How far have you actually packed a moose?

[wytx]

I had a little help from the LO who let me hunt.

 

[johnnycake]

I had a little help from the LO who let me hunt.

View attachment 876734

Congratulations and I hate you very much right now

 

[wyodog]

I shot my Alaskan moose .6 miles from our drop camp in the morning. Our area was bone in. My and a friend finished getting him hung in camp right at dark. We did spend time to cape him before we started hauling the load across the tundra and swamp. A few days later we shot another bull about .25 miles from camp, no swamp, and It felt like and easy stroll compared to the first one. I think anything much further than a mile an you could be looking at more than 1 day. We had Brown bears and wolves by camp so I would worry about leaving one on the tundra over night.

 

[JJ_whitetailhunter]

All great info. I'm doing a diy moose hunt this year and was curious how far out was too far out. It seems like a lot of factors go into making that decision and everyone has a different opinion.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

most have been about 20 yards and thats using my truck to drag them out of the ditch from the trooper road kill list. the one we shot was about 300 yards to the atv trail

 

[TopherDave]

No. No it is not.

I've killed 2 wild bison (4 yr old cow Henry Mountains UT late December; 17yr old massive bull Delta Junction, AK). I've helped clean and pack several other bulls and cows. Some with snow, some without. Luckily only one of the cows involved any real packing. Dealing with the whole hide is pretty terrible over anything more than a couple hundred yards.
The suck factor on breaking bison down compared to AK bull moose is pretty equal I think.

I’d love to chat about your delta Junction bison experience. Not a lot of info on here, but I pulled the Delta Junction tag this year. Did you hunt the fields, river, or pay some farmer? What year was it? Thanks.

 

[TopherDave]

This past fall was my first time hunting moose in Alaska, and I ended up shooting one about 3/4" of a mile from camp. Nothing about it was enjoyable but it makes me wonder if those ones I saw 1.5-2 miles away would be manageable.

That brings me to my question. What is the farthest that you have actually packed a moose out on your back? It would be helpful to know how many people and if it was bone in or out.

I am not condoning people shooting them a longs way from camp, I am just genuinely curious what kind of misery some of you guys have put yourself through.

1. 3 of us, about 10-15 yards to the atv’s.
2. 3 of us, 10-15 yards down the bank to the boat.
3. Able to drag it out with the side by side to the road, where we broke it down and tossed it into the box of the truck.
4. 1.5 miles up hill (7-800 feet). Was just outside of Anchorage, and I had a call list of friends to come help. I personally broke it all down and only did 2 trips. Was still a day though!
5. I was on a call list for a buddy who arrowed a cow on Xmas eve. Was flat ish terrain. Was close to 2.25 miles. People were able to get back there on XC skis. I opted for my fat tire bike. I was first on scene and helped with the break down. Did 1 trip out, a hind, I remember the excess pressure it put on my sit bones! Oh, and it was -15.

 

[Pwb199]

In 2022 I killed one almost exactly 4 miles from the air strip. 10 total pack loads through the tundra over 3 days. Thankfully there were 4 of us to make it happen. We killed 2 that year, both about the same distance from camp.

 

[angelldogg]

about 1.5 miles... as a few people have already mentioned, all miles are not created equal

 

[Scottf270]

I guess I know my limitations or I'm just more patient in my old age. I sit in camp and call. I ain't got what it takes at 64 to chase a moose all over, let alone pack one miles on my back. I never let my eyes overload my azz.

 

[mtnbiker208]

diy float trip, one bull 35 feet another bull 400 yards.

 

[S-3 ranch]

When my uncle and I landed in king salmon ak , they had a native group that had a booth and couple ladies that talked to us about free packing out for donation of what meat we couldn’t take home , while hunting we both got caribou before we got a moose about 1-1,5 miles from the lake with a huge bogey area , it was warmer than we expected, and made the call , about two hours later a beaver landed on the lake and the 4 native guys made short order of it. I only had to get the cap and horns back to the camp which was a PIA in it’s self
I kept the back straps and a roast + the caribou, shipping from naknek ak to anchorage to San Antonio was over $900 for meat and horns
I couldn’t imagine the amount of money it would cost for the whole moose
And I was happy with the deal, I don’t think I would do a DIY moose thing again
My understanding is a guided hunt I would have to leave the meat anyway?

 

[SaltySailor]

64" bull, 1.27 miles bone in, all swampy but slightly down hill. My hunting buddy stabbed me on the top of my wrist on accident, right to the bone and bleeding good. I had to go back to camp to get it cleaned out proper and find something better than a band aid and a dirty t-shirt, so I told the other 3 guys to strap the hind quarter that was already off on my back and I took it out. That sucked. They pulled a front shoulder, one side of ribs, a back strap and both neck chunks out that evening. Got the other half the next day. Thats about as far as I would ever want to do that again. Lots of 1/2 - 3/4 mile hauls over the years though.

 

[Elkhuntinfool78]

I've packed two, one shiras that was about 1/2 mile to the truck. Three people made it pretty easy.

One in AK that was only about 450 yards to the edge of lake. It was solo and while the pack out wasn't bad it's definitely a chore to break one down solo.

Hope to get the chance to do it again someday

 

[Elkhuntinfool78]

2021, I was 63 at the time: Solo; 1 1/4 miles on ONX; 60” bull; Boned out; Terrain was 50% tussocks, 25% thick brush, 25% kind of decent terrain, spongey but not real soft, the feet only sunk in 4-6 inches; Gained couple hundred feet in gradual elevation, nothing you would consider steep.
2012, hunting partner and I carried my 50” moose 1 1/4 miles, heavy brush the last 1/4 mile, fairly good footing the first mile. The last 1/4 mile was a lot harder than carrying the pack loads the first mile.

Damn, that's impressive to pull that off solo at 63. My hats off to you sir. I enjoyed the story of your hunt a few years back.

 

[SliverShooter]

Damn, that's impressive to pull that off solo at 63. My hats off to you sir. I enjoyed the story of your hunt a few years back.

TY, it is one of those thing you never forget and always proud that you got it done. Going back solo this year to the same place in two weeks. I’m 67 now.

 

[Elkhuntinfool78]

Damn, that's impressive to pull that off solo at 63. My hats off to you sir. I enjoyed the story of your hunt a few years back.

TY, it is one of those thing you never forget and always proud that you got it done. Going back solo this year to the same place in two weeks. I’m 67 now.

I was 45 when I got mine solo, hoping to make it happen once more somewhere down the road. AK is such a special place, everything I'd dreamt of as a kid

I hope you post a thread on here of your upcoming hunt and I hope the moose gods are smiling on you. You sir are an inspiration to me

 

[BAKPAKR]

I have been in on packing out six Shiras moose and two Canada moose. Two of the Shiras were 2.5-3 miles with three other guys. I did one smaller Shiras solo. I thought it was about a mile at the time but now that I can measure it on onx maps, it was a little over a mile and a half. I would like to get in on an Alaska Yukon pack one of these days.