# #AK2018, Big T, soggybtmboy, Huntmaster, Koz bow, Family, & Friends



## QDMAMAN

It's been in the works now for over a year and last Thursday, August 17th, marked the (1) year ticker!
Dean (soggy) has been doing a FANTASTIC job on research for this trip and last night 7 of the 8 of us (less koz) gathered at Scott's for our first pre trip rendezvous to meet each other, discuss logistics, gear, and a host of other misc. things. Scott and his wife graciously rolled out the red carpet!
I'll add that Brushy, has been a great resource in our planning with his history of hunting and fishing in
Of the group of 8 that will embark on this adventure, 4 of us have hunted out of state before yet none of us in Alaska. Dean, his brother Adam, Dean's step daughter Kelly, and Bud are all newbies and of course Myself, Scott, Koz, and Scott's buddy Keith, are all seasoned "explorers".
We will be targeting barren ground caribou on the North Slope of the Brookes Range above the Arctic Circle, most of us with stick and string, but a couple with rifle.








We are also anticipating wolf encounters and we all plan to include a wolf tag with our license purchases.








This trip will also include some fishing for Dolly Varden and Arctic Grayling!

















Lets get this party started!:woohoo1:


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## Luv2hunteup

Sounds like a great adventure. Good luck.


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## brushbuster

You guys are going to have an awesome time in a great state!


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## QDMAMAN

Because most of us will be carrying bows it's worth noting that, for the sub species of caribou that we are after (Barren Ground), the minimum P&Y score is 325".
I currently don't know how to score, or judge, size of these beasts so I have some supplemental homework to do over the next 12 months.
I'm going out on a limb and guessing this one will make it with great "tops" (F4s thru F?) good "fronts" (F2s), and good "back scratchers" (F3s), despite only a single "shovel" (F1s). 
Note* P&Y DOES recognize velvet caribou


https://pope-young.org/images/uploads/files/scoreforms/2012_PY_SS_WEB_CARIBOU.pdf


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## QDMAMAN

This is Huntmaster's new bff/roommate, Guy Eastman. :lol:


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## soggybtmboys

3 of 8 at the Total Archery Challenge at Boyne Mountain back in June. What a fantastic day shooting 3ds!


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## Huntmaster143

This bull is a beast!! I can tell you that I'm not getting to worried about counting if this dude shows up on the tundra...


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## marcus619

This will be another epic adventure to follow with the master story tellers Big T and Huntmaster. Looking forward to it. Good luck to all!!!


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## brushbuster

marcus619 said:


> This will be another epic adventure to follow with the master story tellers Big T and Huntmaster. Looking forward to it. Good luck to all!!!


Soggy is not too bad with the pen either, Going to be a great write up for sure.


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## slabstar

You guys doing Dalton rd? Driving/floating? 
Flying/floating? 
I've been researching that hunt!
Sounds awesome!


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## Nostromo

QDMAMAN said:


> It's been in the works now for over a year and last Thursday, August 17th, marked the (1) year ticker!
> Dean (soggy) has been doing a FANTASTIC job on research for this trip and last night 7 of the 8 of us (less koz) gathered at Scott's for our first pre trip rendezvous to meet each other, discuss logistics, gear, and a host of other misc. things. Scott and his wife graciously rolled out the red carpet!
> I'll add that Brushy, has been a great resource in our planning with his history of hunting and fishing in
> Of the group of 8 that will embark on this adventure, 4 of us have hunted out of state before yet none of us in Alaska. Dean, his brother Adam, Dean's step daughter Kelly, and Bud are all newbies and of course Myself, Scott, Koz, and Scott's buddy Keith, are all seasoned "explorers".
> We will be targeting barren ground caribou on the North Slope of the Brookes Range above the Arctic Circle, most of us with stick and string, but a couple with rifle.
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> This trip will also include some fishing for Dolly Varden and Arctic Grayling!
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> Lets get this party started!:woohoo1:


Good luck Guys. Make a good trip!


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## QDMAMAN

slabstar said:


> You guys doing Dalton rd? Driving/floating?
> Flying/floating?
> I've been researching that hunt!
> Sounds awesome!


We fly to Fairbanks commercial then to Bettles, either commercially or we're considering a private charter. We are hiring BRA in Bettles as our air taxi. They have pontoons so they can land us on lakes vs. gravel bars.


