hardcorehunter

I would like to do a DIY archery moose hunt. From what I know, Alaska is the only option. I want to use my own walltent and drive my vehicle to the hunt so I am not a slave to the airlines and them losing my gear. Would I need to bring a boat too, in order to gain access to the good hunting grounds, or can I drive my truck to good moose country, pitch my wall tent, and hunt with daypacks? I also have tons of bowhunting friends, but none are willing to make the financial commitment and take the time off from work to get this hunt done right. So, I am looking for 1-3 more guys that would like to do this in 2010 or 2011; start planning now. Tips on a DIY moose hunt appreciated. I know Canada requires outfitters, so Canada is out. Too hard to draw in the lower 48 for a moose too.

AK Jeff

A wall tent seems like serious overkill for the kind of hunt you want to do. Way too bulky and heavy. You'd be better off bringing a smaller, light weight tent and save that bulk and weight for more essential gear. A boat will definitely give you a lot more mobility than trying to hunt on foot directly from the road system. Even though Alaska is a huge state it has very very few roads and those that are there tend to get hammered. You'll be competing with a lot of residents that tend to have 4-wheelers, argos, boats, and a lot more first hand knowledge. The kind of hike in hunt you're describing will probably give you a reasonable chance of successof less than 5%. Add a jet boat to the mix and you might bumpthat up to 10%. If you're serious about the hunt you'd be much better off doing a float hunt and spending a few hundred bucks on a hunt planner like Larry Bartlett's Pristine Ventures. The easy part of Alaskan moose hunting ends once you buy the moose tag. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, just give you a reasonable expectation. Consider this...I moose hunted this year in an area of Alaska that has one of the highest moose densities in the state. The area is a spike/fork 50" 3-brow area for residents (4-brow for non-residents). I hunted with four other Alaskan residents and we had two big jet boats. The other guys had general tags, but I drew an any bull tag so I could shoot anything with antlers. We hunted an established camp that has four treestands in place. I only saw two moose and the one that I could have shot (about a 40" bull) gave methe slip before I could get into a shooting position. All in all we had 5 experienced, resident, rifle hunters that knew the area and we all went home empty handed. That was thanks largely to the unseasonably warm weather that hit for the last couple weeks of moose season, but it just goes to show it isn't a guarantee by any means. Don't forget that if you hike in very far and are lucky enough to bag one, you'll have to hike it out too. An Alaskan bull moose is about the size of a draft horse so don't underestimate the tremendous amount of work it is to get one pieced apart and out of the field.

Good luck to you,

Jeff

hardcorehunter

Thanx Jeff, I believe the floatplane drop in hunt is the way to go. I just came off of a successful self guided elk hunt in NM and I brought my walltent. It was the the difference of enjoying yourself and being comfortable over just getting by like a reg tent. I spent 14 days in the woods with the wall tent and could have done another month. I have watched videos on how to fly in and how to go real light, and that is probably the way to go. The wall tent spoiled me though.

salukipv1

draw a moose tag in ID or something....? are there some rules against doing it yourself? wilderness/outfitter regs? "hire a friend" lol in one of those states.

onebigelk

hch, I'm not sure if a tru diy hunt is possible in alaska. I visited my cousin in fairbanks last year and read
their big game brochure a couple of times. If my memory serves me right, you can only hunt with a guide
or 1st generation relative. Having said that, I too would love to hunt moose their also. For me it would be
a long drive from SE MO, flight cost me about $700.00. Also you would need to consider bears-grisslies,
just a little. If you get serious and closer to reality, post again and I might be interested. DIY is my cup
of tea, much more affordable and to me more gratifying. Was successfull on 1st DIY elk hunt in Co last year.
Kevin.

hardcorehunter

AK only requires a guide for Brown/Grizzly bear, Dall Sheep, and mountain goat.

AK Jeff

You don't need a guide or 2nd degree of kindred relative to hunt moose as a non-resident in Alaska. You can buy an over the counter tag, but there are quite a few limited entry permit areas so make sure you check the regs to verify the area you want to hunt. There's also varying antler restrictions, so some areas are open to any bullbut mostrequire certain size antlers to meet legal minimums. The regs can be pretty convuluted and even within units and subunits there can be varying restrctions so make sure to read up and familiarize yourself with the regs. Don't underestimate the driving distance here either. If you're coming from New Mexico then you're looking at a 3,500+ mile drive ONE WAY. If you can average 60 mph (which is pretty fast for a lot of the Alcan) then you're looking at 60 hours of drive time each way. If you can split drive time with some other guys and go around the clock then you'll have at least 2.5 days of driving time each way. Canada also has pretty hefty taxes on their gas, and considering that the Canadian dollar is currently worth more than the US$ you'll get screwed on the exchange rate and you'll pay a premium for fuel. Northern BC and the Yukon, especially in the Kluane area are absolutely beautiful so there are some real perks to doing that drive, but you'll be sick and tired of driving by the time you get there.

hardcorehunter

Thanks Jeff. I would like to drive to WA state and then ferry up the coast to AK.