School me on Alaska caribou/moose

[Akwoodchuck]

I’m not gonna say I don’t doubt the ability for someone to pack a moose or any animal for that matter for a distance like that with mountains like those or the ones here in CO....but I’m sure someone has and someone probably will again.

To be honest I doubt the ability to be able to DIY a moose hunt in the manner I was curious about (rent vehicle and camp), without a transporter for a drop.....but I can’t afford a guide and even a transport is pushing the budget....I will say the Colorado moose hunts I have been on were Easy Peezy, but carrying a moose that is down 500 yards from the truck is different

Roger....ya gotta pay to play, especially up here...
....here's a couple recommendations I can make, on trips I've done:

| Eagle Canoe Rentals

Alaska canoe Kenai canoe trails system, canoe rentals, trips, kayaks, rafts, shuttle service, over 18 years service

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Oops, double checked the regs, Kenai Canoe Trails are a no-go for nonres....but I'm sure you get my drift, pardon the pun...
...many many other road- accessible DIY paddling trips possible..(Birch Cr., Chatanika, Moose Cr./Deshka, lower Chisana, Tanana, to name a few)....yes there'll be other people, but that's not automatically a bad thing...

 

[jray5740]

Oops, double checked the regs, Kenai Canoe Trails are a no-go for nonres....but I'm sure you get my drift, pardon the pun...
...many many other road- accessible DIY paddling trips possible..(Birch Cr., Chatanika, Moose Cr./Deshka, lower Chisana, Tanana, to name a few)....yes there'll be other people, but that's not automatically a bad thing...

Good starting points for me to research into more, appreciate ya

 

[Kevin Dill]

The truth is this: As a nonresident you can show up, buy an OTC moose tag and license and then go hunt anywhere it's legal. Of course it's on you to know the specific regs in the GMU (and perhaps zone) you're wanting to hunt. There's nobody stopping anyone from driving to any public hunting area....parking....and going hunting. Just know for certain that every navigable road is used by hunters during moose season. Parking spots and nice camping areas are going to be occupied in most cases.

The other thing that's hard to describe (to a first-timer) is the scale of the land. Two hunters can probably handle a mature bull down a mile or little more from the vehicle, but beyond that the task gets tougher and slower with increasing risk of losing meat to spoilage. A mile off the road (or any ATV trail, jeep trail, etc) is the equivalent of hunting 100 feet off the road in the lower 48. Hike in about 1.5 miles from a parking spot and you're just barely getting out of sight of the road or trail. This is the reason the vast majority of resident hunters (who use the road system) are bringing some serious ATV gear with them. Getting back into distant moose country is how you find undisturbed moose....same as elk.

Finally: Moose are not evenly distributed by a long shot. Some areas have poor habitat or excess predation and are mostly devoid of huntable bulls. Best to be sure you're heading to an area with a decent chance to find moose; otherwise you're just calling into an empty forest.

 

[jray5740]

The truth is this: As a nonresident you can show up, buy an OTC moose tag and license and then go hunt anywhere it's legal. Of course it's on you to know the specific regs in the GMU (and perhaps zone) you're wanting to hunt. There's nobody stopping anyone from driving to any public hunting area....parking....and going hunting. Just know for certain that every navigable road is used by hunters during moose season. Parking spots and nice camping areas are going to be occupied in most cases.

The other thing that's hard to describe (to a first-timer) is the scale of the land. Two hunters can probably handle a mature bull down a mile or little more from the vehicle, but beyond that the task gets tougher and slower with increasing risk of losing meat to spoilage. A mile off the road (or any ATV trail, jeep trail, etc) is the equivalent of hunting 100 feet off the road in the lower 48. Hike in about 1.5 miles from a parking spot and you're just barely getting out of sight of the road or trail. This is the reason the vast majority of resident hunters (who use the road system) are bringing some serious ATV gear with them. Getting back into distant moose country is how you find undisturbed moose....same as elk.

Finally: Moose are not evenly distributed by a long shot. Some areas have poor habitat or excess predation and are mostly devoid of huntable bulls. Best to be sure you're heading to an area with a decent chance to find moose; otherwise you're just calling into an empty forest.

This is great advice and information I was either looking to confirm or deny! The situation you describe about all roads used and many hunters calling to an empty forest sounds extremely familiar to hunting elk here in Colorado. It takes years to find a good spot to hunt elk that is reliable, and you are competing with so many hunters that it feels less populated at a mall in the city then the mountain your on.....especially in an OTC unit but once you have it your set!!

I lived with host families while I was playing baseball there and they of course hunt moose as well as other game, I might have to get back in touch with them to see if they can point me to some good areas I can hunt like you describe above. I think they are probably to the point in life I wouldn’t be able to talk them into going on a brown bear/sheep hunt but moose maybe!I’m not opposed to dragging my ATV equipment up there, however with those travel costs it’s nearly the same as a drop so now I’m back in the same boat as I started! haha

 

[TexasCub]

Don’t misconstrue hunting elk in Colorado with hunting moose in Alaska. Your not going to hike 8-10 miles and pack out a moose, seriously. I’ve killed a bunch of bulls and being able to use river boats, four wheelers, meat trailers or all 3 at the same time makes moose hunts doable. You can’t imagine what the words mud bog means , while carrying a 100lb qtr til you’ve done it. it’s just not gonna happen. If you can’t line up a air charter, and you don’t know someone with all the necessary toys, your best bet is gonna be road hunting and believe it or not a lot of guys are quite successful doing that. The first time you walk up on a bull that’s down you’ll realize that all the fun is over, and mucho work begins. Keep in mind that even with fly out hunts, how far you venture from where your dropped will dictate how much pain you endure packing out a bull if you kill one. I’ve had friends make the mistake of going to far for a bull on foot and then suffer the torture of getting all the meat back to camp several miles out. No thanks, there’s wonderful backpack style hunts to be had in Alaska but not the ones that require you to pack a large horse out on your back!

 

[rope]

The road system is smaller than you could be thinking. A over looked consideration for road hunting is access, in the interior much of the road is bordered by native land. This land locks hundreds of thousands of acres, then you need 17b easements or river access. The amount of road access that has public access via state or government owned property is less than most can guess. I would like to suggest buying HuntX app for Alaska that will show you property owners. This may save you from making plans to a awesome area, that you cant access the way you had intended.

Sticking to one species per trip is a wise choice. Good luck with your hunt!

 

[AKbushpilot]

Robie & ddavis ask all the questions you need to and don't let ANYONE tell you differently. First off this website is only your first point of search results and a great starting point. However don't let people who "THINK" they know everything tell you differently.

I'm an Alaskan bush pilot for nearly 20 years and actually have lived in Alaska over 30yrs.
First off a combo moose/Caribou isn't your best bet because really good moose habitat generally isn't the best habitat for Caribou so focus on the species that you want first.
Plan on 5 days hunting caribou (1st Sep 10th) and 10 days hunting moose in different locations and do not start your moose hunt any earlier than the 10th of September to ensure the rut has begun.

I see most of the comments are focusing on the 40 mile herd and I hunted that heard 30 years ago and wont do it again because of all the people i ran into. Reminded me when I hunted Elk outside of Gardner Montana with shots going off all over the place.

For all you people talking about Transporters and Air-charter Services please read below...

By federal law Transporters and Air-charter Services singular focus is Safe air operations and has nothing to do WITH HUNTING. They insulate themselves from the cares, feelings, concerns or time constraints and goals of the hunter. Their success is only achieved when the hunter returns safely from the field... successful or not.

I would be happy to answer all the questions you might have and I do know who and where...

Happy Hunting

Troy & Linda Sessions.