Howdy,

A buddy and I are considering a DIY Moose hunt. I've been looking at "Pristine Ventures" Un-guided hunt planner. What do you guys think about this? Is it a good idea? Whats the chances of two "experienced" hunters from the lower 48 coming up there and bagging a couple of decent moose? We don't expect monsters but would like an oppurtunity at decent sized animals. Are there better deals out there?

Two guys on Two moose?

It is do-able, but I'll suggest flipping a coin to decide who is the shooter and try to get one moose.

They're a LOT more work than you can even imagine.

If you are talking to Larry, I presume you plan to float?

yes it is very possible. but get all your ducks in a row. read larrys book and hunt alsaka now by dennis confer. a float it the only way to go.

I'd say 2 for 2 is a stretch to assume you'd go 100% and even for teh care of the meat. Its way more work than you'd guess for most folks.

And there is always weather... if its hot, it gets REALLY hard at times to even see a legal bull. Much less in a shootable place.

I'll say this, I'd try to make the hunt as long as I could time line wise, but to make sure you are capable of preserving the meat if you shoot one on day one, or have a sat phone and call in a pickup of the first... and be well aware there is a cutoff for I can't shoot past this date or time, even if the season is still open.... to be able to get the moose cut up and out in time.

If you shoot it next to the river, but not in the river, life will be ok. IN the river sucks, probably not as much as more than a mile from the river but it still sucks....

I"d alot 2 days minimum to take care of a moose after you shoot one. Just to be on the safe side and recover and rest etc...

and if you are floating be aware of camp take down and set up, and packing that meat and protecting it not only from elements but scavengers....read that bears for one thing...

One fine day out of camp, my two buddies and I shot four caribou and a moose. This pretty much meant the rest of the hunt was spent hauling meat to camp. One less person and one more moose would not be a great time, unless your timing was very good. By that I mean...above all things, do not shoot two at once... .

Could be a great thing, if you like eating moose. But I'd put the hopes on killing one moose and getting it out to camp before shooting the second one, for sure. And after hanging the parts and pieces you spent a couple days hauling, you might decide one is plenty .

Dennis

Second the notion that one moose is about a half moose too much for two fellas. What really works is to plan on two trips , two years. One year you are the shooter, then switch.

No one can walk away from here without the idea of returning, that is how some of us ended up just living here.

If you guys are at all out of shape...skip to ***

Most of our moose need to be mature (50" minimum spread) to be legal, and real nice moose are over 60". Our last moose meat shipment (for two quarters and backstraps on a pallet) was 495 lbs bone in. (The outfitter was meatless for months and we transferred two quarters to his family because of the effort he puts out and he transported our meat with his.)

Bear trouble is a possability. Two guys, elbow deep into taking the moose apart is a grand time for nature to take it's course.

It would be a big float party to haul out two moose, men, gear, camp and a ton of rapidly aging meat, hide and headbones...

Hire an air taxi who is busy flying your area every day, have them fly your area plenty before you land. Plan on $300 to $500 an hour (which is mostly insurance and fuel costs) then the next day or so, kill a moose. Haul the moose, piece by piece, (under bear guard) to a place your pilot can crash land a Super Cub, to get you guys out. The meat and/or head bones come out last. You pay for both ways, (if you go in three hours you pay for six) times how ever many trips it takes.

Then you get to care for and pack the outfit and meat to probably Anchorage for the trip home.

*** Or go to Canada and shoot what will seem like a big animal with a 3' rack for about 1/4 of the cost (and adventure) sleep in a lodge and have the meat cut, wrapped and frozen...all 300lbs of it.

If the idea of earning a good bull is of interest, stay tuned.

It is possable to make a trip here and return with no meat, and have had the time of your life. Be warned... if you come here, plan on returning...Best wishes.

Can a non resident hunt in Alaska "unguided"?

For moose, yes.


There is a tread over on AOD where 4 guys downed 4 good bull moose on a float.

Hunt hard, give yourself enough time, and don't leave any tags unpunched..(grin)

If you are a US citizan, yes. If you are a citizen of any other nation in the world, including Canada, then no. I have a friend from Scotland who's married to a US citizan and has lived here for many years. He can fish, but he can't hunt -- unless he hires a guide.

Dennis

Pete,

Sheep, goats, and brown bear/grizzly hunting require guides for non-resident American residents. I'm not sure if it is the same for non-resident aliens without digging out the regs, and I don't know offhand where I stashed 'em.

Caribou, moose, deer, and other game do not require guides.
Basically, "outfitters" may provide rental gear and transportation to the field - plus meat transport out. They may not legally set up pre-established camps for clients nor participate in any way in the actual hunt or getting the kill salvage from the kill site to the transport site. Technically, the client is supposed to pick the area they want to go to without much outfitter influence or advice, but that is both unreasonable and unenforceable.

