Adventure - 48 Hours in Alaska - Bow Hunting

Join this bowhunter and his friend for an unforgettable experience in the wilds of the Alaskan backcountry.

Planning a do-it-yourself bowhunt to Alaska is an adventure in itself. This was my sixth such trip to the great state. My buddy Jason and I went together and I thought we were prepared for anything that would be thrown at us. We had been planning this trip for over a year. We decided to use the transporter, 40 Mile Air, out of Tok, to do a drop-camp for caribou. We would be hunting the 40 Mile caribou herd, which is known for producing some nice record-book caribou every season. The 40 Mile herd is one of Alaska’s smaller caribou herds with an estimated 40,000 animals. I guess 40,000 animals is small when compared to the Alaskan Western Artic herd, which is reportedly over 400,000 animals strong.

The logistics of getting to Tok went off without a hitch, and it wasn’t long before I was climbing into the back seat of the Piper Super Cub aircraft. This was my first ride in a Cub, and to say I was excited would be an understatement. Jason had his own plane to ride in. Our pilots, Leif and Randy, gave us an incredible one-hour flight to the leading edge of the 40 mile herd. Surprisingly, we only spotted a few bears, moose and a lone wolf during the flight. No caribou. It wasn’t until we cleared the last ridge that we spotted the first few caribou. Then we spotted a wave of caribou in the valley that we were going to land in. We literally had caribou on our short Cub landing strip, which was nothing more than a 100-yard flat spot of gravel, clear of brush and boulders.

Caribou Everywhere
That day, Jason and I set up a modest but comfortable camp. Because of weight limitations on the Cub flight, we had lightweight backpacking gear and freeze-dried food. We had enough supplies for our planned eight days in the bush. Alaska law prohibits hunting the same day you fly so we had to sit in camp and watch beautiful caribou bulls migrating through the valley. What a wonderful sight we had waited a long time to see.
The next morning we woke up to a dense fog and heavy drizzle. This was far from prime hunting conditions. Excitement was in the air, though, as we had prepared and traveled a long ways to get to this moment in time. I decided to make a hot cup of coffee, soak in the beautiful surroundings and give my wife, Jennifer, a call on the sat phone. I wanted to tell her we had arrived to camp safely.


5 Tips for Planning Your Trip

#1: Planning: I consider planning a bowhunting trip to Alaska as part of the adventure. First off you need to know what your goal is and what kind of adventure you are looking for. There are many things to consider. To hunt some species you are required to have a guide. Most of the other species are affordable for the middle-class DIY hunter. You also need to decide what type of hunt is available for that particular species you want to hunt and if it’s possible to hunt multiple species. Resources I use for planning my hunts are the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the internet, and the most reliable is a personal friend or acquaintance who had done the hunt before.

#2: Equipment: My suggestion is to buy the best equipment you can afford. Some standard equipment used in the lower 48 states might have to be considered survival equipment in Alaska, ie - tent, sleeping bag, rain gear... Buying cheap gear at Wally World isn’t going to cut it in Alaska. One other thing to consider is weight. Most likely your trip will involve some type of flying. Whether it is a commercial or bush flight, there will be weight limitations. Know what these limits are and pack accordingly. Some equipment is better off rented when you arrive in Alaska. There are many rental services available. Check ahead and secure the rental equipment before you go.

#3: Packing: The logistics involved in getting to your hunting destination may involve several different modes of travel: Commercial airline, vehicle, boat, bush plane, raft… You have to be prepared and knowledgeable for every leg of your trip. I’ve found that packing gear in to small organized soft duffle bags work best. It’s much easier to get these smaller bags in to the cargo compartment of a small plane and your pilot will appreciate it. You can then put the smaller bags in to a larger duffle for the commercial flight and leave that bag with the transporter while you are in the field. If possible, these duffle bags should be waterproof. There’s a good chance you will encounter wet weather on your hunt, lots of it. Another good container is an ice chest or large plastic tub. These containers can be left with the transporter and will be helpful with getting all that precious meat home. The standard airline approved hard case for your bow will help get it there intact.

