I have been daydreaming of future hunts of late and spent more time than I should be looking at all of the great lodges and outfitters in Alaska and Canada that offer caribou and/or moose hunts; now I have come to the conclusion that short of winning a lottery, and since I do not buy tickets that could be hard to do, there is not anyway that I can ever afford this form of hunting. Nothing against those that have the funds for this guided hunting, but the reality is that I do not have that kind of income. Now just going off on your own and hunting sounds like a lofty goal that as Traditional hunters we should be able to do; however I have lived in the bush and mountains before and it just is not that easy. So seems like if a few Trad fellows got together and figured out a hunt or so a year, planned carefully, kept things simple, and shared expenses then some memorable hunts could be had. Not to mention that when I tell my wife that I am going out for multiple days to hunt alone, there is more friction and dissent then is needed in life. Have any of you put together DIY hunts with other forum members and pulled it off? There has been a few great post/treads about setting up some hunts, one was for a elk hunt in western Washington that is being set up for 2010, but I do not know if there has been any for say; caribou and/or moose in Alaska or Canada. Any adventures out there that are not financially overwhelmed with surplus cash but still want to go hunting afar?
Sounds like a great idea - I wonder about getting something like that put together.
J
You can cross Canada off your list. It's required to have a guide there. That's why I don't hunt Canada. Haven't done a DYI with trad gangers, but have been doing DYI hunts my entire life, including many out west and a few to Alaska. A local contact would help tremendously, but in the age of the internet with so much information available on line, most folks can do it with a little homework, Good luck.
I met up with a great fellow a few years ago (Randy Green, Greenie here on TG) via the "trade a hunt" section. We rode to CO together from OH, split costs and did a fairly inexpensive DIY hunt. AK airfare seems pretty prohibitive in cost unless you can save up some serious points on a card/Freq Flier miles or something.
There is a pretty good book called "Hunt Alaska Now" that has some pretty good info about setting up hunts. I think that there was a recent post on bowsite about all the ins and outs of doing a caribou hunt out of Kotzebue. Like Orion said, with the internet a lot of scouting and groundwork can be done in the comfort of your own home.
forget canada!!! got to have a guide. only canadians can DIY in canada.
been there tried that and didn't have much fun.
I have done DIY's in Alaska a couple of times, several in various western states, and Texas. Without a doubt the hardest part is making the decision to do it, setting the date, making a commitment to the hunt, and then not backing out; Regardless of the obstacles that might arise (and they have for every participant on every one of my hunts). Finding others that you trust, who possess the needed woodmanship skills, and are willing to make the commitment, is the next hardest part. The research and planning is actually easy compared to making the commitment, finding the people, and then doing it.
My first bowhunting trip to Alaska developed when my brother and I were returning from a Traditional bowhunter of Montana shoot and decided to quit dreaming about an Alaskan hunt and to do it, regardless of whatever obstacles might arise. No excuses! We were going to do it! We made the commitment right then! On the drive home we decided on the species (which we later changed from caribou to moose), the type of hunt (changed form float instead of a drop camp), who we wanted to join us (only one accepted the invitation but the other one got his own partner), and set the date (which was later changed from mid August to mid September). The next day we asked some friends if they wanted to go and after they had committed (a couple of weeks later) the planning started.
You get the idea, the particulars of the plan need to be flexible but the main goal, an Alaskan hunt and date/year stayed the same. After committing to the hunt, at least for everybody I know who has done a self guided Alaskan hunt, the year set for the hunt is paramount, usually nine months to a year and a half from the time you make the commitment to the hunt. Less then nine months and it is hard to make the plans and get the savings/financing together, any longer then a year and half usually results in some/most of the members backing out for unforeseen reasons/problems (if the hunt isn't cancelled), resulting the final members being completely different from the original group.
There are a lot of things that affect an Alaskan hunt, much of which you have no control over, but if you are willing to make the commitment, set the date, pick the right people, and like the old Nike commercial said, JUST DO IT, it can be one of the best adventures of your life.
I have been in on a drop camp hunt for elk in CO with 5 other guys from the *********** and everything went well. I've been on a few DIY hunts including 1 float for moose in AK. As Walt says you need to committ to it and make it happen. I actually like the planning and research required for a DIY trip. Plus you are responsible, no pissin' and moanin' about the guide or outfitter.