Guides can pretty much do everything except pull the trigger

OK- Dennis above confirms what I remembered about non-res aliens while I was doing the above.

Dennis-
There is no "kindred" waiver?

I have now gone to the regulations and become confused. It says that "An Alaska resident is... -a person (including an alien) who is physically present in Alaska with the intent to remain indefinitely and make a home here..." It goes on to suggest that they do get Alaska hunting licenses and all the rights that go along with them. But then later it says "Nonresident aliens (non-U.S. citizens) hunting any big game must be accompanied in the field by an Alaska-licensed guide."

So I've called the Troopers, to see what can be sorted out. Stand by...

Dennis

Sounds like the distinction is between a "Resident" Alien and a "Nonresident" alien???

There is for non-res but I don't know about for Aliens.

Just got a call back from the Trooper. The distinction is in fact one of residence. If you are a resident here by definition, you get to hunt after you've been in Alaska for 12 months and meet all the regs -- makes no difference whether you are a US citizen or a "resident alien". If you just drop in to hunt and you're from another country, you have to hire an outfitter regardless of species being hunted.

So I've learned a new thing today... .

Dennis

I would look at a moose caribou combo hunt. 2 moose is a stretch but a bou/moose will up your odds. Larry does a great job.

NO!! Period!! The regs are vey specific about that. A non-resident ALIEN is required to have a licensed registered guide in order to hunt any big game in Alaska. In all practicality, you'd book withthe registered guide but probably hunt with his assistant guide out of their camps.

As to the original poster's question, in no way should you expect 2 guys on a float hunt for moose to take an animal each. In some areas, it's illegal to bone meat out there's another 15% or so in added weight. You'd better make sure ALL of the edible meat is taken. That means the meat of the front & hind quarters, both ribs, backstraps & tenderloin AND, last but not least, the meat on the neck. Don't get caught trying to go "light" on this one. Even if you fly in & out of your hunting area, and try to "go light" with the meat, the flying service WILL report it to fish & feathers. They could get their "tit in the wringer" if they didn't. We Alaskans have little sympathy for wanton waste.
In addition, on the river we hunt, we've seen 2 guys in a raft with a moose each and terribly hot weather trying to float out. If the river is low, believe it or not, they had to get out & literally pull the raft thru shallow water. Normally, it's about a 1 long day's float out and we've seen these guys about 1/2 way down river, 3-4 days after they passed our camp. There's no way that we could see that they could keep the meat from spoiling.
In short, you don't realize what you're up against by wanting to take 2 moose on 1 float hunt. In addition, I fail to see why 2 guys need 2 moose. 1/2 moose lasts my wife & I for a year & we eat it all the time. We see G.I.'s doing this all the time- game hogs pure & simple.
Bear in Fairbanks

I've gone on two float hunts. Each time I rented 14' rafts. IMO you can't expect to float a raft with two guys in it, plus all of their gear, plus the meat from two moose. A 14' raft can carry about half a ton (1,000#). Two guys and their gear will weigh about 500#. The meat from a bull moose will weigh at least 600#, probably more. Twice I've seen rafts loaded with two guys, their gear and the meat from one moose, and the raft kept scraping the bottom and any more weight would have sunk the raft. You would be trying to carry about 1,800# in a raft rated for 1,000#. Even if the raft would float when carrying that much weight, I don't think there's physically enough room for two guys, their gear and the meat from two bull moose on a raft. I've done it with two caribou and that's OK but two moose, forget it.

I think the other guys are right. Consentrate on doing one moose right and plan on returning for the second moose.

KC

That is true -- but a "resident alien" who fits the "resident" categories can hunt under the same categories as resident citizens. Just learned that from one of the local Troopers, which is kind of important to me because we have a friend here who is a "resident alien" and thus gets to hunt just like I do. Which he doesn't know yet...

Dennis

Tell him he owes a Welshman a pint for asking the question!

My experience is that if you do your homework and don't do anything stupid (like shoot a bunch of meat in warm wet weather a week before takeout), then 2 guys / 2 moose is very doable, and really not that "big" a deal. If I alone can do one, two guys can do two.

Yeah, a moose is big. Shockingly big. That initial walkup dread never goes away.

They're a buggar to deal with alone. Two guys - not so much. Packing one any sort of distance to your takeout or your transportation can eat up a bunch of your trip time. Plan on 8 man-trips to pack your critter to your rig. I can do it in six on good footing, and did just that this past fall. This in a bone-in area.

The meat salvage rules are pretty cut/dry, and there are photos in the AK regs illustrating such. It's really simple - cut all the meat off the bones.

In addition to all the work of caring for and packing all the meat out from two moose, have you looked into what it will cost to ship all the meat home? Even shipping the meat of one moose split between two guys is going to be expensive. If you don't even the two of you being interested in paying to ship back one moose, why would you take two?

