Caribou via road system?

[Longhunter7]

Looking for some info., on hunting decent bull caribou from the road system. Is the dalton Hwy. the only game in town? I rifle/ backpack hunt, and the 5 mile rule seem's to extreme. Are there any other places to hunt this way in Alaska?I have no desire to hunt from a car window, but like to go in a few miles. Planing a trip from out of state, and would be thankful for any help. Please feel free to PM me . Thanks Bill.

 

[autoglass]

king salmon

king salmon

Try fling into king salmon, rent a 4 wheeler and go get a boo, I never did this but I hear its the way to go

 

[Brian M]

The Kenai Mountains caribou hunt is an option, but it is a drawing permit hunt. There are pretty good odds of drawing a permit, but the success rate is really low. If you think 5 miles is bad, this probably isn't the hunt for you. I was successful about 7 miles in, and a couple of other friends found success 12-15 miles in. That being said, the walking is WAY nicer than the Haul Road, as there are firm trails and less hummocks.

As for the previous suggestion of King Salmon, well...that's not on the road system.

-Brian

 

[tccak71]

Taylor Highway

Taylor Highway

I know the Taylor Highway gets hammered by atvs but, I've considered walking in and glassing from the east side of the Taylor. I don't know if its worth the time or not. I know fellas float the 40 Mile River too, so you wouldn't be alone.

Tim

 

[Snyd]

Steese hwy for the 40mile heard also. In fact, keep your eyes and ears open come december. I don't think the quota was met this fall so they may open the hunt again.

 

[Michael Strahan]

King Salmon Caribou

King Salmon Caribou

Try fling into king salmon, rent a 4 wheeler and go get a boo, I never did this but I hear its the way to go

Autoglass,

This used to be a pretty hot winter hunt, but the caribou have moved out of that area. I was just there a few weeks ago and the locals told me they have not been able to find caribou on the road for several seasons now.

Those rascals just won't stand still...

-Mike

 

[nwsak]

Kenai Mtns animals

Kenai Mtns animals

BM -
How are the animals in the mountains? I've been up the Haul road and hunted the Nelchina, just curious how the bulls compare in size and numbers? Thanks

NWS

 

[Brian M]

NWS - The numbers are fairly low. The herd can certainly sustain the harvest it gets (which isn't much), but they're spread over a fairly large and inaccessible area. That being said, there are some awfully nice bulls that have come out of there. Hoping to find a B&C bull, however, would be a tricky proposition due to the low density. I understand that the Killey River herd has even bigger bulls, but that is accessed almost exclusively by horseback - something I don't have the money for.

When I was successful in the Kenai Mts. I feel like the bull I took was beautiful, but I don't think he would score well. Personally, I couldn't care less about the official score - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The one I took was a little atypical in that the points coming off the back of the main beam were flattened out a bit (something I hadn't previously seen) and he had a rich chocolate coloration. I've seen bigger bulls, but he's my favorite among the ones I've taken (Nelchina and Haul Road as well).

Here's a pic: (by the way, this hunt was a complete butt-kicker. In the two times I've had this permit I bet I have covered over 100 miles on foot on many different attempts - only found animals one time. Those were two sweet meat-packing trips, though!)

 

[Longhunter7]

Nice caribou BM!

Nice caribou BM!

Real nice bull, great color's also! When asked about the size of a trophy rack a well known archer/ bower {replied good for him } as a hunter admired the size of of the downed animals trophy horn size. Your so right ,the gift of time/success of that day will last longer than we will! May give you kids, grandchildren somthing to talk of. Bill.

 

[Boss Gobbler]

Caribou

Caribou

BM that is a great caribou and I would shoot that in a heartbeat. Any animal is a trophy in my "book". All of them took planning and hard work to take.

 

[blackfoot]

Good Odds?

Good Odds?

BM,

You consider 14% good odds at drawing a permit?

 

[Brian M]

Well, in comparison to many of the other permits I apply for, yes!

Delta Bison, 14C sheep, most of Unit 7 Goat, 14A cow moose, etc....all of these are between 1-3%, so 14% is far better.

-Brian