# Anyone hunt Alaska??



## Wingnutcg (Oct 27, 2003)

I lived and hunted in Ak for a couple of years. Things you need good rain gear, good boots, good pack, and trekking poles. You are going to have to pack these animals back to camp. So hiking with an extra 70-100lbs of meat the pack, boots, and poles will make it easier. Remember to prepare for this trip. Get in shape, break in your boots, and learn to hike properly with trekking poles and a heavy pack. When you pack for the trip I recommend that you have seperate clothes for camp and hunting. This way when you get back to camp wet with rain or swet you have a dry clothes to put on and sleep in while your hunting clothes dry.


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## buckhunter10 (Jan 21, 2012)

Yeah... Good rain gear and boots are on the top of my list of must have's and both I'll bring an extra set. I've heard a lot of good things about Helly Hanson. I never thought about trekking poles. When scouting for deer and shed hunting I usually grab a broken branch but depending on where I'll be hunting in Alaska, branches may be hard to come by. With deer I've used carts to wheel them out. Would it be a crazy idea having something on wheels both to help pack in gear with but also get the meat out? I figured if we have to make multiple trips for meat, a cart may help..... What do you guys think?


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## omalson (Dec 28, 2010)

You can't beat the helly hanson rain gear. 

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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

One other tip if you didn't know it already. There is freezer storage inside the Anchorage terminal. I think it was like $12 per box? Nice to know if your return flight is delayed or you have to sleep in the terminal and have meat or horn.

Alaska is a beautiful place.

Here's a tease...












Quartering/caping at lightening speed before the bears come in.












Had to wait on a buddy to climb up the mountain to help me pack down. I was sucking air and sweating in this pic as I had just finished moving everything away from the field dressing site to this staging site a few hundred yards away for the hike down the mountain. My buddy had just shown up and took the pic.


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## ERnurse (Jan 22, 2004)

I am not sure how "roughing it" you plan to get, but I suggest a good first aid kit, not just a few band-aids. Best boots may still land you a heel blister, also anticipate--headaches, stomach aches, diarrhea, sore muscles -- so be prepared. I have made 5 very remote trips, never needed much from my kit I dont suffer headaches and I have an iron gut, but I did have to stitch up another guy from another group who cut himself field dressing a moose. 
I have been thankful to have Motrin with me and remember my second trip. After backpacking all day, I pulled water out of a moose track filled pond, ate a granola bar,some motrin and went to sleep until the next morning. I was so exhausted--It was the best sleep I can remember!:lol:

Have fun and be safe!


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## buckhunter10 (Jan 21, 2012)

LOL!! My dad owns a place in North Central Maine and I meet him up there every year. He's always telling me I have "Too much stuff"!! One year I got some time off and met him up there in April to open up the camp, get the water on and make sure everything was in working order and getting the years to do list ready on what has to be done. Well... My dad is infamous for hanging everything. You go in the basement and he's got tools, hammers, saws, wrenches, wire, hoses... you name it, hanging. Now... My dad is about 5-3 I'm 5-11. I can't stand it cuz I'm always ducking everything. For years I've been telling him that he has to do something about it because someone is gonna get hurt. Don't you know it I'm up stairs reading one evening and he's down stairs and I hair a "thump" and him yelling for me. I go running down stairs and blood is everywhere. I sit him down and grab a roll of towels and put it on his head and tell him not to move and keep the pressure on it. I run upstairs, grab my first aid kit and promptly tend to it. Fortunately it was only a glancing blow from the sledge hammer that FELL!!!! He's on blood thinners so it looked a lot worse than it really was. He stopped his complaining. lol  He did have one hell of a bruise though.


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## buckhunter10 (Jan 21, 2012)

Well... I spoke to my buddy last night and it looks as if we may be heading close to the arctic circle!  There's a lot of caribou up there and the limit is 5 for a non resident. Plus there are good sheep and moose areas in the same game managment units so we have a really good chance on combining the hunt and getting a crack at something. They'll be 3 of us. Him, me and one of his buddies who's actually the "guide" which allows me to take a sheep. Alaskan law is nonresidents must have a guide while sheep hunting... so that takes care of that.