Two guys who are experienced hunters, woodsman, and river travelers can certainly have a succesful hunt and most importantly a wonderful adventure. That said it's important to realize that there aren't that many moose compared to how many people that hunt them, and there isn't a place in the state where you aren't competing against others for those moose.

If each of you guys taking a nice animal is key to your hunt, caribou will be a much better choice. Higher success rates due to much larger herds, more manageable to pack, a big bull moose can equate to 4-5 caribou, and you'll still have an incredible adventure in remote and wild alaska.

MD:
Yes. You're absolutely correct.
B.I.F.

I'm not going to get into whats possible and whats not. I am simply going to make one suggestion. If you have never been to Alaska before I would do a caribou hunt first. I understand you have experience where you come from but an Alaskan experience is different not impossible just different . You will become quite familiar with things like hauling gear , possibly some rain, wind, heat, and freezing cold as well as mosquitos like you have never seen before and did I mention hauling gear. Caribou can be a simpler hunt to accomplish. By doing this one first you can work out all the bugs of how to move about the state and get all your gear there as well and everything back out of the bush.You'll figure out what you used and what you didn't . When you shoot your caribou put the whole thing in your backpack and it should weigh as much as a moose hind quarter and go for a walk, you'll learn how far not to shoot a moose from the boat. When you walk out the front door of Ted Stevens if you love the outdoors like I do you'll be back again before your first trip even starts.

The one thing that never gets properly stressed in the hunt Alaska books is that hunting in Alaska is an expedition, where you happen to be hunting. If you take the same mindset you would for making an expedition to the Amazon, or any other remote area where you need to bring in everything you'll need for clothing, housing, cooking, medical and repairing your equipment, then you'll have a much better grasp of what a DIY Alaska hunt involves. This is likely vastly different from how you currently hunt. Not to mention shipping all that gear through multiple airports, with every one of them a potential for some of your gear to get way layed. Once you get dropped off at your final destination, you will be all on your own until that small plane comes to pick you up, and there are good odds the day you expect to be picked up and the day you are actually picked up won't co-incide due to weather.

The finding and shooting of the game is only a small part of the Alaskan hunt.

I ran an outfitting service out of Kotz for years. A 14 foot raft is rated aroud 1,100 pounds. That is 1 moose and all of your gear. You can tuck a bou in as well but don't expect to toss a 3rd hunter on as well. Look at 2 14 for 4 hunters.foot rafts and you will be good.

Good point Paul. Stuff we here take for granted.

So, your Scots friend doesn't need the kindred exemption! They are good-to-go!

Yep! He's going to be pretty excited... And he's lived here and worked here longer than I have, so it's not like he's just sneaking in.

Dennis

Paul , that right there is probably the best definition ! +1

IMO, it'd be money well spent to use Larrys Pristine Ventures hunt planner service. One of the biggest factors for success, obviously, is hunting an area with good moose numbers and for that info, you are paying a gent in the know, who studies it relentlessly. This past Sept I hauled 2 bulls back to the states that a father/son from Iowa both shot, who had never been to Alaska nor had ever hunted moose. They used Larrys hunt plan service, did a lake hunt (not a float), and both took mid 50 inch bulls. It was in an area that I've never seen get any exposure on the internet, unlike some areas. These guys were determined and busted their ass for both bulls, so it wasnt exactly duck soup, but still they were placed into an area that I highly doubt they would have picked for themselves. For what Larry charges, it comes out as a small percentage of the total cost of such a hunt, and puts the odds in your favor.

For anyone just begining to get started on their first Ak hunt, Larrys float hunting Alaska (2nd edition) book is a great read. Dennis Conifers book, Hunt Alaska now!, is also a great book. Conifer basicaly did the same type of hunt planner service back in the 80s, when the moose hunting was more in its glory. But some of the info was compiled before browtine restrictions, and some after. Some of it's (vaugely referenced) locations are a bit outdated per moose populations, but still a very good read (not sure if it is still in print).

BTW, there is one sentence in Uncas' post that really stands out for putting the odds in ones favor, but I'll let you figgure out just which one that is.

If you go, take a wolf tag. Good luck!

About that only thing I will add is to reiterate the idea of doing your homework well. I simply cannot imagine how anyone would manage a DIY moose hunt out where I live (which may be why no one ever does it who is not local.) Out of a bunch of moose I've killed or helped with over nearly 30 years of hunting, exactly two could have been delivered to a boat with the aid of ground vehicles. And all have involved snowmachines or ATVs and boats. And "good footing" mentioned by a previous poster.....I don't even know what that means as it applies to moose hunting; I've never seen that. Do your homework. (It would really suck to bust your balls putting forth a great effort and still get busted for wanton waste and lose everything.)

curiosity: what is the rationale for the "bone in" requirement and why does it only apply to certain areas ?


to the OP: I've shot and recovered 3 Shiras moose alone. They're about 600# smaller than AK moose - and on dry ground to boot. I'd have to think awfully hard about the prospect of shooting and recovering two moose in water, each half again as big as I'm used to, on the same trip....

