Future JHO AK hunt

[Moose-Hunter]

The topic of this thread pretty much explains it all. I know many on this forum would be interested in a Alaska hunt, like say, a caribou hunt. But who would really want to do one? Get a couple of Alaska guys and couple guys from the Lower 48 to team up and do a fly-out hunt in the near future. Like, next fall perhaps. What do you guys think? Lets hear it!

[DKScott]

I'd be interested. I guess you don't really need a guide for caribou, but a group to hunt with and work out the logistics would be great.

Scott

[Hook]

Moose-hunter,

I'd be interested. What are we looking at for price?

[Speckmisser]

Not sure if I can pull it off next fall, but I'd like to ride the fence until I know (or until we have to commit). Always wanted to both, go to Alaska AND hunt caribou. Sounds like a good opp for both.

Need some good idea of overall cost. I can figure the plane fare to AK, but once there, what will I be spending?

[Moose-Hunter]

I'm glad to see some of you guys are interested in something like this. As of right now I'm looking at Natron Air for an air taxi.

www.natronair.com

Check out their homepage. They seem to have reasonable rates. Though, I would like to find a place out of Anchorage. I'll be looking around a lot more for better prices.

Transporation from the Anchorage airport will be covered by me so that shouldn't be a problem.

And now that I've been thinking about this some more, I'm really wondering how many should make up a JHP party. Some suggestions or thoughts would be welcomed on this. 4 or 5 would be really nice, I think.

[spectr17]

Count me in please. That&#39;s one trip I&#39;ve always wanted to do. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-dancin-red.gif

[amosgreg]

Don&#39;t we need a licensed outfitter/guide to hunt Alaska?

I am interested once I see the costs and such I&#39;ll have a better idea if it is doable next year.
Thanks

[yotegetter]

I would definitely be interested in something like this. I&#39;d give up other planned hunts to go to AK.

[yotegetter]

I was looking at the caribou hunt for natronair and their spring hunts for caribou is $575, which isn&#39;t too bad. What do you all think?

Anyone have information on tags for caribou? The non-resident hunting license I see is $85.

Do you have the breakdown of the costs Moose-Hunter?

[ToddP]

I&#39;m interested. Need better information on costs though and length of hunt.

Todd
~potential East Coast representative.

[Kickaha]

I&#39;d be interested and might be able to find another interested party as well. How would one transport the meat from Alaska back to whereever though? Don&#39;t know that I&#39;d trust an airline.

[yotegetter]

Hook would be able to help in that area. He&#39;s the SoCal Alaska hunting expert.

[Hook]

I was up there last year on a Caribou hunt and I had the meat processer freesze and then ship the meat back in a freezer type box. I can&#39;t recall what it cost to have it shipped but it was the best way to go. The rack was dropped off at Knights Taxidermy and they will ship it down when it is ready. Those are all extra costs that need to be added to the hunt.

Moose-hunter, are you talking about doing a spring hunt or a fall hunt?

Either way I&#39;d still be interested.

[Moose-Hunter]

yotegetter,

The only problem about the spring caribou hunt is that it would be a meat hunt only and I believe it&#39;s same day airborne. In other words, no trophy bulls or a long hunt. Though, I see myself doing that hunt with Natron Air in March, I think.

Everyone else,

I&#39;m still searching around for "the best price," and now it seems we really have some people interested, which is a good thing! It would be neat to have this happen.

But here&#39;s what you could/will be looking at for prices.

Airfare to Alaska = Depends on where you&#39;re located.

$85 hunting license.
$325 for a caribou tag
Probably another $100 for meal(s) and a motel/hotel room at Anchorage before flying out with the air service. Transportation would be covered by me from the airport to the motel rooms to the air service(airport again, I think) and so forth.

And I don&#39;t have a price yet on the air service because I&#39;m still searching. I&#39;ll send some emails and see what type of deals could be given and whatnot.

And to the person who mentioned the guide for caribou, the answer is NO. You don&#39;t need a guide, nor for black bear.

And in most parts of the state where caribou are abundant, non-residents are allowed to caribou to harvest, depending of course if the purchased another tag.

I&#39;ll keep us updated.

[lilbiggun]

I know I&#39;m interested. I&#39;ve gone through a couple of different air taxi&#39;s out of anchorage (I wont fly with any in town) and spent from 1200-1500/person. On one hunt we had 11 animals down in the first 30minutes of hunting and seen well over 4000 bou in that week. We ended up with 18 animals, I had one buddy who was after a trophy and he was hunting with a pistol. he kept on passing on critters hoping a bigger one would come along. My worst hunt was a long weekend and we both took 2 critters. we seen about 700 animals or so.

[Kickaha]

FYI, I just checked the prices from LAX to Anchorage and they range from $400 to $475 or so. Alaska Air is the only one with a direct flight.

What&#39;s the procedure for traveling with a firearm and ammo? When the baggage handlers goof up with the simplest stuff, it&#39;d be difficult trusting them with my rifle.

[lilbiggun]

kickaha,
One thing I would recommend is, whether you reload or not, find a factory ammo that shoots well for your gun. That way if your ammo is lost, you can go to a local store to buy it. Naturally, ammo and rifle should not be in the same case.
If you lose your gun, well, thats a different story although I noticed that weapons do usually get to your destination.

[jmabbott888]

Kickaha, I&#39;m not sure on the exact details but last june I talked to some guys going to Houston from Phonix, & they said the only "bad" part of it was having the weapons checked in the back room of the airport, because of all the stuff they had strapped to the case (it was one of those aluminum cases with wheels) at the other end in houston I saw them walking out of the airport case in hand before I even got my luggage. What is the smallest Caliber you would advise for caribou?

[lilbiggun]

JM,
I use a 270 with 150gr bullets. I think a 243/6mm with 100gr bullets would be the smallest I would go.

[jmabbott888]

Thanks for the info Lilbiggun, if my math is right & it could very well be wrong lol the cost for the hunt would be about a $1000 from LAX to get there the licence, tag & $100 for a hotel & food Does that sound about right? Oh yea I didn&#39;t add in the price from Anchorage to the carabou & back to Anchorage. Any idea on that part? Thanks for the info in advance.

[Moose-Hunter]

lilbiggun,

Welcome! I knew you would find this thread. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif You wouldn&#39;t recommend any taxis out of Anchorage? How come? What about out of Soldotna/Kenai area?

JM,

I really don&#39;t have a choice on what caliber I&#39;ll be taking. My smallest bolt action gun is my .338 Win. Mag. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-hair-raisin-blue.gif I shoot NP 210 grains through it, though. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif

[lilbiggun]

That varies. If you go out of soldotna (about a 2-3 hour drive), which I usually do, it cost about 1200/person + if you have a couple of people to rent a car. you can fly but its probably cheaper to rent. Or you can fly to dillingham ( a couple of hundred bucks) and pay about 1500 for a fly-in. One thing you have to remember is the range of the aircraft and where the herd is, and the herd changes every year. Thats why I dont fly out of anchorage, I dont feel the planes dont have the range for a good hunt. Sometimes it pays to pay more for a decent hunt. As for the rest of your math thats cheap. Remember you cannot take the antlers on the commercial plane anymore. Its gotta go cargo or expedite it through a taxidermist. plan on 2-300 for that (high figure in some cases). The meat you can donate if you dont want or cant afford to take home. Also alot of air outfitters have hidden costs. As a non-res in most places you are allowed to take 2 bou( you have to but 2 tags though) but what some dont tell you is the first one is flown back for free, the 2nd will be a couple of hundred bucks more. plus you have souvinier buying...lol

[lilbiggun]

moose-hunter,
The stories I&#39;ve heard (my wife is a taxidermist so I hear good gossip) would make your hair stand up about some of the places here in town.

