About Us

Videos

Alaska Hunt Info

Stories

Poems

Reviews

Links

Order Info

Contact us

Home

Poor Man's plan for Alaska moose hunt

Travel Tips

Hunting Equipment

Hunting Tips

If You're Sucessful

Food

Wilderness Hunt Checklist

If you hire a guide or outfitter, make sure to get plenty of references. For every reputable guide, there are three bad ones. I never use a guide. I can go on three unguided hunts for the same cost as one guided hunt. Our last hunt cost us each about $3,000.00, not counting extras for moose processing and shipping, etc. We hire a bush pilot, show him a spot on the map, and he flies us there at an hourly rate. I don't know what the going rates are right now. It's best to go with a bigger flying service rather than one of the small one-man outfits. The larger one's are generally more reputable and more likely to get you where you want to go, when you want to get there, safely. They have more planes and more pilots. Even then you should expect the possibility of delays due to weather. We were once booked with a small outfit. When we got there, we found out that his plane broke down and he had to send away for parts that wouldn't arrive for a week or two. We were stuck there for two days waiting to fly out with another outfit.

Back to Top

Arrange commercial flight's well in advance to get best prices. Arrange return flight for 2 or 3 days after your hunt is planned to end. If bad weather hits, you could be stuck out there longer than you planned. You don't want to miss your flight home. If you do miss it, you can fly stand-by, but that can be a hassle if they're busy. Reserve bush pilot well in advance. Hunting season is their busiest time and they get booked up fast. Most bush planes are small with a limited carrying capacity. A Cessna 185 or 206 can only carry a cargo of 700 lbs. (That's 2 hunters and minimum gear.) These planes are the most economical for the flight in. They can only carry one moose, however. That's without cargo or passengers. You'll have to pay for an extra flight for each moose. Super Cubs are the best for getting you to where the game is, because they are small and can land nearly anywhere. However, they can only carry one passenger and minimal gear. You will need one plane for each hunter. The bigger flying services have a variety of planes and will use whatever is most appropriate to get you in and out. Most flying outfits have package deals also. For a set fee they will drop you off, pick you up, and bring out one animal. They generally include moving you once also, if you are having trouble finding game. A DeHaviland Beaver is a bigger plane and will carry all of your meat and gear but is a lot more expensive. On my last trip we chartered a 206 going in and a Beaver coming out since we were thinking positive about our chances of success. Don't forget earplugs. Bush planes are very noisy.

Back to Top

Don't hunt any farther away than you want to carry a dead moose. The hardest part of moose hunting is finding a moose. They are loners, especially the bulls. We've walked miles in search of moose, to no avail, and then run into them accidentally when we were almost back to camp. When you do find moose, it's very hard to get within bow range without them hearing or spotting you. The terrain is usually very noisy to walk in. Long grass, or brush or water.

The technique that has brought us the most success is calling. The moose has tremendous hearing, especially the bulls. Their antlers act like a big radar dish, directing the sound to their ears. Use that to your advantage. A bull can hear a cow call 3 miles away.

You can make a good moose call with a piece of birch bark rolled into a cone. Call through it like a megaphone. Another good call can be made by pushing a stick into the neck of a plastic one quart oil jug (the flat type). Cut out the bottom of the jug. You scrape the jug against trees and brush to imitate the sound of moose antlers. "It works"!

The month of Sept. is the best time to hunt. The bulls go into the rut and will travel many miles a day searching for cows. Find an area close to a lake or river where moose have been feeding. Willows are a favorite food. You'll see a lot of brush with yellow leaves and their tops broke off 6 or 7 ft. up. Find yourself an ambush sight and just sit and wait. Call every 30 minutes. A cow call is the loudest and can be heard from farther away. You don't want to call too often, especially if the bull is in sight. It may take a bull an hour to reach you from the spot that he first heard you. If you call too often the bull will pinpoint your location. Once he pinpoints the location of the sound he'll be looking for the moose that made it. If he can't see a moose, he'll get suspicious and leave. Don't try to call a moose that's downwind unless you have no other choice. It might work once in a while, but most of the time it fails. Once you've spotted the bull, don't call again unless he's going in the wrong direction. Even then, just give a single call to turn him. Once he's coming toward you, he may stop and look in your direction for a long time before resuming his approach. He's listening, trying to locate that moose he heard. Wait him out, after awhile he'll continue. He may do this several times. If you panic and call while he's looking at you, he'll pinpoint the sound and the show is over.

Back to Top

By law you must salvage all meat. If you can't get all of the meat packed out the same day you shot it, you should be cautious when you return. Carry your shotgun and make a noisy approach from upwind. If a bear has claimed your moose, you don't want to surprise him from close range. If he refuses to leave and you're forced to abandon the rest of the meat, you must have some kind of proof that a bear took it, in case the DNR checks you. Photographs of the damage or damaged equipment should do. Getting all your meat home is an expensive proposition. Most villages will have people willing to take as much of the meat as you want to give away. It cost me $625.00 to process and ship 300 lbs. of meat back to Michigan. (A mature bull will be 500 to 600 lbs. of meat) The best thing to do is buy some fish boxes (Waterproof, cardboard boxes used for shipping fish). Freeze the meat in the boxes and pay excess baggage to bring it back with you on the plane. (Ask your bush pilot where these can be purchased). Antlers must be prepared for shipping. Wrap antler tips and skull plate with cardboard and duct tape. Since our last trip the airlines have changed their policies for carrying meat and animal parts. Check with the airline that you will be using to see what their current restrictions are regarding the transportation of animal parts and firearms.

Back to Top

The following tables list what I use on a do-it-yourself wilderness hunt. Freeze-dried food works great on this kind of hunt, but it's very expensive. Dry mixes and powered drinks are lightweight and far less expensive. For example; a Macaroni & Cheese dinner mix for 2 people - $1.79 Freeze-dried Macaroni & Cheese dinner for 1 - $4.50

This equipment list is pretty much the bare minimum without many luxuries, but will get you under the weight limitations for the smaller bush planes. The following food list is what I use and should be adjusted to fit your own personal taste.

We remove food from the boxes and put it in meal sized freezer bags (along with cooking instructions). This makes it easier and lighter to pack and minimizes the amount of trash that we accumulate in the bush.

I hope you find this information useful. If you have any other questions or comments, please let me know.

Sincerely, Gary Olsen aplhunter1@netzero.net

Back to Top

© 2003, bowhunting adventure videos