The information here applies to all areas and hunts you book with Larry Rivers. Every hunt is complete and includes transportation in the field, personal guide, all trophy care, camp equipment, sleeping bags, and meals. Everything is provided except for your hunting licenses and tags, personal gear, firearms and ammunition. With your permission we will make your task a little easier and purchase your license and tags for you so that they are waiting in camp. Foreign Nationals please note: You now require an import permit to bring your firearms into the USA. It takes about 60 days to obtain the permit, so please plan ahead.
Commercial flights to Alaska should be booked by your travel agent.
All guiding is 1x1 with highly experienced guides. A ratio of approximately 1.5 staff members for every client insures that the hunt is well organized and the smallest details are taken care of. Our guides are fully licensed and experienced woodsmen. They excel in trophy judging and woodsmanship and are without a doubt the finest in Alaska. These gentlemen understand that the hunt is to be conducted at your pace, and in a manner that will be enjoyable to you. The high satisfaction experienced by their clients attests to their ability.
You may ask "what about physical conditioning?" While hunting can be physically demanding, it need not be an exercise in physical discomfort as long as you are in reasonable physical condition. If a client is not in top shape, it simply takes a little longer to get where you are going. This said, one also has to understand that if they are not in mountain shape, the places they will be going to, will be limited...and those may be the places with the best game! It is possible to be in such poor shape that you can not climb the mountains or manage the tundra. In this case, there is simply nothing we can do for you, and I would recommend that you not book a hunt at all. Fortunately this is the exception, and most folks can manage to do well on a hunt even when they are not in top shape. On the other hand, if you are one of the few who are in great shape and like to cover the mountain trails, don’t despair, we have the country you dream of and are able to hunt up to your expectations as well.
We've flown and hunted these areas for many many years. You can be certain that you will be in the best locations possible for the game you are hunting. Its a simple formula, if the game isn’t there, you won’t be there either.
Once successful on your primary trophy, we move you to the area most appropriate for the next trophy on your list, or return to main camp where you can relax, fish and watch over your trophy preparation until the time of your departure.
Alaska's game regulations and
the rules of "fair chase" are followed to the letter.
We will never hunt on the same day you fly.
After the hunt has been completed we suggest that you leave your trophies with us to ship out later. The airlines will no longer accept them as baggage, and will require you to ship them as freight. This requires an additional couple of hours of airline paperwork prior to your departure, and you can not ship them out of state at all, if you are not a "known shipper". When shipped individually, freight charges are prohibitive. You will find it to be more convenient and less expensive if we take care of this for you at the end of the season.. Trophies left with us will be delivered to an expediter for shipment to the destination of your choice. The expediter will invoice you directly for expenses incurred in transporting and handling the trophies in this manner. Expediting charges are based on an established fee schedule, plus costs of transporting your trophies from camp to the destination you choose. Our office will handle all necessary reporting and sealing of your trophies.
Outfitting services begin at our "point of outfitting" which is indicated in the information specific for each area. All normal and usual expenses incurred after arriving at the "point-of-outfitting" on the predetermined date are covered in the price of the hunt. You are responsible for the cost of transportation to the "point of outfitting" and return.
Important Points
Camps are remote, but you will find them
comfortable and well supplied with new equipment and an abundance of both food and snacks.
Base camp accommodations vary with the area being hunted.
We are a vendor of Alaskan licenses and tags.
There is no need to purchase tags in advance for specie you may not have time to hunt. Upgrade
and purchase tags only when you see there is time and game available.
Spike camps check in with main
camp on a daily basis by Satellite phone. Each camp is equipped with an
Iridium telephone, and marine radio for safety and logistical purposes.
We also check camps physically every
few days so that we can resupply with food and equipment whenever needed.
Transportation between camps is by Piper Super-Cub, or Cessna 206, ensuring that you have the maximum
amount of time for actual hunting. Hunting is conducted on foot from spike camps,
regulations are strictly followed, and all hunting is fair chase. You can be proud of the
trophy you take.
