Frequently Asked Questions
What Airport Do We Arrive In to Meet You?
What Airport Do We Arrive In to Meet You?
What Airport Do We Arrive In to Meet You?
For your Alaska Caribou Hunts or Arctic Grizzly Hunts, in Kotzebue, AK (Airport Code OTZ)- which is 33 miles above the Arctic Circle. Alaska Airlines flies into the airport here daily from Anchorage - which makes getting to us super easy!
What Happens Once We Arrive In Town?
What Airport Do We Arrive In to Meet You?
What Airport Do We Arrive In to Meet You?
You will be greeted by someone from our Staff at the Alaska Airlines Terminal - where they will get you and all your gear over to our Building, where we get you staged and readied for the field.
Generally speaking, the terminal itself is super small, so wait for your luggage, grab your gear & come outside where we'll be waiting with the Van and/or Truck for your arrival. They will be identified with our Shirts/Sweatshirts and hats ... not hard to miss!
Where Do I Purchase Tags & Licenses?
What Airport Do We Arrive In to Meet You?
Are there Places to Stay In Kotzebue?
The sweet thing about Alaska Department of Fish & Game is that you can purchase your Tags & Licensing right off the website!
GAME MANAGEMENT UNIT 23 IS WHERE YOU'LL BE HUNTING.
They will process your request and send it right to your doorstep. Just make sure you leave plenty of time between purchasing them and departing for your hunt for them to process and mail them out.
Are there Places to Stay In Kotzebue?
Can We Donate Some or All of Our Meat to Locals?
Are there Places to Stay In Kotzebue?
YES! Although Kotzebue is a small Village, they are the hub for approximately 11 outlying smaller Villages - therefore, there are actually several places to stay while in Kotzebue. There is a Hotels and several AirB&B's which will take great care of you and provide you with Hot Showers, a Comfy Bed and Great Hospitality.
Can We Donate Some or All of Our Meat to Locals?
Can We Donate Some or All of Our Meat to Locals?
Can We Donate Some or All of Our Meat to Locals?
The Local Inupuaq Elder's LOVE the meat they receive from our Alaska Caribou Hunters. We keep a list of Elder's who can no longer go out and hunt for themselves so we can call them when we have meat our hunters have brought in from the field. We welcome the opportunity to assist the Community with meat that will help sustain them throughout the cold, harsh winters.
What Kind of Planes do you Operate?
Can We Donate Some or All of Our Meat to Locals?
Can We Donate Some or All of Our Meat to Locals?
We have transitioned to an Amphibious Turbine Beaver. This plane is a real work horse and will provide you with an awesome Alaskan Experience by landing on both water and land!
One for the Books
2020 will definitely be a year to remember, Coronavirus (COVID) Craziness, hunkering down, kids out of school, people out of work, businesses closing, the uncertainty of an Election Year and wondering if we were even going to have a Hunting Season at all this year .... HOWEVER, we did, and we did it BIG!
Our guys came up with a lot of "pent up energy" after being hunkered down for so many months and were ready to get out there and take on the challenge of the Alaskan Arctic Wilderness!
We'd like to thank all those who came up this Season and for those of you who couldn't make it due to COVID, we are truly looking forward to having you up this next season.
Biggest Hiccup & Lessons Learned
We all know technology is WONDERFUL when it works - - but makes life a little hectic when it doesn't. During Caribou Season, we learned AT&T and Garmin products weren't "talking" to each other over an ENTIRE week of hunting season!! Can you imagine?? We can, because we lived it!
So, what we took from this communication issue, was when you guys bring your Garmin products - be sure to put in the phone number of the person you're wanting to keep in touch with, BUT ALSO, include their email address!
We were very lucky in the fact that most people realized their texts weren't getting through to us and contacted someone from back home to act as a "middle man" and help with communication in the field. So, even if you are using these products for other hunts, remember to keep in mind technology doesn't always work the way you think it should and it's always at the most inopportune time when it doesn't!!
Statistics
Getting down to the real "nitty gritty" of the season that everyone wants to know ... what were the season statistics??
Well, we can tell you, this season was not only one for the books with all the World Craziness, but it was also one of our top years with regards to Success Rate. We told you our guys showed up with a bunch of pent up energy ... and they went after it!
Overall, we ended the season with a 95.65% success rate ... which equates to 96% - it was a GREAT season!
We also had some other big moments and accomplishments:
▪ A very special man, who had to learn how to talk again due to throat cancer surgery a few short months before arriving, come hunt with us! When he returned home after harvesting his Caribou, he learned they had "got all the cancer" during his surgery! What a true testimony to the amazing things people can accomplish with hard work, prayer and the support of those loved ones around us.
▪ Record number of WOMEN & CHILDREN in the field with us this year - some of which, had never even been "camping" before this trip!
▪ One Marriage Proposal (after of course finding out if she could pack her animal back to camp and looked "her worst" (her words)) and she said YES!!
▪ Lots of shots were taken at Wolves (both with cameras and rifles) - but only one (1) came out this year, but it wasn't for a lack of led being flung at them. We do however, still suggest taking in a wolf tag with you - you'll kick yourself if you have an opportunity and don't have a tag!
In closing, we'll leave you with this. Although not everyone comes out of the field with their animals, we strive to put everyone into the best place possible to be successful during your time in the field. Hunting is HUNTING, it's not always KILLING .... the migration moves differently on a daily basis due to the weather happening in the field. Just like "back home" if it's hot out, they are going to hunker down and rest - on the flip side of that - if we have windy, blizzardy conditions, you can bet they won't be moving much either - but neither are you when that happens!
You guys will start preparing for your trip before too much longer, but here's a gentle reminder we'd like to leave you with:
REMEMBER: You will be hunting ABOVE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE ... the weather is very unpredictable. Plan to layer your clothing, as it can be 60's one minute and the next it's blowing 50+ MPH and the wind chill is 10's or below. All too often, people forget they are coming NORTH TO ALASKA and they should be prepared for anything. But most of all - sit back, relax, hunt hard, forget about your electronics and enjoy your ALASKAN ADVENTURE!
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