Looks like I’m going to be chasing caribou in Alaska in 2025! Let’s hear your stories, equipment used, recommendations. Was at the zoo yesterday and they look to be roughly whitetail size, so thinking equipment needs should be similar.

I went caribou hunting in 94 to the Torngat mountains of Quebec, since then I have been all o9ver hunting including Africa but I still think of that caribou hunt as one of my favorite adventures . I shot two big bulls by stalking I didn't see many but those two were enough . One was pretty big scoring 379 the other would have also been P&Y size but I didn't enter him . The ones I shot were a lot bigger than a white tail more like a small bull elk . I used a 57# longbow Douglas fir arrows and Snuffer broadheads .

I use the same equipment for whitetails as I did caribou but the boo weigh more like 400 pounds for a good bull. I was fortunate to kill a number of them in my 28 years of living up in Alaska and they are fun to hunt. The scenery can be wonderful and usually theres a lot of other animals to see while out. If your looking for a trophy size one do your homework...compared to deer they all look huge. Learn about scoring or have some one with you that knows them. Like Tim Finley I was lucky enough to harvest several bulls of P&Y quality and one that even qualified for B&C. Depending on the area you hunt they can be found in the mountains or in open tundra. Trust me ether will test you physically Get in the best shape you can. I hope you have as much fun as I did chasing them around!

Ditto what has been said. I went twice to NWT for Central Barren Ground. I believe they have the smallest body but still bigger than a Whitetail.

Caribou are made for the bowhunter. Especially if you get on a migration. I sat on a narrow spot in a Bay off McKay Lake for a day and a half with a steady stream of Caribou coming over the horizon.

Great memories! Good luck on your hunt!

Caribou are some bigger than whitetails but don’t require heavier gear. Dad always said “Caribou are the perfect animal for the bow hunter, big, dumb, pretty…. they die easy!” Hunted them in Quebec back in the early 90’s and a couple times on the North Slope of the Brooks. Would love to hunt em again, but good caribou hunts are getting hard to come by. Most of the herds in AK are not doing well, the Quebec hunt has been shut down for years, I’ve heard central Canada barren ground are spotty, and I’m too cheap to pay the $ to hunt mountain caribou.

R

I've hunted the 5 species one time each BC, Que, Ak, NWFD and Nunuvat I was lucky enough to get each species. They are bigger than whitetail not not by too much maybe 350-400 lbs would be the most. You regular whitetail gear is ok as they are thin skinned. In BC I shot mine with a 65# Bear Alaskan and razorback 4's, in Que I used a 65# Zebra Grevy with Bear razorheads. In AK I used a 74# Golden Eagle with Bear razorheads, Nwfd I used a 64# Wolverine with Ben Pearson switchblades and in Nunuvat(NWT) I used a 64# Bear t/d with Bear razorheads. My shots were 9,25,15,20 and 12 yds. I found them to be pretty easy to get close to, not dumb but niave. My last hunt was in 1996 so they have gotten more wary now. If you hit the migration it'll be good!

2001 Quebec-Lab, was able to shoot 2 with 50lb Assenheimer recurve. 2018 Easton aluminum arrow with 2 blade Magnus broadhead. Biggest one about 12 yard broadside double lung with complete penetration, measured out at 353/0. A hunt of a life time for me !!

There's a number of Caribou types. The ones at the zoo may not represent what you are going after.

Get in front of them and wait, if your stalking them in the wide open and they are doing their zombi thing, they are tough to get close to.

Thanks all, gives me stuff to ponder.

Hunting them in the tundra seems like it would be challenging. I lived in Alaska for four years while I was in the Air Force. Saw lots of them hiking in Denali, but never hunted them. That would be an amazing experience.

I was fortunate to hunt caribou in northern Quebec in 2006. I got a very nice P&Y double shovel bull and a smaller second bull. I used a 56# longbow with ash arrows and Magnus I broadheads. They are not hard to put down. Even a marginal hit slows them down to make a second shot easy.

Good Eating, Better than talking about them, Caribou’s that is.

Caribou at the Zoo are most likely reindeer. Most baren ground caribou in Alaska are more comparable to a big bodied mule deer with some being between mule deer and elk size. That being said, they are not hard to kill and the typical whitetail setup will work fine at normal hunting distances.

Caribou at the Zoo are most likely reindeer. Most baren ground caribou in Alaska are more comparable to a big bodied mule deer with some being between mule deer and elk size. That being said, they are not hard to kill and the typical whitetail setup will work fine at normal hunting distances.

Best of luck to you, prepare for an amazing adventure. they are a bit diceiving in how fast they can cover ground. They look like they are just feeding along or treking across the tundra but man are they covering alot of ground fast! You can't out hike them if they are traveling, to get ahead of them to set up an ambush. They move too fast across the terrain so plan your ambush way ahead of time or you will miss your chance. I brought one in for a close shot waving a white towel. They are very curious animals and will come to check you out. I used 49lbs with a 545gr arrow tipped with a 176gr 3 blade Valkrie on my 30 yard shot Mountain caribou, 52lbs with 510 grain arrow tipped with 165gr single bevel Zwickie on both my 15 yard shot Central Barren Ground and 20 yard shot Quebec Labrador, for Barren Ground in Alaska a 25 yard shot with my 53lb bow with 570gr and a single bevel 250gr Steel Force broadhead and last for my 14 yard shot on my Woodland Caribour I used 55lbs with a 560 gr arrow with a 125gr Muzzy 3 blade.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=caribou.main

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