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## outdoor_m_i_k_e

Good luck! Sounds like a fun trip! I can tell you from experience, measuring caribou is VERY difficult. I would put it up there as THE most difficult big game to score(based on game recognized by P&Y and B&C).


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## GrizzlyHunter

I did a very similar trip back in '95.

It was a lot of fun. We drove the Haul Road up to the North Slope then hiked in. 

It was a great adventure. You guys will remember it forever. 

Have fun!


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## shanny28757

Sounds like an amazing trip. Can't wait to follow the updates throughout the year!


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## soggybtmboys

10 month mark and update. We have secured dates for our trip and are secure with our transporter- Brooks Range Aviation. We are flying out of Detroit on Aug 17th to Fairbanks, overnighting in Fairbanks, catching prop plane flight thru Wright Air on the 18th to Bettles. We depart Bettles on the 19th and have decided to extend our stay and make this an 10 day North Slope hunt to allow for more time for migration movement and increase odds for the bowhunters in our parties. We will pull out on the 28th and overnight in Bettles and bounce out to Fairbanks and either overnight and leave, or possbily catch a Halibut charter or side fishing adventure. We have managed to plan in some room for some bonus days if we don't get weathered in on the Slope. Rooms in Fairbanks are secure and I have been in contact with Satellite phone rental (irridium only works up there) and bear fence rental.

Things are starting to pull together nicely so far and the group is busy securing specialized gear for the trip.


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## soggybtmboys

Here is the new bag I picked up from the famous sleeping bag maker Wiggy. It's a military over run and the Marines are getting away from this pattern. It's a 0degree bag and weighs 4.5 lbs and is oversized. Guaranteed for life, it's synthetic, and stay warm even if its soaked. Kinda important feature for up on the tundra.









Very reasonably priced, came with its own pillow and stuff sack, less than 200 bucks.


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## soggybtmboys

Some of us have been trying to get ahead of any sort of time crunch related to fitness ahead of time. Being dropped off, totally on our own for 10 days in a foreign environment with apex predators as neighbors, tends to bring this point into sharp focus. I've been slacking lately, but am at the level of hiking with a 50 lb pack, for up to 5 miles non stop at a pretty brisk rate.









Here, I'm out with my peanut on an extended hike up north.


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## Huntmaster143

soggybtmboys said:


> I have been in contact with Satellite phone rental (irridium only works up there) and bear fence rental.


I now own a sat phone, so if we go out in one camp, we are good to go and if two camps, we will only need one more. I've rented from Explorer in the past and it worked out well.


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## QDMAMAN

We're just over 7 months out (7 months and 1 week).
The time will fly by and we have a couple of reservations on the books. First is our air travel from Fairbanks to Bettles and also our hotel reservations in Fairbanks on both ends of the hunt.
We're now actively pursuing our best commercial flight options from here to Fairbanks.
Soggy is solidifying our arrangements with BRA and we'll soon be sending in our deposits.
On a personal note, I've been able to keep my traditional holiday weight gain to a minimum. I've also been battling some tremendous back pain that a chiropractor seems to have helped me alleviate. I may not do much running in my preparation for this hunt, instead Rucking 3-4 times/week with a 40# pack and if it's too cold out I'll do it on the elliptical.


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## roo

We finalized our dates today and I'll be sending in a check tomorrow for the same trip. We have a couple guys who are planning on driving up there so we are going to just drive to prospect lake and depart from there. We are flying out of prospect lake on aug 25th we booked 7 days and will all be rifle hunting. Good luck!


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## brushbuster

Looking forward to my Alaska trip August 1st. Plane fare all bought. Arrive 130 am in Anch on the 1st Pick up my flight to kotzebeu at 4pm, catch a bush flight to the Noatak preserve for 150 mile float and trekking trip. I have a hunch you guys will be hooked on the place much like I am.