Once you book your hunt we will provide you
with equipment lists, information on airlines, air taxis, hotels, and much more in an
effort to make your planning as convenient and uncomplicated as possible. You may also
download them from this web site. A great deal of preparation will go into your hunt long
before you leave home. License applications will be sent to you, important information
requested and scheduling worked out. If you have special needs, we want to know, so we can
allow for them.
In the Brooks Range Sheep, Caribou, Wolf and
Grizzly hunts are based out of our lodge on the Ivishak River. Remote and beautiful, the
area abounds with game. Caribou, Grizzly, Muskox, Wolves and Moose are often seen from the
lodge. Spike camps are placed by aircraft into the surrounding mountains or on the Arctic
plain.
The Talkeetna Mountains is located south and
east of Mt. McKinley offering fabulous views of the mountain along with excellent hunting
for Grizzly and Black Bear. Hunts are based out of our lodge located a few
miles north of Talkeetna, and our hangar on the state airfield in Talkeetna.
Alaska Peninsula Brown Bear hunts, on the other hand, base out of the village of Sand Point, taking advantage of the support services, maintained airfield, 24 hour weather briefings and the safety and reliability these services provide. Trophy size Brown Bears are found only in areas of extreme weather. The extra margin of accessibility, convenience and support that Sand Point provides can often make the difference in success or failure. Actual bear camps are located far from the village, 30 to 50 air miles away.
For Sheep, Caribou and Grizzly, I recommend nothing smaller than the .270 or .30-06, however the .300 Win. and 7mm. Rem. (or their equivalent) are preferred if you’re comfortable with them. I stress comfortable. It is far better that you shoot a standard caliber with confidence, then a magnum that causes you to flinch. There’s nothing to be ashamed about, magnums can hurt. On the other hand, if you enjoy the heft and bark of a magnum, bring 'er along, we have the country she's been designed for. For Brown Bear the .30-06 should be considered the absolute minimum and the .338 Win. or .375 H.H. are preferred.
Bring additional ammunition to check your rifle in camp. It's not uncommon for a scope to be jarred, or wood to swell in the course of your travels. Fiberglass stocks are highly recommended.
Don't spend
a lot of time shooting from the bench.
The bench has but one purpose that’s to prove that the rifle can shoot.
Once the rifle proves itself on the bench, you should dedicate yourself to learning to shoot it off-hand, prone, sitting and kneeling. In the field, everything depends on your ability to shoot the rifle. Neither a bench nor reasonable facsimile thereof will be available on the mountain. Most rifles are capable of acceptable accuracy, many hunters are not. The time you take to practice will be well rewarded, not only in greater success but also in personal satisfaction
We ask 50% down payment to confirm your hunt, and an additional 25% payment to be paid on June. The remaining 25% is payable upon arrival at the hunting camp. Please make the final payment in cash, traveler's checks or cashiers check. You may send the first two payments by check or by wire. For wire information, please call or email us.
Hunts scheduled more than 18 months away may be reserved with just a $2,000 partial payment. This down payment will reserve any hunt until final prices are established and you are notified, generally 10 to 12 months prior to the hunt. Partial payments apply toward the required 50% down payment and give you the right for first refusal. They hold the hunt for you and as such are nonrefundable.
Down payments are a commitment to the hunt, both on the part of the outfitter and the hunter. They are not refundable or transferable unless you can provide another hunter to take your place. We recommend that you purchase hunting/deposit insurance to protect your investment.
We do not provide liquor in any of our
camps. My wife and I are Christians and operate our camps accordingly.
Home Page
Alaska: General Information - Dall Sheep - Brown Bear - Grizzly Bear
Alaska: Openings - Prices - Book a hunt now - Photo Galleries - Stories and articles
Alaska: Equipment lists - Hotels - License fees - Unit map - Q&A - Sporting goods
Alaska: TaxidermistsTajikistan: Marco Polo
Kazakhstan: General Info. - Ibex - Maral Stag - Maral / Ibex combination
Russia: Russian Brown Bear - Snow Sheep