Alaska DIY Moose Hunting

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a guide to hunt moose in Alaska. You only need a licensed guide for brown/grizzly bear, sheep, and mountain goat in Alaska. Hunting moose is a huge undertaking, and hiring a guide is a great option for some folks. However, for this article, I’ll be speaking directly to the do-it-yourself hunters. Alaska itself is a huge undertaking, but with some proper planning, a moose hunt for you and a buddy is absolutely feasible.

Let’s be real, everyone wants to hunt moose in Alaska. Most of us grew up reading Outdoor Life Magazine and have always dreamed that someday we would visit the last frontier. The populations of moose in Alaska are thriving despite hard winters and plenty of predation. Even though most moose hunting is over-the-counter, the price is driven up simply by the high demand. If you’re planning on coming to Alaska to hunt moose, you’re going to pay to play. The words cheap and moose are like an easy sheep hunt; this just doesn’t exist.

Logistics

The hardest part about planning a hunt is the logistics. My advice would be to become an expert at making a plan. Then, in the same mindset, become an expert at that plan completely falling apart. Now you’re in the right mindset for what Alaska is going to throw at you. The conveniences you once took for granted are no longer available on a DIY moose hunt. Getting soaked and walking out to the pickup and turning on the heater won’t happen anymore. If you get soaking wet up here, you could be far from camp, get hypothermic, and have an emergency situation on your hands. You should plan on being wet, cold, and miserable, but you’re sure to have some awesome stories to tell.

Getting all of your gear up here and back to your house is a challenge in itself. If you are fortunate enough to shoot a bull, there are even more logistics, planning, and money to get the trophy and the meat home as well. If you are doing a fly-in hunt, you will most likely be flying through Seattle to Anchorage or Fairbanks. Then, you very well may have another flight to a remote village and even then, possibly one or two more flights into where you will hunt. In some cases, it may take you two full days to get from your house to your moose area. This is all assuming the weather is conducive to flying.

Transporters and Air Taxi Services

Finding a transporter who will take you into moose country is key. There are many transporters, air taxis, and outfitters who are all experts in taking hunters into the field. There are many moving parts with scheduling, pricing, and available openings. I don’t stay up to speed on all the details of transporters, but I do know that the good outfits are booked out a few years in advance and will charge top dollar. When friends reach out to me, I send them to Kyle at Huntin’ Fool Adventures. Kyle is a buddy of mine that lives in Alaska, hunts moose in Alaska every year, and has a deep understanding of what goes into killing big moose.

Genetics

Genetics of moose vary in different parts of the state, but many units can produce a B&C bull. Most people coming up here want an adventure and are not set on only shooting a giant moose. I hear most people say they just want a good, legal bull. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game manages most of the moose hunting for trophy quality. In many areas, bulls need to be 50” wide or have a certain amount of brow tines on one antler (usually three or four) to be considered legal. Make sure to read all of the regulations pertaining to the area you plan to hunt.

Weather

Mother nature rules all up here in Alaska. “Respect her, or she will kill you” is my go-to motto. A hard transition for me hunting in Alaska for the first time was understanding that some days, you simply don’t hunt. Hunting multiple western states, I was not accustomed to this. I felt like I was wasting time sitting in the tent when I needed to be out there, even in the nastiest of weather.

The best hunters I know have no problem sitting in the tent and waiting out a storm. The animals will not be up moving around. Big bulls especially don’t like to be very active when it is really windy from what I’ve seen. They lay low and wait for the storm to pass, and so should you. A storm may rain 2” of rain per day for three days straight, and you can barely even get out of the tent without getting drenched. The hardest part of this is staying in the game mentally and not eating all your food while waiting for better weather. Pro tip – books, podcasts, and movies downloaded to your phone can really help pass the time on tent days.

Drop Camp vs Float Hunt

When deciding what kind of moose hunt you’re looking for, you have two options. You can get dropped off with an airplane on an airstrip or dropped off on a lake. The other option is a float hunt where you get dropped off on a river and get picked up at a pre-determined spot later on. There are benefits to each type of hunt, but also some setbacks.

Let’s start with the float hunt. The main advantage of this hunt is the ability to cover country. The objective isn’t to shoot the moose from the boat but to get to a new hunting location and then spend three days hunting that spot. The best advice I can give you is to use your time wisely on OnX beforehand and really dig into the topography of the river you plan to float.

I would plan a two-week hunt with four primary hunt locations, and then two backup spots as well. The hunt location should be a good camping area (a place that won’t get flooded when the water rises) as well as a higher elevation glassing knob over the surrounding area. When hunting in Alaska, elevation is king! The higher you can be, the better. You can see more, and your calling will travel further. 

The biggest downside to a float hunt is the water corridors will be at the lowest elevation. I like to be high to see country and find moose that easily hide in the alders. The little knobs that sit above the river can be very good places to glass and call from. A big bull can be hiding just about anywhere, but he will usually stand up and grunt to show himself when you call to him. Also, keep in mind that if you shoot a moose on day two of a 10-day hunt, you will be floating, caring for all the meat, and moving it in and out of rafts to keep it cool and dry while at camp. This is a mountain of work, and it should be kept in mind in the planning process.

The other option you have is a fly-in hunt whether it be on floats or wheels. Some transporters will drop you off on a predetermined airstrip or lake. One pro tip I would give you is to ask them about other potential landing areas where they will drop you. The rule of thumb for moose is this: You don’t want to be packing them more than a mile from the pickup location.

If you get dropped off on a ridge or lake, you’re pretty much hunting within a mile of that spot. If your pilot tells you that he can land at a different location that is a mile or two away, you now have an entirely new area to consider looking for moose in. This will greatly increase your effectiveness and the ability to hunt more country. The last thing you would want to do is pack a moose two miles back to your camp and have your pilot tell you that he could have landed 500 yards from where the moose died. Consider bringing a pack raft if your weight limit allows it. These can be a great asset to float a moose to a pickup location piece by piece and will save your back from packing more than you need.