Meat spoils faster after boning, and in some places, getting meat out has proven to result in heavy losses if it isn't left "whole". (Typical weather: damp, rainy, and several days between kill and process are all but impossible to avoid/overcome.)

On the bone meat doesnt spoil near as fast as say a game bag full of de-boned meat all lumped together.

from contamination, I'm assuming? (seems it would cool faster de-boned).

I tend to try to pack out bone-in for elk and moose if at all feasible do to the cleanliness aspect.

I've only done one moose, and it was a fly in do it yourself. Actually a moose/caribou with scheduled moves. Not successful on moose the second go around. Certainly possible to get two, but get in a day or two before season, and plan on spending the entire season. Being a non-resident, one will largely be limited to 50+ inch bulls, and they are LARGE. I can pack a ham or shoulder, but it's not possbile for me to do a bone in full quarter. The Alaska boning method is a good process (hams, shoulders, loins, and exterior rib and neck meat, with the antlers being the last to make it to camp).

If one is floating, pick a reasonable river distance that allows 1 to 2 days of hunting per day of floating. Breaking camp, floating, making camp, and hunting day after day can be quite tiresome leaving one little time to smell the roses. If one is flown in, a flyover check every 2 or 3 days and possible meat pickup would be a good plan. That would get any early bounty back to a cooler to avoid spoilage that would accompany and extended hunt.

Only the best of equipment including a truly sturdy tent, deet, and bug nets.

It's a function of surface area and moisture, mostly. Bone-in leg sections in a game bag, hanging in the shade (where possible) or at least off the ground has a chance to form a rind that keeps fly eggs out. and be cool and dry.

Hey Mike (with apologies for a minor side-track), do you mind the avatar? The pic you're using apparently messes with server gatekeeping software. This is a dry vil here so I imagine your avatar promotes something other than prohibition type stuff. (Am I the only one that gets thirsty at the thought?)

I've taken 20 bulls, now, some with partners, some solo, a couple using boats, and have to concur that 2 bulls for 2 guys on a float hunt is stretching the envelope badly unless you really know what you are doing and have all your ducks in a row. Even then, it is probably going to be more work than fun!

I'm now in Walt's old stomping ground and took a 2 or 3 year old bull last fall using a 14 foot Achilles, with aluminum folding floorboards and a 25 hp 2 stroke outboard. Camp, dog, and me looked like a full load going in, but I managed to squeeze in the moose, anyway. The dog was not impressed, since his bed out was on top of the rather lumpy load, and higher than he likes to ride...

This was a planned 6 to 8 day trip, leaving directly from Kotzebue (60 feet behind my apartment, in fact) of which I used 5 days, beating the first snow of the year and initial ice-over of the lagoon by about an hour..... The kill was made on Sept 28 or 29

Leaving home.



The kill.



Only the dog and me to add for the trip home.





I don't think my Rubber Ducky boat would have liked the next day's conditions:

The 2-for-2 issue on a float hunt seems to be pretty marginal but it also seems to be asking a lot for two guys to invest in about $6k each and put in for two tags but only allow themselves 1 animal between them. Not to say that isn't reality. But it seems like a bit of a stretch for a lot of guys to commit themselves to effectively 1/2 of a chance of an already fairly low probability of killing their animal. For a lot of us, even a DIY trip in AK is a once per lifetime sort of deal.

So, that said, what about drop-camp hunting - not a float trip but a fly in, drop and stay set up. Not exactly DIY but roughly comparable cost-wise I suspect. Is it more reasonable that 2 might kill 2 animals? There would be less issues with having to cover all the river miles, making and breaking camp every day and no boat-capacity issue for the meat (but there is a plane capacity issue more than likely).

Brent

IMHO, if its a once in a lifetime deal for sure, better off to spend a bit more money and wait a few years, do it guided and be much more assured of success. DIY stuff has low success on moose.. where as guided has really high, but I've even seen guided hunts turn bad with hot weather.

I'd think that if you are spending 6000 for a float trip DIY, for 10 you could probably find a guided one that would produce. 6000 and nothing vs 10,000 and a moose

When you folks quote bone in for saving the meat, do you leave hide on too? Or skin it? If skinned, what would be wrong with a simple single cut to remove the heavy hind leg bone? Shoulder blades are more complicated but things like loins, backstraps and hinds could easily be deboned but left in one large piece, the backstraps could literally go all the way to the head, including all the neck meat in one long strip on each side...

rost495 - a "bit more money" for a guided hunt has two problems. One is that it is a LOT more money - a friend just back from such a trip dropped $15.500k. He did NOT get a moose, though he went with a well regarded guide, had a good trip, worked hard and saw animals - just not "for sure" 50" animals.

