AK Moose/Caribou Planning and Gear Lessons Learned

[mcseal2]

I have always taken at least 4 extra freeze dried meals. Enough to get me by for a couple days if weather prevents our departure. My snack bags for each day are packed like every day is a packing meat day. I’ll generally not eat everything so that adds extra too.

My hunts have been from a base camp though where I don’t have a raft for mobility. I’ve also had weight to spare for the extra food. Your situation may be different.

We do always have some seasoning, olive oil, and a skillet for fish or game. We take one larger pot for making group meals. We will make a Shore Lunch brand soup, instant stuffing or potatoes with back strap, easy stuff that’s better with game meat added but edible without. Having that some nights breaks the constant mountain house cycle.

 

[Slugz]

I have always taken at least 4 extra freeze dried meals. Enough to get me by for a couple days if weather prevents our departure. My snack bags for each day are packed like every day is a packing meat day. I’ll generally not eat everything so that adds extra too.

My hunts have been from a base camp though where I don’t have a raft for mobility. I’ve also had weight to spare for the extra food. Your situation may be different.

We do always have some seasoning, olive oil, and a skillet for fish or game. We take one larger pot for making group meals. We will make a Shore Lunch brand soup, instant stuffing or potatoes with back strap, easy stuff that’s better with game meat added but edible without. Having that some nights breaks the constant mountain house cycle.

Thanks.

 

[bmrfish]

Getting on to time to start pulling out stuff for this year’s west Alaska moose fly out. Bagging up food packs to mail out a few weeks ahead.
We like to bag up each day’s breakfast and lunch. When we crawl out before dawn we just grab a bag ready to go. Here’s a pretty typical days worth.

Mixture varies from day to day. Days can be long waiting for a moose and it’s fun to sort through over the course of the day. Around 1300-1500 calories each and 1.5 lbs / day.
Dinners are freeze dried mountain house, peak one, etc. One 2-person package per day per person. Just boil water and soak. No dishes. We are not big on meal prep or camp chores. We are hunting dark to dark. Might be some cat naps in there.

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[Slugz]

Thats a good point. Why toss the freeze dried dinner in the bag if your gonna most likely gonna eat it in the dark back at camp.

 

[diamond10x]

you wouldn’t catch me on a hunt where a transport is involved without at least two days extra of food than what I was originally planning. Especially hunting season in AK, weather is always an issue.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

..... Especially hunting season in AK, weather is always an issue.

That it is.

 

[mcseal2]

I packed a stove and meals for a few days, never used them. Mine can stay at camp because I just don't get motivated to fire up the stove in the field on AK hunts. If weather is good enough I'm away from camp it's just not a priority to me.

Exception is if my buddy WILL be packing his stove for coffee. If he is packing it I may as well take advantage and heat up something. Honestly though I seldom use the stove for a meal but may for a Swiss Miss hot chocolate packet if it's cold and wet. I'm not a coffee drinker but have learned to take extra hot chocolate, everyone likes it in that environment.

I usually pack the tarp, buddy packs the stove. We can share without carrying extra weight.

Everyone is different but my snacks that always get eaten from the bag are:
Jack Links beef & cheese sticks
Snickers (if it's cold enough to pack chocolate)
Payday bar
Rice Crispy treat (I learned over a decade ago they are good luck)
Sweet & Salty or Honey Roasted Peanut packet. These can be cut open and dumped into your mouth with dirty hands easy, quick energy when needed.

I also take a Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover, and an Energy and Focus for each day. I don't love the taste but they seem to work well. I chug a Hydrate each morning first glassing stop, and take an Energy each afternoon when I feel sleepy. I truly think the biggest advantage is that they force me to drink more water. In a colder temp I don't feel thirsty and won't drink enough water unless I make a conscious effort to do so. When I'm at camp I force myself to drink a lot of water, especially in the morning or when I first get back in the evening. Less waking up to piss if I do it that way.

None of those foods are something I consume very often unless I'm on a hunting trip, but they have become staples when I am.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

..... Mine can stay at camp because I just don't get motivated to fire up the stove in the field on AK hunts. If weather is good enough I'm away from camp it's just not a priority to me.

