Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Biathlonman on April 13, 2014, 07:54:00 PM
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I don't know why but I've always dreamed of hunting moose with my stick bow. I announced to my wife the other day that I was going for my 40th birthday (6 years away). So if you all were me what would you be doing now? Any stories or experiences you care to share? I'm thinking Canada, guided or semi-guided.
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Have you decided on Canada moose or Yukon moose sub species. Many diff experiences can be sought, jet boat trip, fly in, drive in farm land/park land. If I was going to pay I would go to the NWT/Yukon or Northern BC for Yukon moose on a jet boat trip. All provinces offer a unique and different experience.
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I'm just an average Joe, it would appear Newfoundland would be more affordable.
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A moose hunt is the top of my bucket list...... I'm set to go to Forty-Mile river Alaska if I can ever make it ;)
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Well Brad, I have been in your state of mind many times since I was 17. Last year I finally made the trip and hunted moose in Newfoundland - I am 64. I loved it so much that I have already booked and paid my deposit for this year at the same camp. While I would love to hunt MacKensie River Moose, my budget just can't get there so I hunted Nfld and absolutely loved it. I figure for the cost of one MacKensie River trip I can hunt Newfoundland three times and for me that's a winner. The moose aren't as big in NFLD but I really don't care - I hunt with a stick bow and any moose is a trophy..............and it was last year.
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Nfld all the way. Just did it last year and it was awesome. Lots of moose and great people on that rock. I would go back in a heartbeat.
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Listen to Pete, Brad...I was you 10 years ago. Told the wife I was going to hunt elk out west for my 40th...I'll be 45 in a couple of weeks and it hasn't happened yet. Lots of reasons but sum it up as "life happens"...I'd say set your goal to go, set the $ aside and just do it. A buddy of mine went to Newfoundland for moose and said it was awesome.
I hope to get there in the next 3 years or so
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I'm seeing a lot about Nfld...... I'm gonna have to read up on this ;) sounds like it much more possible than what I was thinking about ;)
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I'm not opposed to a fly in trip somewhere. I already own an assortment of high end backpack hunting equipment and have some experience with true backcountry adventure.
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If you want a true wilderness camp then go to Alaska and get dropped off somewhere. I think you can do that as an American resident? I don't think there's anywhere in Canada where you can get dropped off without a guide, even semi guided is technically illegal I'm most of Canada.
Newfoundland sounds like a great place to hunt, not huge bulls but lots of them and high success rate, a bonus is you get to hang out with some of the nicest people in the world (east coasters are cool!) Alaska and Northern Canada actually have very sparce moose populations but it's where the big ones live.
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Moose hunting in some areas of Canada does not require a guide. I don't know the regs in all the provences but in the Zecs of Quebec a guide is not required. In Ontario a guide is not required but you do have to buy your license from an outfitter.
On the other end of the spectrum, in Newfoundland everyone who isn't a resident of Newfoundland/Labrador including other Canadians must use an outfitter.
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Check out Tao from Ontario
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Sorry Steve but that is insufficient information - Is Tao a person or a place or an outfitter or what? There is no one by that handle on Tradgang and googling isn't working either.
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that's my dream hunt too.
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Steve sent me an email address via pm but it didn't work. I have no idea who Tao is either.
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I have my 4th moose trip booked for 2015 as a present to myself for my 60 th birthday. They are an awesome animal to hunt with stick and string.
see my highlight threads from 2011 and and 2008 .
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/13852274743_f84f49bc72.jpg)
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Good idea to book a hunt now and save for it, as you are looking at close to $5000 for a NF moose hunt, maybe more.
But to all you dreamers: why in the world wait for 6 years? you could be dead by then. Don't you know that you can still apply in at least 4 states and have a chance of drawing a relatively cheap moose tag and bowhunting moose this fall, for $1500 or less if you are any good at planning and budgeting?
I've done the $5000 NF guided moose hunt - it was great. I've also done two DIY moose hunts in two different states for a whole lot less, that were a whole lot more fun. I am applying in 4 states this month, to try and do it again. Again, why wait?