Anyway, that is over twice what I think I need to pull off a drop-camp hunt.

Second, some folks don't like hunting with a guide (or anyone for that matter). I am one of those folks. So, a DIY hunt has the potential for spending my days on my own, which I like but, of course, having help in schlepping dead mooses back to the hive.

So, I'd probably rather not go at all then pay that sort of money for a guided hunt AND give up all the stuff that the extra $4-10K would pay for AND have to hunt with someone over my shoulder all the time.

It seems to me (and I may be wrong, hence the question), that hunting from a single base camp might alleviate a lot of the problems with 2-for-2.

For extended roughing it hang times, my preference too is bone in quarters. I've never weighed my components, but from a volume standpoint feel that I nearly triple the trim waste when parts have been boned and kept hanging in the field for an additonal 8 to 10 days.

Any game coming into Oregon from out of state now has to have at least the brains and central nervous stem removed. I let my quarters hang to the last and bone things the final evening. The pain in the ass then is a need to work stuff up as soon as I get home.

I've seen a few folks that go completely through cut and wrap in the field, but that's been when we're well below freezing. I might give that some though on future late season elk outings.

In my book, the more surface area one generates, the greater ones chance of contamination and spoilage. When our party schedules a season, that means all members will be there for the duration regardless of tag fill. I'd be a real worry wort with boned meat hanging out for a couple of weeks.

Regarding boned meat - a boneless hindquarter left in one chunk (as per my preference of cutting through as few muscles as possible) is one awkward lump of flesh. When hung, it slumps into a ball at the bottom of your meat bag. That resulting near-sphere is the least efficient shape possible for cooling a mass through and through. Same with the rest of the boned meat. When you bone the neck and backstraps and flanks and such and pile it in a bag in a bone-in GMU, you have to watch that meat closely to ensure that all of it gets cooled and stays that way, because it too slumps into a ball in the bottom of your game bag when hung. A system of leg bones left in the quarter stretches the meat out into an elongated shape that cools easier when hung in spite of the presence of the bone.

Moose are a different matter in that regard (cooling of boned meat) than just about anything else IME, up to and including elk.

I did a float in 09 with four guys in three boats - my PP, one 14' otter with frame, and one levitator. Two moose were killed, and the other two guys had their chances and we would have had ample boat for that meat too. We floated one entire moose in the PP and one in the Otter with 2 guys' camp gear. The lev doesn't have near the layout area for stuff that the otter has, but it has a thick floor and huge diameter tubes. Seems if you're loading it heavy, you're loading it vertically and as such it's not the big ticket for rowdy water. The otter was a cadillac, and I would not have hesitated to put another moose on it, given enough water. We could have put another big whack of meat in the PP as well, but it starts to draw some water with that thick floor that sticks down 4" below the tubes.

I do know that the PP will do one moose, one guy and his gear, in about the skinniest water you'd want to attempt to hunt. A 14' otter would do the same with two guys and one moose. Always err on the side of a bit too much boat, and don't bring lots of crap you won't use and have to load/unload every time you move. Treat it like a backpack hunt except with a bit bigger tent and maybe a 2-burner coleman propane stove, and you'll enjoy it more. Leave the volumes of heavy car camping crap at home.

We skin. I expect most everyone does too, with few exceptions. I see no advantage to leaving hide on.

We hang hinds with bone on until it's time to head home, then we usually bone everything. That's not so much for weight with horses as it is to be able to put the lid on panniers.

My personal thoughts on boned meat was if I get a moose in that situation, to quarter and hang it to protect it all for a day or so, somewhat at the kill sight(not a float trip) and then once convinced it had chilled to the bone, then bone it before packing it out on my back.

I figured that way I had the best of both worlds. Thats same plan for elk too... quarter and hang and protect in a cool area, maybe take some with us and hike out to take camp out and get the rest of the gang, then debone before the trip back out to save weight...

Is the pic just not showing or does it affect your viewing 24HCF experience?

It's just a picture of a glass of Alaskan Pale Ale.
Does it show here in the post?

That transparency wrecks havoc with focus.

Small problem in Alaska with that -- you have to leave at least one bone in each quarter until it's out of camp and back to civilization. It's the law, and removing bones from the quarters is one action that the Troopers have zero acceptance of.

Dennis

Does a patella qualify?

I suspect they want the bone for purposes of counting unique mooses.

That is the official, and somewhat practical field half. Or most of it.

