My 2024 Alaska Solo Moose Hunt

[Herdbull]

I just finished my 11th solo moose hunt in Alaska. I was in the bush for 20 days this time. Weather was great the first few days, but then typical Alaskan weather set in with at least some rain over part of 16 days. There were times when I was socked in the tent for 48 hours at a time. You can hunt in light rain, mist, and fog, but hard rain combined with wind would chase me back to camp. This area has some slight elevation, but cow calling, cow-in-heat calling, or bull grunts covers 95% of my hunting tactic.
On the second day of the season, I called in a bull that looked wide enough (greater than 50 inches) to be legal, but he had few points on the palms which had folds and groves, and broomed off at top. He reminded me of an older bull past his prime. Since it was the start of the season, I decided to pass up this bull and opted to film him. I bull grunted and cow called him in to 12 yards. The wind direction was essentially zero, and my wind indicator puff just rose upward in the fog.  Later on in the day, I moved to a different calling location and once again called in this same bull. He was a little more aggressive this time, and once he finally noticed me hiding behind a small spruce tree, he laid his ears back, lowered his head and made a half-hearted charge at me. I had to stop filming and start yelling at him. Once he left, I was kind of relieved. I called this bull in several more times over the first two weeks, and he even chased me once again, and one morning walked 40 yards pasted my tent.

The bull that charged me after I passed it up several times.

[Herdbull]

I called in a couple larger bulls, but either cut off their approach early, smelled me, or I failed to execute in close cover. I was calling one morning and heard something behind me. I turned to notice movement from my right to left. It was brown and not exposed directly above the dwarf birch. My initial thought was that of a wolf. But it abruptly stopped and raised up, causing me to stare into the eyes of a grizzly bear standing on its hind feet a mere 25 yards away. The stand only lasted momentarily as I drew my revolver from the holster. Relief came quickly, as the bear huffed and ran away in the direction it came. Evidently my calling lured the bear into investigate. This was the third time I have called in a grizzly while calling moose. Not good.

[Herdbull]

Toward the end of the trip the rainy weather broke and I had a couple days of clear sky with morning temps in the low 20s with highs in the 40s. I got back to calling and noticed a bull high up on the ridge face about ¾ miles away on the last day of the season. I loudly cow-in-heat called, and it immediately turned its head exposing large wide antlers. Since I knew it could hear me, I called more, bulled grunted, and raked and pounded a spruce tree with fiberglass call. The bull was coming toward me but went out of sight in the spruce after travelling 150 yards. Knowing the train was up and down and full of spruce, I started calling even louder and with more force in hopes of keeping the bulls attention. After about 5 to 8 minutes, I heard a bull grunt to my left and saw a bull break into the open on a nob about 400 yards away. I don’t think the bull could have gotten to me that quickly, so I assumed this was a different bull. He looked wide, but only had two-point brows. He came across the bottom and crossed through a tag alder thicket, grunting all the way. He was coming! He got to bowl below me and started to come up the ridge I was calling from. He was a legal bull, and I slipped down through the spruce to meet him. I heard him grunting and breaking brush so I had a good ideal where he was. Slicing between two spruce trees, I broke into the open almost at the same time as the bull crested the razorback ridge at 18 yards broadside. My arrow was already nocked, so I drew and shot, striking the bull in the chest. He ran down hill, rounded the end of the ridge, crossed an open grassy bog and died just before getting into the tag alders. I took some photos, cut and bagged the moose meat, and started packing the meat back up hill. It took ten trips, 22 hours of packing, to get the bull back to camp. This concluded an emotionally, mentally, and physically draining hunt. But the excitement and rewards were higher than any hunt I can remember. Mike

[Herdbull]

[MnFn]

Wow! Thanks for sharing the hunt with us.

[ehartunian]

Fantastic story and cograts on your bull. Where abouts in AK were you? I was stationed near Fairbanks back in 2000- I really miss it there!
Best,
Eric

[Roy from Pa]

Congrats. Fantastic scenery..

[supernaut]

Wow!

Congratulations on a beautiful bull!

Thanks for recapping your hunt and sharing those beautiful photos.

 

[bama]

Congratulations Mike!  You are the man.  Cannot imagine 48 hours alone in a tent.

[BAK]

So happy for you, great job.

[Trenton G.]

Congrats! That's awesome!

[Herdbull]

[Herdbull]

[Rob Emerson]

Nice bull!  Is that Sitka Thunderhead rain gear you’re wearing?

[varmint101]

Beautiful, Mike! Congratulations!

[stagetek]

Incredible Mike. Congrats on a fantastic hunt. I don't know how you do it !

[Herdbull]

Rob, Yes Sitka ThunderHead rain gear. I wore it 80% of the time. Either raining or the dwarf birch and willow brush is wet. Mike

[trad_bowhunter1965]

Congratulations Mike thank you for sharing the story and photos!!!

[Walt Francis]

Congratulations Mike, thanks for sharing.

As always, You Done Good….Really Good.

[Barry Wensel]

Think about doing these adventures alone eleven times. Very impressive Mike. Then think about packing a big bull out yourself for 22 hours total. Where are your brothers when you need them? Ha. Being gone for almost three weeks at a time, I have to admit I worry about you. I know if there's anyone I don't have to worry about it's you. I guess it's fear of the unknown. I also know it's a huge part of why you do it. Congrats my friend. Another great job... again. Ain't retirement great? BW