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I didn't know that. Which 4 states ? I can't do anything this fall but after next year could work.
Littlebigman, I could only find the highlight from 2007. Still using AWGS or do you like someone else better now.
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On my list as well. Currently dreaming about the possibility as I sent in my lottery apps for moose, elk and sheep. Every year I get my hopes up. No luck yet, but it is fun to think about.
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Sincerely hope you fulfill your dream.
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I like Ontario
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/134sawney/2013ontariomoosehunt108_zpsfe8fde83.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/134sawney/media/2013ontariomoosehunt108_zpsfe8fde83.jpg.html)
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As Jeff said, why the h#*% are you waiting six years? The hardest part of any hunt for the average person is making the irrevocable commitment to the species, date, and location. An unchanging date is by far the hardest to make and keep. The number one correlation I have found is: The more time one allows before the hunt date, the higher the probability that hunt will never happen.
My preference is Alaska, there just isn't any place like it. Here is the link to my last self guided moose hunt in Alaska:
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=120989#000000
As the old saying goes...Just do it.....NOW!
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The wife is due wit our third child this fall so this year is definitely out. Hardest part for me is coming up with the $6k plus dollars. Gonna take a while to make that happen.
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Originally posted by Walt Francis:
As Jeff said, why the h#*% are you waiting six years? The hardest part of any hunt for the average person is making the irrevocable commitment to the species, date, and location. An unchanging date is by far the hardest to make and keep. The number one correlation I have found is: The more time one allows before the hunt date, the higher the probability that hunt will never happen.
My preference is Alaska, there just isn't any place like it. Here is the link to my last self guided moose hunt in Alaska:
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=120989#000000
As the old saying goes...Just do it.....NOW!
Not sure how I ever missed that thread , but , WOW! What a great adventure, read, and animal. Had my heart racing. Very, very cool.
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What I meant is that TODAY, with a few hours of research, you could apply online to hunt moose in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the northeast. Sure the odds are low, but the tags are cheap. I drew a NH tag in only my second year of trying - also, mark "yes" where it asks if you will accept a cow tag. That is moose hunting too, and it increases your odds. If you were really serious and not just "dreaming", you would plan a fall hunt for deer, bear or something in one or more of those states during their actual moose season, to see what it is all about. When I had my NH moose tag, I also had deer and bear tags in my pocket and came close to filling those before I finally arrowed my moose. I saw tons of grouse and some turkeys as well.
The fourth state that you can apply online today is Montana - that tag is more expensive and the odds are very low, but not impossible. I just checked and the Idaho moose application period is still open too, so there are actually FIVE states that you could apply to hunt moose in today, and Idaho has the very best odds of drawing in the lower 48. Unfortunately that tag is around $2000 but do you want to hunt moose or just dream about it? There were opportunities for a moose tag in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah as well, but you already missed those deadlines. In those states, if you have not been builing points for years, then it is almost a waste of money to start now, unless you want a cow tag in WY. I drew a WY bull moose tag several years ago and had a great hunt. I could draw a cow tag there now if I wanted but paying almost $2000 for a cow moose tag is not worth it for me, after 3 moose hunts. I am not applying for moose in Idaho this year because I would probably draw that tag and I already have a full schedule this fall, plus I have not yet scouted out the best unit to hunt.
If you want a sure moose tag within several years, you need to buy a preference point for WY this summer and go for a cow tag every year until you draw that tag or an Idaho tag. You also need to apply for an Idaho tag by April 30 every year. A little research will tell you which units in those states to apply for. In the mean time, apply in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. I think that if you do this, you will be hunting moose somewhere within several years. If you are really serious and want to actually kill a moose versus just hunt them, you will plan trips to your selected units in these states now so that when you actually have a tag in hand, you will know exactly where to hunt. Most don't have that level of commitment, but a few do. Do you?
