A few Brooks/North slope caribou gear questions

[dustinf]

I'll be hunting the third week of August this year, fly in hunt. Just looking for some advice about gear. This post is the beginning of my gear research, and if these questions are stupid, I'm prepared for the beating...

1) Is a spotting scope/tripod worth the weight, or are a good set of 10x42's good enough?

2) Are hiking boots with gaiters good enough, or should I bring my rubber boots as well?

3) Any thoughts on how much rain we should expect? I'm just not sure which set of rain gear to bring. Lighter weight, less durable stuff, or heavier gear more suitable for multiple days of all day rain.

Edit: Forgot one,

4) Is a down sleeping bag a stupid idea?

 

[Kaitum]

1. Yes, bring the spotting scope. But if going with another person one scope for two people is probably fine. Its big, wide open country and you may want to look at a herd a couple miles away.

2. All I've ever worn on the slope are good hiking boots with gaiters. I've trekked across miles of wet tussocks with that set up and stayed dry just fine. You want to be able to cover distance, how people do that in hip waders (as you'll see some people recommend) is beyond me.

3. Annual precip on the North Slope is close to what the southwest deserts get, no kidding. So while it may rain, it rarely downpours. It can mist or lightly rain for days on end but its not like SE AK or Kodiak. Go with whatever will keep you dry in damp / wet conditions but don't expect monsoonal rains.

4. No. All I've ever used is a down sleeping bag. Even on my float hunts where I'm on the water half the day. Stuff your sleeping bag in a quality dry sack, and then put that inside a dry bag with your clothes. Assuming you have a quality tent, that should be plenty protection for keeping your sleeping bag dry.

Good luck.

 

[mixedbag]

When I went outside of Tok it rained almost every day.My cheap rain gear lasted about a day.Bring good rain gear.A spotter will allow you to look up close and personal to a lot of caribou you'll never be able to get to to hunt;binos are fine or just one spotter.I would bring hikers and a pair of rubber boots(not hip boots).Both my hikers were soaked thru by day 3 and no way to dry them out.
I'd highly recommend paying for the extra gear flight then dealing with the 50lb weight limit.Its your first fly in trip,and it can turn into life or death if weather sets in and they can't come pickyou up for 4-5 extra days.This happened to some moose hunters a few years back being trapped in there with no food and tents that were shredded from the high winds.To me the extra $350(your half) for the gear flight is worth my life.Your not walking out of there if things go wrong like you can a backpack trip

 

[Bambistew]

Kaitum, pretty much said what I would have said...

Never leave home without a spotter. If you see a group of caribou at 2 miles, you won't be able to tell what they are. Similarly you can spot a lot more animals from a spotter than with binos, they blend in surprisingly well in some terrain.

My experience if its wet and doesn't really warm up enough to dry out, my feet are wet after a few days. Goretex has limits... I changed out socks a couple times a day, no big deal. I've thought about getting a pair of Goretex socks to try. Lot less weight than a pair of boots.

As far as weather, some areas on the slope and in the Brooks get hellacious fog that could linger for days. Make sure you bring enough food to last at least 3-4 days past your pick up date. I've been pretty lucky and have only had to stay a couple extra days in the field due to weather delays.

My wife and I were in the western Brooks a few years back, we survived the the storm that dumped the most rain on record... all in leather boots, and down sleeping bags. I think the rainfall was something like 2" in 3 days.

Look into TTC (Taxidermy Trophy Care) in leiu of salt if you plan on bring out capes. Takes about 1/5th as much as salt. A quart container is plenty for a caribou cape.

 

[Kaitum]

Should have added, while the Brooks aren't wet by AK standards drying out is tough if it's foggy / damp the whole time. So prepare for those conditions. Ice for off the ocean can ground planes for days.

While there can be endless miles of tussocks, chances are you'll be dropped off on a gravel bar or ridge top. So often there are areas to walk without always needing to slog across the tussocks. Take trekking poles though as you'll want them when the found gets uneven, especially if packing a heavy load.

 

[Pinecricker]

I've done a lot of whitewater float trips with a down sleeping bag. I use a waterproof compression sack for my sleeping bag, inside of a heavy duty PVC dry bag from NRS, and have never had problems.

Check out the e-vent compression sack.

http://www.rei.com/product/730882/sea-to-summit-event-compression-dry-sack

Personally, I find synthetic a little warmer than down, but down has the advantages of less weight and bulk.

As for boots, I definitely would bring rubber boots or even insulated pac boots along. I've been snowed on in August in the area around Denali. I can imagine that the Brooks range is going to be colder yet. Even good Goretex boots won't stay dry in prolonged wet.

 

[mixedbag]

x2 on trekking poles.I wished I had them when bringing down loads of meat across the tussocks to camp.I'd find out if your doing ridgetop hunt or being put on gravel bar before deciding on boots if your only bringing what you have on.I didn't do a ridgetop hunt so I don't know how wet the ground can get there,but the gravel bar that I hunted off of was surrounded by tussocks.To cut off the caribou we had to go thru it and for that stuff I'd want a good waterproof boot if I went again.ALOT of socks is a good idea and I always bring plenty.By day 3 mine were all wet with no way to dry them out though.Always plan for the worst is what I learned on that trip.The extra food should be mandatory on your pack list.If your going with the weightlimit flight, I'd be asking bambistew about his pack list.Personally, I don't know how you guys do it with the 50lb limit and be somewhat comfortable.I'm doing another fly in this Sept for moose but the float plane has a better weight limit or I'd be booking an extra gear flight again

 

[brownbear932008]

Dustin here is a little reading for you if you haven't read my hunt post yet. Same airstrip as Arrowhead I think.
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=253065

As far as gear def yes on spotter will save you miles of walking. I say take lightweight slip on hip waders most all our bou were across a small river. Prepare for any type of weather prob wont be cold but it is a wet place most our gear was wet the wool paid off big. PM if you need anything

 

[----]

Personally, I don't know how you guys do it with the 50lb limit and be somewhat comfortable.I'm doing another fly in this Sept for moose but the float plane has a better weight limit or I'd be booking an extra gear flight again

I talked to a lot of transporters this winter, and fifty pounds was the smallest any of them allowed. A good deal of them let you take a lot more gear than that.

 

[shoots-straight]

Back when I went we took 140lbs a piece during the flight in a super cub. If you took a Beaver in you paid more but could take more.

 

[Bambistew]

50lbs is the FAA "regulation," with a passenger. I think they can add about 25lbs if they have a belly pod. Most don't flirt much with this as the fine isn't worth it to them. They will fudge it depending how heavy you are and how much gear you have.

Some will put your gear on a scale, if you're over... you figure out what you need and don't need or pony up the cash for a second flight. Those guys know what they can and can't get off the ground safely.

Ask the pilot what the limit is. A "Cub" is sometimes tossed around lingo for a small bush plane, there are many makes and models with different engines, modifications, etc being flown into the field. The Super Cub just happens to be the most common. Some bush planes can haul more or less.

Another thing to note, usually 50-60lbs of hunting gear usually takes up about all the space behind the seat in a cub. Pack accordingly, pilots love small duffel bags over big pack frames stuffed full.