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## QDMAMAN

Things are progressing nicely.
I booked Koz and my airline tickets last week (DTW->FAI) and we'll be flying out on evening of August 16th. We add a night in Fairbanks but it's also an insurance policy in case the airline loses track of our gear, it'll have a day to catch up with us. The other advantage is that we won't be rushed to fly out the next day after getting in at midnight AK time (4:00 a.m. EST).
We fly out to Bettles at 10:50 a.m. on the morning of the 18th and will overnight in the airplane hanger of Brooks Range Air (BRA). This will allow us to finalize consolidation of our gear for the flight in to the bush the following morning, Sunday the 19th. BRA will split our group 4/4 in spots that they believe will give us our best opportunity to be successful.
Because it's illegal to hunt the same day you fly in AK, we won't be legal until 3:00 a.m. on Monday the 20th. Keep in mind that we'll have full sunlight at 3:00 a.m. in August so we'll be getting after it when the bell rings!
We will hunt 8 straight days through August 27th and fly back to Bettles on August 28th where we'll again overnight at BRA. Wednesday August 29th at 2:50 p.m. we fly via Wright Air, back to Fairbanks.
I booked our return trip on August 30th (FAI->DTW) to leave at 9:38 p.m. This should afford us time to get meat, capes, and antlers prepped for the return flight. We will land back in Detroit Friday, August 31st, at 11:38 a.m. in time to enjoy the 3 day Labor Day weekend!
Koz has elected to take a rifle (.270) and that decision has me electing to take my bow. If we both have archery opportunities we'll take them, otherwise we'll revert to the boom stick!
On a personal note....I'm starting to feel the uncomfortable feeling of being lazy the last couple of months so time to get my arse in gear! This trip is a month ahead of my usual mid September elk hunting schedule and it'll be here before we know it!
Time to book our "nock time" on the 3D Course at Boyne this June!


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## SPITFIRE

Sounds like a great trip...wished I was going, good luck to all.


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## quest32a

QDMAMAN said:


> Keep in mind that we'll have full sunlight at 3:00 a.m. in August so we'll be getting after it when the bell rings!
> !


Lots of darkness at the end of August. You will actually have normal length days. I would plan on 6-7 AM for first light. Maybe even later depending on how far north you actually are.


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## brushbuster

quest32a said:


> Lots of darkness at the end of August. You will actually have normal length days. I would plan on 6-7 AM for first light. Maybe even later depending on how far north you actually are.


Are you sure, last time I was up past the Arctic circle in August we could still see at 1 am it got a little dark but by 5 am it was light once again. Once we got back to anchorage. The days did get shorter


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## brushbuster

I have a picture somewhere of us at 1am with the sun still out in August at deadhorse


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## brushbuster

brushbuster said:


> I have a picture somewhere of us at 1am with the sun still out in August at deadhorse


 1am and 6 am Aug 9


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## bucko12pt

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5859691?month=8&year=2018

This is for Coldfoot on the Dalton, but not that far from where your going. 

I was with some friends on the Artic Circle on the Dalton at midnight last June 25th, my birthday. We chartered a twin engine plane up to Prudhoe and drove the Dalton along the pipeline back to Fairbanks. Pretty cool.


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## quest32a

Crazy time of year for sure as far as length of day. You will see a very noticeable difference from the start of your trip vs the end. Looks like you will be losing 10 minutes per day. Btw, August is a toss up on bugs. Hope for some freezing temps and wind, but bring a head net just in case.


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## QDMAMAN

Friday was the 6 month mark!
Koz was in Lansing for his daughter's volleyball tourney and we were able to get together to go over the gear he'd need to get before we leave. The list is short and he's already checking items off in between hitting deer with the Lexus!


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## roo

QDMAMAN said:


> Things are progressing nicely.
> I booked Koz and my airline tickets last week (DTW->FAI) and we'll be flying out on evening of August 16th. We add a night in Fairbanks but it's also an insurance policy in case the airline loses track of our gear, it'll have a day to catch up with us. The other advantage is that we won't be rushed to fly out the next day after getting in at midnight AK time (4:00 a.m. EST).
> We fly out to Bettles at 10:50 a.m. on the morning of the 18th and will overnight in the airplane hanger of Brooks Range Air (BRA). This will allow us to finalize consolidation of our gear for the flight in to the bush the following morning, Sunday the 19th. BRA will split our group 4/4 in spots that they believe will give us our best opportunity to be successful.
> Because it's illegal to hunt the same day you fly in AK, we won't be legal until 3:00 a.m. on Monday the 20th. Keep in mind that we'll have full sunlight at 3:00 a.m. in August so we'll be getting after it when the bell rings!
> We will hunt 8 straight days through August 27th and fly back to Bettles on August 28th where we'll again overnight at BRA. Wednesday August 29th at 2:50 p.m. we fly via Wright Air, back to Fairbanks.
> I booked our return trip on August 30th (FAI->DTW) to leave at 9:38 p.m. This should afford us time to get meat, capes, and antlers prepped for the return flight. We will land back in Detroit Friday, August 31st, at 11:38 a.m. in time to enjoy the 3 day Labor Day weekend!
> Koz has elected to take a rifle (.270) and that decision has me electing to take my bow. If we both have archery opportunities we'll take them, otherwise we'll revert to the boom stick!
> On a personal note....I'm starting to feel the uncomfortable feeling of being lazy the last couple of months so time to get my arse in gear! This trip is a month ahead of my usual mid September elk hunting schedule and it'll be here before we know it!
> Time to book our "nock time" on the 3D Course at Boyne this June!


