Coming to Alaska!

[hoopscoach]

I am a educator in Colorado and have accepted an opportunity to work in Alaska for the summer. My home base will be in Healy and I want to take advantage of as many outdoor opportunities (hunting and fishing) as possible on my days off. I intend to spend every penny I earn on finding adventure and making memories. I will be there from early June to mid August. I'm just starting my research so I have some reading to do but just wanted to post and introduce myself. As I navigate my way through all the information on this website and the adgf website I promise I will have questions:lol: So thanks in advance!

 

[Roland on the River]

Bring a camera with a HUGE memory card. Have a fun summer and welcome to the forum.

 

[tboehm]

Becareful, you'll never want to go back. You should hit plenty of good fishing. Wish you all the luck.

 

[ninefoot]

lots of adventure and memories to find out here...have fun, catch some fish, hike some mountains...i cant think of a better place to be. in the summer, or any other time.

 

[AK Ray]

There won't be a huge amount of hunting available during your time off from early June to mid August. Some small game, and depending on the unit you go to there will be black bear.

However, there will be plenty of fishing. Go east on the Denali highway and hit the streams for grayling. By June the water will be warm enough for them to have moved out of the bigger rivers and be actively feeding in the streams near the road.

Lots of hiking around the Valdez Creek Mine district. Here is one photo blog about packrafting in Clear Water area.

 

[hoopscoach]

Thanks for all the advice! I have been checking out the adgf regs from 2010-11 and have concluded that the only big game I could hunt while I'm there is black bear. There are some interesting Caribou hunts in extreme northern AK that are open in July and it's only a 5 hour drive from Healy but I still need to get some information.
I much prefer a DIY hunt even if it means I take only pictures. I am going to call the game and fish dept. this week and ask if it's possible to drive up to the unit, hike in a couple miles from the road and find caribou or if a person needs to fly in. I am not a trophy hunter and would be tickled with any legal caribou. In Colorado, I hunt elk and deer that way all the time but this is a whole different kind of hunting and I to be honest, at this point I don't know what I don't know. However, I'm confident that with some research, I will figure out just how much I really don't know. I can tell you that I will probably wear out a couple of fishing poles this summer if nothing else! Again, thanks for the advice.
Hoopcoach

 

[Gerberman]

Get a truck or SUV to haul all your gear and sleep in, take a cook stove and cooler. the tourist season will be in full swing and sometimes it is hard to get someplace to stay. You can get your "Grub Stake" in most any large town. It is much cheaper to cook breakfast and lunch on the road. Have fun and get ready to spend a lot of $$$$ for fuel. Save on your food bill so you can drive farther. Try a second hand store for the stove ,cooler and cooking utensils, then sell them back. Have fun do not forget your rain gear.

 

[AK Ray]

There are some interesting Caribou hunts in extreme northern AK that are open in July and it's only a 5 hour drive from Healy but I still need to get some information.
I much prefer a DIY hunt even if it means I take only pictures. I am going to call the game and fish dept. this week and ask if it's possible to drive up to the unit, hike in a couple miles from the road and find caribou or if a person needs to fly in.

You are talking about the haul road hunting corridor. You can hunt within five miles of the road with a bow (have your bow safety cert?), but with a rifle you have to be five or more miles from the road. Down in the bow hunting forum there are several good Haul Road threads for you to review.

The north slope un July is a horrible bug invested nightmare. Good luck staying sane when the wind stops blowing.

 

[Brian M]

Additionally, it's significantly more than a 5 hour drive from Healy to where you would find caribou in July. You're looking at more like a 10-12+ hour drive, I think. If you're not a certified bowhunter, I would think long and hard before attempting that hunt in July. Not only will the bugs drive you insane up there, but getting the meat out without spoiling over five of the hardest miles of hiking you'll ever do will be difficult at best.

