Alaska Hunting Info

[4 point]

I would like to hear some suggestions for a hunt on a semi budget from the guys that have hunted Alaska. I really want to either hunt moose or caribou. Is it doable for under $10000 including travel? It's one of those hunts I've always wanted to do and I'm not getting any younger and I'm definitely not getting any richer.

[juneaulongbow]

Not sure Alaska has Mountain Caribou. I think Alaska's are all Barren Ground.

I think Moose is doable for 10k or less. Check out 40 Mile Air.

[4 point]

Just checked and you are correct. Don't know why I thought they were in Alaska also.

[4 point]

I should have put the Yukon in there also. If anyone has hunted their I would like to hear from you guys also.

[stevem]

My son and I hunted the haul road north of Fairbanks about 6 years ago.  Rented a pickup in Fairbanks.  Overall cost was probably about $3000 each including airfare, transportation and tags.  He shot one on the next to last day with our bear gun- 5 miles off the road. It was a great trip- saw the Brooks Range, muskox, moose, Dall sheep and black bear. Insects were few, rain scarce and the various mountain ranges endless.  The only thing I would do differently would be to have a canoe or inflatable raft to cross the Sag River.  I would guess we saw 400 caribou scattered around.  I have no excuses for not bringing one home except "buck ever".  There was a peak about 15 miles away from our last packpack camp- looked like the peak in the Paramont Pictures beginning screen.  I commented to Paul that I suspected it didn't have a name as it was just one of hundreds we had seen.  Steve

[Jeff Kruse]

Hi 4 point,
If you are interested, I own a air taxi service that fly's clients out for moose and caribou. I hunt the Brooks range We have around 200,000 caribou in the area that I hunt and a healthy moose population.
I can help you figure out the details if you want.
Thanks
Jeff Kruse
Bushwacker Air

[4 point]

Thanks Jeff, I might PM you with some questions later. We are kind of planning for next year.

[monterey]

I had a chance to talk to Jeff several times while planning a moose hunt and while he won't be flying us because we are heading for a different area, I got a good feeling about him.

[Kevin Dill]

$5,500 (all inclusive) is a starting point for a good diy moose in Alaska. $6,500 is more realistic, and above that you're living large. The hunts I'm referring to include airfare to Fairbanks or Anchorage, bush flight to hunting area, and generally wilderness hunting. For what it's worth, I wouldn't recommend a float for highest odds of success. I definitely would avoid the road system and major rivers.

[joe ashton]

Hi  I was  up there a few years ago.  Here is how I'd do it if I went back.
fly to Fairbanks
rent a truck
go to Walmart and buy a few extra gas bottles (not many gas stations up there)  and food and stuff.
Drive up the haul road.  Once you are over Adican pass it is a bows only area. (5 miles either side of the road for the next 200 miles). Drive and look. park and glass from high spots.
I saw 100s 0f caribou every day, a few moose, a few grizzlies, a bunch of musk ox and a wolf. What a hoot.
With 3 or 4 guys it would be very inexpensive.
I did not get a 'Bou so I don't know about getting one home.
It was a great adventure.
Joe

[Zbone]

Joe - That is exactly the way I was planning doing it a few years ago.... Didn't happen for I would have been solo, but one of these days gonna try it that way, just to get my feet wet so to speak...8^)

[8Crow]

Kevin, just curious...by the sound of your post you would say the rivers are just as crowded as the roads?  I always figured the mobility of a float hunt up there was a good thing?

[Steve Chappell]

I have been in the process of putting together a 2014 DIY Moose Hunt in AK.  I have talked to a lot of people that either help you plan a DIY hunt, are air charters, offer fully guided or DIY hunts, etc...lots and lots of people!  Most, and that is 99%, really push the float hunts hard. I understand float hunts can be good and offer a wider range of land to hunt...briefly...but they also drive up the cost of a AK hunt and work setting up and tearing down camp daily. I am not convinced they are better than being dropped into a good area you can set up a base camp for the entire hunt. I am sure one of the reasons they push float hunts so hard is the income the renter gets.  I have recently narrowed down to talking with and working out details with Jeff at Bushwacker air. I ran into him here on Tradgang which gives me a level of comfort he is a good guy but also he understands the needs of a Traditional archer. From those that have posted on online forums, he gets good marks.  I have asked him for references today. Bottom line is if you have never been to AK and do not have someone you know and trust that has the knowledge needed to pull one of these off...and will help you, at some point you have to put your faith and future in the hands of someone in order to make it happen. Getting into the bush via airplane is the #1 piece that drives up the cost of these AK DIY hunts so finding someone that charges fairly and you can trust to get you into a good game area is important.

[John Havard]

If you want a quality hunt stay off the road system and choose your air taxi service carefully.  You MUST have good camping and hunting gear.  Excellent optics are also something to have.

