I once again have been greatly blessed to hunt alone in Alaska for the mighty moose. It seems I have not been able to close the deal and come home with meat over the last few years. But none-the-less, I have returned with a better understanding of these huge beasts and enjoy the thrill of their close proximity. I used a bush pilot to drop me off on a remote lake. I didn't find much fresh moose sign in the immediate area, and there were only a few areas that I could use to get elevated. With low moose density and lack of long-range visibility, I decided to focus on extensive calling with cow-in-heat calls and moose grunts.
I would venture out from camp as far as 2.5 miles in search of moose. This might be too far out for a successful pack out alone, but I often use what I call as the "Pied Piper Technique." By that I mean, I use my mournful or frantic cow calls to spark a distant bull fallow me back toward camp. Hopefully the late evening or early morning the following day will provide me a bull in rut craze that will respond aggressively to my calling. This method worked well over the 18-day hunt. I ended up calling in 11 bulls. Four of which were legal, having at least four brow points on one side or greater than 50-inch antler spread. I did not take a bull due mainly to shifting winds, but some of the non-legal bulls came up to as close as 15 yards. The thrill of these encounters can't be overstated. I also called in two grizzly bears that came in to investigate my moose calling. Their close presence was very un-nerving but ended well. One bear recognized me as human at 25 yards, and the second one stopped his approach after I saw him at 80 yards and stopped my calling. The usual almost daily rain was well tolerated but dampens blood trailing and thus slows my hunt. This hunt was very rewarding, and I hope the following images will attest to that. Mike
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Topic: Alaska Solo Moose Hunt -2023 (Read 1777 times)
