Take Your Alaska Truck Rentals Caribou Hunting This Fall!
The hunt is on! Alaska is known for its supreme hunting. Anyone who has a license and follows regulation can take part. Of course, now you just need an Alaska truck rental to get you there!
Hunting regulations are important. They’re not just for teetotalers, but ensure that the species that we hold so dear for our subsistence are maintained rather than depleted. Regulations are not arbitrary laws decided by paper pushers, but rather a carefully constructed mandate set out by those who understand the ecosystem, the species within it, and their breeding and living cycles. With these, officials can create a regimented limitation on hunting that ensures the growth of a species at the same rate its being hunted. After all, you can’t hunt if all the caribou disappear!
As you may know, August and September creates the prime caribou-hunting season. You may have already taken your Alaska truck rental out for a hunt! But unless you’re following regulations, you will come across hefty and unwanted fines.
So, to help you avoid that, we’ve outlined some important tips and rules to remember about hunting to let you stay worry-free in your Alaska truck rentals.
Types of hunts
The date that you’re allowed to begin hunting depends on the type of hunting license you have. Subsistence hunters began on August 1 in the Nelchina region Unit 13, while Tier I followed on August 10. The rest of us who decided to try our hands at the drawing hunt had to wait until August 20. Fortunately, caribou is good for hunting throughout September, as well.
Don’t forget also to reapply for a draw hunt next year if that’s the route you choose to take. Application period, as you may already know, is November 1 until December 15.
Where to find caribou
Hunting caribou can actually be quite relaxing and leisurely, if you know what you’re doing. Unlike many animals, caribous like a little sleep in. That means that early afternoon, with the sunning beaming, is the best time to find caribou roaming the plains. You’ll find them picking at cotton, forbes, fireweed, and dwarf birch leaves. So that means you can pack proper camp breakfasts in your Alaska truck rentals for lazier than normal mornings.
On particularly warm days, look up. Caribou are not fans of bugs and flies, and will move up towards windy ridges in order to avoid them.
Regulations for hunting in Alaska
Regulations on both state and federal levels can be confusing. Your best decision is to read through the regulation handbook carefully. It’s printed annually every June. In this you can find bagging limits, season dates, information on registration hunts, tag types, and information about which hunts are residents only or nonresidents allowed.
This last point is particularly important to pay attention to. If you’re unfamiliar with hunting regulations in the state and you’re a nonresident then it’s important always to check to see if you’re legally admitted to hunt in that region at that period. Because subsistence hunting is common in Alaska, it’s important, as a nonresident, for you to follow these regulations to ensure residents have the food they need.
There are several different types of hunts in Alaska: Tier I and II subsistence permits; drawing permits; federal hunts; registration permits; general season hunts. The best way to figure out which hunt suits you best is by visiting the Alaska hunting regulation website or by reading the regulation handbook. Online information can be found here.
If you need Alaska truck rentals for your caribou hunting trip, look no further than Avis Alaska. Find out more at one of our branches or reserve your vehicle directly with our website.