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I'm with Walt on this one. Alaska is THE moose state most of us dream about. If Newfie hunts are exceeding $5,000 (plus travel), why not consider Alaska at $5,000 or less (plus travel)? You don't need to save up $6,000 to get it done. Book with a pilot/air taxi (Jeff Kruse is a TG sponsor) and make the deposit. Start getting your gear together. Shop for and buy a plane ticket to AK...I just got mine from Columbus, Oh to Fairbanks for $730 this September. Buy your Alaska license and tag online for something like $665 total...do it the summer before your hunt. Make a hotel reservation on both ends of your hunt, and plan some money for incidentals, meat care and trophy. The expenses don't hit at one time, and the 'hill' is easier to climb. As many have said, the hardest part is locking yourself into a hard date and making the commitment. I know guys who never did that and they never hunted moose, caribou etc...and the adventure stories never were told.
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Walt hit it on the head. There are so many things we put in our own heads to prevent us from seeing through our dream hunts sooner than later. This is not to say there are not legitimate obstacles we must work through like money, vacation time, family demands, etc. but these are all things good planning and communication can overcome...sooner than later. If married, talk it over with your spouse and come to agreement on when, where and cost then start what I consider one of the most enjoyable aspects of a dream hunt...the planning process. At 54 I am finally doing the Alaska Moose hunt I have been dreaming about since I was in my 30s after reading Jay Massey's books. I have been saving all my coin change for over 20 years and everyone has known it is my seed money for an AK Moose Hunt. I did do a BC Canada Moose hunt 13 years ago but came awful close to allowing self imposed obstacles to stop me from going after my father, who was supposed to join me on this hunt, passed away from cancer 2 weeks after his 61st birthday. I finally sat down with my wife discussed it and it was her who encouraged me to see the hunt through alone. If I had not talked to her and let the self imposed obstacles rule I am certain that hunt would never have happened. So, in the end my father and I never got to do a dream Moose hunt together and my father never got to hunt Moose his entire life or Alaska, which he dreamed of doing one day. LITTLEBIGMAN has a quote that says "Make a life not a living" which has personal meaning to me. I look back now that I finally have my AK Moose hunt booked and cannot understand how I let those 13 years slip away after my BC Moose hunt. What I realize is it was me and my self imposed obstacles that I let get in the away. While I do not need the jars and jars of coins I have accumulated over the years to fund this hunt...they will all be turned in and the money applied to this hunt because they have severed a critical role of keeping my AK Moose hunt dream alive.
Like pretty much everyone else who has posted, I suggest, and hope, you make your dream hunt happen sooner than later.
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Steve....what you say is true and I know from discussions with your father that he was very much wanting to do the Father-Son Moose Hunt. hell, that is why he bought that old grey Habu bow from me...so that he would have a "moose bow" to make it happen. :)
After getting to know your father and also Joe Mattingly (also passed from cancer)...and going through my wifes parents dying from cancer and wishing they had done more...I am trying my best to meet any WISHES I have within reason and without impacting my family monetarily.
A moose hunt is on my bucket list...at moment does not matter if Maine, Canada or Alaska...bull or cow. I just want the experience. I think I need to start a MOOSE SAVINGS as you have... thanks for reminding me of this dream.
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Here's a small splash of cold water from the Granite State.
Winter ticks have been hammering moose in New Hampshire. The state Department of Fish and Game is responding with a proposal to cut permits by more than half for the next two years, to 124 statewide. The total would be less than a third of what it was three years ago, 395. Just seven years ago, it was 675.
The final rule is due to be presented to the Fish and Game Commission tomorrow (4/16), with legislative approval required in a month or so.
Last year a total of 13,137 residents and non-residents submitted applications for a tag. 275 were drawn, making the overall odds 1 in 48. The ratio was very near that for non-residents alone. If just 12,000 people apply this year, the overall odds go to 1 in 96.
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20 years from now you are going to regret the what i didn't do vs the what I did do in my life. Go, go go !
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Someone mentioned BC or Yukon. I have hunted there twice. I was right on the line - but license in BC. Flew to Juino AK, then small plane to Atlin, BC. Float plane to a lake near camp. The great part was hunting on horse back for 10 days. You can't beat it. On foot we couldn't cover nearly as much ground. Also had the horsed to pack meat and antlers back to camp. A float plane came and flew my meat to town. It was cut-wrapped and frozen for my return trip home. I found the licenses were cheaper in BC than Alaska.
