Okay, I'm back. Sorry it took so long getting back on but for some reason the wife thought we needed to go out for breakfast and I should spend some time with her after being gone for over two weeks.
Anyway form the beginning:
This hunt was a direct result of last year’s moose hunting thread by Kevin Dill & Bryan Burkheart on the PBS site. Their excitement and enthusiasm rekindled a desire in me that had lain dormant since my last moose hunt 12 years before with brother Bob, Mark Baker, and Dale Teachout. On that trip Mark Baker took a moose close to 60” with his selfbow “Bullwinkle”. Many of you may have read about the trip in his first article for TBM so I will not go into the details. Suffice to say, I turned down several opportunities and came home empty handed. With the fire re-kindled, initial planning and research started last summer. Originally the plan was to go solo but when one of my hunting partners, Dave Johnson, indicated his interest in hunting moose the hunt was expanded to include him. After a lot of research and inquiry with the AK F&G and friends (mostly by Dave) a flight service was selected, unfortunately they were fully booked; we were placed on the waiting list. After waiting three months, just prior to the PBS Banquet, somebody canceled and the hunt is on notice was received and the dates finalized. I can't emphasize enough the need to start early with the planning. We started looking to book the flight in November, by that time most reputable flight services were already booked for the next year. We were lucky to moose hunt this year. Book now if you want to hunt moose next year, you are already late. Regarding where we hunted, we have sworn not to reveal anything other than it was in the interior of Alaska, a large area.
The day of the flight we met with the pilot, were transferred to a remote air strip via truck, and then flown into our remote camp from there. It never ceases to amaze me where a Super Cub is able to fly and land, they are one amazing plane. I would like to get one and learn to fly but am sure I'd kill myself having too much fun.
Coming in for the landing:
Dave and me in front of the plane just before it left:
After transporting both of us in and setting camp it was nearly dark, but there was enough time to glass the surrounding area but no moose were seen.
We lived and slept in the 6 man Kifaru and stored gear in the done style 3 man tent. Next time we will leave the dome tent at home and use a tarp to cover any excess gear. The Kifaru was....well...nice. However, I highly recommend getting the 8 man version so you can stand up and store/keep some extra gear in the tent. The stove was great and a definite must. Also, get the liner for the Kifaru, moisture build up was a constant issue, even with the stove.
Other camping equipment used was a Primus backpacker and Jet boil stoves (both worked well), Tyvek was used for ground cloths under/over the sleeping bags. Without the tent liner these were essential to keep our sleeping bag dry if they touched the tent walls.