#4: Safety Gear: Like I mentioned earlier, some gear you bring may be used to save your life. Bring a good quality synthetic sleeping bag and four season tent. It’s almost a guarantee that you will encounter inclement weather which  you will not be able to hunt in. I’ve spent many huntless days stuck in a tent because of the weather. I consider rain gear as safety gear. If you get wet, hypothermia is a real possibility. Most outdoorsmen in Alaska prefer durable PVC rain gear like Helly Hanson Impertech. Bring a satellite phone. You can use it to communicate with the transporter as well as get help in the case of an emergency. There are satellite phone rental companies located in Alaska and the lower 48.

#5: Meat Transportation: Getting your meat and trophy home should be included in your trip planning. I’ve explored different methods to accomplish this and found out that it can be costly if you are not prepared. If you are flying you must know the rules for each leg of your trip. The rules vary between airlines and transporters. Generally, the meat bags need to be manageable and under fifty pounds. The containers should be approved,  good quality and leak proof. Antlers are not allowed on some airlines. Meat and antlers can be shipped through some commercial cargo companies as they ship perishables to and from Alaska. Know the transportation rules before you go and be prepared. There is nothing better than barbequed caribou steaks after a successful DIY hunt in Alaska.

By Ed Fanchin

Posted by Bow and Arrow Hunting Magazine

Early Elk - Bow Hunting

Don’t resist the chance to bowhunt elk before the rut – it’s not as challenging as you might think.
By Jason Stafford

The author's dad took his

first-ever archery elk during

 a mid-August hunting trip to Wyoming

As darkness turned into dawn, my dad and buddy Ron could see 11 velvet-clad bulls feeding on an open hillside. The elk were above several fingers of dark timber.  It was late August and two days into Wyoming’s early archery elk season. 

They had no problem finding bulls feeding out in the open during various scouting trips and for each day of the season so far. The animals were around, it was just a matter of playing cat and mouse in the woods and setting up a shot. So far that hadn’t happened, though. Dad was the shooter on this hunt, and he was hoping for a pretty slam-dunk shot on what would be his first-ever archery bull. 

As the scorching sun began to warm the hillside, three bulls broke away from the big group and headed for a patch of trees that Ron was very familiar with. It was the moment to strike, but they had to move fast in order to intercept the bulls before they got into timber too dense and noisy for quiet stalking.

The jungle-like timber was in a deep canyon along with a small spring pond. They moved in and set up near this pond and a small clearing.

Moments later, the bulls fed out in front of them, just inside dad’s effective range. Once Ron checked the distance with his Nikon rangefinder, old pop came to full draw and let ‘er rip. The arrow flew true, and the nice velvet-antlered bull was down for good.

Most guys who bowhunt elk prefer to call or chase them when they are bugling, rutting, and chasing cows around. They enjoy the excitement and thrill of hearing thunderous bull elk talk echoing through the trees and canyons.

There’s no doubt mid-to-late September elk hunting can be exhilarating and productive, especially for those that love to call. But I’ve found bow hunting elk earlier on to be such as effective if not more so. During the rut, bulls become rivals and separate in order to sort out their dominance and to search for cows in estrous. This makes them harder to follow at times, I believe, which can add frustration to the hunt.

Whereas, during the early season, elk follow a consistent pattern, the same one they followed during the late-summer and the weeks leading up to opening day. This means if you’ve located elk during your scouting trips, then you can find them in the same place again.    

August and early September can surely bring warmer temperatures, but sometimes this can actually make animals more concentrated near water sources. This can make for more hunting action.

Also, in most western states, such as New Mexico, earlier hunts are much easier to draw. This could make them even more attractive if you know how to approach this kind of hunting. 

In this article I would like to offer a few tips for harvesting early-season elk. Each one has been proven to work well for me and my close hunting buddies. 

Pattern & Ambush
Like early whitetails, early elk are easy to pattern. Their daily rituals are straightforward -- they bed in heavy cover during the heat of the day, and then they move to feed, usually along open hillsides.

In the evenings, when they first start moving, they often prefer to water. They also like to water just prior to bedding in the morning.

Understanding these basic patterns will allow you to take an effective ambush somewhere along their travel routes – to and from feed or water. It’s that simple.

Another great thing about early elk is that they are still in summer bachelor groups. During August bowhunts, mature bulls are commonly seen in groups of three to ten, all feeding together. They are easier to locate this way, and more bulls in one spot means a high chance for shooting opportunity.

Be Patient & Aggressive
Depending on the terrain, early elk are ideal for employing spot and stalk. If you can glass them, then you should be able to move on them. The key is glassing them up early enough in the day so you can catch them in a vulnerable spot.

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