DIY Backpack Alaska Moose hunt

[IdahoElk]

Anybody willing to point me in the direction of a reputable fly service to hunt in a area with decent Moose and/or Caribou would be greatly appreciated.First hand experience would be great.
I'm currently speaking with Tok air service and Papa bear,just trying to see what else is out there.
Any general information on do's/don'ts and what questions to ask would be great.

In return I will be willing to help you with Elk hunting in Idaho.
Thanks

 

[VernAK]

ID,

The best flight services are usually booked ahead with repeat customers so be cautious in your selection. Have they been in business for a long time? Do they have their own strips or do they put you near/on strips of the long time operators.......very important as backpacking moose doesn't allow you to hunt far from the air strip. Caribou backpacking is obviously much easier and the flight service operators often operate very close to each other.

Check their safety record!

 

[mobilefamily]

Renfro's Alaskan Adventures has drop camps in areas with lots of moose. I hunted with them this year. PM me for details.

 

[jmez]

Make sure to ask if meat transport back to the mainland is included in the pricing.

Also inquire about relocation if there are no moose in your area.

 

[Johnboy]

Renfro's Alaskan Adventures has drop camps in areas with lots of moose. I hunted with them this year. PM me for details.

What was the date of your hunt? Did you fly in a Helio on floats? I believe the Renfro outfit crashed its Helio on takeoff after picking up clients in the field. Here's a video clip of the actual crash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=5&v=PpmzZX7-VtA.

 

[mobilefamily]

Wow, that was the plane and pilot that took us to camp. I can't believe there is already footage up...

What date did this occur? We flew to camp on the 14th and came out on the 29th (different plane).

We were not on that flight.

 

[Johnboy]

My understanding is that the incident occurred on Friday 9/18/15, about one month ago. Amazingly, everyone walked away basically unscathed. Given how quickly that airplane came to a halt, the fact that none of the occupants were injured borders on a miracle.

Here's the extent of the official information I've found so far: http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20150922X63000&key=1.

Details are still pretty sparse. I'm sure the FAA will report more info after their investigation. The reason it caught my eye is because I'd strongly considered both the Renfro outfit and Papa Bear for a 2016 float. I chose a different option altogether, but it's still a little eerie to think that could've been me.

 

[Russp17]

Wow I flew in with that pilot a few days before. Scary..... While renfros has lots of moose in the area I would not recommend. Another group wrecked on take off also the same day I got picked up. Please pm me for further details on our hunt.

 

[Jdog]

pm sent

 

[Floorguy]

Small plane accidents happen a lot up here. The pilot that flew me out of St Mary's to Alakanuk on a commercial flight was the pilot that crashed flying back into St Mary's

http://www.adn.com/article/20131130/4-killed-including-bbaby-western-alaska-crash

You are probably more likely to get in a crash flying hageland/era/ravn than with anyone else in the state.

I know of another bush pilot who crashed with a TV hunting personality on board. They walked away he still gets recommended on here.

I know nothing about Renfro's or papa bear.

Listen to the hunt backcountry podcast on there awesome / horrible alaska trip and you will find out what questions to ask and what not to do. Like don't expect a canvas wall tent, barneys bomb shelter, cabelas 6 man guide tent unless you were told that's what they were providing. Ask about the terrain to expect. Take hip boots, neos over shoes or barneys glaciers sock waders, don't take wiggies waders moose hunting.

Getting moved wouldn't be as high on my priority, remember you can't hunt the day you fly. If on a 10 day hunt day 1 you fly in and day 10 you fly out you really only have 8 days, if you get moved that's another day lost. I know someone that went north for bou and the three of them requested and got moved 3 times. They came back with one bou but if you think about it they essentially cut their hunting time in half.

 

[Russp17]

Yeah I live in Alaska and understand small plane accidents. They happen. I also understand some of the reasons for them. Overloaded planes etc. out of my eight fly in hunts they are the only transporter I would not go back with. Safety is paramount when getting in planes and I didn't think they were very safe.

 

[IdahoElk]

Thanks all for the info and for those that contacted me directly.I realize now a DIY Moose hunt in a quality area is probably a 3+ year wait for an opening and will cost 6k minimum.I'm so spoiled by great Elk hunting in my backyard and had no idea what hunts were going for.
Again I appreciate all the help.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I'd like to add that it can be tough to get over the mental mountain. Alaska is huge. Moose and caribou aren't available everywhere. There is competition and there are places you can't access. There is cost, but not always as much as some might believe. There is protection and secrecy regarding good hunting locations. There are lots of good taxis and transporters there, but they can be like caribou....hard to spot a good one, lol. In reality, most of us lower 48ers (diy guys anyway) would just appreciate a way to get in touch with a steady and reputable air service which might have an opening or two in the next year or two. Once THAT hurdle is cleared (assuming you book), the focus is all on the tangibles of getting ready for the actual hunt.

The only way to select a transporter/taxi is to locate as many of them as possible and call all of them for a discussion. Give them a clear idea of who you are and what you'd like in a hunt. Humanize yourself and don't make it sound like you're just another impersonal hunter from the masses down south. If you can get a recommendation from someone you know and trust...or from someone here who has a reputation for no-bs honesty...that's as good as finding a hot set of tracks to follow. Chase every lead and make loads of calls. It's seldom easy and often brain-tiring, but I assure you there is a pilot out there who can and will put you into a good area, and do it affordably.

Like most adventures you just have to do lots of prep work. Most guys won't do it and will never see the adventure through...which is quite a loss in my mind. Often it feels like a huge wall or a mental mountain, but trust me...it's mostly an internal thing.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Is it necessary to fly in to hunt moose of can it be done other ways?

 

[jherald]

Intense stuff.

It's not necessary to fly in for Moose, you can find road access and boat access but expect to compete with others. The only guarantee is you will likely see other people but if you work harder than the other 99% you'll get a Moose.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

I've flown with Renfro's countless times and will continue to do so, especially if Wade is doing the flying.

He's delivered me into some of the coolest secluded pockets of SW terrain than I would have otherwise not have had the chance. I appreciate the fact that Renfro's has a variety of plane configurations on wheels and floats. So when conditions change where we had planned, we have more options to get there or to a solid Plan B.

Plane crashes happen, even to the best of pilots in the best of planes. But I agree it's eerie and I wouldn't want to go out in a bad landing. It's a risk every time we get inside a vehicle, so we dont allow paralysis or fear to dictate certain decisions we make for access.

 

[Russp17]

I've flown with Renfro's countless times and will continue to do so, especially if Wade is doing the flying.

He's delivered me into some of the coolest secluded pockets of SW terrain than I would have otherwise not have had the chance. I appreciate the fact that Renfro's has a variety of plane configurations on wheels and floats. So when conditions change where we had planned, we have more options to get there or to a solid Plan B.

Plane crashes happen, even to the best of pilots in the best of planes. But I agree it's eerie and I wouldn't want to go out in a bad landing. It's a risk every time we get inside a vehicle, so we dont allow paralysis or fear to dictate certain decisions we make for access.

I guess saying I would not go back with them is strong words. However, the pilot in the above video is also the one who flew me in. I did not think he approached safety (checking weights, balancing loads etc) in a manner I have come accustomed too from other air taxi services and would hesitate to use Renfros services due to this.

 

[ericfamilee]

http://legendsalaska.com/

We have used Walt with our guiding business. He is very dependable and a great bush pilot. Give him a call and I'm sure he can help you out with your moose hunt.