DIY Moose hunt suggestions

[Jordan Budd]

Troy Sessions has a little deal going call the 60 Inch Club. He's a friend of mine and a great guy.. may have seen him from his Alaska DVDs hunting moose, sheep, caribou and bears. Hunted with him last spring for bears and we had a great time. Super knowledgeable about moose. 60inchclub.com.


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[Matt Cashell]

Matt did you have any issue bringing the meat or antlers thru the Yukon or BC? Do you have to have anything special to legally transport it? Did you ever have to drive over 250 miles from gas stations?

No trouble. Just had to fill out the trophy declaration for each animal. One weird thing was we had to declare each shed antler as its own trophy, so we had a stack of declaration forms.

We did go over 250 miles between fill ups and I would highly recommend bringing significant extra fuel storage if you drive.

 

[Ryan Avery]

No trouble. Just had to fill out the trophy declaration for each animal. One weird thing was we had to declare each shed antler as its own trophy, so we had a stack of declaration forms.

We did go over 250 miles between fill ups and I would highly recommend bringing significant extra fuel storage if you drive.

Did you have any trouble with knifes in Canada

 

[Matt Cashell]

Did you have any trouble with knifes in Canada

Ouch. Right in the nuts...

 

[cnelk]

Yep. the best savings are to get the Alaska Airlines Credit Card with the 25000 miles and partner discount.

Then ship as much gear as you can up in boxes so its there when you arrive
Have your return labels pre-filled out and hose, tape packed to re-pack to ship back home.

Next time I will split my skull down the middle, wrap it up and ship it as luggage and put it back together when I get home.
I had some circumstances arise so I had to change my ticket home a week early so thats why I shipped my antlers via D&C Expediters

BTW. Changing your ticket is VERY EXPENSIVE

Remember, there is no weight limit for your carry-on luggage. Load that thing up!

Even with some added expenses, I did my trip, door to door [Denver - Alaska] for just under $5k

 

[standswittaknife]

We did not split the antlers, though we could have.

 

[VernAK]

No trouble. Just had to fill out the trophy declaration for each animal. One weird thing was we had to declare each shed antler as its own trophy, so we had a stack of declaration forms.

We did go over 250 miles between fill ups and I would highly recommend bringing significant extra fuel storage if you drive.

When leaving Alaska, stop at US Customs and fill out form USFWS Form 3-177 and get it stamped there.

I always carry an extra 5 gallon jug of fuel when driving the Alcan.

 

[jmez]

Check with Larry Bartlett, Pristine Ventures. He's on this website and sets up DIY hunts in Alaska.

 

[TheCougar]

I'm in the same boat as Basin Buster. Has anyone used Willow Air or Tok Air Service (not the same at FMA)? I checked with Larry Bartlett and they are booked through 2020, Papa Bear is already booking through 2019, Renfro has mixed reviews, and FMA prioritizes repeat customers over first time customers so you get the scraps for 2018. I figured two years out was enough time, but I guess I was wrong. It is hard to book more than about 18 months out since a couple of us are active duty, so booking 2019/2020 has inherent risk. Are there other reputable outfitters or do I just need to suck it up and book 2019? (We have 4-6 guys, hunting in pairs, rifle, success is more important than size).

 

[Ray]

I will put out a name for you guys to call and talk to and research. Cole Hawkins with Hawk Mountain Air out of Birchwood, AK. I have met him at an SCI function and we had a good chat about what he was starting in 2014/15. He used to guide and fly exclusively for Revelation Mountain (I think). At the time of our face to face chat he was planning on developing more access for the upper reaches of the western Susitina drainage's like the Skwentna river and other further west in 16b and 19c. This region has been under extensive bear management for almost a decade and Cole's opinion in 2014/15 was that the bull moose were coming back and getting big/mature. I do not know if his flat rate of $4,000 per person for moose include a meat haul trip or not. You will have to call him and ask. However, $4,000 flat rate to get a person into and out of the boundary of 19c/16b with a moose is about as great a deal as I can think of. And if that includes horning in on the lower area of the drainage that Skankster is working over when he is not in court, all the better.

 

[cnelk]

$4000???

What he flying...? an Otter?

 

[Huntfun]

I am headed to AK Moose & Caribou hunting this fall (1017) for a DIY traditional bowhunt. My advice is to plan in detail way a head of time...Hunting in AK is expensive and the cost jumps significantly if you harvest game and especially if you have not done your homework on getting meat out of bush and back home. If you are just starting it can all seem extremely complicated, which plays into the package deal hunt options and doing a guided hunt, but the more you dig and learn through forums like this clarity will come.

There are big advantages to flying directly into the bush form Fairbanks and Anchorage vs. from a remote village. Normally there are limited flights into remote villages and very strict weight limits. Getting meat out of the bush back to where you will fly and/or ship meat home from can be complicated and expensive if you do not know what you need to do and when in advance.

My hunt involves flying into Anchorage, then to a remote village and then into the bush. My bush pilot flight cost includes getting meat from the bush to the remote village; I am responsible from that point. I plan to backhaul my meat using NAC to Anchorage...but NAC only fly to this village 2 days a week so that involves really thinking through when your hunt ends, the last day you can shoot game to get it out so you can coordinate getting meat out without messing up your flights. The max weight I can fly from the remote village to Anchorage is 100# and I believe this includes carry on. I am flying Penn Air but Alaska Air and Penn Air many times share flights so go to their websites and learn their rules!