Talon air out of soldotna is a damn good place to fly with. No BS and any animal that is legal to shoot is free to fly back. They flew a 2nd plane in once for us and our gear/critters and didnt charge or think twice about it.

[Moose-Hunter]

lilbiggun,

Your wife got any info(or you for that matter) about Natron Air? They seem to be the cheapest so far. $1,150 and they have a spring 2 caribou hunt for $575.

But thanks. I&#39;ll check out Talon Airs homepage and see their rates.

[Moose-Hunter]

Okay, here we go. I gathered two potential taxi&#39;s with good prices.

www.talonair.com and www.natronair.com

Tell me what you guys think.

[Kickaha]

So the price so far seems to be:

$450 - Round Trip Airfare from LAX (adjust for your location)
$85 - License
$325 - Tag
$1250 - Basic Hunt Price
$100 - Food and other essentials for the hunt
$200 - Room & Board at both the beginning and end of hunt (my guess)

Total $2410. Round to $2500 for good measure.

Anything missing? Tips? Meat & rack processing? Airfare for meat and rack?

[yotegetter]

Sounds more like $3000 if you want to send the meat back. It sounds like everyone is shooting for a Fall hunt.

I wonder if we can get a deal on airfare to Alaska for those of us from SoCal whom are interested.

[huntducks]

OK SoCal guys i&#39;ll give you some insight on this one, my son lives in AK last 4 years I have made this flight 8 times round trips my wife has done 10, Alaska Air IMHO is the only way to go if your hauling fish or game these people do it best and they have been doing it for years.

Do Not fly non stop from LAX to ANC unless the plane is light on passengers 5-1/2 hrs of cramped seats they fly 737 we did it once and will never do it again in a full plane we always stop in Seattle now, eat strech and the last 3 hr leg goes by in a snap.

We have paid anywhere from $198 to $412 for a round trip ticket get Alaska air internet specials we bought 5ea round trips tickets 2 years ago for $198ea they have restriction and blackout dates but only like major holidays.

You can either take two ice chests with you will pay extra or buy them at Costco Wal Mart or Kmart in Anchorage, or you can have a processer lose or keep some of your meat freese & box for shipping, Alaska air does a great job they will put it in a walk in freezer in Anchorage before flight leaves and same in Seattle all you have to do is tell them.

Having MH doing the leg work on the fly in air service is the biggest ++++ you have going because he is a local, some of these guys also run guided hunts out of there fly in service and they are not going to drop you where the best hunting is they reserve that for the high dollar hunters you don&#39;t want a plane ride you want to hunt Bou, pay more for the bigger plane like a Beaver that way you can shoot TWO animals without having to make a 2nd trip, I also found if you split the antlers down the middle of the skull cap and put rubber hose over the tips they don&#39;t get broken take duk tape & rubber hose with you, I took pillow cases and 5 knifes with me along with a steel & stone and boned out all meat.

Moose- Hunter I would like to go BUT like I said to you my son is in the Air Force and is getting ready for TDY in Saudi and if we decide to kick sadams ass he might be stuck there for awhile, and with my knee like it is I need him along to help pull my weight, things change so MAYBE later this year after you get some idea who you got going and who is just talking and get it narrowed down and the invite is still oppened.

Guys you may also want to think about a day of fishing down at Sewart the Silver Salmon snaging season is in full swing into Sept. 6 fish ea. per day most in the 12-16lb range and it&#39;s nothing like you have ever done before http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-hair-raisin-blue.gif do it after the hunt you won&#39;t be able to scratch your http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-cool-shades-down.gif the next day.

[DKScott]

Man, this sounds like fun! And like Huntducks says, Moose Hunter&#39;s local knowledge is invaluable. How much freezer space do you need for two caribou? Or is it just too much meat? A little fishing, time permitting, would be good.

Scott

[huntducks]

I thought I might add a few other things that might be helpfull we flew out twice once out of Anchorage with a friend of my sons cost was gas and dinner he had a small Cessna and made 2 trip to get us in and 3 to get us out it was a tundra tire plane which was alot better then a float plane we flew around and spoted animals first then he put us down in front of them and we hunted the next day if you time it right that can be as early as 4-8hrs later we also flew out with Tikchk air charter out of Dillingham and hunted the Mulchatna herd, Dillingham is very close by AK standards to the Mulchatna river the one draw back to a larger plane is there float planes so there not always able to land you close to the migration, but Tikchik air has both, you can do this hunt for a lot less the $3000 per person 1 bou and air taxi, round trip from LAX to ANC shuttle to Dillingham, Motel meals, Van rental so on about $1700 remember this is for a drop hunt no gear or food is furnished most hunts are 3-5 days your limited to like 60-70 lbs of gear so everything your packing is lite back packing stuff tents cooking so on.

Alaska F&G has a Caribou migration hotline telling where the animals are (907) 276-2308 this was a good number last year.

This is a great op for some of you and is super that MH is will to help, I would not have known where to start had my son not lived in AK and all his AF buds hunt and some had been living there for 15 years http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-faces-toast-beers.gif

[lilbiggun]

Moose-hunter,
I havent heard to much about Natron. I know my wife has there brochure in her shop but I couldnt tell you anymore. 1 good place here in anchorage I can recommend is Lake Clark Air (located at Merril field). I have seen alot of the antlers that have come back and they are very impressive. I&#39;ve never flown with them nor do I know how much they cost but they seem to do a decent job. I have some friends out with them right now and when I hear how it went I&#39;ll let you know.

Kickaha,
When I hunted out of Iliamna, it was with a non-res from Reno. I turned his 2 bulls into the butcher for steaks, roasts and sausage and including shipping to his house it cost about $150.

Huntducks,
I&#39;ve never flown with tikchik air but I&#39;m gonna check them out. Thanks.

[yotegetter]

I was looking into an Alaskan hunt not too long ago and they seemed expensive. Don&#39;t remember exactly how much, but just seemed pricey. I believe they do have a website

[Hook]

lilbiggun,

I used Lake Clark air on my hunt last year and I had an excellent experience with them.

Are we looking at doing a fully outfitted hunt or just a drop camp? A drop camp meaning we pack our own food and equipment.
The fully outfited hunt that Lake Clark has is fully outfitted with good quality equipment and food. Also included in the price is the flight from Anchorage to the field and back to Anchorage. Includung the meat hauls, and they even take your meat to the processors at no cost.

Have any of the local guys contacted them?

I&#39;ll be in Anchorage this Saturday and Sunday. PM me with your contact info if you want to get together and go over some ideas.

[lilbiggun]

Hook,
What time will you be leaving on Sunday. I&#39;m going up north after griz for the weekend but I plan on being back sometime sunday afternoon.

[Hook]

lilbiggun, Sent you a PM

[1SoCalHunter]

Please keep me posted about the information on this hunt, lately I have been very busy and it looks like I will continue to busy in the near future, however I&#39;ll try to squeze this one in. Thanks.

[Moose-Hunter]

Hook,

I work the weekends, but I&#39;ll see what I can do. Email more on details if you want.

I&#39;ll contact Lake Clark Air and request a brochure.

[Hook]

Moose-Hunter,

You have mail...and a PM.

[yotegetter]

I think I got the info Hook gave me previously with another outfitter. Sorry. Hooks seemed like a good price. $1895 if I could remember exactly.

[Hook]

While traveling for work last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Lilbiggun in Anchorage last Sunday. We met over coffee and talked about options for the caribou hunt and it looks like we can do it for a relativly low price.

So far Norton Air looks very promissing. Lilbiggun will have more details as he gets them.

Moose-hunter, Sorry I missed you ....

[AlleninAlaska]

I&#39;d like to join in. Even though I hunt Caribou every year it would be nice to join this party just to meet some others from around the country. I almost live in the middle of the Mulchatna herd. Which herd are you thinking of hunting?

