Brooks Range, Aniuk River

[HunterTom]

I will be hunting the Aniuk River (somewhere near Howard Pass) in the Brooks Range this fall for caribou and bear. I've hunted the southern Brooks in the past and have had great success, but haven't hunted this area yet.

I would like to know, for those of you who have hunted the Aniuk, what kind of success you had, what time of year you were there, what you saw (as far as numbers of animals), and if the terrain was relatively high and dry or wet and marshy.


Thanks.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Aniuk River

Aniuk River

I hunted Howard Pass area two years ago in mid Aug. On a river just to the east of H. pass. Saw hundreds of Caribou daily, took 5 bulls and a Grizz. Who are you flying in with?

 

[HunterTom]

I'm flying in with Buck Maxson. He's a great guy. Eric Sieh is another great pilot, but he's been contracted by a mine to fly in supplies. So with that obligation he's tough to get a hold of. Who was it that you used? Or did you have your own?

 

[AK Troutbum]

Aniuk River

Aniuk River

I use Bettles lodge and flew out in a Beaver on floats. What turned you on to this area? Just wondering as this place gets very little pressure, which is probably secondary to the high cost to get there. I flew with Erik a few years ago out of Kotz to a river on the SW side of the Brooks Range and agree with you, he is a very good pilot. What is Buck using to fly you out in, and if you don't mind me asking how much is he charging?

 

[HunterTom]

Well... Due to scheduling conflicts we are forced to hunt mid-August. Which is considered quite early for hunting out of Kotzebue. However, two years ago we had good opportunities at 7 or 8 trophy class bulls right on the Noatak near the Cutler confluence. Although we truly had to work for those opportunities.

We decided the farther north we could go the better, and to find a pass to help funnel the caribou as they start migrating would make it easier on us.

Buck flies a 206 on floats and a 185 on wheels. We'll most likely be taking the 206. He charges $1200 flat rate per person or $400/flight hour round trip. Him, along with Northern Air Trophy, were the best deals we could find. However, that early in the season it seemed that only Eric and him were flying.

We had thought about flying out of Bettles but it seemed quite expensive if I remember correctly (how much did Bettles Lodge charge, if you don't mind). It sounds like you had a great hunt, so is it safe to assume they had a good operation out there?

I was looking at a map of the river east of H. Pass and was wondering if that river was fordable or if all you could do was waive at the caribou standing on the far bank?

 

[AK Troutbum]

Like I said we flew in on a Beaver and Bettles Lodge charged $666.00/hr. It took us about 1.5 hr. flying time to get there. Kind of expensive but as far as I know the only other operation out of Bettles that has Beavers is Brooks Range Aviation and their price was much higher, plus their from MN, and I would rather support a total Alaskan operation. I looked into flying out of Kotz but the distance was much further than from Bettles so although the price per hr. is cheaper in Kotz the added distance made the overall cost more. As far as the rivers being fordable, probably depends on the river and how close to the head waters you are. There was no reason to cross the river we were on since we had caribou all around us just about all day every day. We literally shot everything from camp with the exception of the bear. We shot only bulls with the largest scoring around 350 points. I had a shoulder mount made out of one of mine that was a double shovel, not the biggest bull that I shot but I chose it because of the double shovel. I tried to put a picture of it on here, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to do it.

 

[HunterTom]

More Experiences

More Experiences

If anyone else has any experiences hunting in the northern Brooks range out of Bettles or Kotzebue they'd like to share, I'd like to hear about them.

Thanks.