeping bags with a fleece liner installed in them are as good as any sub-zero sleeping bag-the extra layer is the key!
You will need a GOOD backpack. One that has a hip belt as well as chest straps and a STRONG frame. When it comes to packing meat back to your raft, a good backpack is essential. It’s another quality item you need to have with you.
Bring along two small tarps. They are invaluable! They cover gear in the raft, they cover your tent if you have a problem, they cover your meat, make good ground clothes and on and on-bring two! 1/4-inch sisal rope is another must. Hanging meat will require good rope on your trip.
Do not bring gear that you do not need! Leave the gadgets at home-only the essentials need be brought along. Keep your clothing at a minimum too. This is one area that is usually overdone. One extra flight WILL ruin the budget!
With a $3,500.-$4,000. budget you can hunt some of Alaska’s big game and have a blast doing it. START SAVING for that trip of a lifetime now!
I have included links to some Alaskan Air Taxi operators and the areas they do drop offs. http://outdoorsdirectory.com/directory/airtaxi.htm
Many of them have websites and e-mail addresses to help you find the right one. “Right one” refers to the air taxi closest to the river you are going to float.
You no doubt, still have questions about your hunt. There is no way to address all the issues you face if you want to hunt here. But I have given you some very good “bush wise” tips about Alaskan big game on your own. I’ll also add a few more items you’ll want to bring along in part 4 of this series.
Information’s pretty thin stuff, unless mixed with experience!
If you are prepared physically, emotionally, bring the right gear and use your head you’ll experience the hunting trip of your life- bar none!
Now, Lady Alaska is waiting…put Her on your bucket list and watch for “Hunting in Alaska on Your Own”-Part 4.