The other half is political - It reduces the pressure of non-local hunters in areas readily accessible from villages by means other than air to only those physically and mentally fit (or ill?) enough to handle up to 150 lb. pack loads, lessening local vs non-local conflicts. Along the spoilage line, it also reduces the distance from lakes, streams, bush landing strips that hunters of any stripe will push their luck, and potentially over-reach themselves. If they know the law requires a single 150 lb. load for a hind, vs several trips of lesser weights.... well, you get the idea, whether it's moose or caribou. Villagers in my experience seldom pack meat any real distance, shooting it close to boat, ATV, or snow-machine access, or not at all. Of the half dozen or so circumstances of moose taken by Kotzebue residents this year, only mine was packed more than 150 yards or so. The rest were taken from boats along the river, a combination of boat/ATV's back up river beds or (relatively) dry ridges, and several via snow-machine after snowfall and freeze-up (the season for local subsistence users on federally administered lands runs right through the winter)

Mine, for the original poster's benefit, was packed in 7 loads for about a mile, with only the last couple hundred yards being marginal footing through tundra bog tussocks. On a time frame - the moose was killed at 10:30 in the morning, I took my time dressing it out, and bagging it, and managed the four lightest loads into camp by dark (about 9:30 that night. Both hinds, one front shoulder and half the neck meat (overlooked the previous evening) made up the 3 heaviest loads, saved for morning when I was fresher. This being a smallish moose, the hinds weighed out at 95 and 96 lbs respectively, at home, several days later. The front shoulder and half neck together probably were a few pounds heavier.

I slept in for an hour after daylight, but still had the remaining 3 loads packed in, camp broken and the boat loaded by 2 p.m. the day following the kill. Less than a 2 hour ride home, tho the first 7 or 8 miles wasn't on step until I'd burned a couple gallons of gas off stern weight, and hit a stretch of ripple water. After that, I moved right along!

Another thing that is very very important out here in the boondocks is that if you are not going to take all the meat home with you, arrange BEFOREHAND to donate it to a local village. There are usually mechanisms in place to receive and distribute it. If it is well taken care of, they will gladly take it. If it isn't well taken care off, or is "over the hill", they don't want it. Would you?

And that puts a big black mark on non-local hunters as a group, even if it is only one or two who do it. Outfitters, guides, and others who fly meat out of the field have to have a meat transport training course and certificate as of last year or so, and they WILL report poor field-care to protect their own butts.

Also, neither the villages or hub-towns (like Bethel, King Salmon, Kotzebue) have processor/ freezer/cooler facilities that will handle hunting season volumes, so factor that into your meat care time if taking it out with you. And because of the hunting season volume, there may be some delay in just getting it on-board. Passengers and their bags receive priority, then perishable freight in that order. Anchorage or Fairbanks will be your closest such facilities. Freight costs will vary of course, but right now from Kotzebue to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines it's about $1/lb. I'm not sure if other AA destinations cost differently, but I'm guessing additional carriers may tack on additional charges.

I haven't hunted anything in AK lately that I'd need de-boned, but at the last time I did there were times and units that required bone in, and some allowed boning in the field. I'm sure it could have changed and of course I'd read the regs if I draw a tag I"m after and follow the regs to a T, but at one point you could still bone, and IIRC, it also had something to do with dates...

That's true. Some flight services in those areas where you are permitted to de-bone will charge you extra to fly the meat out if you leave the bone in.

I think 40-Mile Air has that policy.

Steve

Lotsa regs in the land of the free, that's for sure.

Wildone and 379Peterbilt know what they speak. Both are seasoned DIY moose hunters and offer good advice.

I did a DIY moose hunt with Wildone that we planned ourselves but you can't go wrong if you use Larry Bartlett at Pristine because he is top notch.

Any contact info for Wildone or Larry Bartlett?

See what I mean? I think that's 'netspeak for "you don't get to see the nectar". Actually, yeah, I can see it alright (thought the quote mechanism sure isn't bringing up your post) and had to insert that slightly very cryptic reminder about booze in some places. Unfortunately, there are those in enforcement who are happy to grab the little, easy cases so it looks like they're doing something, rather than work to get the big fish. (That could mean an out-of-state hunter.)




True, but probably still a lot less than the area involved if it were all separate states, even if Texas was one of them.

So you have a 150lb hindquarter. The bone has to stay in.. Does it say anywhere that you can't take a hacksaw and saw the hindquarter in half but leave the bone in the two halves?

BTW, planning a hunt is part of the whole experience for me. Plenty of info out there, you just got to know where to find it!

las,
Please tell us that no fly zones for moose hunters and their gear in control use areas is not also political. It's all for safety, right?

Romo,
You're to kind bro, but thanks!

Interesting question. Off the top of my head, I'd say no, to the letter of regulations. Bet the regulation sponsors never thought of that one.....

What are you - some sort of Tundra lawyer???