Transporting meat home is not that much of a problem. You mail your personal items back home to yourself and take your meat on as checked baggage.

Caribou tags are $325 a piece and you can shoot a lesser cost species with that tag if you decide you don&#39;t want 2 caribou.

[DKScott]

Which species are lesser cost? Just curious.

Scott

[lilbiggun]

DK,
wolf, black bear, wolverine, and deer are the animals that can be hunted without a guide with a bou tag. Pretty much forget the deer and wolverine (but wierder things have happened I guess). Now if you buy a moose tag for $400. you can throw moose into the equation if the timing is right, or if no moose you can pop a 2nd bou.

Its hit and miss.

[DKScott]

By the standards of a lifelong California hunter, it sounds pretty much hit and hit...

Scott

[lilbiggun]

Good point DK.

My wifes boss recently got back from a bou hunt out of bethel. He came home with a nice bou and moose. Thats one of the questions I&#39;m gonna ask Natron, if someone shoots a moose, how much will it cost to fly it back.I&#39;m pretty sure I know the answer but I hope they prove me wrong. I know if I go, I&#39;m gonna have a griz tag in my pocket.

[DKScott]

I used to have a coworker that was from AK. He said that the reason you moose antlers hanging over everybody&#39;s garage door up there is because they don&#39;t fit inside. I can&#39;t imagine what air cargo would be- especially with the monster I&#39;d bag http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif

Can they be ground-shipped (FedEx, whatever) cheaper?

And, I have to ask; what&#39;s a grizz tag cost? On second thought, never mind. The shipping and taxidermy would probably kill me.

Scott

[lilbiggun]

Sorry DK, unless you go with a guide you cant shoot a griz. for me and other alaskans its $25.

As for antlers, we are learning alot because of these new rules. to go ground they still have to be turned into a taxidermist or somebody to be boiled just enough to get the crap off the skull. Fedex, UPS and others are refusing to accept antlers because they smell and leak. Your gonna look at about a couple of hundred to ship antlers. Unfortunatly even the airlines are starting to screw non-res hunters. Tomorrow, I&#39;ll get a good estimate to ship antlers (the wifes in bed so I cant ask her)

[lilbiggun]

Oh and AK airlines has this new gig that they will ship antlers via there new cargo line to the lower 48. Dont believe them. They get them seattle where they sit because the other carriers wont touch them because of the mess.

[Kickaha]

So other than the time involved, is driving to AK a possibility? Would going in and out of Canada with rifles be a problem? I know lots of people fly there for hunts every year, but I REALLY don&#39;t want to trust airline employees with any rifles.

[AlleninAlaska]

Yeah you can drive. It&#39;s $50 CAD to have your firearms transported through Canada. The good thing is that now you can transport handguns through Canada as long as the barrel is over 4.25" and it does not shoot 25 or 32 caliber cartridges. You should start with the paper work for canadian customs a couple of months in advance of driving through. That way it will not slow you down too much at the border. Cannot transport ammo though. And you cannot buy ammo in Canada unless you have a WIN (wildlife identification number). How do I know, I have friends in Canada that own a gunshop in Edmonton Alberta and have hunted with them before.

[caribouhntr]

Just found this place,great site.
I do solo drop hunts for caribou every
year for the last 5 years,Sat starts my 6th trip.
FWIW my .02 Do not fly from Ancorage.All the
planes I know of are on floats.This limits where
you will be dropped.Not good.2nd they are limited
as far as reaching the herd is concerned.You will
be dropped where it is convenient for them.Also
not good.Pay the extra and fly out on tundra tires
out of Iliamna,Dillingham,Aniak, etc.
From CT it cost me @$3000.00 -$3500.00 door
to door.And I try to go relativly cheaply. So the
cost difference from a cheap fly out to a good one
will be nothing if you have a bad hunt.Don&#39;t save
$500.00 or so and have a bad hunt.
But do go,you will have a great time.
Jeff

[IAbowhunter]

I&#39;ve been in contact with at least 12 diffrent outfitters and 8 air taxis in Alsaka the last 3 months. Yes the Non red license is $85 plus the tag of $325. One Air taxi has a drop hunt camp for $1800 which includes all your camp supplies. Your allowed 300# including your body weight. Your first charter will be $325-400 from Anchorage to Aniak, your second Bou is an extra $200 to fly out if you decide to take 2 this if for 7 days and your average walk to good herd and bowhunting ops is 1-3 miles.
My plane ticket from Kansas City, Mo or the Omaha airport is $308 round trip.

My hunt will cost on average $2500-$3500 For 7 days of hard hunting.



I&#39;m in it for the bowhunting but will take a rifle or Muzzleloader depending on what the majority rules.

Feel free to contact me with anymore info. For let me know what&#39;s going on.
Thanks Jesse for the link to here!!

I&#39;m always game for a hunting adventure!

[Kickaha]

Thanks for the good driving info Allen!

lilbiggun, you mentioned Moose tags. Is it possible to combine a Moose/Caribou hunt, or is it one or the other? I think a Moose hunt would be much cooler than a Caribou hunt. Or maybe Elk?

[lilbiggun]

Kickaha,
Its very possible to do a moose hunt out there. Plus if you dont see a legal moose you can alwys shoot a bou so the tag and money doesnt get wasted.

One thing to remember that in alot of units that caribou are non-res are required a "moose orientation" class with fins and feathers so take that into consideration for your travel time up here.

[Moose-Hunter]

Hook,

Indeed! I was really hoping to meet you and lilbiggun both. You plan on coming up anytime soon again?

So far, what do you guys think of Natron Air and Lake Clark Air? They seem to be the two most mentioned here on this thread.

lilbiggun, thanks for all the information and advice. You answered a lot of questions here that I couldn&#39;t of have.

[lilbiggun]

I heard back from natron and this is my e-mail and theres:

> To whom it may concern,
> Some friends are planning a caribou hunt next year. I&#39;m planning on about 7-10
> hunters. Since I live up here I said I would look into an outfitter.
> Can you handle a group of this size (naturally multiple trips)?
> Do you charge extra for a 2nd animal? what if I shoot a griz, any hidden
> charges? Or somebody else buys a moose tag and shoots one, if so How much?
> Thank you.
> Joel


Next year the price will be $1200. per person. The price includes
transportation over and back, and includes transporting the meat of two
caribou per person. If someone got a moose it would depend on the weight,
if it required me to make an extra trip their would be a charge for the
trip, so far that hasn&#39;t happened. As an example with 7 hunters you could
bring out 10 caribou and one moose, or 14 caribou. The plane has a payload
of 1100 pounds.

We are taking booking now for next year so let us know and we&#39;ll get you
scheduled in.

Tim Pope, Owner/Pilot Natron Air

Not to bad on no hidden costs (atleast from the sound of it). Naturally it depends on how many are going. Whos gonna, if anybody is wanting to hunt moose. If someone wants and gets a moose, theres the extra cost of the flight, unless someone gives up a bou tag to make room for it. I&#39;m assuming that if we go over weight its gonna be another 1200 (for a round trip flight).

[lilbiggun]

moose-hunter,
between the 2 I dont care, I never flew with either or have heard bad things about either. I just sent an e-mail to LCA also. The thing I&#39;m worried about is the hidden charges. they can add up quick.

[DKScott]

Moose-Hunter and lilbiggun

I would accept your best judgement, as you are making the effort to put this together and you both seem like reasonably intelligent people (aside from the fact that you would rather spend your vacations freezing your butt off in the tundra trying to whack a couple of mutant cows when you could be chasing bikinis, sucking down beers and umbrella drinks in some tropical paradise. Ooops, I just described myself) http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-yellow.gif

Scott

[Moose-Hunter]

lilbiggun,

I think we should wait on what LCA has to offer, then take a vote between the two.

