A Bowhunter’s First Time Hunting the Haul Road

An Alaska caribou hunt isn’t just about filling a tag, it’s about timing, patience, and learning the hard way. Read about Nigel Fox’s bow hunt on the Haul Road and how it all came together

Every year it seems I make plans for my hunting season after the Alaska draw. If I draw tags for the Alaska hunting season, then I can plan my season around that tag or tags. In 2024 I did not draw any tags at all. So, my plan was to bow hunt the James Dalton Highway (AKA the Haul Road) for caribou at the beginning of August because that timeframe worked out with my guided sportfishing season on the Kenai River. I did not know what going to the Haul Road would be like, since it was my first time doing it. I have bowhunted caribou on the Kenai Peninsula a few times, so I knew how to put on a stalk in that mountainous terrain that the Killey River tag offers. But this would be an entirely different experience for me.

On this trip I just wanted a good representation of a nice bull in velvet and to learn the area well enough to go back another time to kill a giant.

I only could plan my hunt for a total of seven days at the beginning of August because of my very full fish-guiding season. Another reason I considered the beginning of August was it should be at the start of the caribou migration. The caribou begin migrating back to the foothills around the Haul Road in early to mid-August and usually continue through September, but it can extend into the winter months.

The Logistics: Driving, Intel, and Hunting Companions

The way I planned, I would have one day to drive up and one day to drive back home, which really left me five hunting days. I only wanted to use two days for driving there and back, and the only way to achieve that, because it was a 17-hour drive from the Kenai Peninsula, would be to bring a friend along to help with the drive. A bonus with this plan is it’s always nice to hunt with a friend. Finding a partner was an easy task for me because my buddy, Jeff, is always up for an adventure and had never been to the Haul Road. Then I needed to get some intel about the area to hunt (the haul road is more than 400 miles long), so the first thing I did was start talking with a few friends who have hunted the Haul Road and then I did some research on the internet, where there are several articles you can read.

Now, if I had longer to plan, I could probably wasted a few days figuring out what to do. It was good to talk to a few friends who’d done it before so I could figure out where to camp and to get a clear picture of what to expect. It was not what I expected.

The next thing I wanted to do is research the area on my onX app and put a few pins on some of the key areas I wanted to hunt, but whether or not those areas would pan out was also dependent on the migration of the caribou. If they are not in the five-mile archery-hunting corridor, then it would be a waste of time to hunt that area and I would need to plan for another time to hunt after my sportfishing season was over in late September.

The Journey North

While planning, I had another good friend and his brother who said they wanted to go as well. It is always nice to have extra company and the extra help in camp is also great. I now had a new plan for four people to go, with the plan of taking just two bulls.

The 8^th of August rolled around, and that day was my last guide trip for the next seven days. Jeff and I packed my truck and gassed up to head north. I was not looking forward to the 17-hour drive ahead of us, but we had a good plan to take turns driving so we did not have to stop often; just to refuel. Everything went smoothly driving to Fairbanks, Alaska, but once we got past Livengood the road was terrible. Driving conditions worsened and slowed our driving speed to around 45 mph for most of the way to Coldfoot. Jeff and I alternated every three hours of driving time so we could get some rest.

Crowds, Construction, and Changing Strategies

As we rolled into Coldfoot, we got some food and refueled around 5 a.m. on August 9^th. This was a much-needed stop for all of us. Coldfoot, Alaska is a great place to stop for fuel and food, but it is very expensive because it’s in the middle of nowhere. The only other place to refuel or to buy supplies in the area would be at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, at the far north end of the Haul Road.

As we rolled out of Coldfoot we still had a couple hours to get to Galbraith Lake, which was where we were going to camp. We had to travel through Atigun Pass, which is an amazing place to drive through and to see wildlife and scenery. As we pulled into Galbraith Lake Campground, it was completely full, so we had to figure out a place to camp. We also had to figure out where we wanted to hunt for the five days—near Galbraith Lake or further up the Dalton Highway towards Prudhoe Bay.

One thing we had to contend with on the way north was all the road construction delays, so we decided to head further north towards Pump Station 3 to hunt in that area. I had been told by a friend that the caribou were closer to Pump Station 3. I wanted to start there first, and then maybe head back towards Galbraith Lake if I did not kill anything. I could only spare two days for that plan.

We pulled back out onto the Dalton Highway from Galbraith Lake and headed north towards Pump Station 3, and I was floored by how many people were hunting off the side of the road. I would describe it as the Super Bowl of road hunting, because the caribou were migrating from the east and crossing the Haul Road to head west. There were so many hunters stalking the same group of caribou that they would mess up each other’s stalk.

First Close Encounter and a Wind Shift

My first thought was I would need to get away from all these people if I was going to have a chance at a caribou. What I was not expecting was that where all the people were was also the main migration route for the caribou that year. Additionally, construction from the Toolik Lake turn off to Pump Station 3 made things more complicated. Also, people were camping right on top of each other. I learned that there is road construction every summer on the Haul Road, but this year was worse because of the length of the section they were working on and the extensive damaged they had to repair. It was a mess in that area, and it slowed traffic, and I also believe it was affecting the caribou migration.

With all that happening, I decided to hunt on the other side (north) of that nonsense, closer to the “Ice Cut” for a few days. During those two days of hunting, I only had one shot at a caribou near the Sag River, but it was a big bull and it would have made the decision well worth it if I was able to capitalize. I only saw a handful of caribou and most were very far off, out of range and moving very fast away from me.

There were no hunters in that location which made it nice, but I was realizing fast that I would have to move closer to Galbraith Lake to have any success. My holdup was all the hunters near Galbraith Lake.

A Close Stalk and a Missed Opportunity

On day three we all decided to pack up and move camp south towards Galbraith Lake and hunt that area hard for the next few days. That would put us on the other side of the construction that would take 45 minutes to get through.

