Wolf's out of Kotzebue

[Steveo]

Have a Caribou hunt scheduled for this coming mid Sept of of KOTZ. Wondering if the Wolf population is such that it would be advisable to get a Wolf Tag, or would I be just wasting my money on the tag. I'd like to know is there a good possibility of seeing one or just a chance encounter??

Steveo

[cusackla]

Wolf Out Of Kotz

My experience out of Kotzebue has been really good. It seems like if you find the Caribou, you find the wolves as well. I see wolves every trip, but seeing them and getting them has always been two different things. I have attached a picture of one I took out of Kotz. Bottom line, if I were going, I would have a wolf tag in my pocket

[opdenali]

I also have a caribou hunt scheduled for mid September out of Kotz and had the same question, so looks like i'll be buying a wolf tag. I also had the same question about black bears...what's the chance of running into one or looking for one if i get my caribou early in the hunt?

[cusackla]

Chances of both!

Alaska allows you to put any tag on a lesser animal and the chances of getting both are usually pretty slim. I have seen Black Bears where I hunt out of Kotz, but they are few and usually smaller bears, but hey there is always a chance. I do know of at least one hunting party that really got into them.
If you really really want to shoot a Black Bear, I would suggest buy the Black Bear Tag (250) skip the wolf tag (30) and put the Bear Tag on which ever one you shoot 1st.
But! Personally I would not get the bear tag.

[AlaskaTrueAdventure]

wolf tag

A non-resident wolf tag is only $30.00. It is the cheapest single item in your entire hunt. If you do not have a tag that you can put on a wolf, then I predict that you will have a 100% chance of seeing an easy wolf.
Dennis
AK TAGS

[martentrapper]

Wolves and caribou do indeed travel together in that part of Alaska. Just be sure you let one go and earn some of that Karma spoken of in a different thread.

[Catch It]

oh for god's sake MT

Wolves and caribou do indeed travel together in that part of Alaska. Just be sure you let one go and earn some of that Karma spoken of in a different thread.

Go out and kill something and get this out of your system.

[martentrapper]

But catch.........I'm just espousing the same advice you did. What am I doing wrong?
I did kill some ptarmigan monday, and even let one go............but only cuz I'm a poor shot! :-(

Steveo. Get 2 wolf tags. You just never know!!!!!

[Gulkana Rafting]

Balck bear

I also have a caribou hunt scheduled for mid September out of Kotz and had the same question, so looks like i'll be buying a wolf tag. I also had the same question about black bears...what's the chance of running into one or looking for one if i get my caribou early in the hunt?

Hi Boys:

Yes we have wolves and it is worth having that tag. Balck Bear is another thing. The Noatak drainage is almost free of black bear where the Kobuk has lots of them. If your hunting any of the Noatak drainages expect Griz and lots of them. Almost 100% of my outfitted groups see Griz and the floaters will see lots. Last year I outfitted a drop camp up near the Cuttler River and they has 5 griz with in 1/2 of a mile of thier camp in 9 days. A nother group who were floating the KUG saw 5 in the first day.

If you need assistance in picking a river that will offer griz along with your bou or Moose drop me a line.

Walt
www.northwestalaska.com
Kotzebue

[opdenali]

We are doing a drop camp out of Kotz and the outfitter said they would just fly us out to where the caribou are. So if i understand correctly, the chances of seeing a black bear will strictly depend on where the caribou are at that time and where we get dropped off? I don't know the geographical relationship between the Noatak drainage and Kobuk, and I know it varies from year to year, but is it more likely that the caribou will be in one area or the other in mid September? Or do certain outfitters concentrate on certain areas more than others? Sorry for all the questions, but i don't know if i'll ever get the chance to take black bear again and would hate to not have a tag and run into one.

[cusackla]

Black Bear

The more I think about it:
If I was coming up from the lower 48 and I seriously wanted to get a Black Bear, I would just plan a few extra days in Anchorage and look into Prince William Sound, that time of year a black bear is usually very very easy to find. Plan to go at the end of your Kotz trip. A week during late Sept makes a lot of difference in the bear quality.
I see them on the river I float towards the lower end, but they are usually pretty small. We target Moose and we are on a river. If you are going strictly for Caribou and flying out on wheels, chances are you will be on tundra and not in black bear habitat.

[opdenali]

The more I think about it:
If I was coming up from the lower 48 and I seriously wanted to get a Black Bear, I would just plan a few extra days in Anchorage and look into Prince William Sound, that time of year a black bear is usually very very easy to find. Plan to go at the end of your Kotz trip. A week during late Sept makes a lot of difference in the bear quality.
I see them on the river I float towards the lower end, but they are usually pretty small. We target Moose and we are on a river. If you are going strictly for Caribou and flying out on wheels, chances are you will be on tundra and not in black bear habitat.

Thanks for the information, but i will probably not have enough time to schedule another hunt strictly for black bear. Sounds like the chances of seeing a black bear on a caribou hunt are pretty slim, so i'll just get a couple wolf tags. Does anyone have any info on the quality of wolf hides in mid September? Also, does anyone have any good tips on skinning a wolf?

[Steveo]

opdenali

Who are you going with on your Caribou hunt?

[opdenali]

Who are you going with on your Caribou hunt?

Northern Air Trophy

[strangerinastrangeland]

Hmmmmmm....

Some observations here.
Along the Noatak and Kobuk Rivers, Black Bears tend to stay by the treelines and the BrownBears tend tward the open areas, roaming the Ridges as the Blacks roam the bottoms, where the rivers have trees about.
The Kobuk has alot more trees along its banks and adjacent hillsides.


They do go into each others realm, of course, with the Blacks in late August on hillsides mowing Berrys with Browns(Not near each other), and in Sept there are Browns inthe trees ambushing Caribou or fishing nearby.

I hunt the Browns in the Spring and the Blacks in August beause I preferr the taste of their kina meats then.
September Bull meat is well worth the hunt.

Wolf hides are not of a quality I would want, so I wait untill cold November comes along and thickens them up. I belive the hair would be 'set' but thinner in Sept.
Any Wolf you catch should be skinned right away. Make your opening cuts with a knife, and then use your hands to push off the hide from the meat/fats.No knicks or cuts that way, and its quick when the bodys warm.... Lighter to carry across Tundra anyway.