Thanks for sharing that email.

Now, who&#39;s really serious about going?

And would it be realistic to book early? Or wait longer?

Also, I&#39;ll take a moose if I can. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif I got a new credit card I&#39;m not touching until this hunt happens.

[AlleninAlaska]

Let me check with a couple of airlines here in Bethel. One of them has a couple of Beavers and that would cut down on the number of trips. Price would not be much more.

[Moose-Hunter]

Thanks, Allen. We&#39;ll look forward to whatever info you can dig up.

[Hook]

I think both Natron and Lake Clark are good outfits, but Lake Clark charges $500.00 for a second bou and Natron prices include the a second bou.

Another question is, where does Natron fly out of? Can we drive there or do we need to take a air taxi?

[lilbiggun]

Hook,
Natron flies out of soldotna I believe. Its about a 3 hour drive, so rental vehicles would be needed. My truck aint big enough for everybody.

Natron doesnt sound bad but after thinking about it. It seriously limits the bag limit for people who go. Heck, moose-hunter and myself would probably fill a plane load ourselves. Throw allen into it and it would probably be a 2nd plane.
Lets say 7 people do go. that would mean some people would be limited to 1 bou some 2 and only one person could go after a moose with out having to pay a 2nd plane. Unless of course we just plan on that 2nd plane and call it good.

I&#39;d personnally go with an outfitter who doesnt charge for any extra animals. Like Talon or somebody else. Allen might be able to find a good service in bethel that might make it worth flying there.

[Moose-Hunter]

I agree. I want an air taxi that doesn&#39;t charge for second animals.

Who all wants to take a second animal if possible? That means an additional tag and $$.

My intentions are for caribou, but that&#39;ll change if a big moose shows itself. And if that happens, I&#39;ll just take that moose and run the video camera for the rest of the hunt.

And I know lilbiggun wants his bear, too. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif

[lilbiggun]

A moose doesnt really interest me. I&#39;d shoot one if I had the chance but its not my primary animal. I do want a nice griz and some meat.

[Orso]

Hey guys,

I have been wanting to do an Alaska hunt for some time now, if you wouldn&#39;t mind I would like to be in on the conversation here. I was planning on bowhunting. I don&#39;t know if anyone else was or if everyone would be using a rifle. I recently had the Alaska Dept of Fish and Game send me a copy of the current hunting regulations and additional literature ("Hunt Alaska") about hunting in Alaska. That&#39;s great that moose-hunter is contributing so much. Thanks.

The literature says to have a clear understanding of the fly-in costs. In regards to the price (as I saw on natronair) they charge by the hour ($260) so the quoted price of $1150 for a fall drop hunt might not include air time for scouting, which may or may not be needed. There is also the issue of weight, that could pose a problem if everyone tags out. Which would possibly mean a second trip and additional costs. If the hunt is longer in duration, we could possibly have the plane fly over and check on us and possibly pack out any downed bou early, possilby at an extra expense.

NatronAir&#39;s Cessna 206 has a payload of approximately 1100lbs. If you have 3 hunters weighing 200lbs each, plus the pilot, that is 800lbs. That means each hunter can carry 100lbs of gear (gun, ammo, bow, tent, sleeping bag, backpack, clothes, food, camping equipment). Then you still have to pack out the meat and antlers. I think we would definitely be boning out the meat.

If the hunt was going to be 5-7 days, would the pilot come back and possibly move us to another location if we wanted? Cost? Maybe if he is coming back from dropping another group off he would check on us and or pack out meat at no additional costs.

Plus we would need to be flexible on the beginning of the hunt and the end of the hunt in respects to weather and flying in it/out. We might get delayed.

Depending on the location of the hunt I believe some state parks, BLM land, and NF&#39;s have huts/cabins you can rent. Maybe we would want to be dropped off in a locale where we could utilize a bare-bones cabin. Cost? Location of cabins?

As to caliber...the rifle you can shoot best. I read that .270, .308, .30-06 are all fine for bou, and moose.

I have never hunted in Alaska and my comments are things that have been racing in my mind for the last few weeks as I have just started to get serious about hunting Alaska. I only throw these things out there so when all is said and done, we all have had a great trip. I have already gotten the OK from my better half on going next year and was wondering how I was going to find someone to hunt with. So I really hope this all works out.

If anyone wants to drop me an email to discuss anything, please do. I usually check my home email every couple of days.

P.S. - I will have more time on my hands now that A31 SoCal deer hunt has been put on hold due to fires.

[Moose-Hunter]

Orso,

Welcome aboard. Glad to have you on in this discussion. To answer your question, I&#39;ll be using a rifle myself. All I know is that we got to make this hunt happen!

Anyways, guys, I found another outfitter. This outfitter looks really promising, and they offer a "Deluxe Camp" that can hold 5-10 hunters for $1600 each. From what I can gather from their page, the price includes 2 caribou, wolf, and a black bear per hunter. And they also accept a limited number of drop camp moose hunters.

They are located in Eagle River as well, just south of Anchorage a few miles.

Here&#39;s their addy:

http://www.alaskaoutfittedcamps.com/index.html

Tell me what you think guys.

lilbiggun,

Does your wife know anything about this outfit, or you for that matter?

[Moose-Hunter]

By the way, under the picture page at that site, check out that 68" bull moose! Awesome! I&#39;m gonna get one of those. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif

[lilbiggun]

moose-hunter,
We have never heard of them. There website looks good though. from what I read its $1600+ a airfare to iliamna. I know I&#39;d pay it for a wall tent with heat for those bad weather days. the 2 bou, bear and wolf thing isnt bad either. I have a few questions for them and I think I&#39;m gonna drop them a line one of these days.

What do some of the members think about it? any ideas or comments? Theres been some good ideas and talk about different outfitters going on.

Orso, welcome to the board. LAst I read in the regs you cannot bone out the meat till it comes out of the field. That way its easier for the fish cops to count how many animals you have. Stupid law but its one we have to live with.

[Moose-Hunter]

lilbiggun,

You gonna drop them an email in the next couple of days? If not, I&#39;ll see what they have to say via email, or give them a call.

So, who thinks they are going to go? I know it&#39;s still way early to decide, but it&#39;s good to get a good idea of what we&#39;ll be looking at.

From what I can gather so far, it&#39;s lilbiggun, myself, Orso and Hook.

Did I miss anybody?

Allen? Jesse?

[Kickaha]

I&#39;m still up in the air. Have to convince someone else to go.

Like several others have mentioned, I would rather pay a little more and have a first-rate hunt than save a little and have a second-rate one. As far as fully outfitted goes, I don&#39;t really care either way. I have decent camping equipment. The shower sounds nice though.

My #1 choice would be for moose, but caribou would do almost as well. Not personally interested in bear or wolf. I didn&#39;t see moose on the $1600 hunt above. It was on the $1200 hunt though. Odd.

Also, I&#39;d mostly be interested in the meat. Would it be possible to donate the rest up there? Or does every house in Alaska come with a 6-pak of antlers.

[AlleninAlaska]

Mine comes with a Baker&#39;s dozen plus a six-pack. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif

[AlleninAlaska]

I&#39;d really be interested in the Deluxe Camp for 8 hunters. Of course the food privided by these sort of operations is not the best quality. Those freeze dried foods are always at the discretion of the outfitter as to how many they think will actually feed a group of hungry people. When they claim a 4 person meal, it will probably feed 3 people. It&#39;s like a 3 person Dome tent, you better be real good friends to sleep 3 in a tent.

