2025 Moose Hunters

Snowwolfe said:
Sort of a sad time for me. I killed plenty of moose in the past then we moved out of Alaska. We moved back last year and are now legally residents again.
I have a honey hole where three of us used to hunt via ATV's and every year we would quit after we killed two bulls. After all, how much meat can a family eat?

Anyhow, spent considerable money and bought a Yamaha Grizzly 700 and a new aluminum meat wagon. Then purchased a Can Am 1000 6 wheeler and another meat wagon. Second was a dual axle so it could haul plenty of meat. Next came some high quality Arctic Oven tents, sleeping bags, assorted gear, etc. And to finish it, a 22 foot trailer that is 108 inches wide to haul everything.

Then, yep. You guessed it. No one to go with me. Old friend who used to go bailed because he didn't want to fix up his ATV. Then neighbors who said they would go never bought the stuff they needed and never mentioned it again.

It is time to find some new hunting buddies. Or maybe purchase a river sled and start running back up the Yukon to the Koyukuk then onto the Huslia. Or explore flying into an area.

Good luck to all of you that make it out to the field this season.
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I know a guy 😁 if you need a tag along
 
I would love to have had a chance to try Alaska, but between my knees, and back starting to give up on me recently, and honestly the cost of these adventures, my best attempt is Newfoundland in a couple of weeks from now. Even my shooting skills have taken a hit, so I will admit I'm very nervous about not only finding the moose of my dreams, but being able to perform. Fingers crossed that this will live up to everything I've dreamed of in a moose hunt. Leaving home in eleven days, boots on the ground in 17. Good luck to everyone out there!
 
Robinhood21 said:
I had a guys wife tell me good luck and “we’re excited to see how you do”. Then when we got back she said her husband was ready to go with me

Another guy told me I should take him and his buddy so I could “guide them”

Had another guy said he would pay for the entire trip if I took him.

I only have so many times I can do this. It’s not necessarily a money thing it’s a time off from family and work thing. I feel like it’s something I want to experience with my family.
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I get that all the time and while I’m not against going with somebody new, I enjoy the time out there with my friends.

My first ever moose hunt was a solo float trip and nearly drowned, flipped my raft, lost meat, got absolutely smoked. While I’m glad I did it, I wouldn’t recommend it for a first timer. If anybody in the village would have taken me I’d have gone.

It’s tough to figure who is a liability and who is an asset and when you only get one trip for moose a year it’s not always a good gamble. That’s what deer hunting is for.
 
IDVortex said:
If I wasn't married id do it alone, but this is the reason i dont want to do a hunt alone, and the main reason my wife will kill me if I did.
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I had no clue what I was in for, I’d read the float hunting Alaska book and grew up elk hunting so I figured I was good. A local guy offered to drop me off at a “spot he knew” on his way somewhere else so I was like “HELL YES”. I had no idea about tides and mosquitos and rain and stuff like that. I got a smaller bull on the 6th or 7th day , then stuff went sideways lol. Awesome hunt in retrospect, learned a lot, lost around 20lbs, inhaled some river water, made it back with half a bull.
 
thinhorn_AK said:
I get that all the time and while I’m not against going with somebody new, I enjoy the time out there with my friends.

My first ever moose hunt was a solo float trip and nearly drowned, flipped my raft, lost meat, got absolutely smoked. While I’m glad I did it, I wouldn’t recommend it for a first timer. If anybody in the village would have taken me I’d have gone.

It’s tough to figure who is a liability and who is an asset and when you only get one trip for moose a year it’s not always a good gamble. That’s what deer hunting is for.
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Well said, sir....and very true. I am also very, very particular regarding with whom I hunt and enjoy remote Alaskan outdoor adventures.

When we first moved up here nearly forty-years ago, my wonderful wife made me promise to never go solo on hunts and remote floats. I have kept my promise.
 
AKDoc said:
Well said, sir....and very true. I am also very, very particular regarding with whom I hunt and enjoy remote Alaskan outdoor adventures.

When we first moved up here nearly forty-years ago, my wonderful wife made me promise to never go solo on hunts and remote floats. I have kept my promise.
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I’ve done a few Solo moose hunts one was nearly fatal, the other was pretty tame and I shot a bull at a spot that has become one of my go to camp spots over the past few years. My wife hates the idea of me going solo. The first time was incredibly remote, I’m don’t believe I was even within an hour (flight) to a village. The second was/is pretty close to home relatively speaking, with all GCIs work around the state I actually even get cell service at that spot.
 
Alaska can be a very unforgiving bitch. Even if you think you are experienced you can find yourself in trouble quickly. On my first sheep hunt in the Brooks range I shot a nice full curl ram then had to go down to retrieve it. I quickly learned it can be more deadly going downhill than up. Luck was with me and I made it down OK.
About a year later one of my best friends went on a solo goat hunt, 1981 I think. He never came back home to his wife and teenage daughter.
I will branch out from camp by myself to hunt for the day. And when I do my partner and I have a plan on where we will be and when we will return. But will never go on a full fledged Alaska hunt solo. To many people up here disappear without a trace. Just like that Tennessee hunter did a couple of years ago up on the haul road.
 
I'm sure there will come a time when those remote backcountry hunts will no longer be a good idea for me solo but for now I'd rather go solo than with someone who isn't a good fit and used to those kinds of hunts.

The few times over the past 15 years or so that I have went with someone it ended up being a terrible trip for me, mostly having to be a babysitter which is beyond frustrating.

For those of you who have solid hunting partners you are very lucky as for some of us that's just not an option. The last good hunting partner I had was my Dad but that's been over 15 years ago
 
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