Hello, my wife drew a caribou tag along the western half of the Denali highway. I have never hunted caribou up there before. I have hunted caribou in the western Alaska Range, the mulchatna herd over by Illiamna, and along the Dalton Highway. My question to anyone willing to offer some advice is how essential is an ATV for hunting the Denali highway? I have never done much hunting using 4 wheelers. I mostly like to travel by foot or get dropped off somewhere by aircraft. My wife and I don't own a 4 wheeler. I have considered getting one for this hunt and for bear baiting, but I don't currently own one. Thank you in advance for any advice anyone has to offer.
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How necessary is an ATV for hunting caribou along the Denali highway
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My first Nelchina caribou, a very nice bull, I hunted on foot utilizing experience and knowledge learned on a successful Mulchatna hunt. If you and your wife are fit enough to hike off the beaten path and use what you know of caribou behavior you should do fine, provided the caribou are in the vicinity.
Wind, weather and bugs, influence their behavior quite a bit in my experience.
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I've taken one on foot up there while leaving the atv in the back of my truck. There are some non-motorized areas up there (Clearwater Controlled Use Area) and some other areas where there simply aren't very many trails. Head out into some of these areas and you should have a good chance of success, not to mention much less company than those on the atv trails.
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Originally posted by AKDoug View PostNot necessary at all. I saw caribou from the road several times last year when it was open for 'Bou. I don't know where your tag ends, but a couple guys got 'Bou by riding bicycles into the Valdez Crk. road.
Originally posted by .338WM View PostMy first Nelchina caribou, a very nice bull, I hunted on foot utilizing experience and knowledge learned on a successful Mulchatna hunt. If you and your wife are fit enough to hike off the beaten path and use what you know of caribou behavior you should do fine, provided the caribou are in the vicinity.
Wind, weather and bugs, influence their behavior quite a bit in my experience.
Originally posted by Brian M View PostI've taken one on foot up there while leaving the atv in the back of my truck. There are some non-motorized areas up there (Clearwater Controlled Use Area) and some other areas where there simply aren't very many trails. Head out into some of these areas and you should have a good chance of success, not to mention much less company than those on the atv trails.
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Valdez Creek Road leaves to the west of the Denali Hwy. right after the Denali Hwy crosses the Susitna River. I know at least one guy I passed info to about riding his mtn. bike in there got a caribou. The Valdez Crk road is not allowed for use for hunting as it's in a non-motorized area. You must leave your vehicle at the gravel pit right off the Denali Hwy and use non-motorized methods to travel in. It feels weird to do this as campers, fisherman, and miners drive by you in their trucks, but it's the rules. I saw caribou off the road in July, August and September last year. You are still going to need to pedal/walk five to ten miles so I don't mind passing along the info....even though the negative PM's will start flowing my way in a few minutes from posting this.Bunny Boots and Bearcats: Utility Sled Mayhem
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Last year after I shot my caribou out of Tok, I took my Mom up to the Denali Highway for a few days of looking for game and reminiscing (we had spent 2-3 weeks hunting and berry picking along the Denali every fall when I was a kid). We spotted a caribou about 200 yards off the road around mile 70 on the Clearwater CUA side, and we waited about 15 minutes for a hunter to drive by so we could point it out to them. Wouldn't you know, no one drove by during that time, so the caribou went on its merry way.
My Mom is in her late 60s, so we don't leave the main gravel road much anymore, and we saw quite a few caribou that someone could have packed less than 3/4 of a mile back to the main Denali Highway. the closest one was within 200 yards of the road.
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Not needed, however.
I did the bike thing, ATV thing, and my buddy just gets them off the hwy. They can be all over the place at the certain time of year. An ATV is nice though if you get a big one. I like camping a ways down trails, gives you the whole morning to hunt while people are riding down the trails from the HWY.
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Long before it was a draw hunt or what ever it is now. I used to take the wheel barrow back "Windy Creek", remove the head, guts, and knees down, throw it in the wheel barrow and push it out."Essential......to Prepping for Survival, is to be able to segregate, what you think will happen, from what you hope will happen, from what you fear will happen, from what is happening".
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Originally posted by AGL4now View PostLong before it was a draw hunt or what ever it is now. I used to take the wheel barrow back "Windy Creek", remove the head, guts, and knees down, throw it in the wheel barrow and push it out.
Whereabouts is Windy Creek? When I was a kid we used to hunt the Osar Lake Trail, just south of the Highway before you drop into the McClaren River Valley from the Paxson side.
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Originally posted by mdhunter View PostHow far did you push that thing AGL? I used to labor for bricklayers during my summer breaks from college, and I pushed a few wheelbarrows full of mortar around. I would think pushing a wheelbarrow along the bumpy side trails off the highway would be a lot of work, but never tried it, so could be way off base.
Whereabouts is Windy Creek? When I was a kid we used to hunt the Osar Lake Trail, just south of the Highway before you drop into the McClaren River Valley from the Paxson side."Essential......to Prepping for Survival, is to be able to segregate, what you think will happen, from what you hope will happen, from what you fear will happen, from what is happening".
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Thanks for the walk down memory lane. How long ago are we talking? Did that thing have a square wheel? Are you sure that was a caribou or a baby wooly mammoth? I hear that mammoth veal is about as good as it gets... assuming one had invented fire with which to cook it.Passing up shots on mergansers since 1992.
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Originally posted by Bushwhack Jack View PostWhen you say you've only taken one on foot up there though, that makes we a little wary. One in roughly how many Brian? 5, 10, 20, 50? 1 in 5 isn't bad odds, 1 in 50 however makes me think I ought to look at getting access to an ATV.
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