I still have contacts in BC and my guide lives in Whitehorse Yukon - so either way Canada would be my choice. By the way - I got a mountain caribou, grizzly and moose.
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Originally posted by LITTLEBIGMAN:
20 years from now you are going to regret the what i didn't do vs the what I did do in my life. Go, go go !
Amen. I will work an extra year or two to pay for my hunts I take now rather than wait to take them later. Nobody can take away those memories ever.there may never be a later!
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Link to Alaska regs. Study the map and game units and note the antler restrictions where you hunt. Look at the draw hunts, and note deadline to apply for drawing.
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/wildliferegulations/pdfs/general.pdf
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I hope you make it happen buddy.
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I'm going on my first moose hunt this Sept. 28th. It will be about 70 miles west of Edmonton, AB. While I was searching (2 years ago) I found the hunts from $1,600 (outfitted in Ontario) to $18,000+ (Yukon). I strongly considered NFL but a friend's poor experience there turned me west. I know a single experience doesn't an endorsement or condemnation make. But, when you know nothing else...?
I ended up with a service owned/operated by someone I know. Cost is $6,000 including license and tax.
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Anyone have any guide recommendations for Traditional hunts in Nfld
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Walt, thanks for the reminder of your excellent thread from a while ago. I had forgotten about it until I read the word "Pigger". Great story and some good stuff about hunting, particularly use of the wind
Gary
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I believe it was National Geographic that called a section of BC Canada the Serengeti of North America because it is very rich in a variety of game. I Moose hunted in this area 13 years ago guided and it was a fantastic hunt. I got a nice Moose that now hangs on my wall at home and had I not got locked in due to clouds I would have been able to hunt Elk which there are tons of them there. I would love to go back and hunt one day but the fact they force you to use and pay for a guide for all game species, along with other obstacles that come with hunting in another country, makes hunting BC less desirable to other places like Alaska. If you must have a Stone Sheep then that is your only option. If we could go there and hunt DIY, BC would be an incredible deal and place to hunt. Since you'll have to go guided, it is not as competitive price wise as it could be.
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I really appreciate all the comments guys, gives me many angles to explore. I really like the fly in Alaska hunt idea. Sounds more affordable and more my kind of hunt. It's stories from Walt and Kevin that have fanned these flames and I really enjoyed reading the stories again.
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Walt & Kevin were very helpful to me as I started my walk to hunt AK. Great guys they are!
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A lot of what I got from bowhunting was given to me by others with more experience. I enjoy giving it back in turn to those who are seeking adventure and knowledge.
For anyone interested in a moose hunting story:
http://www.probowsociety.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=413
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Folks, Bryan and Kevin's moose hunting adventure(s) on the PBS site provided the inspiration and motivation for me to get off my butt and commit to hunt mooose in Alaska. Everybody owes it to themselves to read their adventures.
Bryan & Kevin, thanks again!
We were all so busy in Cincinnati I forgot to buy you guys a round; I'll make it up in Florida.
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One of my favorite memories is that of sitting in the Chena Pump House eating a later dinner and talking moose hunting with Walt, Dave and Bryan. Hey Walt...I even remember what you were drinking! (Do you?)
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My bet is it was a Porter, I'm thinking it was called something ... Ice Axe/Hatchet Porter, can't remember exactly. Man, I love a good Porter.
The time spent over a couple of beers was invaluable, it gave us a chance to pick both of your knowledge and luckily I managed to retain just enough to get it done. My calling location was determined by either Bryan's or your description of a steep hillside funnel you use for watching and calling in your area. We stayed out of the river bottom, traveling the hillsides instead, to allow a scent free travel corridor for the moose. Just a couple of the little important tid-bits we managed to retain.
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I was only able to make Cincinnati for a very short period of time. Really wish I could have made the whole weekend and picked your brains. I'll make it happen it's all just logistics. Just convincing the wife (and myself) that it's ok to spend that much money and time on just me. Just feels really selfish to leave her at home with 3 kids while I chase adventure. I'll probably get over it...lol.
