Some things I learned on my first moose hunting trip:

[mcseal2]

One thing I thought of as I head out to feed cattle this morning in the rain I forgot earlier is that I took a Sitka waterfowl waterproof cap. I really liked it on this trip. A normal cap, even a synthetic cap, will soak up some water in the bill and eventually wick that back to the front of the cap. This one did not do that at all and kept my head dry. I took a Sitka Ascent brown cap I wore to Alaska and had if we encountered warm dry weather but the waterfowl one breathed enough I didn't ever switch to it in the field. Packing moose or slogging through real heavy mud I'd take it off so I didn't sweat it up to bad, but I'd have done that with any cap. Anyway, just a small addition I thought of when I put the cap on this morning.

Also the inside of the bull magnet moose call is a good place to store a cap in your luggage so it doesn't get smashed. I put my extra one there on the trip.

 

[KChunter71]

Good write up MCseal2


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[clearwateralaskaoutfitters]

One thing I thought of as I head out to feed cattle this morning in the rain I forgot earlier is that I took a Sitka waterfowl waterproof cap. I really liked it on this trip. A normal cap, even a synthetic cap, will soak up some water in the bill and eventually wick that back to the front of the cap. This one did not do that at all and kept my head dry. I took a Sitka Ascent brown cap I wore to Alaska and had if we encountered warm dry weather but the waterfowl one breathed enough I didn't ever switch to it in the field. Packing moose or slogging through real heavy mud I'd take it off so I didn't sweat it up to bad, but I'd have done that with any cap. Anyway, just a small addition I thought of when I put the cap on this morning.

Also the inside of the bull magnet moose call is a good place to store a cap in your luggage so it doesn't get smashed. I put my extra one there on the trip.

Thanks for sharing your experience with us and also for giving some secrets advice.

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks. I got lots of help from people on here and other forums to prepare me for my trip, just doing what I can to pass it on.

 

[elkman1962]

Thanks for the great info! We are planning a 19 trip on a river for a DIY. I want to PM you to get your list - but I have not qualified as I am a new member yet. Thanks Again

 

[Panhandler80]

Awesome write up. Not sure how I've managed to miss this for a few weeks.

Thanks!

 

[ReinsuranceShooter]

Pan... mcseal is a totally awesome and more than willing to assist. A typical gem amongst gems on this forum.

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks everyone. Im not doing anything special, just helping where I can like orhers helped me before my hunts. Lots of great people on this forum.

 

[Labdad]

And in that vein the only thing I would add, bring two young nephews with strong backs and weak minds....

Swamp donkey always has the last laugh

 

[ReinsuranceShooter]

Just ordered my SO 8 person tipi with liners, bug screens and xl stove! So excited after all the feedback and convo’s... Thank you for also sharing your thoughts on them mcSeal. Between that and seek running 10% off right now... that was all it took for me to deem the time in the doghouse is worth it!

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’m looking forward to moose season, maybe freezer is empty.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Just ordered my SO 8 person tipi with liners, bug screens and xl stove!

You are going to be very happy with it. Especially when it gets cold and rains for a few days straight.

Make sure to practice setting it up prior to the trip to master the set backs, and seam seal it.

I like to toss a pair of concrete gloves or something similar in with the stove to keep soot off of everything and protect my hands from hot or sharp pieces.

 

[ReinsuranceShooter]

You are going to be very happy with it. Especially when it gets cold and rains for a few days straight.

Make sure to practice setting it up prior to the trip to master the set backs, and seam seal it.

I like to toss a pair of concrete gloves or something similar in with the stove to keep soot off of everything and protect my hands from hot or sharp pieces.

Gunnersdad- thank you for the globe advice! Seems like about every 3rd video I see ... the person ends up licking a cut on their hand - sheet metal is nasty. As far as the set up and seem seal... that is part of playing with it . Will be lots of that happening before I go!

And a big shout out again the how helpful mcseal (about is papa bear diy moose hunt) has been and folks on this forum about moose diy in Alaska... as long as I ask thoughtful questions- it is met with great input on my Renfro 2021 diy moose hunt.

 

[mcseal2]

Glad to be of help.

Where we got dropped there wasn't anything to burn really. We had a little standing dead stuff we could have split in an emergency, but after 5 days of rain even it was soaked up. What was dead was pretty rotten. Other hunters got put in spots that had wood. Might be something to discuss with the transporter if you want to be sure to be able to use the stove. We never got ours out on that trip.

 

[ReinsuranceShooter]

Glad to be of help.

Where we got dropped there wasn't anything to burn really. We had a little standing dead stuff we could have split in an emergency, but after 5 days of rain even it was soaked up. What was dead was pretty rotten. Other hunters got put in spots that had wood. Might be something to discuss with the transporter if you want to be sure to be able to use the stove. We never got ours out on that trip.

Even without using the stove though you didn’t have issues drying yourselves or your gear out? My mission is moose first, less miserable second. If Renfro says it is a count flip, I will go for drier, but if wetter is better, I am all for it! I have plenty enough elk packs that I can use the stove on in the northwest if it stays in the bag.

