Sept 2017 Drop hunt, Cole Hawkins-Hawk Mountain Air

mobilefamily

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
136
Can't say enough about how impressed we were with Cole Hawkins' operation on this hunt. All his equipment is clean and appears to be well maintained. He knows the area like the back of his hand and flies extremely well but safely. Cole was very accommodating to all our requests and helped us work through some logistical challenges. We will be back to hunt with him again. This was our second drop hunt. In 2015 we did a moose hunt with another transporter in GMU 18.

Here are some notes from the journal I kept during this hunt. I figured someone else might find them useful:
-neoprene glassing mat made from old waders was super handy
-best idea was packing little knife in gun case
-don’t buy return ticket ahead of time, saves on change fee
-cheap survival blankets were fantastic. Used as tarps and also as ground cover under sleeping pad. (Adventure Medical Kits Sol Survival Blanket, two person pack of 2).
-sleep system was perfect. Survival blanket, foil up; Big Agnes insulated q core 20 x 72 x 4; fleece blankie; quilt.
-never put on heavy pants, gloves, or shirt. Or second pair of long johns. Was saving them in case of colder weather.
-Cabelas ear muff hat was great
-Garmin Inreach (orange) was great
-never used solar charger
-barely used part of one external battery
-Luci light was great
-MSR Dragonfly was great, plugged on av gas but was able to clean it and get it going again
-tipi with stove was great. Need to fix big door zipper though.
-Chest pack was a fail. Took too long when putting pack on.
-Legs were pretty good. Training program worked.
-Arms got tired because I carried the gun all the time. Never used sling. In fact, I took it off after the first day. Should have done more weight lifting to prep arms.
-logistics day kind of sucky. Wal Mart and Lowes for Tyvek suits, bubble wrap, shrink wrap. Took an hour and a half to organize gear at hangar and get meat boxed.
-took meat to Lakefront Hotel, Millenium. They had a freezer for game. Should stay there next time.
-we each checked 6 pieces. $300 per man. This got our luggage, camp gear, guns, 2 full coolers, 2 meat boxes, and antlers (split and wrapped together) on the plane.
 

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acmckeage03

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 13, 2016
Messages
186
Location
Utah
Congrats on the nice bulls! I always enjoy reading each persons gear review after a trip. What shelter were you using?
 
OP
M

mobilefamily

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
136
Congrats on the nice bulls! I always enjoy reading each persons gear review after a trip. What shelter were you using?

Thanks.

We purchased a used SO 6 man with stove. It served us well except for a zipper that came apart. Should be a simple fix before our next trip.
 

Merc

FNG
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
97
Location
Anchorage
I always enjoy reading the After Action Reports (AAR's) from hunts to see what worked and didn't. Congrats on some great animals!

On not using the sling, was that because of how it carried or you didn't like slinging with a pack on?
 
OP
M

mobilefamily

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
136
I always enjoy reading the After Action Reports (AAR's) from hunts to see what worked and didn't. Congrats on some great animals!

On not using the sling, was that because of how it carried or you didn't like slinging with a pack on?

I decided that I wanted the gun in my hands at all times. No good way to sling it for quick access on my pack. So with the gun in my hands, the swinging sling kept grabbing brush, my belt, and anything else it could find.
 

JBahr

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 29, 2016
Messages
252
I decided that I wanted the gun in my hands at all times. No good way to sling it for quick access on my pack. So with the gun in my hands, the swinging sling kept grabbing brush, my belt, and anything else it could find.

I used this last year:
Universal Gun Bearers – Kifaru Intl. Online Store

Very effective, very quick, velcro is loud but if they are not on top of you no big deal. Fits on any pack.
 

philos

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
1,385
Location
Behind you
Congratulations on your success. I'd love to do a caribou hunt. If I may ask...what chest pack did you have that did not work for you?
 
OP
M

mobilefamily

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
136
Congratulations on your success. I'd love to do a caribou hunt. If I may ask...what chest pack did you have that did not work for you?

It was a military surplus pouch I rigged to hang from my chest strap between my frame pack chest straps. Seemed like a great idea but took too long to buckle up when I was putting my pack on.
 

Qlyrata

FNG
Joined
Sep 15, 2017
Messages
2
Location
South Carolina
How were the caribou numbers on your hunt? From my research it looks like the 40 mile herd has larger numbers, but that also involves the additional logistics getting to Tok. thanks,
 
OP
M

mobilefamily

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
136
How were the caribou numbers on your hunt? From my research it looks like the 40 mile herd has larger numbers, but that also involves the additional logistics getting to Tok. thanks,

We saw caribou every day, not huge numbers though. Mostly small groups of 2-7. I have not hunted the 40 Mile herd but my research agrees that a person would see more caribou per day in that area.
 
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