Caribou this weekend?

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COS · #1 Post by **COS** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 5:49 pm

I hope to hunt the Forty Mile heard this weekend. Anyone care to share knowledge of the location of the animals? I haven't talked to FS&G yet. I was up on the Steese Thankgiving day. Spent most of the daylight hours glassing Twelve Mile & Eagle Summit. NO Boo's seen. Hummmmmmm! My work may take me airborne into the upper Middle Fork Chena, North & Middle Fork Salcha. I'll get a good look at the river ice condition.

YamahaMountain · #2 Post by **YamahaMountain** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 6:12 pm

Wish I could help you on this but I've only been up in Alaska for almost 2 years and have yet to do any hunting. Good luck on your hunt!

john · #3 Post by **john** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 12:02 pm

Going for the Winter Hunt, I was planning on the same hunt

But I was hoping for some more snow first.

I think the Taylor Hwy is going to open again as well, but that is a longer drive than the Steese. Maybe have to go to Chicken which is 63 mile Taylor to see any Bou.

Last time I winetr hunted the Steese, we had to get off road a few miles, which means either 4 wheeler or more snow.

If ya fly, let us know what you see ;)

john · #4 Post by **john** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 9:31 am

Just talked to F&G and called the caribou hotline, bou are north of 60 mile Taylor Hwy, a pretty good drive. They've closed the Taylor Hwy from the Alcan to 60 mile do to the Nelchina Herd mixing in with the 40 mile herd. Only thing north of 60 mile Taylor is the town of Chicken and it's closed

Might get the bou moving to the Steese later in the month, but not looking to good for now :(

I've winter hunted around Chicken before, take 4 wheel drive, a camper, tire chains and make sure the heater works real well

It can get -40 in a heart beat.

COS · #5 Post by **COS** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 9:08 pm

Thanks John,
I did get to fly around the middle fork Chena & Slacha areas. No caribuo or tracks seen. I here ya on the Taylor hunt. I was up there 1 - 4 Dec. last year. We seen very few Caribou taken out. We did some pretty extreme Arctic Winter camping at Fast Eddie's Motel every night then drag a trailer with 2 machines and sleds past Chicken every day. It was around -35 at night. I 've done that hunt before in the mid 90's in Feb. Less pressure/more day light. It was getting to -55 in Tok at night. I think cabin fever forced us to do this. We did get Caribou though. If anyone hunts the Taylor in winter I recommed dropping your trailer at Mt. Fairplay rest area then go down the other side to test the snow depth. You may get a trailer down the north side of Fairplay but play *beep* getting it back up. Right now would be no problem. There are guard rails on both side of the road and if it blows it will fill in up to the top. A FWD with all 4's chained up will climb back up. The Chicken/Eagle folks run that road all winter long if possible.

john · #6 Post by **john** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:08 am

We use to do it every winter till the hunts got so short, time wise, that you couldn't count on even hearing about it till it was closed

Wife and I use to drive the camper and trailer to the pull out at about 10 mile, then ride the sleds in from there. Some interesting mornings waiting for the frost on the full length mirror to get just below knee level before we would rate it as warm enough to get out of the sleeping bags and start coffee. -35 or colder was the norm, but it was great Bou hunting and very little if any pressure from other hunters.

The run to 60 mile is a bit far for my liking, with a sudden and heavy snowfall one's rig could get stuck for the winter in short order, at least if you camped out, daily trips to Tok and back or a camper at the turn off might not be so bad, just burn up a lot of fuel anmd gas prices in Tok are probable on the high side

Rumor has it the Bou may be heading towards the road by Monday or Tuesday and if so they'll be closing the hunt :(