Should we rent the Cabin?

[Dorny]

Hi Roksliders.

I have been lurking for awhile, and now finally need some specific advice on a trip my buddies and I are planning for 2019. The 3 of us have never been to AK, or hunted moose. 2 of us are 33 years old, and one is 48 and bowhunting moose has been my Number 1 Bucket list item for 15 years after I saw Tred Barta arrow a monster at 4 yards with a longbow on the outdoor channel in our dorm room! Last year at deer camp the three of us decided to do this in 2019, as we won't be getting any younger.

When I started thinking about and planning this trip, I was looking at all the standard transporters out of Tok and fairbanks area, etc. These of course were all drop hunts in remote areas either lake or mountaintops. I talked with many of them, and base prices ranged from $2000-$5,000 per person.

Then we started thinking about bears. Being from the lower 48(2 of us) and Germany(one of us), none of us have had any experience with bears. Quite frankly, the thought of a grizzly sniffing around our tent at night scares the living crap out of us. So I started looking for cabins to rent!

I found one that is $2,000 per person, then we pay the air transportation, estimated at about $1500 total for in and out. The owner only puts 1 group of hunters here each year, and he has been in the guiding business for decades.

The downside is the cabin is a short flight from anchorage, and is 4 miles from a major river with other cabins on it, and 4 miles away from another lake that has a home on it. So it really isn't the remote yukon hunt of my dreams. But the area is very thick and swampy with lots of black spruce, and it is unlikely we will see other hunters. Most importantly for us new-bees, is that we will have a cabin with a stove, a place to get dry and cook. It is in unit 16B, so 50" rules.

What do you guys think? should we book it?

Thank you in advance for any guidance!!!

Dorny

 

[Ray]

Do the math, if bears were an real issue then there would be hundreds of bear related injuries per year based on the millions of man-days spent in the AK wilderness. You will be fine in a tent 99.99% of the time. That last 0.01% wont be that scary, until it is. Its when you are coming back to the kill site the next day that can get scary. But you don't seem to be too concerned about that for some reason.

16B has a lot of people in it. Locals living remote and towners headed to their cabins for the weekend. The moose population has improved over the last few years. Finding more than one legal bull in one small location could be tough. With the amount of traffic over there you may end up having to hunt far from the cabin. Makes meat hauling kind a hard.

 

[Bearhunter]

Who is the transporter you are looking to use? I hunted 19 & 16B last year and have a top notch service to recommend..

 

[GotDraw?]

If you have been waiting that long to hunt and kill a moose. And if you are going to spend that kind of money for a once in a lifetime hunt, then buy or build a portable, battery powered bear fence or two and go somewhere you can kill a moose without stepping over your competition.

If you rent that cabin, from what the poster above said, then might be a good idea to download some videos of others killing moose in the backcountry so you'll have some action to watch at night.

Go into the backcounty to push you limits, not to be so safe you're surrounded by locals and end up moose-hiking so far from your cabin that you end up needing a tent anyway.

PM me if you want to build your own fence from off the shelf components for about $150. I've built two and can send you a component list and a pdf of instructions. I also have a full set or two of spare collapsible, 2-section fiberglass tent poles that are about 42" long for the fence posts that I'll part with for cheap.

Suggest you get or build two fences, one for your tent/gear compound area and one for your meat storage area.

JL

 

[Dorny]

Allright Guys.

Thanks for the input. I think we will keep looking and try to find the right fit. I have a couple suggestions already, but open to more. I appreciate the guidance!

Dorny.

 

[colonel00]

I have a DIY bear fence you are welcome to use. I have an old thread on here about it that you can find with a search. Where are you at in WI?

Actually, here it is http://www.rokslide.com/forums/diy-gear-modifications/18729-diy-bear-fence-2.html

Now, all that said, I made this fence and have yet to use it even with numerous trips to Alaska. Honestly, I wouldn't even really use it unless I had meat on the ground.

 

[Owenst7]

I grew up hunting in Alaska. Have spent many nights in a tent. Never had a run-in with a bear that was life threatening.

That doesn't mean it can't happen, but standard precautions with bears will statistically keep you safe.

I know more than one person with a remote cabin that has problems with bears going through the front door when it's left unoccupied...so a cabin isn't necessarily foolproof. Common thing is to hang a board with nails sticking out across the door to deter bears. I have one friend that did that, and the bear went through the wall, splitting studs and everything. He had left some MREs out and I'm guessing the bear could smell them somehow.

 

[WRO]

Allright Guys.

Thanks for the input. I think we will keep looking and try to find the right fit. I have a couple suggestions already, but open to more. I appreciate the guidance!

Dorny.

I've got a guy who James petker highly recommended, I'll get his info tomorrow for drop off moose hunting.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Bearhunter]

If anyone is looking at moose hunts and are thinking about Mosquito Valley transporting I would do some serious homework before committing on a moose hunt. I truly believe they offer some great Caribou hunts but there are better options for moose...