As has been shared by another on this thread, I will ship the majority of my gear (USPS priority) to the bush pilot in the remote village so I know it is there and I do not have to worry about lost luggage or weight restrictions; this leaves me some flexibility to take some meat with me home while waiting for the rest to arrive. I will also ship my gear home after the hunt so I will have everything to do this prepared in advance as was outlined. If you are going to a remote village, you need to make sure everything you need is there for you, which may mean shipping it there yourself. I will have a Sat phone so if I do get game I can immediately begin the process of getting it out of the bush and then back to Anchorage.

Hunting AK has become so commercialized it is difficult to find pilots who will fly you based on flight hours; those that do are highly prized and kept top secret...as someone noted. So, what most hunter are faced with is basically package deals like you see through those options listed earlier in this thread...40 Mile Air, Willow, etc. X number of days at X price at X place. I have looked at and talked to most all of them and decided to go in a different direction but it took a ton of digging to get to what I am doing this fall. Good luck.

 

[BasinBuster]

We ended up digging deeper. And papa bear actually let me know of a cancelled hunt with another outfitter for 2017. So we are booked and we our going on a outfitted but not guided ridge top hunt. The guy point blank said if you and not in extremely good shape don't book. Due to haveing to pack the moose to where it can be flown out. They have gotten some dandys the last few years.
So now we are working on the process of getting meat and antlers back. And trying to find the best lowest cost way. That does not leave us high and dry. This seems to have many variables.

All the feed back so far has been very helpful. And I hope we can keep it going. I will be sharing how the hunt goes and what we did to get everything back as it unfolds. And of course I will share what we would not do again, because that may have as much or more befit for guys doing this.

What gear, clothing, and packs have you guys taken? Did you take a side arm? Any gear you wish you had with you?

 

[Kimbersig]

I would order a "Bull Magnet" call from Wayne Kubat. he builds most of the moose calls used in alaska and was my sheep guide last year. great guy. I actually helped make a few hundred calls last year while we were waiting on weather! LOL he sells 2 DVD's with calling techniques and tips. very old footage but holds true. Call the moose to your camp so you don't have to pack 1000 lbs of meat to your camp! many guided hunters drop their moose within a few hundred yard of the landing area. as long as you keep a quiet camp you can do that. moose can hear people talking for miles away so whispering in camp is key if you want to have a chance at calling them in.

 

[cnelk]

For those that asked about what gear, I can post up a list of what worked for me.

Last fall we used both the Bull Magnet and moose scapulas.
The scapulas worked much better.

For 2 days we only went ~150-200yds from camp, and called mostly scaping and grunting, limited cow calling
By day 3 we were covered up in moose

For daily attire, see pic below.

Wool, fleece, Helly Hansen rain gear and hip boots are a must

 

[Huntfun]

BasinBuster what airports will you be flying to in AK? Also, what are your hunt dates?

 

[BasinBuster]

Sept. 15-25
Flying from Seattle-Anchorage-Bethol

 

[bowuntr]

I've done DIY Alaska 9 times, going on my 10th in September. I'm a middle class guy who hunts on a budget. Here's what I found was the least expensive and most efficient way to fly with gear, meat and antlers. You're probably flying Alaska Airlines coming from Washington. Book your flight one trip right into Bethel. I'm assuming you can do this as I've never flown to Bethel. That way you only pay baggage fees once. If you layover in Anchorage, you'll pay baggage fees twice. Extra baggage fees are way cheaper than shipping gear ahead of time. Oversize/overweight baggage is only $75 up to 100#.... that's less than a dollar a pound. With AA the number of bags is unlimited. Two guys can easily get one moose home as extra baggage. For the meat and cape I buy large fish boxes ($10) which can hold 100#. Ideally, freeze them with the meat inside the boxes. Getting them frozen might be a challenge. Antlers are again allowed on AA, for a while they weren't. All the points and skull must be taped up and protected. They cannot exceed linear 115" (L+W+H). If you are not going to measure them, split them. It is a hassle with a shitload of gear and boxes but once you make it on the plane you'll agree this is the way to go. AA deals with outdoorsman doing this all the time, it's quite efficient... most of the time.

If you cannot swing the extra baggage way, I found that the next least expensive route is to go with Alaska Air Cargo. I would go this route if you have more than two moose with 4 guys. It comes out to about $2 a pound. The other plus is they have cold storage so you don't have to worry about that. You will have to sign up in advance as a "known shipper" and pay about $100 up front for a home inspection... I think they want to make sure you are not ISIS. This is what I found to be the least expensive and most efficient. I've never lost one ounce of meat on my trips to Alaska.

One piece of equipment I'd suggest you make/bring. "Rackman" antlers. Moose are not the brightest critters in the woods, especially during the rut. These things work to get them in close. I only bow hunt... so you may not need them hunting with a rifle but it sure would add to the excitement. Good luck. Ed F

 

[Huntfun]

I am flying from MI to Anchorage 9/12. Plan to be in bush at some point on 9/13, hunting 9/14 and coming out 9/25. Hunting unit 21A. I have all flights booked & paid as I have heard it is a very busy time for airlines and if you do not have a flight booked you could wait for days for a seat. Using Pennair from Anchorage and back.

Check this out to get meat, cape and horns back: http://www.alaskameatexpress.com

This is who I plan to use if I get game and I can get it to him before he is full and headed south. I was told they are nornally full and headed to lower 48 by 9/22 so if you cannot get your meat (processed or in quarters), cape and horns to him by the 22nd you'll likely have to look at other options. Check out Northern Air Cargo to see what their schedule is to Bethel to use their back haul service to get your meat to Anchoage. I think the back haul rate is around 35 cents a lbs.

If I cannot use the Meat Hauler, I am not sure how I will get meat back at this point. Still working on a backup plan. I'd be interested to know what other options are out there.

 

[Huntfun]

Good info Bowuntr! I am going to look into known shipper option as a back up.