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## dhosera (Jul 11, 2006)

You are one LUCKY son of a *****.....Take advantage of that while you have the chance!


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## fish_AK (Nov 10, 2009)

GrizzlyHunter said:


> I agree, plus I would add in some poly liner socks too.
> 
> Make sure you have layers of synthetic clothing and no cotton. Last time I was there it rained for (26) straight hours! Everything we had was wet...even the stuff that was in our duffel bag inside our tents.
> 
> ...


Ahhh the great alaskan bush company....

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## fish_AK (Nov 10, 2009)

buckhunter10 said:


> Bear spray... check!! And always walk in pairs!


Wasp spray is cheaper.

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## fish_AK (Nov 10, 2009)

The pic in my avatar was in ak. Have fun, and let us know how it goes.

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## buckhunter10 (Jan 21, 2012)

My plans are slowly coming together. I've switched my 270 ammo from 150 gr. federals to the Winchester xp3 150 gr. They are shooting much quicker and are extremely accurate. We'll have on us a couple caribou tags each, a grizzly tag each and at least 1 Dall Sheep and possibly a moose tag (I'd like to get one!!). My buddy has been in touch with biologists and bush pilots and our exact location of the hunt will be determined as the time draws near. Now that I have my 270 all set, I'm going to tinker w/ my Whelen and see what I can do. lol!!


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## buckhunter10 (Jan 21, 2012)

Well... Its been a couple weeks and I'm loving the Winchesters. Anyone thinking about trying them, I'd say "do it"!! I've decided to upgrade a bit on weapons. I'm picking up a Benelli R1, 300 win mag and I"m looking into a Smith and Wesson 460 magnum!!  I couldn't help it... the prices are right! lol


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## backroadstravler (Jul 12, 2006)

Put your sleep clothes in a "dry bag". I had 3 dry bags on my last trip, which was a 2 week float trip. It rained for 10 days , nothing got wet. Believe in Helly Hanson rain gear. We wore hip boots every day but we didn't hike too much, unless we made a base camp for a few days.


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## buckhunter10 (Jan 21, 2012)

Well... here it is in mid may and September can't get here fast enough. I'm leaving the Friday after Labor Day and I'll come back around the 17th. Got the firearms and camp equipment ready, now I'm searching for a good outside frame pack that won't break the bank! If anyone has suggestions, I'd appreciate it.


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## dhosera (Jul 11, 2006)

I bought the Jim Shockey signature series pack from Cabelas and overall I liked it. Its not terrible on price around $300. Lots of room, waterproof, has the internal water bladder (hydration pack) which was nice. Has the freighter shelf which came in handy packing out a Blackie from the top of the mountain, plus all our gear. The one thing I hated was it has 2 points on the top of the frame that extend past the cross member a couple inches and those catch on the alders and brush when hiking through the thick stuff. I'd cut them right off.....


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## rieverr (Dec 7, 2010)

Wiggys Backpacks and sleeping bags.... AAAA++++
I hunt AK every other year for the last 10 years
Get on one of the AK Forums like Alaska outdoor forum or outdoordirectory.com
Most anything u wear hunting in the lower 48 will let u down up there on a 2 week hunt and is to heavy to pack
Its a whole different GAME there. good luck and NEVER leave ur GUN...
NEVER


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## dhosera (Jul 11, 2006)

Wiggys or Barneys has some Great gear! Lotsa $$$$ though. Alaska Outdoor Forums is an awesome place with a weatlh of information. If you have questions about anything up there Im almost positive its been discussed in detail on there. Use google and seach "alaska outdoor forums & your topic" and trust me there will be reading galore..... Gear reviews, permits, hunt reports, transporters, guides, access points literally everything can be read about there. I read it weekly if not daily to keep up on whats going on.


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## buckhunter10 (Jan 21, 2012)

Thanks guys for the 411 on the Alaskan Forum. It has been hugely helpfull!! And yup... I'm on it everyday! lol  I think I'm leaning towards the Cabelas Extreme Alaskan Outfitter Pack and Frame.


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## fish_AK (Nov 10, 2009)

Bring 13 gallon household garbage bags theyre cheap, light, packable and will keep ur stuff dry in ur pack.

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