2022 Moose, Renfro Air

[kroppr77]

Just booked a DIY drop hunt with renfro air for 2022. The hunt is going to be my dad and I, 11 days of on the ground hunting, and we are going in late September. The terrain is on the dry side for a moose hunt, and we should have good opportunities at glassing. Wondering if anyone has ever used Renfro before? I am not worried about their credibility or services, that has checked out everywhere we looked, just want to read some good hunting stories. Any moose hunting stories for that matter would be fun to read!
Also we get 150 pounds each of gear, so weight isn't really an issue. For any of you that have gone on a hunt like this, what is an overlooked piece of gear you would recommend or any advice you would have on a hunt like this?
Thanks

 

[Mudslinger]

Have good rain gear for sure. We went in 2012 and it rained all day and night for six days straight. My brother had gortex rain gear and it eventually soaked through. I had kuiu and never had a problem. Trekking poles would be nice to have also.

 

[kroppr77]

I have the sitka coldburst, but have heard lots about kuiu, especially up there.
How did you do on your hunt? Take anything you didn't need, or something you wish you would have taken?

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Bring a book and a deck of cards

 

[NUGGET]

Beer. Lots of beer. Books. Moose hunting is booooorrrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnnggg. Read a lot of books!

 

[Mudslinger]

We were both successful. Mine was 51" and my brother's was 60". I am going back again this year. I can't think of anything like the guys said books and cards.

 

[kroppr77]

will do haha, I have gotten that a lot. Sweet bill in your pic.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

We were both successful. Mine was 51" and my brother's was 60". I am going back again this year. I can't think of anything like the guys said books and cards.

Are you going with Renfro too?

 

[mobilefamily]

I would not expect dry ground to be in great supply. A friend and I hunted with them in 2015, killed two bulls. Absolute adventure of a lifetime. Through that experience, I have talked to lots of other hunters that went with them and the general consensus is that you may be dropped in a swamp like we were (because that's where the moose are).

 

[wildwilderness]

Bring a chair with a back. You will be sitting a lot

 

[standswittaknife]

Bring a Jimmy tarp and use some paracord for guy outs for sits in the day. This made life manageable sitting in the constant rain/mist of Alaska. We would put it up and take our chairs w us on all hunts. When it started raining we would be dry under the tarp..


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[AKBorn]

Is Renfro going to outfit you with tents/etc., or is it all your own gear?

Given you have 300 pounds of weight, a few things I would take:

- 2 Tyvek sheets (softened by soaking in the clothes washer for a few hours, and then run through 1 wash and rinse cycle, no detergent). Put one sheet under the tent floor, and one inside the tent over the floor. Really cuts down on cuts and damage to the tent floor by sticks, rocks, etc.

- 2 9'x9' Tyvek sheets instead of blue tarps for putting meat on if you get one. Prepared the same way as the Tyvek sheets for the tent.

- A couple of newspapers. Your boots will be damp at night, put a crumpled sheet of newspaper inside each boot, and they will dry the inside of the boot by morning.

- About 15 Glo Sticks. We break one and hang it above the tent door at night. It's not bright enough to impact sleeping, but it helps you get your bearings quickly if something goes bump in the night.

- GOOD FOOD. We have eaten Mountain House for dinner 10 nights in a row, it gets kind of old after 4 or 5 nights, even with different flavors.

- Cut-resistant gloves. To wear when breaking down your moose, real easy to cut a finger or two after many hours of knife work.

- Luxurylite Lightweight Cot. Your back will thank you instead of trying to find a level spot of ground to sleep on. A good night's sleep in the wild is a great thing.

- 1 Empty 32 Ounce Gatorade Bottle per Hunter. Pissing in the bottle beats going outside in the rain and wind in the middle of the night.

- 80 Pack of Baby Wipes. Being able to use 1-2 wipes in the morning to wash your face, neck, and privates in the morning is a good feeling, especially on a 10-12 day hunt.