Make sure you mark the landing locations while flying in, and do not make up new runways based on where you decided to shoot a moose. If you make up a runway yourself and tell the pilot he needs to land somewhere nasty to pick up your moose, he will just laugh at you and fly off into the sunset.

Moose Hunting Tips

Moose hunting is usually going to take place in September. This time frame is going to be peak rut, and moose will be going crazy for their annual chance at loving and fighting. I’ve killed bulls from the end of August all the way up to the last few days of September. As you can imagine, the dynamics of the hunt will change immensely. Your strategies need to change with the moose behavior.

In the early season, the big bulls will be all by themselves and still in their summer grounds. They can begin to shed velvet the last week of August. By the first of September, they should be mostly cleaned off and have a bright orange glow to their antlers. These really stick out and make glassing a no-brainer. Cow calls are useless this time of year, and I have actually had bulls run from a cow call early on. The only time I’ll use a cow call early is to get a bull to stand up and show himself so I can make the shot. The best way to call is by raking brush. Bulls will respond and will come in to investigate another bull as they begin to size each other up.

Cow calls really start to become effective around Sept 10^th. Big bulls will have their cow or multiple cows in a group. The dynamics mimic an elk herd pretty closely. The herd bull will protect his cows and be checking them to see when they come into heat. He will stay busy doing this as well as running off smaller bulls looking to sneak in on his ladies.

I’ve watched moose start breeding roughly around the 17^th. During this time frame, all the way to the end of the season, bulls will be leaving cows after they breed and in search of new ones. You will have bulls who are looking for a new mate, and cow calls will coax bulls in for miles. Be patient, as sometimes it takes them a while to reach you. Rest assured, those huge paddles will pull the sound of your calling in for over two miles.

Getting a big bull to pull off of a hot cow can be very difficult, and I’ve never had much patience for it. My go-to is to get the bull bedded, get the wind right, and make a stalk. We try to usually get within 100 yards without blowing them out (similar to archery elk hunting). Once in position, the hunter will be in front of and slightly downwind of the caller and be still and quiet as the calling begins.

The caller’s job is to get the herd bull upset that another bull is right on top of him and all of his cows that he is so protective over. The caller will smash brush for thirty seconds as hard and loud as they can and follow that up with three or four short grunts. This is telling the herd bull, “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, so get over here and let’s dance, tough guy.”

With all the testosterone flowing in their bodies, I’ve had bulls come at full speed and run right toward me. This can get somewhat intense and can happen really fast, so the shooter must be ready. Just like elk hunting, the caller is trying to pull the bull past the shooter so they can get a shot. This works extremely well for archery, but the same tactics can also be applied to rifle hunting as well.

Gear Must Haves

As hunters, we can all nerd out on gear that we love or the latest and greatest things. I’ll share my top five pieces of moose hunting gear that I use every year that work. Key pieces of gear I won’t hunt moose without start with a Barneys waterproof Yukon pack – it will pack more than you are physically able to. Waders are a must. I prefer the Simms G3 chest waders since moose live where it is wet. I run a Kuiu Yukon rain jacket over the waders to keep my upper body dry.

Another thing I always have is the Bull Magnet moose call – it’s essentially a megaphone to really get your sound out there. Lastly, a small, cheap wooden canoe paddle. This is what you are trying to break against the alders when you’re trying to sound like a giant bull raking brush. It’s also the closer on a bull who is hung up. As you rake brush, you can show him just a small flash of the paddle. That last visual is often all he needs to fully commit and come into your calling sequence.

The Aftermath

So, you’ve killed a moose! Now, congratulations, and be prepared to be shocked. Each year, the first bull we walk up, to I’m still thinking, why do we do this? They are very large animals, similar in size to a Clydesdale horse. Now, most people don’t see those horses laying on the ground next to them very often. A more realistic example would be two mature six-point bull elk that are joined at the hip. It’s a long process to cut up a moose, and you’ll be whooped after it’s over.

It is similar to long division – simple, yet it takes forever. Hopefully, you have a very strong and young buddy (or two). If you don’t, well, you better be tough. I’ve cut up three bulls solo, and it is not fun (never said I was smart). Be sure to take ALL the edible meat defined in the regulations. Wanton waste of meat is the most common game violation in the state, and Alaska has very strict game laws with big penalties. For example, in some units, the meat must stay on the bone. In ALL units, the antlers must be the last load out. READ THE REGULATIONS COVER-TO-COVER BEFORE YOUR HUNT!

Once everything is out of the field, you have a few options. You can donate the meat to a local village – which is greatly appreciated if you took good care of your meat. You can rough cut it up into waxed fish boxes and ship it on Alaska Airlines if you’re a known shipper. Lastly, you can cut it up and put it in coolers to fly home as checked baggage. The antlers can be flown on Alaska Airlines without being split, but they must be packaged correctly to be flown with cardboard or cut hose over the points and Saran-wrapped well. See Alaska Airlines’ website for details.

As you will probably start to realize, this is a much larger endeavor than your yearly deer camp. People who I see that are successful have a plan. They also have four backup plans for when things don’t go as planned. They mitigate and prepare everything they can. However, they don’t sweat the things they cannot control such as weather and animal behavior. You have to be able to roll with the punches and embrace the suck.

I’ve become fully consumed by moose since moving to Alaska. I love everything about them – seeing baby moose calves barely able to stand or hunting moose the entire month of September. They are massive, impressive animals, and once you do it once, you’ll already be planning your next trip before you’ve left Alaska.