caribou hunt

J

Jim n Iowa

New member
Myself and another over 50 stoved up hunter want to go caribou hunting and maybe some elk. Neither having hunted for anything but mule deer to coyotes. As we live in Central Iowa, Alaska is not at the top of our list.
Any Input would be appreciated.

Jim
 
I've read about woodland caribou hunting in Newfoundland, you might look into that.

For elk, pretty much all the Rocky Mountain states have good herds. I think all the states except Colorado (which has over the counter tags) only give tags on a lottery system though. Draw success rates vary depending on your chosen state, hunt area, and what you hunt with (rifle, bow, etc.). Surf around to state game and fish department web pages and read up. There's a wealth of information on elk hunting.

Good luck.
 
Jim,

If you are going after caribou in AK you need to decide if you want a do it yourself type hunt or do you want to hire a outfitter.

Success for caribou will generally run pretty high if things go right. Me and a couple of buddies did a selfguided hunt in AK for caribou a couple of years ago and we all got two bulls each and saw roughly 3,000 animals over a ten day period. It was the experience of a lifetime. Everyone should do it once. There is lots of planning for a trip like this so if you don't enjoy that kind of thing you would be better off going with an outfitter who has all the equipmentand does all the planning for you.

Elk hunting can be tough on public land in a general season. You must be willing to do lots of planning to have a successful hunt in an area you have never been before for elk. If you just want to see the mountains and have a chance at any legal bull this might be just fine for you.

I have talked to nonresident hunters in the past who come here to Idaho expecting to see lots of elk and have easy hunting. They are generally disappointed because they didn't do any homework before they bought their tags and didn't know the country was that brushy or steep and elk can be spread pretty thin over lots of area. They think it will be like what they read in Outdoor Life.

On the other hand I know nonresidents who do lots of research, plan, and hunt hard and do really well on elk.

I would check into finding elk hunting where it is a controlled type hunt where the numbers of hunters are limited and country is easier to hunt. You may have a hard time getting drawn for these types of areas but generally the hunting will be much better and have more and bigger bulls.

I hope this helps you in some way. Good luck

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Originally posted by DesertRam:
I've read about woodland caribou hunting in Newfoundland, you might look into that.

For elk, pretty much all the Rocky Mountain states have good herds. I think all the states except Colorado (which has over the counter tags) only give tags on a lottery system though. Draw success rates vary depending on your chosen state, hunt area, and what you hunt with (rifle, bow, etc.). Surf around to state game and fish department web pages and read up. There's a wealth of information on elk hunting.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Desert Ram
Thanks for the reply as for elk I have been checking out the centeral, south Colorado, Durango. Alaska is what I no clue on. Wife and are planning to visit in may.
Jim
 
Originally posted by Lonny:
Jim,

If you are going after caribou in AK you need to decide if you want a do it yourself type hunt or do you want to hire a outfitter.

Success for caribou will generally run pretty high if things go right. Me and a couple of buddies did a selfguided hunt in AK for caribou a couple of years ago and we all got two bulls each and saw roughly 3,000 animals over a ten day period. It was the experience of a lifetime. Everyone should do it once. There is lots of planning for a trip like this so if you don't enjoy that kind of thing you would be better off going with an outfitter who has all the equipmentand does all the planning for you.

Elk hunting can be tough on public land in a general season. You must be willing to do lots of planning to have a successful hunt in an area you have never been before for elk. If you just want to see the mountains and have a chance at any legal bull this might be just fine for you.

I have talked to nonresident hunters in the past who come here to Idaho expecting to see lots of elk and have easy hunting. They are generally disappointed because they didn't do any homework before they bought their tags and didn't know the country was that brushy or steep and elk can be spread pretty thin over lots of area. They think it will be like what they read in Outdoor Life.

On the other hand I know nonresidents who do lots of research, plan, and hunt hard and do really well on elk.

I would check into finding elk hunting where it is a controlled type hunt where the numbers of hunters are limited and country is easier to hunt. You may have a hard time getting drawn for these types of areas but generally the hunting will be much better and have more and bigger bulls.

I hope this helps you in some way. Good luck
Click to expand...

WE would do a guided hunt. I plan on visiting your area next year with my wife. Any info would be appreciated. Our tntative plane is to fly to Fairbanks and train to Anchorage, the rent a motorhome to Homer and back. Any suggestions
 
I booked a bear hunt through Ventures Outdoors a couple of years ago after some good references from a friend who had booked some hunts through. The owners name is Wayne Stufflebeam and he is very helpful and a wealth of info. His website is www.ventures-outdoors.com. My experience with this outfit was good and I will use them again if I go out of state.
 
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