- Electric Tape. To put over the end of your gun barrels. LOTS of little leaves and twigs in the Alaskan bush, and they seem to find their way in your barrel if uncovered.

Hope you have a great hunt, I think they have been getting quite a few moose out of Bethel the past few years.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Random thoughts....

Many years of diy moose hunts lasting up to 15 days (including solo hunting) and I've never wanted for cards or a book. Or music. Can't explain it, but I just don't need a distraction. I manage to keep busy or take a nap.

Cut-resistant gloves-mandatory for me.
Campsite work gloves for sure.
Pee bottle beats night walks in the frosty bush.
Shaky Cheese - add it to certain Mountain House meals.
Cheap dishcloths - 3 - and burn them when dirty.
Small bottle of Dr Bronner's castille soap....peppermint scented.
Lightweight quality hand pruners.
A good fak. Know 100% what's in it and how to use it.
An antibiotic suitable for URI or skin infections. See your doc.
Helinox Chair - yes!
LuxuryLite Cot - YES!!
Tube of AquaSeal which will repair almost anything torn or leaking.

Bring extra snacks for your packs. Scratch on the beer. When you call for your first meat pickup, have your pilot bring in a case of cans. Give him the money ahead of time. Grab...drink...smash...repeat.

 

[AKDoc]

I've used Renfro for quite a few years, and will again this fall. There are many good stories on this forum that you and your dad can read through and enjoy. You guys are going to have a great adventure, and you're doing it together...priceless!

Lots of good gear ideas from others already, so I won't repeat items.

I will say that our gear list MVP every year is always our piss bottles...the runner-up is the toilet seat with a folding stand and a small/lite shovel, which we always take on this hunt...not that heavy and well within your weight allowance...or you can make your own with alders and zip-ties.

We also bring a z-drag set-up, saw, and a roll-up sled...and water purification system(s).

 

[kroppr77]

We chose to bring all our gear, instead of doing the set up camp. The cost was an extra 1,000 per hunter, so we’d save over $500 each doing it with our gear.
Really like all your guys gear suggestions, it’s a long time away yet but I can’t wait to go!

 

[Buckeye Htr]

Planning my 2021 trip out of Wasilla. Though I am limited to 65 lbs some of these items are on my list because of these forums. Experience is invaluable! Thanks guys.
Adding: Pee bottle and looking at LuxuryLite Cot
Appreciate the tip on softening Tyvek

 

[passinggas33]

I’m amazed that you are allowed so much weight! I think we were allowed 50 pounds each. I think I would have take much better food had I had an extra 100 pounds for food! The folding toilet seat is an extremely valuable tip if you ask me along with all the other tips. If you haven’t figured out your shelter yet, for me a shelter that allows for a stove was/is still my most valuable piece of gear. Drying out up there is a huge boost of morale. Also having an extra tarp or two to set up as a cooking area or hang out area is also really nice.

 

[OXN939]

We chose to bring all our gear, instead of doing the set up camp. The cost was an extra 1,000 per hunter, so we’d save over $500 each doing it with our gear.
Really like all your guys gear suggestions, it’s a long time away yet but I can’t wait to go!

This is a super solid call. My first Alaskan big game hunt, I paid the full price for a fully guided hunt with an outfitter who promised to have an extremely nice and comfortable camp for myself and my 62 year old father... we got old military issue cots and leaky lightweight tents that were obviously past their useful service life. Nobody cares about your gear like you do.

Regarding cots, I've used one by Helinox for the past two years, and it's worked quite well. Helps recovery a lot.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

A small Stanley Sharptooth saw is really handy for breaking moose down....hot buttered rum to sip around the campfire or lantern in the evening...a small whisk broom to sweep out your tent...comfy waterproof slip-on shoes for strolling around camp...little comforts go a long way...

 

[passinggas33]

I would agree with some of these little comforts. If you have that much weight allotment, use a good portion on the necessities (tent, cost, chair, etc) and GOOD food, then use some of it for the comforts. After being rained on a few days nonstop and not getting out of the tent much, those comforts will be like manna from heaven.