Early September Hunt

[Gonewest]

I’m looking at doing a western Alaska hunt. The dates are September 1-10. It’s a river hunt. I’m looking for opinions on the dates. I know the rut isn’t till later in September. Would the hunting be decent of should I look for a hunt later in September? Are there any pros to going early? I’m assuming calling wouldn’t be very affective. What tactics work that time of year?

 

[wildwilderness]

Locals do it all the time. Western Alaska has a ton of moose so you can get lucky. If its a high cost (in time and money) there are better dates. But if you have nothing better to do might as well go. I would cover a lot of ground (use a jet boat) and glass, especially first and last light. By the 10th things might be moving and calling. How far west?

 

[Gonewest]

**

 

[MacGyver]

Yes

Would the hunting be decent of should I look for a hunt later in September?

That depends on your hunting method and where you hunt.

Are there any pros to going early?

Better weather, more bugs, fewer hunters, more moose.

I’m assuming calling wouldn’t be very affective.

Just because it's not as effective as it is later in the year doesn't mean calling doesn't work.

What tactics work that time of year?

The ones the local hunts use.

 

[AKDoc]

I’m looking at doing a western Alaska hunt. The dates are September 1-10. It’s a river hunt. I’m looking for opinions on the dates. I know the rut isn’t till later in September. Would the hunting be decent of should I look for a hunt later in September? Are there any pros to going early? I’m assuming calling wouldn’t be very affective. What tactics work that time of year?

You're truly asking good questions.

The answers essentially come down to what do you hope this hunt to be? What does "decent hunting" mean to you? As hunters we can differ in what we seek out of our hunts, and that's ok. Regardless of dates, you will see moose...perhaps far away...but what are you hoping to experience in this hunt?

Moose rut is a progression...specific calls and calling tactics vary through the progression. Learn all you can about the rut progression, e.g., bull/cow behavior from early to late Sept. As you learn more about the rut progression, then ask yourself what would be a "descent hunting" experience for you in that progression.

As just one example...I prefer calling bulls as close to me as I can for several practical reasons and the thrill!! Given my preferences, early Sept is not my personal choice...sometimes doable, but not ideal for what I seek.

The very best to you on your Alaskan adventure...moose hunting in remote Alaska is a different world...a lot of work when you get one down...and the meat is excellent! I look forward to that hunting experience every year!

 

[Catchfish]

Depending where you are hunting bulls may be shedding velvet. Listening can be helpful in locating bulls. They can being doing bachelor things, raking can still be successful they want to see how they match up to the local competition.

 

[Gpw]

Didn’t realize moose bugled.

Go later if possible. That is just my experience. If you go that early, you may not hear a bugle.

 

[Gonewest]

You're truly asking good questions.

The answers essentially come down to what do you hope this hunt to be? What does "decent hunting" mean to you? As hunters we can differ in what we seek out of our hunts, and that's ok. Regardless of dates, you will see moose...perhaps far away...but what are you hoping to experience in this hunt?

Moose rut is a progression...specific calls and calling tactics vary through the progression. Learn all you can about the rut progression, e.g., bull/cow behavior from early to late Sept. As you learn more about the rut progression, then ask yourself what would be a "descent hunting" experience for you in that progression.

As just one example...I prefer calling bulls as close to me as I can for several practical reasons and the thrill!! Given my preferences, early Sept is not my personal choice...sometimes doable, but not ideal for what I seek.

The very best to you on your Alaskan adventure...moose hunting in remote Alaska is a different world...a lot of work when you get one down...and the meat is excellent! I look forward to that hunting experience every year!

Thank you for the reply and asking those questions. It gave me a lot to think about today.

To me decent hunt = seeing moose and having a reasonable chance to take a bull that’s decent representation of the species. Now I would have to hunt hard and make the right decisions but if I went with a group of three the hope would be to take one bull. Two would be awesome!

The experience that I’m hoping for is to hunt Alaska. Moose is the icing on the cake. I’m 50 now and realize I can’t keep putting it off. If I keep saying that I’m going to do it in the next 2 or 3 years, then it will always be 2-3 years away. Moose hunting in Alaska has always been the top of the bucket for me.

 

[AKDoc]

Thank you for the reply and asking those questions. It gave me a lot to think about today.

To me decent hunt = seeing moose and having a reasonable chance to take a bull that’s decent representation of the species. Now I would have to hunt hard and make the right decisions but if I went with a group of three the hope would be to take one bull. Two would be awesome!

The experience that I’m hoping for is to hunt Alaska. Moose is the icing on the cake. I’m 50 now and realize I can’t keep putting it off. If I keep saying that I’m going to do it in the next 2 or 3 years, then it will always be 2-3 years away. Moose hunting in Alaska has always been the top of the bucket for me.

I respect and appreciate your perspective...pm sent.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve shot a few on float hunts in the first week of September. A few times I’ve come around d a bend and float right into them, got my shot from under 100yds.

 

[Nushagak]

A float hunt opens up the opportunity to cover such a large area. You can float for an hour, glass and call for a bit, and move on if nothing presents itself. I wouldn't worry about the dates. If you're getting dropped off by an aircraft, early September is generally a pretty good time to be flying around, anything after the 15th can get pretty unpredictable due to frequent cold weather systems.

Where I worked in western AK we hunted the non-resident season and generally didn't see a ton of moose until the first hard frost, usually sometime around September 7-15. That doesn't mean we didn't kill any on the first day of the season, but it was really up to you to get out and find a meadow that had a bull hanging around. We hunted out of a lodge setting with a few out camps strewn about a few different areas, so we didn't necessarily have the luxury of pulling anchor and floating 10 miles downstream to a different drainage. Early season is less about calling, especially cow calling, and more about just listening and looking, maybe doing some raking. One of my buddies brought one in after we snuck into his digs one morning, raked just a little, and then filled his moose tube with water and let it dribble back into the marsh we were standing in. He said "that boy thinks we're pissing on his turf". Ten minutes later we were putting the locking tag on him.

 

[Gonewest]

A float hunt opens up the opportunity to cover such a large area. You can float for an hour, glass and call for a bit, and move on if nothing presents itself. I wouldn't worry about the dates. If you're getting dropped off by an aircraft, early September is generally a pretty good time to be flying around, anything after the 15th can get pretty unpredictable due to frequent cold weather systems.

Where I worked in western AK we hunted the non-resident season and generally didn't see a ton of moose until the first hard frost, usually sometime around September 7-15. That doesn't mean we didn't kill any on the first day of the season, but it was really up to you to get out and find a meadow that had a bull hanging around. We hunted out of a lodge setting with a few out camps strewn about a few different areas, so we didn't necessarily have the luxury of pulling anchor and floating 10 miles downstream to a different drainage. Early season is less about calling, especially cow calling, and more about just listening and looking, maybe doing some raking. One of my buddies brought one in after we snuck into his digs one morning, raked just a little, and then filled his moose tube with water and let it dribble back into the marsh we were standing in. He said "that boy thinks we're pissing on his turf". Ten minutes later we were putting the locking tag on him.

Thank you for the info and sharing your experiences!