 

[sambuck12]

i agree with Brian M. Healy to Fbks is about 2 hours, then fbks to Coldfoot is about 5-7 depending how fast you drive then it is another 1 to 2 hours to atigun pass, then from there its all downhill to the coast which is another 3+ hours depending on how fast you drive, bring head nets and tons of bug dope. If you look in your rental car agreement the ones ive seen prohibit you from driving their vehicles on the Haul Road as well. Ive been up there in July and havent seen any bou. The drive is beautiful though. Most of the bou will be close to deadhorse which is right at 500 miles north of fairbanks on some pretty nasty beat up dirt roads. August brings cooler temperatures and lots of bow hunters up there. The antlers will be more developed by then as well. Many rifle hunters have been caught poaching bou within the 5 mile corridor as well. Take a GPS and use it to be sure you are 5 miles off. I talked to one Trooper up there and I asked about 4.9 miles and he said he will write you a ticket because the regs say 5 and 4.9 is not 5. Know your regs and your limits physically, the tundra is not something to be taken lightly. Getting turned around up there can be easy as well, it all looks the same.

 

[COtoAK]

Yes!
Another fellow Coloradian to our board.
Lots of great memories in that area of Colorado. Johnstown.
Kiss the ground there before you make it here. Trust me. You'll never want to go back.
I'll send you a PM. I'll be making a few trips up towards Healy during the summer time. Would love to welcome you to Alaska!

Before you leave, take that ride from Pouder River from Ft. Collins up to Rocky Mountain National Park and go and see some elk... and then go and climb Longs Peak. While in Estes Park, go and visit Village Pizza if you could get a seat in there. Many, many great memories are shared in that little place and excellent pizza!

 

[greythorn3]

you will realize how bad colorado sucks when you get to alaska.

 

[LuJon]

Yes!
Another fellow Coloradian to our board.

Hmmm, is that what you call them? I always heard it Coloradiots...

 

[Armo_Ak]

I live in healy and would be happy to meet up for a beer and talk out some spots. I don't hunt but I do fish almost every weekend. You can get on some amazing trout water within 2 hours of healy. There is a new brewery in town which should have its first beers ready to go before too long!

 

[LuJon]

I live in healy and would be happy to meet up for a beer and talk out some spots. I don't hunt but I do fish almost every weekend. You can get on some amazing trout water within 2 hours of healy. There is a new brewery in town which should have its first beers ready to go before too long!

Dang man, is this offer open to us valley trash guys looking for some good beer and a spot to escape the Anchorage crowds? I have a truck, a fishing pole and a well funded beer budget.

 

[hoopscoach]

Brian M, AK Ray and sambuck12,
Thanks for the reality check! I had a feeling it wouldn't be as easy as hopping in the truck and goin' bou huntin' but I'll get it figured out. I am a archery hunter but hadn't planned on bringing my bow with me. I know my limitations and I'm certain I can't pack a caribou across 5 miles of tundra without spoiling some meat which is unacceptable. As for the bugs, I'm pretty close to insane as it is so it wouldn't take much to push me right over the edge. This summer will be all about learning as much as possible so I can come back and hunt "someday". Twenty years ago I dreamed of hunting mule deer and elk out west and now I get to do it every year. I guarantee I'll never think "Colorado sucks" but I have no doubt I will love Alaska (been there twice). Armo_AK and COtoAK, I will definitely take you up on those offers.
Hoopscoach

 

[.338WM]

Welcome and enjoy your visit, again. I think you may find that the Denali Highway corridor alone will consume much of your time, the vistas and fishing from one end to the other are something to behold. I would suggest a float down the Gulkana also, it is beautiful and the fishing is outstanding for rainbows and grayling.

 

[COtoAK]

Armo_AK and COtoAK, I will definitely take you up on those offers.
Hoopscoach

Perfect!! I'll look forward to hearing how much your area of Colorado has changed since I've been there.

 

[.338 mag.]

Welcome to Alaska. Your 50 years late but we can't go back. If you can try to go on a fishing trip out of Seward with Crackerjack or ProFishin-Sea charters in July. Ling Cod, Halibut and salmon taste great. Our water is very cold and it will show you no mercy if you fall in so give that some thought if you take a DIY boat trip. A flight seeing trip over Denali Park on a clear day will never leave your memory. Interior Alaska gets very warm, but never get to far away from a coat and rain gear. Above all if you walk around in the interior in the summer have lots of bug dope!