2022 Kotz Caribou Booked - Bear Fence or No

[5AHunter]

Booked our first Caribou hunt with a drop camp in 23 with Ram Aviation at the end of August 2022. Tons of questions on this but the million dollar question is to bear fence or not to bear fence.

We are all pretty seasoned public land hunters from the west and have had to deal with black bears/cats etc. But never have I had to store game bags in camp in Grizzly country - this is new for me and I don't want worrying about mr grizz to be the focal point of our trip.

What types of precautions are standard issue vs overkill out there.

 

[oldman]

I would contact: Billy Molls, he has a ton of experience.

 

[Airohunter]

Just went this last year and didn't have one. It would be at the top of my list when I go again.
We had lot's of Grizz issues and so did others we talked to. Your not very likely going to get mauled by a Grizz but the peace off mind and the ability to save your meat makes it worth while.

 

[5AHunter]

Just went this last year and didn't have one. It would be at the top of my list when I go again.
We had lot's of Grizz issues and so did others we talked to. Your not very likely going to get mauled by a Grizz but the peace off mind and the ability to save your meat makes it worth while.

How did you guys end up doing?

 

[Airohunter]

We did well, killed two nice bulls. We hunted with AA and it was a rough trip, things could have been better but then hell they could have been worse. We lost all our meat, the one cape we tried to save and a bear chewed my Bou skull but it still checked all the adventure boxes for me.

 

[VaHntr]

We went last year out of kotz and brought a fence. Way worth it for the peace of mind from my perspective.

It worked great … right until the last night when a pack of wolves bit thru & dug under the wire grounding it to get into the meat. Seeing our fence tangled up and meat spread over the tundra sure sent a chill up my spine first thing at 6am. With the high winds that night, we never heard a thing.

 

[ddavis_1313]

Following for a 2022 trip of Me and the wife with ram


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[5AHunter]

We went last year out of kotz and brought a fence. Way worth it for the peace of mind from my perspective.

It worked great … right until the last night when a pack of wolves bit thru & dug under the wire grounding it to get into the meat. Seeing our fence tangled up and meat spread over the tundra sure sent a chill up my spine first thing at 6am. With the high winds that night, we never heard a thing.

Did you guys still manage to get meat/capes/heads home? How did everyone do?

 

[Voyageur]

I've used an Electro Bear Guard fence on my last 3 trips. To my knowledge it has never been tested on those trips, but I rest easier knowing it's up.

 

[Jackal7]

We used a UDAP 45X45 foot fence in 2019. Will bring it again in September 2022. We slept better and never had any bear issues. Worth the baggage weight. If we have extra weight allowance this next trip, we might bring the smaller one along too just for the meat and hides, and use the 45X45 one for around our tents.

 

[ddavis_1313]

We used a UDAP 45X45 foot fence in 2019. Will bring it again in September 2022. We slept better and never had any bear issues. Worth the baggage weight. If we have extra weight allowance this next trip, we might bring the smaller one along too just for the meat and hides, and use the 45X45 one for around our tents.

I’m considering bringing one for me and my wife but mostly for food and meat/hide if we are so lucky to drop a bull or two. Preserving the mount comes first. I’ll take my chances with the bears in a tent. lol


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[Broomd]

We did well, killed two nice bulls. We hunted with AA and it was a rough trip, things could have been better but then hell they could have been worse. We lost all our meat, the one cape we tried to save and a bear chewed my Bou skull but it still checked all the adventure boxes for me.

Wait, you guys lost all of your meat to bears? Where were you guys when this happened?

I'm not trying to bust your balls, just curious how that could happen.

 

[Airohunter]

We were camped about 50 yards from our meat, we even had it up in trees. They hit us at night, we never heard them. Similar stories from other hunters with other outfitters, guess it was just a bad year. I too was taken back by the fact we never heard them, even when they snapped the tree.
It was windy that night but you would have thought you would hear something. They even got to my head and chewed it up pretty well, it was frustrating.

 

[Airohunter]

I’m considering bringing one for me and my wife but mostly for food and meat/hide if we are so lucky to drop a bull or two. Preserving the mount comes first. I’ll take my chances with the bears in a tent. lol


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We flew in with a husband wife team from Montana, the first night a bear poked its head against the tent and sniffed her head. I know they moved camp the next day, I can only imagine the hell he caught the rest of the trip.

 

[VaHntr]

Did you guys still manage to get meat/capes/heads home? How did everyone do?

We went 2 for 3. Tough hunting. Yes, we were able to get what little meat was left, hide and capes home.

 

[Broomd]

Wow, that's crazy; what a mess.

Your experiece is pretty timely with this thread. I wouldn't head up there without one given the brazen nature of the bears right now. Were they all grizz? Any blackies?

Put a fence around the tents and one around the meat too. Mandatory.

 

[eamyrick]

I flew out of Kotz with GE to Dolly fish in August. Over 7 nights we saw 17 and had some come through camp while we were asleep. We kept our food by the river in a yeti 45 which probably helped. No bear fence but with a bunch of Caribou meat I can see it being beneficial. We are heading up in September again with GE but for Caribou/fishing this time.

 

[5AHunter]

We went last year out of kotz and brought a fence. Way worth it for the peace of mind from my perspective.

It worked great … right until the last night when a pack of wolves bit thru & dug under the wire grounding it to get into the meat. Seeing our fence tangled up and meat spread over the tundra sure sent a chill up my spine first thing at 6am. With the high winds that night, we never heard a thing.

We're you using the typical 3 wire UDAP or the mesh fence?

 

[VaHntr]

We're you using the typical 3 wire UDAP or the mesh fence?

We used the typical 3 wire setup. No complaints with it for its intended purpose. We all slept better at night because of it. It’s supposed to be a bear fence, not a wolf pack fence.

 

[Alaska2025]

We went last year out of kotz and brought a fence. Way worth it for the peace of mind from my perspective.

It worked great … right until the last night when a pack of wolves bit thru & dug under the wire grounding it to get into the meat. Seeing our fence tangled up and meat spread over the tundra sure sent a chill up my spine first thing at 6am. With the high winds that night, we never heard a thing.

That's some crap luck!