DIY Alaska Moose Hunt

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 10/11/2019 | S Haugen

[w1n1]

It's definitely not easy, but with enough planning, hardy sportsmen can enjoy the adventure of hunting our largest deer species without a guide.
The most common do-it-yourself big game hunt I'm asked about is elk, and until recently, mule deer were second. But over the past year, I’ve been getting more folks asking about DIY moose hunting in Alaska, pushing it ahead of mule deer hunting inquiries. Back in the 1980s and early '90s, moose hunting was of keen interest to many hunters. Over the past few years, there’s been a resurgence of interest in hunting these massive members of the deer family. In this month’s Road Hunter column, we hit the road – or should I say air, or river – in search of what it takes to tackle a do-it-yourself moose hunt in Alaska.

MOOSE HUNTING IN Alaska requires a lot of pre-planning and work. Start by being honest with yourself, and others in your party (you don’t want to do this hunt alone), making absolutely certain your outdoor skills are to the level where you can survive in the wild under any conditions. If bears, freezing weather, snow, mosquitos and being out of touch with civilization make you nervous, then a guided moose hunt might be more to your liking.

The next consideration is to accurately pinpoint your level of health and physical fitness. Moose hunting can be extremely tough, especially when you get a bull down. Hiking across the tundra, through bogs, over snow and in rivers is the norm.
One recent moose hunt I went on with a buddy found us carrying waders, knee boots and hiking boots in order to efficiently negotiate the variety of mountainous and boggy terrain we’d have to hunt; we used all three pairs of boots. Many people rank the physical demands of moose hunting as the toughest of all Alaskan big game due to the tundra and water that’s often negotiated.

ONCE YOU KNOW you can physically handle a moose hunt, research the state and find a place to go. Thoroughly explore your options, making sure there are moose in the area you plan to hunt. Decide if you’re going on a river hunt or a mountain hunt, or maybe a combination of the two. On a river hunt for moose, you’ll likely get dropped off by an air charter in one spot, and picked up seven to 10 days later at another spot. Here, you’ll navigate rivers in a raft, so be certain you're comfortable doing that with all your gear and 800 pounds of moose, per bull. Read the rest of DIY Alaska moose hunt.

[real saxophonist]

Take along your sister and some cheese.

[Yo-Yo]

A lower-48 hunter that goes to Alaska on a DIY moose hunt has a fool for a guide.

[Mogger]

Ted Trugeblood titled the chapter on moose hunting, in his book on hunting, "Moose are too Damn Big".

Packing, paddling and dragging one out is a challenge.

I have had over 3,000 encounters with moose, maybe a couple of hundred different ones, many over and over again.

Even the "small" ones would be hard to extract.

[teeman8r]

and will probably not come back... i hope he can find a bus to die in

[teeman8r]

take one third home leave the other 2 thirds to keep the grizzly busy while you try to make it out alive.

[Tax-chick]

I don’t understand why one would go to so much additional trouble to avoid hiring a guide. Paying some money to avoid a lot of hassle and unnecessary risk makes sense to me. It reminds me of one FReeper’s tagline: “Yes, I could eat it raw, but why would I do that when I can build a fire?”

Of course, I am not the intended audience for this piece.

[real saxophonist]

The intended audience are 14 year olds in mom’s basement, who have never fired anything more than an airsoft. Just like everything this guy posts.

[OKSooner]

Sounds like a real good idea to me. Be sure to pose with your binoculars and your spotting scope too. /s

[elcid1970]

He should pose with the tractor and wagon he’ll need to pack out his trophy moose along with the odd grizzly or two.

[epluribus_2]

And be sure to leave a blood trail for the other bears and wolves.

[real saxophonist]

I have a family member who trains bird dogs and guides hunts in the South. He laughs at the clients who show up wearing brand new clothes, with a brand new shotgun...

That's what that picture reminded me of.

[allwrong57]

Or at least they have no idea how much meat they’re going to have to pack a mile or more in a backpack! Been there and done that. There is nothing more physical than packing game out in Alaska.

[Chuckster]

Central Southeast Alaska Moose Hunt As of Sep 26. Just jump in the pickup, drive down the road 30 miles or so...