Somebody on OYO said you could do that.. I looked at the regs, and it doesn't say anything about the quarters needing to stay 1 piece, it just says the bone needs to stay in the meat.

Calvin
We think alike, as that's the way I have always interpreted it too, but mainly for cutting up ribs on the bone so they fit into a game bag easier.

Two 75 pound pack trips beat one 150 pound pack (per leg).. I'm not 18 no mo.

It absolutely is. But it also has some secondary management/harvest level/user conflict benefits. I had to shoot and pack my moose about a mile at second encounter instead of the 500 yards from camp where I first saw him, due to political boundaries, agendas, and enforcement/management goofiness (never saw a ranger.......). A dead moose is a dead moose.......

Show me a State game department that does not consider political agenda......

Zactly what I was thinking. I'm surely not getting older, but the moose I work each year seem to be getting bigger, or they feel that way anyway. I'm also discovering that they come in more pieces these days. I know the law is specific about which joint you must save above and so forth, but it doesn't say, I don't think, that you can't separate parts into smaller pieces above those minimiums. The hind legs could easily be parted at the knee with the femur ball becoming one one handle while the shank at the heel joint could be another.

It is truly a luxury, fall or winter, to drag moose out on a sled. Head, hide, hooves; they all get retrieved in many cases.






ADF&G site has an amazing amount of useful info. In spite of all the rules, it actually seems that they'd like to see things work out well for people too.

Even if you could whack enough off to get the pack weights down to 100lbs, it would be much easier on the body. I like my knees too much.

I've not seen/packed many moose, but I also haven't seen a 150lb quarter.

Then again, I'm a dink shooter.

Larry Bartlett's contact is www.pristineventures.com

I've HEARD too, and by reading the regs, it only says bone in, but why couldn't you cut em in half? That is my plan, 125 isn't so bad, 150 sucks, but 75 to 100 is MUCH more manageable.

I don't know the full rational behind, but probably like TX where you can't debone either, its to keep count of animals... so if the hinds where in half, you still had count... of course in TX the technical is you can't cut hinds or fores in half, they have to stay intact but I digress.

Same here, Carl. That 150 I used is for one of those 2,000 lb., 80 inch bulls one hears about.....

Actually, a true "quarter" would probably go that much or more on most large, mature (7 or older) AK/Yuk bulls, especially from the Interior. A HIND (taken off at the pelvic joint) on a 1600- 1700 lb bull might come in 15 -20 lbs shy of that weight I'm guessing, but not having taken weights off the two of that size I've taken, I don't really know. I'll have to shoot one again sometime - just to weigh the hinds, ya know.

The HIND weights that I have taken run as follows :

From a 6 or 7 year old 56 inch Kenai bull (generally smaller than Interior bulls) - 122lb.
- a 52 " Kenai (probably 5 year old) bull - 110 lbs, 111 lbs
- this year's Noatak dink (maybe 3 yrs old - shown above) 95 and 96 lbs.

These weights were all taken several days after the kill, so field weights were maybe a couple lbs. heavier.

Not a bad idea cutting those things into chunks, bone left in, cross-wise maybe? for packing.

That band saw is going to be a bitch to pack.

I like the Idea of making smaller peices to carry but I would hate to leave that judgement call up to Troopers. One trip out you may be fine and the next trip your getting written up.

I dunno las, every quarter I've packed out felt like 200 pounds

Seriously though, thanks for posted those true weights. I have always wondered, but never had a scale available to verify.

If you're running FireFox, you can normally ad block the image, which might stop all that rubbish being displayed...

Seems kind of Big Brother though that the State are blocking a picture of a pint simply because you're in a dry village?

T'aint even a paint, me lad!

T'was only 12 oz!

All LEOs have a certain amount of discretion on what they will cite or not.

It's generally not the State LEOs I've had cross-wise with - but some of the Fed LEOs can get funny ideas..... maybe even a little badge-proud.

I had one on the Kenai make persistent noises about citing me on the "antlers coming out last" rule when my wife picked up the skull plate/ 10" forks from my yearling kill on her first pack load out to the road from the canoe landing a quarter mile in. The kill had been made a mile beyond that - and all of the moose was in the canoe coming out in one trip, except "in series" as it were for the 2 quarter- mile portages, including the last one to the truck. I started out first on the first trip out to the road with a heavy load, followed by my wife with a light load, and she just reached down and grabbed the required-by-law antler set on her way by since she had the allowance, but was not aware of the regulation as I was. I'd overlooked telling her to leave the antlers until the last trip. All of which I told the LEO. Who again stated that technically she could s cite me.

I didn't argue or get in her face - I agreed that it was her call, but I would contest it in front of a judge, as all of the kill was indeed coming out "together". She walked in with us for the second pack-out and checked the rest of the canoe load, Again she reminded me that I was technically in violation. then went about her business.