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Walt: Pick-Axe Porter!
Brad: Nothing right about depriving our families in order to go hunt. I held off from doing much traveling until the timing was right, so I get where your head is. Follow your heart.
Less than 5 months until the frosts and rut begins.
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The advice about not waiting is very sound. I hunted out of state a fair amount in my 30's (whitet-tail, mulies, antelope, and elk). Then when the 40's hit I stopped because of voluntary job and state moves. Ironically, I found it more difficult to put the money together as the kids got older not when they were young.
Due to my "next year" attitude, I lost an entire decade of hunting anywhere except my backyard.
Now my best hunting buddy the past 40 years (he's 68 now) was hammered by life-saving cancer treatment last year. He will go with me on the Alberta moose hunt but, unless rehab goes great, it appears he won't be able draw a bow.
The most amazing adventure I can imagine would be a drop camp in Alaska.
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Walt, Kevin, Bryan, Mike Mitten, John Havard, Steve H., and many other guys have all done DIY AK moose hunts. They are a lot of fun. I'm with these guys on the DIY route. I have been to AK 9 times on DIY hunts and they have never been more than $5k. I went this year for caribou from as far North as you can possibly go and had door to door expenses around $3.5k including a bush flight. My DIY moose hunt success is 100% on two bulls over 60" (VERY lucky to have picked the right spot). It really is all about the homework. Alaska is HUGE and only a very small part of it actually holds huntable populations of game.
You will be hard pressed to find better advice than what the guys noted above can offer.
I too apply for many Lower 48 moose tags. I waited 12 years to hunt Shiras in WY, but it was worth the wait. Still waiting to hunt Maine, NH, or VT.
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If any of you are interested in planning a DIY moose hunt in Alaska and want company I'm in. I have been wanting to do that for years. If you are interested in 2015 mooose hunt send me a PM. I think it would be cool to have three or four trad hunters taking a DIY hunt.
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Originally posted by DaveT1963:
If any of you are interested in planning a DIY moose hunt in Alaska and want company I'm in. I have been wanting to do that for years. If you are interested in 2015 mooose hunt send me a PM. I think it would be cool to have three or four trad hunters taking a DIY hunt.
X2------don't have to ask me twice.
:thumbsup:
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When I was planning my first AK hunt, which I wanted to be a DIY, I had narrowed everything down except where specifically to hunt in the unit I picked and the bush pilot. Because the area within a unit is so vast and I had no prior experience hunting it, I felt I needed to put the specific spot I hunt in the hands of the bush pilot. I knew I wanted to get as deep as I could in moose country. I talked to a number of pilots and just could not get comfortable putting my entire hunt into their hands...I felt they were more salesman then concerned about getting me in a good spot. Also, my hunt with 1.5hrs flight into the bush oneway was coming in at $7-8k and that I believe was just getting the Moose out of the bush. So, to pull of a $5k is an accomplishment but I can see how it can be done. If I am going to hunt AK in the future I will need to get to the $5k mark.
I have found good pilots and hunting locations are prized secrets, which is understandable.
How do you pick a spot in a unit when you have zero experience hunting in that unit and in AK? Who are you talking to that is helping you narrow things down to the “Spot"? If I could come up with the specific spot and take that out of the bush pilots hands…that would change everything!
As I shared in other posts, I got the green light from the wife late this year and there was no way I was going to let the opportunity slip by. My wife had informed in late 2012, when I started planning a DIY hunt in AK, that before I go to AK hunting I had to take her Italy for our 25th Ann which is at the end of this month. When out of the blue she tells me I should go hunt AK this year I felt it was too late to pull off a DIY...given the obstacle I outlined above so I booked with Yote to hunt the Moose John which I am very excited about. It is costing me a lot more than $5K but I am OK with that…I am finally hunting Moose in AK.
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What shoot one expect to pay for a bush pilot? The first I contacted was $3200/person, sound about right? I just have no frame of reference here.
