Pathfinder and PathfinderJRs Alaska Caribou Hunt

[JLS]

What a great story!  Congratulations on an outstanding trip with your son.

[pd]

Congratulations.  It looks like you did a very good job in raising a fine young man.

[Dan-o]

WOW, nicely done!

[Pathfinder101]

Congratulations.  It looks like you did a very good job in raising a fine young man.

Thanks.  He's a great kid. 

[Widgeondeke]

I want a slice of that steak 
Congrats and awesome writing 

[meatwhack]

That was an outstanding story and adventure. I'm sure your boy will remember that the rest of his life congratulations.

[TVHunts]

Congrats on your successful hunt!  Awesome story!

[DaleVR]

What a great well written story and awesome graduation present! Way to go guys!   

[saylean]

Great story and pics pathfinder. Some dandy bulls and wonderful memories there. I know what you mean about trying to walk in that junk, feels like you have to hi step constantly. Thanks for posting, other than a hiccup here or there it looked like a perfect trip. Congratulations

[quadrafire]

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
My son just graduated and I feel like such a turd now as all I did was take him to a few COPA America games in Seattle.
Thanks for making me feel bad 

[Pathfinder101]

I want a slice of that steak 
Congrats and awesome writing 

Not gonna lie... that was some of the best tasting meat either of us have ever eaten.  (nothing to do with the fact that we had been eating mountainhouse for 4 days straight I am sure).  The powdered mountainhouse as a rub turned out way better than I thought it would...
For those of you who haven't had caribou, in my opinion it tastes exactly like mule deer.  Wife and kids all agree.

[Pathfinder101]

Great story and pics pathfinder. Some dandy bulls and wonderful memories there. I know what you mean about trying to walk in that junk, feels like you have to hi step constantly. Thanks for posting, other than a hiccup here or there it looked like a perfect trip. Congratulations

Yes, other than a couple of hiccups it was a perfect trip.  In our world "perfect" means lots of sweat and hard work, challenges to overcome, early mornings and late nights and plenty of unexpected surprises.  Aint hunters weird...?

Luckily, we didn't have to spend a lot of time hiking tussocks (spongy grassland).  40 Mile Air dropped us off on a rocky ridge and we were able to spend much of the time walking ridgelines.  The country looked more like what you would expect for sheep hunting than for caribou. In fact, we did see 4 dall sheep (too far distant for pictures though).
 From what I could tell, we were in a saddle that was the choke point for caribou moving from one river drainage to another, and I think that's why we got so much action while we were there.  I would guess we saw over 100 caribou a day, including about 20 bulls.  All scattered in groups of 2 or 3 to as many as a dozen.  No big herds.  We were told this when we were dropped off, that they are still scattered in mid August.  I did notice that when we were flown in and out of our area, that we didn't spot many caribou anymore just a few minutes out from our ridge, that's what leads me to believe that we were in a choke point. 
We did see the guys from California back at the airfield.  All 3 tagged out with their bows too, and I know they were in a different area (one with more cover for close stalks).  That is what you pay the carrier for.  They know where to put you, and they've been doing it for over 50 years with a very good reputation. 
You can see the terrain from the pictures.  In the pic of me with the bull on my back, I killed him in the saddle that the bill of my hat is pointing towards.  Like I said, looked and felt more like sheep country than caribou country.

[Pathfinder101]

Looks awesome!!!  Definitely hoping to do something like this in next couple of years. Congrats on some great caribou!!

If you decide to go with 40 Mile Air keep in mind that they book up FAST.  You can't call to book until December 15th at 8:00am.  I was teaching a class at 8:00 am and couldn't call until 8:25.  By that time they were nearly booked up.  It was pure luck for me that the date I needed (August 12th) was available.  Returning customers (regulars) get to book on December 1st, so a lot of the slots are filled up on the first. 

[bowhunterforever]

Awesome hunt, thanks for sharing 

[bearpaw]

Awesome story and photos, really enjoyed reading!