Caribou - Lets See Them!

[Bambistew]

Here's a few more from years past.

























These bulls were shot by first time caribou hunters...

 

[mdhunter61]

Here's a few more from years past.

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These bulls were shot by first time caribou hunters...
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Great pics Ivan! Is the top one the big one you and Ernesto got in the mountains a long way back and a tough hike out?

 

[Bambistew]

Great pics Ivan! Is the top one the big one you and Ernesto got in the mountains a long way back and a tough hike out?

Nope. That was this one, and that rack is still lying there, or a bear ate it...

 

[brownbear932008]

That is a very nice bull, looks like it maybe B&C? Any more pictures?

I really wish I could have hunted that herd in its prime of 200,000 animals in the 90s. The count this year was around 12,000 I believe and has been struggling for years. Brucellosis is rampant and predator numbers are high. F&G killed 100 bears out there this spring with hopes of boosting calf survival, it will be interesting to see if it works. There is about 1/3 the caribou today as there was 30 years ago in Alaska. Our local herd went from 45,000 just 5 years ago to 8800 this last fall count and no open season in the near future.

It's nice to see the attempt to control the bears. So they think this is one of the major issues?

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Eighteen years ago I was blessed to take two bulls in two days out of Kotzebue.

I’m digging the dbl shovel on the first one , sweet !

 

[Buzzy]

Mountain Caribou


Woodland Caribou


Barren Ground

 

[Nick87]

The opportunity to hunt them has dwindled more in the last 10 years than than any other animal in NA.

No kidding I remember as a kid all the ads on the last few pages of magazines where you could kill 2 bulls like they were giving tags away. Another missed opportunity due to being born a generation too late.

 

[Pahoundsman]

My only caribou hunt in the late 90’s. It was the mulchatna herd and it’s almost unbelievable what happened to them. We literally saw thousands of them. Definitely a great hunt and I wish I could have gone back while the herd was still str.

 

[VOLhunter]

Of all the critters in AK, caribou is at the top of my bucket list! Late Sept, hard horned with a white cape are something I've dreamed about since I was a kid. These pics remind me I need to get serious about making plans and just go! I don't think the herd sizes are going to be dramatically increasing any time soon.

 

[mdhunter61]

Of all the critters in AK, caribou is at the top of my bucket list! Late Sept, hard horned with a white cape are something I've dreamed about since I was a kid. These pics remind me I need to get serious about making plans and just go! I don't think the herd sizes are going to be dramatically increasing any time soon.

Yea, go as soon as you can, it doesnt look to get better in the near future...

 

[eshunt]

AK float hunt in 2013 with my dad and brother. What a blast! We were targeting moose but they weren't cooperating. Just happened to float right into the main caribou migration of the Porcupine herd. Over the course of 3 days we saw probably 7-10,000 caribou. Herds of 300-700 crossing the river as we floated by. Was absolutely amazing. Made a slow moose hunt into a super fun hunt overall. Wish I could go back and do it again.

 

[406dn]

I killed this bull in 1979 in NW British Columbia while sheep hunting.

 

[Bambistew]

I killed this bull in 1979 in NW British Columbia while sheep hunting.

Awesome! How much did the hunt cost? Ho many days did you hunt?

 

[406dn]

Awesome! How much did the hunt cost? Ho many days did you hunt?

It seems like the hunt itself was $3600 for a 14 day hunt. I can't remember what the licenses cost, or the cost of the air tickets.

My memory wants to say ~$5000 covered everything.

It sounds ridiculously cheap with those numbers, but I bought a new Ford pick up for around $4k a couple of years earlier.

Unfortunately no ram was harmed on the trip.

 

[KipCarson]

The year I graduated college I was gifted a Quebec caribou hunt. We drove all the way from Louisiana, picking up an uncle along the way in Ohio. We got to the hotel where several outfitters rendezvous with clients to take the out to the float plane base just to find out our hunt was canceled. The natives had barricaded the road to the airport with dozers and had armed guards with assault rifles that had supposedly shot at some planes already. A riot basically, over all of us non residents killing off all their caribou saying we were destroying the herd and their way of life. So close, but as of now caribou are still on the bucket list. It was a long somber disappointing drive back to Louisiana. Awesome thread, love all these pics!

 

[DANGLER]

Oldie but a goodie....