The operators that I was looking into in my area do not provide camp equipment. I do have a Cabel&#39;s Alakanak 12.5x12.5 tent that will sleep 5 if another tent was taken along to store the gear in and another smaller tent to be used for cooking purposes.

Never been on one of these kind of hunts as I have always taken my own equipment when flying in.

[DKScott]

Moose-Hunter,

As you said, its a ways off, but I&#39;m planning on it, if that&#39;s all right with everybody else. Just to recap, it sounds like roughly $3,000, including transport from/to SoCal, but not including taxidermy. Would that amount cover tips, etc?


Scott

[Hook]

A deluxe camp sounds good. Are these types of camps setup before anyone gets there? And would that limit our reachablility to the herd if they have moved through? A drop camp the outfitter usually knows the position of the herd and drops you off a day or two in front of the herd. Everything else sounds good, 2 bou, black bear and wolf.

lilbiggun & moose-hunter, thanks for doing the leg work on this. Look forward to seeing what they say in the e-mail.

[lilbiggun]

I&#39;ve never been on a "delux" outfitted hunt before either. I&#39;ve always had to drag all my crap with me. I&#39;m willing to give it a try though. I&#39;m still bringing my own food, atleast most of it. I&#39;m probably gonna take along some of my camp gear. I can just about imagine what there gear might be like after everybody and there brother abuses, I mean use it .

Moose-hunter, I&#39;ll drop them a line.


Hook, I was wondering the same thing. from what I understand, its a permanant camp. So if we go at the wrong time, we might be screwed on bou.
If I remember corectly, ERA and Iliamna air taxi made a deal for shuttles to ili form town here. ERA flies mondays, fridays, saturdays and sundays and Ili air taxi flies during the week. Its about $300 for Ili to fly over. Its a small plane (turbo prop pilatus) so pack light if you want your gear to get there.

[lilbiggun]

I just dropped them a line. we will see.

[lilbiggun]

Still havent heard from the outfitter in eagle river about the delux camp, come to think about it I havent heard back from Lake clark air either.

I still suggest Talon air (soldotna, AK). I hate being a commercial for these folks but I have used them and they are good people. If its legal they fly it for free.

[Moose-Hunter]

http://www.alaska.net/~talonair/index.html

There&#39;s the addy to those who can&#39;t find it. For $1250.00 and no extra charge for a second &#39;bou, my vote goes to these guys. Sounds like a strict caribou hunt, though, I&#39;m fine with that.

lilbiggun,

What&#39;s your status? Look like you are going? Got the green light yet? http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif

[Hook]

Talon air seems to be the best bet. They provide a lot for the price expecially the second caribou. But we we better wathc the weight, thats were we can get hit with extra charges.

Do you guys have any preference on the dates. early or mid Sept.? when do the bou come out of velvet. Last year we went mid Sept. and no velvet were on the bou.

[lilbiggun]

Moose-hunter,
its up in the air now. My wife told me I can take her on a bou hunt or I can sleep on the couch for the next year and hunt with you guys. If she wasnt so self-concious and you guys didnt mind a women in camp, both of us would do this trip.

Also its not a strictly bou hunt, if you have a tag for a certain animal they will fly it back. Our pilot showed us some good moose but none of us had tags with us (brain fart, morons, whatever word you want to call us).

Hook,
the 2 times with talon we always flew out on Sept 7. the bou were about 50/50 on velvet. Weight isnt really an issue, like I said if its legal its free. They check on you and pick up meat through out the week. The owner diverted a 2nd airplane so we can get everything out on 1 trip the first time we went. No charge. Plus they used to have a 10 man otter (I believe thats what it was).
The only hidden cost I can see is when they pick up your meat through out the week, they bring it to the meat locker in soldotna. The first year it was $10/animal per day. The 2nd year it went by pound per animal per day, I cant remember what was right off hand. I can get ahold of the place and find out if you want. Other than that we havent run into a hidden charge with Talon, well, except I had to buy a bigger freezer.

[Moose-Hunter]

Like I said earlier, I like Talon Air. They seem like a good group. I&#39;m pleased to hear about the hunt just not being strictly for caribou. Moose and caribou hunting at the same time is something I&#39;ve never done before.

lilbiggun,

Take your wife up past Tok next year on a 40 mile caribou herd hunt. Have her shoot a good bull and then you can come with us. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif Sounds fair. Just have both of you go hunting with us!

Hook,

I would think that the first two weeks of September to be the best bet. Like from Sept. 5th to 12th or something like that.

[lilbiggun]

After Talon picks up your meat during the hunt they will bring it to Custom seafood processors (907-262-9691). they charge 10cents per lb per day. They are not raising there price for 2003. It will still be $1250 per person. They also still have there Otter for larger hunt parties.

[Moose-Hunter]

I just sent Talon an email regarding deposits. I&#39;ll keep you guys posted.

[Orso]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to say I am still interested. I&#39;m going quail hunting for a few days, but when I get back I am planning on calling Talon just to get a feel for them for my own piece of mind. Please keep me posted on the deposit and such. The picking up of meat and extra bou sound cool.

[Moose-Hunter]

Orso,

Glad to see you&#39;re still interested. Let us all know what they say with you on the phone. Good luck on the quail hunt.

And here&#39;s Talon&#39;s number if anyone else would like to give them a call regarding this hunt:

(907) 262-8899

[lilbiggun]

moose-hunter,
they will be asking 50% down at time of booking. thats the way its been in the past atleast.

[Moose-Hunter]

Thanks, Joel. I thought I read about that somewhere on their homepage. I&#39;m still waiting for them to respond to my email that I sent out a few days ago.

[Moose-Hunter]

Well, guys, Talon responded to my email. They basically told me what Joel has already told all of us already. 50% deposit at the time of the booking, and they said to book as early as possible. Plus, if you got the tags for extra animals that you kill, they transport it back without extra charge. She said in the email that there ain&#39;t many black bear in the area where they drop off caribou hunters, but did mention brown bear. I would assume moose would be there, but who knows.

Did you see any moose at all Joel around where you were dropped off? I remember you saying something about the pilot showing you moose while flying over.

Anyways, Talon has me hooked. They seem like a great air service and I&#39;ll give them my money.

[AlleninAlaska]

I have my deposit ready as soon as I see how many are actually going to commit. I&#39;m not paying a deposit and lose half of it if nobody else signs on for this.

[Moose-Hunter]

Same here, Allen. Nonetheless, glad to see that you want to see this hunt happen also.

So far it&#39;s me and Allen.

Who&#39;s next? http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif Let&#39;s kill some caribou guys! I want fresh steaks and backstraps.

[lilbiggun]

No , we didnt see any moose while on the ground hunting, just from the air. Griz on the other hand were there. The resident griz was very well disciplined.

[DKScott]

I&#39;d like to go. But can we recap the costs and the required deposit and a reasonable time to get it in? I&#39;m still trying to get the "all in" cost figured out- from locking my front door to packaged meat in my freezer.

Also, how much time do I need to budget? If we&#39;re successful with time to spare, is there fishing? How about bird hunting? or does it all get to be just too much?

Anybody from So Cal still interested? The lower 48?

A &#39;bou and a moose would be very cool, but two caribou works too. I&#39;ll leave the grizz to you locals - but can I watch?

Scott

[lilbiggun]

DK, the cost is $1250 and at time of booking you will need 50% down. One year we waited til august to book our hunt and we flew out in Sept. Talon is out of soldotna so there might be a transportation issue. depending on how many people go a rental car maybe in order. Price can very on type and how many people split it up. They do a flyby halfway through the hunt to pick up any meat and they deliver it to the meat locker. thats 10cents/per lb/per day. That can very. Or you can just have them butcher it up and they will ship it to your house. Shipping is usually COD.