As we were setting up our camp near Galbraith Lake, we stopped for a little break and started to glass the mountains and draws that ran parallel to the Haul Road and that were perpendicular to us. We soon glassed up a small group of caribou in a draw, but they were still a few miles from us, and we could not tell whether any bulls were present. So, we broke out the spotting scope and confirmed that it was a small group of bulls. We could not tell how big these bulls were, and we could not get to them before it got to dark. We watched them bed down for the evening and decided we would go after them in the morning.

Things did not go as planned that morning. We woke up a little late and that put us on our hike a little later than expected. We also had to find the group of caribou because they moved overnight. They happened to be closer to us in a smaller draw which made things a little easier, but they were still a few miles out.

Final Shot and the Importance of Timing

As we started to hike, I noticed a truck parked along the road leading into the area where we were camping. I hoped they weren’t stalking the same group of caribou we were, but that is exactly what happened. There was a traditional bowhunter almost to the draw where the caribou were feeding into the wind. I decided to back off because I did not want to mess up that bowhunter who had beat us to the caribou. That’s the price you pay for being late.

I made a plan to reposition a few draws to the northeast of the caribou on the downwind side of them. I did not want to interfere with the other bowhunter, but I still wanted a shot at those bulls even though I still did not know how big they are.

As I predicted, the caribou moved towards us after a few hours of waiting. I still was downwind from them as they fed towards us. As they came into view, I could make out the size of them. It looked like one big bull that could go Boone and Crockett, with four satellite bulls that were also pretty good size. Before long, I had the big bull feeding into bow range. I was positioned in a small depression in the tundra because there was very little cover, but I was more worried about the wind than the lack of cover. As the big bull got to 60 yards, I went to full draw. Simultaneously, the wind hit the back of my neck and was blowing right towards him. Instantly, the big bull got my wind and took off, taking the other bulls with him. As I watched the group of caribou crest the ridge and go out of view, I felt like my one shot was gone. I only had a few days left until we had to leave.

We decided to take the remainder of the day off and just get some rest at camp so we could hunt hard for the last two days. There were so many people where the caribou were migrating through…I did not want to hunt like that and wanted to separate myself somehow.

Regrouping and Second Chances

We glassed that evening while cooking dinner and found that same group of caribou again, but they were much further away from us in another draw, almost out of view. We made a plan to get back on those caribou in the morning, and we made sure to set the alarm early.

The next morning when it started to get light out, much to my surprise, the caribou had moved closer to us and seemed to be feeding our way. Again, we started to hike towards them, but much earlier than the previous day, so we were able to get on them before any other hunters.

As we drew closer to their last known location, my friend noticed antlers sticking up over a rise and they were getting closer to us. We immediately crouched down into small depressions in the tundra and nocked an arrow. The wind was perfect, essentially a crosswind blowing from east to west, with the caribou coming from our north.

The wind was blowing hard and would make settling into a long shot much more difficult, but it was the only real shot at these bulls. As the caribou crested the ridge in front of my buddy, they then stopped and started to move to our downwind side. We both ranged them at 76 yards as they moved left of us, broadside. I moved my sight to 75 yards and went to full draw, settled quick, and let an arrow fly on the last bull in the group. My arrow hit true right behind the front shoulder. The group ran back to the north along with my bull. Moments later, my bull broke from the group and ran east down a draw. I knew then he was going to expire. My buddy and I decided to give it a little time because I could not find my arrow at first.

Patience, Gratitude, and Lessons Learned

As we both sat there and had a snack, I asked him why he did not let an arrow fly, and he said he was not comfortable shooting that far with that much wind. My buddy, Carson, was new to bowhunting and made a good decision, which is hard to do as new bowhunter.

We both eventually made our way to my caribou after giving it a good half hour. I was thrilled with the bull I arrowed. He was not the biggest bull in the group, but it was a good one. We took a few quick photos, then quartered him up and loaded our packs up for the couple-mile hike out.

Once I could see camp, I started reflecting on how the hunt unfolded and was super grateful for how everything went. The four of us decided to pack up camp a day early and head back home so we had an extra day of rest before getting back to the grind.

Alaska Caribou Hunt Success on the Haul Road

There are a few key things I took from my first hunt on the Haul Road: First, give yourself at least a week to hunt. It takes a long time to get there, and you will burn up a few days driving up and back. Second, hunt with a friend or friends. It makes it more enjoyable, and it is also nice to have the help. Third, practice a lot shooting with your bow out past 60 yards. It was very difficult to get closer than about 75 yards from the animals. Fourth, do a ton of hiking with weight in your pack because the tundra sucks to hike on. Last, determine what time of year you want to hunt. August is the early part of migration and is crowded with more hunters. The last week of September is at the end of migration and there are fewer hunters, at least, that is what I have been told.

Now this is just my perspective on my first experience bowhunting the Haul Road. I did not want to hunt around everyone who was hunting right where the migration was. I wanted more solitude or more of a backcountry-style hunt with no road hunting, but that is what makes hunting the Haul Road so unique. You can road hunt it, or make it more remote without the crowds.

Current Bow Set Up:

Bow-Xpedition Archery Xlite 31

Rest/String Set-Vapor Trail VTX & Gen 8x rest

Sight-Black Gold Dual Trac

Stabilizers- Stokerized M-1 stabs

Arrow-Kill’n Stix Ventilators

Nigel Fox has been co-owner/guide at Alaska Drift Away Fishing for over two decades. He is a lifelong Alaskan and avid bowhunter of the Alaska backcountry. When he is not spending time guiding clients on the Kenai River, he is on another Alaska hunting adventure.

Looking for more great reads like this Alaska caribou hunt? Explore the big game blog archive for more epic hunts.