Like you, I don't carry a stove and fuel and a brew kit with me, during a day away from camp. Pain in the ass, it's bulky, it's added weight, and it's just another thing you have to deal with when you need to be running after an animal instead of throwing another item in your pack.

 

[WMR]

We also took many of the foods listed and pictured here. By the end of the trip we were very sick of sweet tasting foods. More tortillas with Spam slices, peanut butter or cheese would have been welcome. We saved most of our Mountain House meals for a possible delay in extraction. We flew out with them and they’ll go along again next time. IMO , freeze dried package meals are not all that great. Give me PBJ on a tortilla any day instead.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

We also took many of the foods listed and pictured here. By the end of the trip we were very sick of sweet tasting foods. More tortillas with Spam slices, peanut butter or cheese would have been welcome. We saved most of our Mountain House meals for a possible delay in extraction. We flew out with them and they’ll go along again next time. IMO , freeze dried package meals are not all that great. Give me PBJ on a tortilla any day instead.

Spam, like Vienna Sausages, is way underrated. Back in the day, during Dall Sheep hunts, there was nothing quite like french rolls toasted in a backpacker's skillet with slices of Spam, on a foggy, wet day in the tent. Of course, we were using Vietnam-era Army pup tents covered in Visqueen back then, and World War II era packframes. And hobnail Little Abner logger's boots.

 

[medvedyt]

What's everyone's thoughts/experience on extra food ?
We are doing a river/float hunt. My plan was to bring enough for each day in the field ( B. L, D). Hoping we have heart tacos one night and tenderloins another. Plenty of grayling around for the skillet. The extra food then will be made with the fish dinners and hopefully moose meat. If no moose then still plenty of fish.

you better have some food you never how the hunt will work and the same for fishing. we got friends that went on hunting canoe trip from whitehorse to dawson and never catch a fish and they arrived in dawson with just the limit and not an extra meal because they counted on catching and hunting ...

 

[Slugz]

Fellow RSers,

I wanted to thank ALL for the detailed info, tips, tricks, lessons learned and over all general counsel as I plan my quest to be in Alaska hunting or fishing every odd year. 2025 caribou is already set in place. I'll start to pack in 96 hours for our moose trip this year and will attempt to take pics of the gear/packing.

Post trip I'll do a write up very similar to mcseal2s on planning, logistics, gear choice that ALL here have helped with. Pics Pics and lots of pics will be posted.

Thanks again, be safe.
God Bless

Slugz

 

[mcseal2]

Sounds great, look forward to reading it.

Good luck on the hunt and have fun!

 

[Slugz]

Back in Fairbanks for a few days. Got it done x 2.

 

[Slugz]

Once back in Colorado Ill post our pack list and go over each item with comments.
Thanks again all for the help.

 

[mcseal2]

Congratulations on a successful hunt!

 

[AKBorn]

Congrats on 2 great bulls! Bet it was fun working on yours in the water, hard work for sure.

 

[Robinhood21]

Wow, great bulls! Congrats!!

I haven't had the pleasure of working one up in the water and hope I never do lol

 

[bmrfish]

Bomber bulls! Water, ugh


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[Slugz]

Lesson learned #1
Its taken me 72 hours of sitting on my ass to recover back to normal.

Trip Timeline
- Comm air to FAI
- Air BNB for two days to pick up rafts and check zero
- Shuttle to pick up lake
- Fly in. Took 3 days due to weather
- 1000 yard hump to the river with rafts, motor, gear and camp.
- 2 mile float to our primary hunting spot.
- 4 days of calling am and pm. Glassing mid day.
- two bulls down within 12 hours. 1st cold night.
- 25 mile float down river.
- 300 yard portage to the pickup lake of rafts, motor, gear, camp and two moose.
- Fly out then shuttle to Fairbanks
- 2 days post hunt Airbnb to dry gear, sort out meat shipment and admin items.
- Comm air back to Denver.

Planned 10 days in the field. Actual 14 days in the field.