 

[mcseal2]

We both had synthetic sleeping bags and dried stuff in the foot box or by wearing it if we got damp. My Kifaru Slickbag 20 degree bag is good at this,I haven't tried other bags. Our waders and rain jackets we turned inside out inside the tipi if it was wet, hung outside if it was dry as soon as we could once at camp. I took my Sitka Cloudburst and FL SEAK rain jackets and used the Sitka around camp some. The SEAK never wetted out or leaked, but hiking in rain gear means perspiration for me. I sweated it up some inside and let it dry every chance I got. All my gear worked well and I was probably being to careful, but I tried to give my stuff every chance I could to get dry during the constant rain.

For camp shoes we had the Tingley rubber boots so we could get our waders off when we got back. I got mine a size big to be easy to slip on and off. They worked great and let the waders have more time inside out to dry the sweat from my feet. No less waterproof camp shoes would have seen any use in our spot, it was just to swampy for crocs or anything similar.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

We took a Duraflame log. We sliced it like a loaf of bread. One slice would warm up the tipi. We stacked whatever sticks we could scrounge around and under the stove. They would burn the next day, drying out more sticks. Most of what we found to burn was driftwood less than 3” in diameter. Still enough to really warm and dry the tent. We also packed in some good sticks that we found while out glassing

 

[Kevin Dill]

On the new Seek Outside tipi and stove, good advice.

I think it's really important to be completely familiar with how to set everything up, and without needing instructions in the bush. I've done plenty of camp-pitching on rainy days, and it's nice to be able to work faster.

Seam sealing: I've used normal silicone, and also Sil-Net. I definitely like clear silicone best. I diluted it with spirits and applied it with a 1" brush. Sil-Net seems to not dilute smoothly, and is extremely slow to cure. Many reports of sticky or tacky seams many days or weeks later.

Keep in mind that your pilot may be flying to your hunting location just before you hunt; either to drop off some gear or pick up hunters. He may have the ability and willingness to drop off a box or 2 of stuff for you if you can get it to him. This is only applicable if you need to restrict gear weight on the day you fly in.

With the right pack you can haul a lot of cut firewood. A good folding saw will allow you to reduce dead wood to 2-3 ft lengths and then stack several of them horizontally on/thru your pack. I often note dead standing trees or poles while away from camp. I can drop them and bring wood back to camp at lunchtime. I always have a 20" small axe in camp for splitting rounds and other work. Indispensable for me.

 

[AKDoc]

Good suggestion to practice setting up your tipi a few times before going out in the field...it does take some practice.
I like using the radius method with my SO 4-man...pitched that in some strong wind and driving rain just fine.

 

[brsnow]

I'll add to this later but have a few minutes while my wife is getting ready to type a little about what I learned on my first AK moose hunt. We hunted with Papa Bear Adventures and had a good hunt. I took a bull I was very happy with and my buddy shot a smaller one late in the hunt.

We had a lot of rain early. It rained at least 3/4 of every 24hour day for 4 days, and then the sky cleared up and temps warmed up into the upper 60's for highs. We also had a full moon. When the rain quit I shot my bull that evening, before it got warm. We called in another bull the next morning while it was pretty cool and somewhat cloudy. Once the temps warmed up with clear skies and the full moon we never called another bull. I am thinking that the moose did like whitetail would at home and primarily moved and rutted at night, slept or at least were lethargic during the day. With the cooler temps but lots of light that seems logical at least to a rookie moose hunter like me.

This was a drop camp DIY hunt. I would encourage anyone doing it to ask questions before leaving town if you have them about anything. Do a good inspection of the gear the outfitter provides and ask any questions you have before heading into the field. My buddy and I had used gear like what they had and had no issues, but it was something we thought of one evening at camp. How many people today have patched a tire or would know what to do with the tools provided with the raft? How many people have trouble-shot a 2 stroke motor? We grew up as farm kids plus fished a lot with old boats and motors, and my buddy had an inflatable raft for a while. It's stuff we knew but we both know a lot of people with different backgrounds who would not have had that experience. We took our own tent, but if you use an outfitter provided tent make sure you can set it up before you are in the field with a high wind and rain. Self reliance and experience are a big help on a hunt like this and can save frustration and time for hunting.

Take some tarps. We had a 10x10 Seek Outside tarp over our cook/lounge area at camp. We pulled the middle tie out on one side lower than the rest and put my 10L folding bucket under it to catch rain water. It was a lot better tasting than the swamp water we filtered before and after the days of rain, plus saved our water filter some abuse.

Have a good water filter and back-up filter elements. We used a Katadyn Base camp 10L filter. The first new filter element we had (only previous use was flushing it with well water at my house) was very slow from the start. I think the first 10L of swamp water took 12 hours to run through it. We even pre-filtered the water going into the Katadyn bag through a screen I bought off Ebay to help save the filter after having an issue on a Canadian fishing/canoeing trip in 2013. The second filter element we tried was fast, it worked like it should have. If I use that filter again I'll take the filter we used this trip plus a couple spares. I had a Steripen in my pack to treat water as needed if I re-filled my water bottles during the day but never ended up needing it.

Wife is ready, will be continued later....

Thank you for sharing