8crow, regarding float hunting - in the '70's and early '80's I had consecutively a 14' and a 16' whitewater river raft, each with rowing frame and all the associated gear.  During about an 8-year stretch I floated two rivers on the south slope of the Brooks and three in the west-central Alaska/Yukon drainage area.  Logistics of such a hunt are tough - having to air-cargo everything to the air taxi village/town and then coordinate put-in and take-out locations with the air taxi.  It's an unpleasant way to hunt because you're making and breaking camp every day and everything you own is soaking wet from condensation (breaking camp each day does not give anything a chance to dry out).  And finally you will run into other hunters.  In the '70's you might have run into one other floating party.  By the early '80's float hunting had been "discovered" and you'd probably see two or three other camps in a 50-60 mile stretch.  It ruins the experience, at least for me.  The ONLY good thing about float hunting for moose is that you don't typically have to carry your moose a long distance to get it out.  The shortest carry I ever had to the raft was six yards.

By far a better way to hunt is to use an excellent air taxi operator, fly somewhere that no one else goes and see no one else during your hunt.  That's what I'd call a quality experience.  You can have something like that for what Kevin describes above or a bit less in my experience.

[AKCrazyhorse]

Listen to John.  Hunting the Haul Rd can be like trying to shop the day after Thanksgiving.  I've seen fist fights erupt roadside over who gut shot which raghorn caribou first.  It can turn your stomach and make you want to take up photography.

[Walt Francis]

What John said!  

I have done both the float and drop hunts for moose and prefer the drop camp.  However, if you choose the wrong taxi service or the wrong unit you are stuck.  Do your research!

[John Havard]

I'd never claim to be an expert, but I have hunted in Alaska every fall since the '70's (except 2011).  As a resident for most of 20 years I enjoyed the luxury of exploring much of this wonderful state.  I've hunted moose and caribou (and other animals too) from the North Slope to the Alaskan Peninsula out near the Aleutians.  

There are spectacular experiences available in 2013 and beyond for people who are willing to put in the research time and solicit input from folks who have trod the same ground before.  You've got to work the problem.  GET AWAY FROM EVERYONE ELSE!

Alaska is entirely doable and approachable for hunters from the L48.  But it will also treat you harshly if you're not prepared - so be prepared.  Anything less than the best of gear and you're asking for trouble.

[Kevin Dill]

I usually buy my commercial plane ticket some time during winter...$1,000 to Fairbanks. This year I just bought my AK hunting license, moose and wolf tags online and had them mailed to me...about $500. I've already purchased my freeze-dried meals and replenishable supplies. The Super Cub flight is a lock (every year) and I figure about $2,500 for it. I'd pay that in advance if possible, but our pilot/friend always has us wait until after the trip is over to settle up. The additional costs are for satellite phone, hotels, meals, tips, car rental, and (if I kill) costs to manage the meat and trophy. If I wanted to really push it hard, I could possibly come in under $5k...barely. Since I've learned to 1) be safe and 2) avoid tight itineraries, I'm willing to spend the extra money for a better trip.

If I ever float an Alaska river, I doubt if I'll be moose hunting. Seems like a fantastically good way to have an adventure, but not great odds for the bowhunter...at least the diy bowhunter. Rivers are the lowest point in the terrain, and you're often below banks and unaware of what might be 1/4 mile back in the spruce. Water noise impedes your ability to hear a faint moose grunt or antler rake. I would only float if it were how I accessed my ONE hunting spot, and then float out to be picked up.

I'd rather eat over-cooked peas than hunt the haul road from what I hear. Both tend to leave a bad taste. The road systems are b-u-s-y with hunters in-season, and I've witnessed it. Pickups, campers, tents, trailers, atvs are everywhere you drive. The good hunting has been found and exploited. The answer is found in the wilderness or places only a small plane can access. Otherwise, you'll be competing with other hunters...no way around it.

[8Crow]

4 point, hopefully I'm augmenting and not hijacking.       I have a lot of questions but hopefully you would benefit from the answers.

Gear has been touched on a few times, so a few questions here.  Any reason a floorless shelter is a bad idea in typical AK moose territory?  Do you all put up electric fences to keep the bears from snacking on your brains in the middle of the night? What about rain gear and boots--anything you need to look for or stay away from?

There is something else I always see mentioned but never delved into and the logistics concern me a bit.  Let's say you get something down...how are you going to get it back to the lower 48 and how much is that going to cost--antlers, cape & meat?  Seems like you could drop $500-$1,000 there pretty quick.

[John Havard]

8Crow,

Floorless shelters (like Kifaru tipis) are excellent, especially in well-drained locations.  You'll want to use something like that as a set-it-up-once-and-forget-it base camp.  It's not what you'd want for a float trip for a couple of reasons.

Rain gear & boots are a very personal choice.  But eVent rain gear breathes better than anything I've ever used & Hanwag boots are the best I've used.

I've never used a bear fence but hear good things about them.  I have a big pistol alongside my sleeping bag in case of nighttime drama of the bear kind.

The best way I've found to get meat and cape and antlers back to the L48 is to become a recognized shipper with Alaska Airlines.  Allow a couple of extra days in Anchorage at the end of your trip.  Buy heavy duty waxed fish boxes from 10&M Meat Lockers, have them freeze your moose meat & cape inside of the boxes.  Then ship everything via Alaska Air Cargo down south.  Crated up and palletized you'll pay about $1 per pound of whatever you ship.  It will arrive still frozen.