Hunting license is $85 bou tag is $325 each (non-res limit of 2) or if you want a bou and a moose (moose is $400)

I&#39;d plan on 6-7 days for the hunt. Remember, you cant hunt same day you fly up here. As for travel I would add a couple of days here before your return trip. I have hunted the mulchatna herd 3 times and twice I have been delayed for pick-up because of weather.

You could do some ptarmigan hunting also. Fishing is iffy. it depends on where they drop off.

[DKScott]

OK, here&#39;s an outline based on what I understand so far. Since this is a rough, uneducated guess on my part, I&#39;m putting it out there just to help give some form to our discussions.

Is this a reasonable timeline?

Day 1 Travel to Anchorage
Day 2 Travel to - Where? Dillingham?, Aniak?
Day 3 Travel to hunting camp
Days 4-10 hunting
Day 10 (late) or Day 11 return to Where again?
Day 11 or 12 Return to Anchorage
Day 12 or 13 Depart for home.

I assume the whole meat/trophy shipping procedure is well charted territory and won&#39;t cause any unnecessary delays for us newbies to AK hunting

Sounds like the cost will be:

Outfitter: $1,250
Gratuity: $??? Are they customary for drop hunts?
Non Res Lic $85
&#39;Bou tag $385
Moose tag $400 (or second caribou, but I&#39;m an optomist)
Air Fare R/T $450 from LAX, might be less
Transport $??? either car or air to departure point. I&#39;m not clear on this part
Lodging $200 before/after hunt
Misc exp. $200
Meat/Trophy ??? Care/butchering/shipping, etc. Not clear on this part either

Total estimated so far: $2,910

So it looks like a total of about 2 weeks and significantly more than $3,000. Can we refine this estimate?

Scott

[lilbiggun]

On day 2 it would be travel to soldotna. thats where you fly from and return. Its about a 3 hour or so drive. Usually when I get to soldotna and I know I&#39;m flying the next day to go hunting I always sleep on Talons dock/land. They dont mind.

Meat and trophy transportation from anchorage is another thing. With the meat you can donate some and only take the choice cuts, throw the cuts in a "fish box" and take it home with you. As for cape and antlers you have to check with your airline. I know AK air are anal and wont fly antlers unless all meat and hide are off and the skull plate is split and the antlers are boxed. You could also ship via a taxidermist but this can get expensive (around $200). These rule changes are new so not to many people know exactly whats going on. I&#39;ll see what I can find out. I heard UPS wont even take antlers because of the mess they make.

As for transportation to soldotna, like I said its about a 3 hour drive. Or you can fly, it cost about 100-150 RT. I&#39;m not sure what kind of vehicle moose-hunter has but I can only fit 2 other people in my truck. If moose has a van or something like that than it looks like the transportation is taken care of. Of course this all depends on how many are going.

With some spare time to me it looks like about 10days. Thats with 1 day spare on the flip side in case weather pinns us down.

[lilbiggun]

one more thing. If you decide to take meat with you on the plane. send your hunting gear minus rifle of course through the general mail system. Its cheaper than paying for and extra baggage fee.

[Kickaha]

I&#39;m still interested, but have to talk my brother into it. It might take another month or so before I know for sure.

Is there a timeline where we have to have the deposit in?

[lilbiggun]

I&#39;d say feb or march is the latest I&#39;d wait. After that they dictate the times for whatever is open.

[DKScott]

lilbiggun,

Is it reasonable to try to arrive in Anchorage and make a connection to Soldotna the same day? (ditto for return?) - either fly or drive. Any idea what we might rent and what it might cost? Is the air service via regular commuter airlines or is it somebody like Talon or Natron, etc.? Airfares from LAX are about what I figured.

I&#39;d like to maximize my hunt time and minimize my travel/waiting around time. As much as I enjoy loafing, in my job, if I&#39;m not working, I&#39;m not making money (oh, for the days of paid vacation).

I&#39;m assuming the package through Talon is for 7 days on the ground? Would that include the non-hunting arrival day (i.e around 5 to 5 1/2 days of actual hunting?). At some point, we all need to work out the hunt dates and number of days. And get the details of what Talon will provide and what we will need to bring.

Also, maybe not till just prior to departure, try to pin down roughly where we will be dropped (gotta know: do I pack a fishing rod or a shotgun?)

Scott

[lilbiggun]

Scott,
I&#39;ll have to check to see who flies to soldotna. The companies that used to dont fly there anymore. Rentals really arent that bad of a price up here. I&#39;ll check for basic rates.

As for time on ground, it doesnt matter if the hunt last 3 weeks or 2 days the price is the same. Talon doesnt provide any gear, just the transportation. I believe the price is $100/person and talon will provide basic camp gear. I think that between allen, moose-hunter and myself we have enough gear for camp. It should just be whatever personnal gear you might need.

Before the hunt I will definitly try and find out where there gonna drop us off. I like to get topo&#39;s for areas I hunt. 2 times they dropped us off at the same spot. the 2nd time we knew the area. it was great. Lucky cusses across the lake didnt even have to leave camp, the herd ran right through it. We had to go about a 1/4 mile.

[lilbiggun]

If someone can post the pics for me I&#39;ll provide some pics of the terrain to give you an idea of what your in for.

[AlleninAlaska]

Joel, send me the pictures and I&#39;ll post them on my web site and then link them here if that is possible. Sometimes different web sites won&#39;t cross link with others.

[Moose-Hunter]

I&#39;ll work on the transportation. I might be able to get a van from work.

[AlleninAlaska]

www.outdoor-o-rama.com (http://www.outdoor-o-rama.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=910604701&f=330604701&m=6046022351)

www.outdoor-o-rama.com (http://www.outdoor-o-rama.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=910604701&f=330604701&m=2146022351)

[Moose-Hunter]

Allen,

Thanks for the pictures. Looks like some good area.

[lilbiggun]

In the first pic, after we landed the pilot pointed towards the knoll in the middle of the pic and said that come morning the herd would come from that direction. He was right and it lasted about 3 days.

The 2nd pic is of there beaver coming to check on us half way through the hunt. He brought out 12 caribou

[AlleninAlaska]

Joel, I will post the other 5-6 pics tomorrow. Been working doubles and this is just killing me. Broke down and bought a 7mm STW just for this kind of hunting.

[DKScott]

Is that the way it works: they drop you into the path of the herd and you hunt them as they pass by for a few days and then they&#39;re gone? How many days does it usually take for the herd to pass? What are chances that the herd changes direction and passes out of range? Just curious.

Scott

[Hook]

Hey guys,

I am still interested in going, so pencil me in.

I&#39;ve been out of town for the last week, when I get back and I will know for sure.

[AlleninAlaska]

www.outdoor-o-rama.com (http://www.outdoor-o-rama.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=910604701&f=330604701&m=5026049351&r=5026049351)

www.outdoor-o-rama.com (http://www.outdoor-o-rama.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=910604701&f=330604701&m=6816049351)

[Moose-Hunter]

Joel,

Do you have any pictures of the caribou you shot on these hunts? Also, was it common to see a lot of big bulls when the herds were passing through?

[lilbiggun]

Scott,
Generally thats what good outfitters would do. Sometimes its next to impossible to judge the herds. Talon and others will fly around, locate the herd, and put you down about a days walk (bou pace) in front of it. For the hunts I&#39;ve been on the herd has lasted 3-4 days then straggler herds for a day or 2. Theres always a chance the herds could change course, but the pilots pretty much can figure it out on where to put you.

I&#39;m still trying to find all my pictures. I know I have some of my bou, I just have to find the darn things. Some of the pics that allen is posting I just found the other day. On one hunt we seen this small herd of 12 bulls. I swear the smallest would have made book (maybe an exageration, but you get my drift). I was already tagged out with my 5 so I was tagging along as a packer. We found a ambush sight where the bou were gonna pass through. all of a sudden one guy got up and bolted to another bush, the herd seen him and took the long way around us. We found out the first day of hunting on our first bou hunt, dont try and cut off a spooked bou. So I just laughed and watched them go. I&#39;ve seen some dandies mixed into the herds.