When I related the incident to one of the other Refuge LEOs checking me the next year, he just grinned and shook his head..... the eye-roll wasn't bad either. I asked him what he would have done, and he said everything except the second and third references to citing me.

That trooper b!tch up in Aniak this year just about snapped me...

Lets hear it. Elaborate

The one trooper was really helpful. The chick was worthless.. I even recall wanting to write a few letters after than encounter.

Perhaps the details are best not put on the internet...Don't blame ya.

I needed some harvest tickets, and to talk to the local bio. I walked up to the trooper post. She stops me about 50ft way from the trooper post with a halt signal. Yells at me "what do you want" like I'm doing something wrong by walking up to the [bleep] trooper building. Won't let me talk to the bio, because it's his day off, offers no assistance, and tells me I'm "out of luck"... All while acting like a giant b!tch, from 50ft away.

Do you really blame her?

You're one ugly lookin' mofo.

You must have been carrying a scary looking gun that goes bang, of which sight offended her.

I plan on being in Aniak this sept. What does she look like? Maybe I shouldnt ask......

You gonna use Inland? Tell them I want my $500 deposit back..........

Yep, Inland aviation.

We used them a few years ago and were very happy. We took out 3 bulls and they were running as fast as could be expected.

Inland? Wildone care to tell your story?

I've gone out of Aniak and used Inland before too, and they did a great job. Probably helped that my buddy did work for them when he wasn't guiding fishing trips on the onoko.

Sure had some top notch pilots at that time. Anything can change though.

I'd sure swear one of their worst/newest pilots is on flying wild alaska now for era though.

I was just funnin' him. We're dry, and "they" do sometimes control who can buy yeast, or bring it in, but that's as far off track as they get. Dry is a local option, an option that never seems very popular, but one without any good alternatives in some places. The 'net police don't have any jurisdiction when it comes to stuff like that.

An ADF&G bigshot, recently retired, got whacked for that with caribou or some such several years ago as I recall. I'm sure the dogs wonder why they are expected to eat the required "evidence of sex" we leave "naturally attached" until we get meat home. We can leave the antlers in the field in the fall. Winter is an antlered only season which means, I suppose, that we have to bring the hardware home.

Might just be a girl thng... the repeated reminders...

From what I've heard the Feds. seem to think they own the place. Look at what they did to the guy up on the Yukon this last fall when he didn't pull his boat over when they thought he should have.
Years ago, the Feds. tried screwing my friend by charging him with cutting green timber for tent poles in his dad's hunting camp. He wasn't even in the area when the incident happened & was charged. He had to go to court and got the charge dropped but...
IMHO, the Feds. are [bleep] & I won't go out of my way to help 'em or be extra friendly to 'em. The [bleep] think they own the place.

In fact, as an addendum to this post, I've decided that should I EVER be on a jury of someone charged by these buttheads, I'm not going to vote to convict - period!!! IF a State of Ak. game law has been violated, that's another story but the Feds. can kiss my rosy red posterior.
Bear in Fairbanks

It's 2011. You need to have your boats registered.

I'll let Calvin do it he was there too.

What they ought to do then, rather than stopping folks in midstream under questionable circumstances, is come out to all these rural places and hand out tickets. Few boats, very few, are actually licensed. Perhaps they'd rather snipe them individually. While I do support the idea of registering boats, I think it's ridiculous, though it is the law, to register hondas and snowmachines in these remote areas. What's the point - other than for the State to garnish a few more dollars? The Feds could take some cues from the State IMO.

I'm a little bit skeptical of that whole deal. The article clearly says that the LE in that area have had over 200 contacts with the locals, and only 2 tickets were issued. Doesn't sound too bad to me. The troopers had a field day down here last memorial day on the water, and I bet that a whole lot more than 2 people got tickets. I'll admit that I was diving through my boat making sure I had everything I needed when I heard the troopers were pulling over everybody and the tickets were flowing!

I get the impression that a group of people don't want to take the time to play by the same rules everybody else does, and are trying to back down the LE by playing the "rural" card.

BTW, Eagle is on the road system. It's not like they can't drive to town.

Well, I can't say he shouldn't have been on top of things, especially if there is a presence there regularly already. But I wasn't thrilled with the way that deal looked. Of course, many times things look different than they really are. And perhaps he's a guy who's been trolling for trouble.

I agree with the concept of the same rules. I'm not crazy about the rules when there isn't a game however. If you pay the same as everyone else, then perhaps one should be able to hail the Coast Guard the same as others can, or ride on trails just as others do. It's not like I'm a total renegade however. My original boat registration was through the Coast Guard, and my registration number ends with a single letter, so I've been buying the stickers for awhile. I figure reflective tape ain't cheap anyway, so it's not a total waste of money.