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There are other ways to hunt. .. motorized rubber boats can take you pretty deep and are a lot cheaper
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Price depends on lots of variables.
Is the pilot experienced with a good reputation and typically full schedule? Likely more money.
Type of aircraft. A Super Cub flies for less than a Helio Courier or 3-man Cessna, while a Beaver is costliest of all these usually.
Distance and time to destination. Self explanatory, and killing an animal means additional flight time, fuel, etc.
Hunter success, if high, can also drive the price upward.
For strictly air taxi or transporter services, I've found that rates from around $2,000 to $3,500 are typical. Closer to base will be less, while flying far and deep will be spendier. If going over the $2,500 mark, I'd want to know what I'm buying with the extra cost.
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Biathloman - Back in 2013 I was getting a rate of $600 to $700 a fight hour and I am looking at $600 hr to get in where I am going this September. When I was focused on DIY in 2013, I never found a pilot I was willing to stake my hunt on. At $700 an hr for a 1.5 hrs in or 3 hrs round trip that would cost $2,100 round trip then that cost would be divided by the number of people on the flight or for two people $1,050 each round trip.
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$3200/ gets you and 70 pounds of gear plus rifle/bow to and from on a Beaver. Also included is getting meat back to Fairbanks should we score.
So sounds about right then...like I said I had no frame of reference. Just trying to wrap my brain around it.
Can anyone recommend any calling tutorials, DVD or such?
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Brad, I booked a moose hunt with Conne River Outfitters in Newfoundland last year. I will be leaving on Sept 25 for a six day wilderness hunt during the rut.This is a fly-in camp with four hunters in the camp. Each hunter has his own guide. I hope to give a full account of the hunt when I return. Do it if you can!
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The hardest part for anyone (me included!) is putting your first Alaska drop hunt in the hands of a pilot and saying "put me where the hunting is good"...then trusting him to do that. That's exactly what happened on my first AK drop, and we had a wonderful hunt and bulls in range of our stickbows more than once. Picking the pilot is a bit hard, but if his references are enthusiastic and tell you that he drops in good game areas, isn't this enough? You might hunt the best drainage in 100 miles and still not get a bull due to weather or rut or predator presence. Give me a lonely place where few ever go, even if the moose aren't thick in there. I don't mind only seeing a bull ever 2 or 3 days if I know the area has bulls and some might be 65"+.
Keep the expectations real. A pilot can only put you where moose live and nobody else is competing with you. The rest of it is up to the man and the arrow.
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Check out White River Air in Ontario, they also have website under North to Adventure. I have been hunting moose archery with these guys for 31 years. The spot we hunt know we have taken 19 bulls with archery in 11 yrs. they have great guided or unguided hunts fly in or controlled access logging areas. Talk to Dan the owner, 1-807-822-2222, be sure to tell him your a trad archery hunter and Dave from London said he was to look after you - he will, great outfit , two lodges, many outpost camps, beaver and turbo otter. Pm me any questions you might have.
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Well this is more about fueling the fire then about where or how. I've hunted moose before so this is more about all the dreaming I've done over the winter. My plan is to drive as far north as I can (in Manitoba) then take the train with gear including a freighter canoe get dropped off at a river in the middle of the night. Unload in the dark set up camp and spend the next 10 days paddling down stream (80 miles) hunting moose. At the end of the river empties in a larger river where I will contact (sat phone) and have someone pick us up with jet boat and take us back to the truck. So this is truck,train,canoe,jet boat,and then truck.
This just might be my biggest adventure and I will be spending this with my wife and oldest son. The planing and mostly dreaming so far have given endless hours of enjoyment. I just confirmed my pick with the jet boat operator today.
Side note the jet boat operator just came back from a muskox hunt where he put on 2400 kilometers round trip on snowmobile . This is over the tundra not from city to city with people in-between. Now there's an adventurer not for the faint of heart. This may not be that big a deal for the Inuit who understand the barrens but needless to say for us that are use to pavement it's an adventure.
For me it's about dreaming and the planing which fuels more desire. Which creates anticipation of the possibilities that lay ahead. To see this developing in my wife and son with close to the same passion as myself gives me much joy . Life is all an adventure and sometimes we control just enough to give us a false sense of control.