On another stalk I seen the bou of my dreams. It had everything. The problem was my 270 was getting complete penetration and the bou were bedded down and this ole bull was laying back to back with another. Since I had 1 tag left naturally I&#39;m not gonna take the chance of dropping the other one. I talked my buddy to around to the front of the herd to get them to stand up. It work but the bull I was watching bolted to the middle of the herd as soon as he stood. I was bummed. Thats hunting.

Thanks allen for posting those pics.

[Moose-Hunter]

Joel,

Thanks for explaining everything to us. I might have said this already, but this hunt here would be my first fly-out hunt, so I have zip for knowledge. I&#39;ve hunted caribou before, just not with an air taxi. This will be a really awesome hunt.

Hook,

Glad to see you&#39;re still interested and wanting to go. I hope you can make it for this hunt!

By the way, is everyone going to use rifles? I plan on it. I dunno if I should bother on bringing a flintlock muzzleloader with me, especially if it rains a lot on the hunt.

Would you recommend a muzzleloader, Joel?

[AlleninAlaska]

Well if this thing goes on as planned so far, I&#39;m taking my 480 Ruger and my new 7mm STW.

[Moose-Hunter]

Allen,

The smallest rifle I have is my .338 Win. Mag. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif A little too much for caribou, but I do shoot Nosler 210 grains out of it. That&#39;s what I&#39;m going to take.

Well, I also have my neglected Marlin .44 Rem. Mag. lever action, but that gun for sure ain&#39;t gonna go!

[lilbiggun]

I used a 338 with 250gr X&#39;s one year that I flew out of iliamna. It killed the bou deader than a doornail but it was messy. Since I&#39;m about 90% sure I&#39;m going I was just planning on using my 458Lott or co-pilot since I&#39;m mainly after a griz.

Allen that 7STW is about perfect for bou. What made you decide on the STW?

moose, if it was an in-line I&#39;d say go for it, but a flintlock, that would be kinda iffy. If your under the weight limit, I&#39;d take it along. Who knows it might be half way decent weather.

[DKScott]

I&#39;m thinkin&#39; .22 pistol - wait behind a bush, head shot behind the ear at about 3&#39; -hit man style.

OK, back up plan would be a 30.06 with 180 grain Hornady Light Mags. Will that do it? What 30.06 loads would you use for moose (given the opportunity)?

Scott

[Moose-Hunter]

What does the "STW" stand for, anyways? That&#39;s been nagging me for a while now.

DKScott,

That set-up/load should work just fine for moose. You plan on buying a moose and caribou tag? If you don&#39;t see a moose on the hunt, you can just use your moose tag to take a second caribou. I would like to take a moose, but I would be more than pleased with a caribou or two. I just don&#39;t like the idea of packing such a huge beast, though. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif My back still hurts from last year on the moose I shot. Of course, those thoughts would disappear when a huge bull presented itself.

[lilbiggun]

STW stands for "shooting times western". Theres also STA "shooting times alaska", atleast thats what I was told. All I know its a hell of a round.

Scott, I&#39;m sure you were joking about the 22 but thats a big no-no up here for hunting big game unless your in Unit 26 (I believe). As for the 180gr light mags, They should do fine for a moose. Just stay away from core-lokts. gees they make a mess out of an animal.

[DKScott]

lilbiggun

Uh..yeah..it was a joke. Yeah that&#39;s it, a big joke Ha Ha Ha. (No really, it was. I think that&#39;s a big no no pretty much everywhere except on the Sopranos. Besides, I can&#39;t find my camo trench coat and fedora.

I have used the Hornady Light Magnum ammo a few times and am really pleased with it. It gives near 300 WinMag ballistics with little increase in pressure or felt recoil. Almost like a free lunch. Supposedly some kind of proprietary loading process with a progressive powder. They claim you can&#39;t duplicate it with handloads.

I used a 150 grain HLM load on an antelope at 80 yards (not a particularly alert antelope, apparently) and made a textbook shot right behind the shoulder. Pretty much vaporized the heart/lungs and stopped inside the hide on the far side with a perfect mushroom with almost total bullet weight retention and very little meat damage. The goat fell over dead so fast he broke his leg. Similar results with 165 grain bullets on a couple of small mule deer at about 100 and 125 yards. I believe the bullets are partitions.

I was wondering if I had to step up to 220 grain loads for moose. And yes, if there is a reasonable possibility of getting a moose, it sounds like I only have to spring for essentially a $75 lottery ticket that I can redeem for a 2nd caribou if the moose thing doesn&#39;t work out. Am I correct? Also depends on the logistics of what I have to bring and move around and ship back. On the margin, it sounds like a moose would break down to approx. an additional 100 to 200 pounds of meat/antlers/hide over a 2nd caribou?

Scott

[AlleninAlaska]

The 7mm STW (Shooting Times Westerner) will launch a 140 grain Nosler Partition or Ballistic Tip out of the muzzle at about 3400 FPS and a 150 Ballistic Tip about 3350 FPS. The 358 STA (Shooting Times Alaskan) will launch a 250 grain bullet out the muzzle at about 3000 FPS.

[Moose-Hunter]

Wow. So far, we got a .458 Lott (insane power, Joel!! http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif), .338 Win. Mag., a 30/06 and Allen&#39;s 7mm STW. A good and different variety for this hunt. At least I can sleep better on this hunt knowing that the .458 Lott will be there! HAHA.

[Kickaha]

DKScott, on Talon&#39;s web site, they mention that the Caribou get up to around 500 pounds with 175 pounds of that being meat. They also say that Moose get up to around 1650 pounds with 650 pounds of that being meat (and you can&#39;t be shooting no skinny Meese either). So that&#39;s a little more than 100 to 200 pounds difference. Don&#39;t know how accurate those numbers are. Just thought I&#39;d pass it along.

BTW, I also see they have Moose hunts going for about $3,500. That makes it sound as if we probably wouldn&#39;t be in the best Moose country. If I end up going, I&#39;ll be buying a Moose tag anyway. Like you said, it&#39;s a $75 lottery ticket.

On calibers, I have a choice of:

45-70/457Magnum (both from same rifle)
270
30-30

I&#39;d most likely take the 45-70/457. I imagine that would be good enough for Moose? Would the 270 or 30-30 be enough for a Moose? I should probably check the Moose boards....

[Moose-Hunter]

Kickaha,

My friend uses the 270 for moose up here. With 150 grain bullets you should do just fine. I don&#39;t know much about the 30-30, though, so I won&#39;t comment on that. But what is the "maximum" range for your 30-30? You might have to consider that for caribou. The shots can be rather short, or long. Your 270 would be perfect for caribou.

Also, Joel should know something about moose in the same area as where he hunted for caribou. But I also noticed those $3500 moose hunts on Talon, which left me wondering as well.

[AlleninAlaska]

Moose-Hunter I could make this real interesting as far as which calibers are in camp and also bring my 500 AHR. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif

[lilbiggun]

Allen, you gotta bring the 500AHR. I would love to squeeze off a few rounds.

I think the reason the moose hunts are $3500 is because they probably bring you to a totally different area. Good moose and good bou areas are not the same. You will find moose in bou country and vice versa but not in high numbers. Yes you can use your moose tag for a 2nd bou. As for the 30-30 and if the distance is reasonable with good bullets, I&#39;d shoot a moose with a 30-30. The distance thing is gonna kill you though. Depending on where they drop us, there isnt alot of cover for a stalk. Moose arent as dumb as bou (unfortunately).