I got an email from them saying that everyone’s dates are being moved back a day due to issues with wright air. We avoided it since we aren’t using Wright’s. Did your dates get moved?


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## QDMAMAN

roo said:


> I got an email from them saying that everyone’s dates are being moved back a day due to issues with wright air. We avoided it since we aren’t using Wright’s. Did your dates get moved?



Haven't heard anything.


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## steelyspeed

I am also caribou hunting the north slope the last week of August. What are you guys planning to do with the antlers other than stripping the velvet off?


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## QDMAMAN

steelyspeed said:


> I am also caribou hunting the north slope the last week of August. What are you guys planning to do with the antlers other than stripping the velvet off?


IF the velvet is intact, I plan to leave it. Regardless, depending on the size of the specimen, they will grace my wall in either a plaque mount or a full shoulder mount.


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## Captain

Should plan on injecting the velvet with saline (saltwater) there if you plan on keeping it on...


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## QDMAMAN

Captain said:


> Should plan on injecting the velvet with saline (saltwater) there if you plan on keeping it on...



Dude! It's a long hike to the nearest body of salt water (Bearing Sea)!!! Maybe I will peel it!


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## Captain

Talk to your Taxi....see what he says


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## QDMAMAN

It's an all too familiar refrain, but I have neglected working out through the winter months and at 57 years of age, each year gets tougher to get moving.
A cool clear evening last night provided the back drop for my first ruck hike of the year with a 50# pack and a 2.82 mile route with a couple of hundred feet of elevation change.
A little tight this morning but grateful to be "on the move" again!
I worked a booth at the Ohio Deer and Turkey show this weekend and was pleased to find that Altera was their with their alpaca socks. I took advantage of their show pricing and grabbed 3 pair, 2 of their lighter weight and 1 of their heavier weight. I wore the heavier socks last night inside my Miendal Perfekts and was very pleased with the comfort and wicking ability of the socks. These will be a nice addition to my gear.
https://www.alteraalpaca.com/
I'll be spending some time on food for the trip going forward, experimenting with some different meals and reporting as I go.
Also, Koz and I are considering going with a bigger, roomier tent than the 3 man I purchased last summer. We each get 450# total allowance with BRA and 8-10# additional weight might be a good expenditure of our allowance. Might eve add a compact cot.
A grabbed a couple of compact chairs off of Amazon after Huntmaster recommended these. They're very comfortable and have a 300# weight rating. 10 days in the bush with nothing but rock or hummocks to sit on wasn't something I was looking forward to. These will be just the ticket around camp!


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## QDMAMAN

While at the Ohio show I took some time to talk to a couple of different Outfitters about moose hunting opportunities including Ontario, Newfoundland, and Manitoba.
Ontario was by far the best value however, it was a 4 man archery hunt with just 2 bull tags available. About an 11 hour drive then a bush flight in to a huge lake with a cabin with hot and cold running water, 2 boats and motors. Price was <$3,000.00 per man.
Newfoundland runs <$5,000.00 but a much longer drive so an extra 2 days minimum for travel required if we chose to drive (not interested in going solo). We could add black bear fairly cheap if we tagged out early.
Manitoba was the most appealing but considerable more money at $8,700.00 plus air travel. This would also add considerable expense to getting meat and trophy back home but the moose hunting looked to be outstanding and the chances of archery success looked to be the most appealing.
I'll be very attentive to moose options in Alaska as we progress through this years adventure and might consider a return.
More homework on this bucket list hunt will be forthcoming!


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