Hope is such a great motivator,that without hope there would be no planning.
What Kevin and Bryan have done sounds like such a grand time. My hat goes off them I wish I could be there, but it's nice to follow along with all the pictures. Thanks
Abe
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Abe, I hope your hunt and trip is glorious. It sounds like a wonderful time.
John
(http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt113/JCHavard/IMG_0111_zpsc48e8642.jpg) (http://s603.photobucket.com/user/JCHavard/media/IMG_0111_zpsc48e8642.jpg.html)
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Abe I think you may have something there. It's almost like I need something to plan for, to train for, to dream about. It's what will keep me going the extra shifts at work and the extra miles of training and watching what I eat.
Had a long talk with the wife tonight and she is ok with 2017. It's not tomorrow, but 3 years is better then 6!
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Sounds like a heck of an adventure Abe! In the end, that's really all most of us are seeking. If big antlers come walking and rocking...that's a huge bonus.
John Havard....bull moose and blueberries! I love that picture. Thanks for your knowledge over the years.
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Thanks John
I'm impressed with the size of the rack but what really gets me is the distance between the eyes. That must have been a brute to handle.
One other thing is the river is a brook trout spawning river and the last 4 days of our trip the season opens up for angling. I have never caught brook trout out natural water so this is a bonus.
Kevin Adventure with possibilities and family and or friends to share it with.
Abe
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This thread has taken a wonderful and interesting path...thanks to all that shared the information so far and I hope this conversation continues.
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I will be heading on a 12 day Alaskan float trip for moose in early September. Very exciting! I hunted Alberta last year and this will be a much richer experience!
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Abe, that will be a grand trip..... Never thought about a float trip and I love to canoe. I will say I have read and re-read all this and it's full of great info and suggestions that will hopefully help me plan my own moose hunt..... Thanks ;)
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Couldnt afford it this year if I drew the tag but next year I am going to start applying for montana moose. $75 bucks a year to get points. It is my dream hunt for sure. This is a good thread for sure.
Brandon
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seems like the last few years there have always been left over non res. tags for the Idaho panhandle.
As I recall they are something like $2500.00,to rich for my blood bur pretty reasonable compared to Alaska or Canada
Tim
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Abe...now that sounds like a good adventure. Will you take just one canoe? I talked to a guy in BC about doing a float hunt in northern BC but that ended when we found out as a US citizen I must have a licensed guide.
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Steve
We just ordered a freighter canoe which is 17ft square stern with a 44" beam. We will have a kicker motor for it also. We fell this will work for all of us and a moose. The motor will give us the option to move back up the river and deliver the moose or camp to the end of the river. We will be working out the details of the size of motor we will to make it work for us.
I am leaning towards a 6hp 4 stroke.
Abe
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I live and Hunt interior Alaska and like it has been said before during moose season there are alot of people and not alot of moose but tell you what if you want to get into moose you have to ditch the jet boat and atvs and get out away from where all the main trails are there is so much pressure and not alot of moose, I pack drag and paddle my way back into sloughs and hike from there you can hear air boats they always stop and ask you seen anything we havnt, I see moose mainly cows and smaller bulls that they never will because they have excellent hearing and when you have a 350running at max rpm its hard to sneak up.
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Great thread!! I look forward to a hunt report with pics Abe!! Keep us posted!
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Mpauls
I've been dreaming and planing about this hunt more then elk season. Really I'm just keeping my mind off elk because I can't go till maybe next year. Although moose is another big passion of mine. The build up for this is making this allot of fun.
Good luck with the elk and keep me informed.
Abe
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Wow, this thread has me thinking about AK sooner than later! I'm committed to my first moose hunt in Alberta.
I'm pretty locked in for CO elk in 2015 but if the Moose bug bites me...things can change.
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after listening to Monty Browning at the Compton Tent at NCTAR......and another person mentioning they are taking a trip down Moose John....I am seriously going to start my savings this year and try and book one for 2016...as 2015 I have plans for a bear hunt.