 

[Nick Muche]

Not to hijack the thread, but if anyone is looking for a drop off moose camp, Jonah Stewart is now offering them in 16B and this will be the first year. Price is competitive and a bit less than others from what I can tell and I bet it'll be a great hunt. Fully outfitted, just bring your sleeping bag, weapon and food, which will help many coming from the L48.

 

[Kevin Dill]

On the topic of bears:

I fall in the middle ground. I am not afraid of them...meaning I don't live with any fear of an attack or encounter. On the other hand I know exactly how unexpectedly they can show up and the potential damage they can do. So I do take precautions although I'm not anally crazy about things. Like a few other guys here, I know the odds are far in my favor that I'll not have a bear problem. More people die from small plane crashes in Alaska every year than from bear attacks the last 5 years combined. There are many thousands of hunters across Alaska every fall and the extreme majority of them won't have a bear within a hundred yards. It's something you have to put in perspective and not let preconceived ideas or irrational fears ruin your trip. Could you be injured or die by bear attack? Of course. The same fate could happen by weather (trust me), self-inflicted injury, plane wrecks and other causes.

Bear fear is like shark fear is like any exaggerated fear of the unknown. Do keep in mind that truly wild bears have a natural instinct to avoid humans. They haven't eaten human food and don't equate the scent of (example) lasagna with anything they might like. It's the odd wild bear that comes to camp to investigate. Perhaps a bit distasteful to describe: I use a urine bottle around camp to pee in. Then I go to the perimeter of camp and basically hurl/spray my urine into and onto the vegetation. I'm trying to put up a LOT of strange scent which bears will avoid. It works and I know that because I've seen it happen...a grizzly running away from my camp while I sat high on a hill and watched.

I built my own ultralight electric perimeter fence. Not terribly hard to do. I seldom use it around camp actually, but if bear sign was prevalent I would use it. More often I use it to protect my meat cache after I kill and pack things in.

 

[rayporter]

the cabin sounds like a camping trip with a rifle involved.
kevin expressed this subject well.

 

[BRWNBR]

Make sure your German friend is a us citizen to avoid him needing a guide for moose. I agree with others, if this is your one shot at it. Spend the extra money. There are bull moose in 16B but it is also one of the closest moose areas to three of Alaska’s major population centers. I would prefer more remote Alaska so I couldn’t climb a tree and use my cell phone or bask in the orange glow from anchorage.
That being said,
If 16b is all you can afford, do your research and go for it! Only gauruntee is you won’t stick one sitting at
Home. Also keep in mind if you can’t afford to go home empty handed don’t go. Moose hunting isn’t a overly high success rate. Be prepared mentally for not even seeing one. Then if you find them it’ll be all the sweeter.

 

[Owenst7]

On the topic of bears:

I fall in the middle ground. I am not afraid of them...meaning I don't live with any fear of an attack or encounter. On the other hand I know exactly how unexpectedly they can show up and the potential damage they can do. So I do take precautions although I'm not anally crazy about things. Like a few other guys here, I know the odds are far in my favor that I'll not have a bear problem. More people die from small plane crashes in Alaska every year than from bear attacks the last 5 years combined. There are many thousands of hunters across Alaska every fall and the extreme majority of them won't have a bear within a hundred yards. It's something you have to put in perspective and not let preconceived ideas or irrational fears ruin your trip. Could you be injured or die by bear attack? Of course. The same fate could happen by weather (trust me), self-inflicted injury, plane wrecks and other causes.

Bear fear is like shark fear is like any exaggerated fear of the unknown. Do keep in mind that truly wild bears have a natural instinct to avoid humans. They haven't eaten human food and don't equate the scent of (example) lasagna with anything they might like. It's the odd wild bear that comes to camp to investigate. Perhaps a bit distasteful to describe: I use a urine bottle around camp to pee in. Then I go to the perimeter of camp and basically hurl/spray my urine into and onto the vegetation. I'm trying to put up a LOT of strange scent which bears will avoid. It works and I know that because I've seen it happen...a grizzly running away from my camp while I sat high on a hill and watched.

I built my own ultralight electric perimeter fence. Not terribly hard to do. I seldom use it around camp actually, but if bear sign was prevalent I would use it. More often I use it to protect my meat cache after I kill and pack things in.

I'm glad you reminded me of ammonia.

I've used the stuff since I was a kid to deter bears...pouring it all over trash cans the night before pickup, coolers when camping, etc. I have not had a bear disturb anything I remembered to use it on. I moved to the Sierras several years ago, and the bears here are far less ambitious, but I've had similar results. On multiple Rubicon trips, adjacent campsites have been raided at night, while my skillet of bacon grease that was left out remained untouched. Only thing I can attribute it to was walking the perimeter before bed and dousing anything that I didn't want them touching, like coolers, greasy stove, etc. I carry a 2 oz nalgene bottle of the stuff while backpacking in the area, and soak my bandana with it every night. I then tie the bandanna to my backpack. I don't bother with bear hangs and haven't had issue yet. Seems to keep the mice (mini bears) away too.