Dropped him! Alaska Caribou hunting!!

Leo is 13 years old and is my oldest son. After sighting in his rifle and doing some target practice, he was ready for his caribou hunt. He drew the youth caribou tag YC495 for unit 13 in central Alaska. Unit 13 is a popular subsistence hunting unit for Alaskans. The youth season is an early season hunt runs from August 1st-5th and provides a good opportunity to harvest a Caribou before the general season hunt that begins on August 10th. Youth hunts are vital for kids to get them a chance to experience hunting with less competition and less pressured animals. Getting kids involved in the outdoors helps teach them about the landscape, the wildlife and skills like patience, resilience, respect, problem solving, confidence and responsibly. It also teaches the youth about the value of meat, where it comes from and gives them the ability to provide for the family. It helps kids learn valuable. And hopefully they are able to carry that tradition through adolescence and remain a hunter for life!

On this hunt we are after the very popular and sought after Alaskan Caribou. Caribou are members of the deer family and there size is slightly smaller than an elk with males weighing 350-400 pounds and females weighing about 175-200 pounds. Caribou stand alone in the deer family with both sexes having the ability to grow antlers. They live in the tundra landscape and in the early season can be found high in the mountains to escape the relentless onslaught of mosquitoes and biting flies.

After a long drive in the truck and another long trek on the side by side, only getting stuck once, we finally made it to the mountains and spotted some caribou along the way. The next day was opening morning and after a few hours we got on a herd of bulls! Watch how it turns out!