Of course we are all gonna get wolf tags (non-res) right??? 30bucks for a legal chance at wolf and help us alaskans out at the same time.

[lilbiggun]

double post....oops.

[Moose-Hunter]

I just changed my mind on what gun to bring. The .338 Win. Mag. is gonna stay home (way too much gun for caribou), but I will be bringing my new .300 WSM that I just bought!! Winchester Model 70 Featherweight. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif I just hope this beauty won&#39;t get rusted out there. Perfect caliber since I also plan on hunting sheep and deer next year as well.

[Moose-Hunter]

What do you guys think of it? I pick the gun up Wednesday.

http://www.winchester-guns.com/prodinfo/catalog/md70/wsm/images/m70_classic_featherweight_l.jpg

[lilbiggun]

looks good moose. I just dont know to much about the 300wsm. From the magazines I read its perfect for what you have in mind. Thats the problem nowadays, so many calibers are so close, its hard to pick one.

[AlleninAlaska]

Somebody stold the sights off it. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif

[Moose-Hunter]

I will admit that I got "sucked" into this WSM craze. Of course, I have all of these forums to thank for this, though. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif I&#39;ve actually been wanting this caliber since I first read about it, but just waited a while and bought a .375 H&H in the meantime. However, no more gun buying for a while! 3 magnums in 8 months! http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-angel-halo-green.gif

Any idea&#39;s for a good scope? Thinking about the Weaver Grand Slam.

[AlleninAlaska]

A Leupold 2X7 Compact should work well on that. I&#39;m putting a Leupold 1.75X6 on my STW.

[DKScott]

Moose-Hunter, lilbiggun, AlleninAlaska

Heard you guys just had The Big One up there. Everybody alright?

Scott

[Moose-Hunter]

DKScott,

Thanks for asking. Everything is good up here. No injuries that I&#39;m aware of. The quake was intense at work, though! http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif Got the heart pumping. hehe. I read that the quake split some roads and part of the Parks Highway by Healy. I guess one crack on the Parks Hwy. is 3 feet wide! Ouch!

[DKScott]

Except for the death and destruction part, earthquakes are a pretty good ride http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-hair-raisin-blue.gif

I remember when I was a kid,this new girl showed up in class one day. Her father was a geologist in Anchorage and they had just been displaced by the &#39;64 quake. They lost their house, but her dad was out there taking pictures through the whole thing. They were just incredible - giant chasms swallowing houses, Everything collapsed and roads offset by 10-12 &#39; Amazing.

[Moose-Hunter]

Just two more days before I pick up my 300 WSM. I can hardly wait.

[AlleninAlaska]

I&#39;m going to be in the Anchorage area on the weekend of Nov. 29th through Dec. 3rd AM. Anybody want to meet for coffe just say where and when.

[Moose-Hunter]

Allen,

I&#39;ll see what I can do about meeting up with you in Anchorage. Though, I think I&#39;ll be up participating on that registration caribou hunt just north of Tok on the Taylor Hwy.

Also, I&#39;ll be using my new .300 WSM on that hunt, which I just picked up today. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif Very impressed with the gun. Looks great. I just can&#39;t wait to see how it shoots. I also can&#39;t believe how light the gun is. Winchester gets two thumbs up for me on this gun!

[lilbiggun]

Allen, It would be great to meet when you get into town. Let me know when a good time is for you.

As for the shaker, I didnt feel it. I spent the last week down near seattle.

[Moose-Hunter]

Hey, guys, posting to get this thread back on top and alive again. Got sort of quiet for a while. Hope everyone is doing ok out there! I still want to make this hunt happen.

[DKScott]

The thread lives! I thought you guys all went huntin&#39;or something. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-faces-toast-beers.gif

Scott

[Moose-Hunter]

DKScott,

Nah, I&#39;ve been out snowmachining on the new sled. But I do check this place out whenever I have the chance. You still interested in going?

[DKScott]

Moosehunter, yes. It&#39;s a long way off, but sounds like a good adventure. Don&#39;t really have a good handle on what I&#39;d have to buy and how much "stuff" I have to bring.

What&#39;s snow machining?

Scott

[lilbiggun]

DK, snowmachineing is alaskan lingo for snowmobiling. Some villiages also refer to snowmobiles as snowgos

[AlleninAlaska]

I just got back from Anchorage and am wondering what snow you are riding on? It is worse than Florida over there.

I&#39;m still in for this one. Trying to recruit another person and I believe he is a go.

[Moose-Hunter]

Allen,

I&#39;ve been riding and playing around in the Eureka area. Plenty of snow up there. 3 to 5 feet depending on where you were at.

Like I said before, I&#39;m still a go for this hunt. I think it will be safe to say that we should put some kind of deposits down in January or February. Is that too early?

[Paul Merrill]

Hi guys,
I am new to this forum. I found out about this forum from a link in the Alaska Hunting Forum. That forum can be found atAlaska Hunting Forum (http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/forum/akhuntforum/). I thought I might add what I know on the subject.

My son and I went on a caribou hunt about 5 years ago. There are a few things I would do different. I would find an air taxi with tundra tires on their planes. That way you can be set down in front of the migration. We only had floats and were very limited on where we could land. The pilots were great and made every effort to get us in a good spot, but we ended up having to walk about 5 miles round trip to where we got our animals. One way was going up a mountain. After packing 6 caribou out of there, I decided no more of that.

A self guided hunt is really the way to go. You don&#39;t need a guide to point at a caribou for you. If you get in a good area, there will be thousands to choose from. Learn all you can about field judging caribou. Most people have only seen a white tail deer before. A small caribou rack looks giant next to a white tail. Don&#39;t shoot the first animal you see! Unless you only want it for meat. There will be more. The largest bulls tend to be at the back of the herd.

Good caribou country is not good moose country. Although you will find both in the same area, don&#39;t count on it. The caribou will be on the tundra (I think tundra means big giant sponge that is hard to walk on!). The moose will be found around the rivers and lakes in the marshy areas. The caribou stay away from these areas except to cross the rivers as necessary.

One nice thing that Alaska does allow is to trade a more expensive tag for a less expensive one. In other words, you can use a moose tag ($400) on a caribou ($325), or a caribou tag on a black bear ($225), or a black bear tag on a wolf ($30). Just remember that if you are a non-resident, you can&#39;t shoot a grizzly/brown bear without a guide.

I would make sure you go in September. We went at the end of August and had to deal with the velvet. What a mess! http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-hair-raisin-blue.gif I didn&#39;t know how to take care of it at the time and by the time we got home it was a rotten stinky mess.

Make sure you use good game bags. I prefer Alaska Game Bags. They can be found at Alaska Game Bags (http://alaskagamebags.com). They are strong, they allow good ventilation and they are big enough for the animal. Some people suggest using pillow cases. I would stay away from them as they are too tightly woven and don&#39;t allow air circulation.

Make sure you salvage all your meat. This is a big deal in Alaska. You even have to take the meat in between the ribs. You have to take your meat back to camp before you take the rack. Or at least at the same time. Don&#39;t take the trophy and come back for the meat. Big no no. Check the regulations. They can be found on the web at Alaska Department of Fish and Game (http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/wildlife/wildmain.htm) . You can also order your license and tage online there.

If you fly out of the Soldotna/Kenai area, I think I would not rent a vehicle to get from Anchorage to Soldotna. You can take a commuter flight from Anchorage to Kenai for around $99 round trip. A rental van costs about $100 per day. That&#39;s a lot of money to just be sitting there when you are out in the bush.

Lastly I would recommend some books on the subject. First would be "Hunt Alaska Now" by Dennis Confer. In it he tells you how to plan your own self guided hunt. Great reading and lots of valuable information. His pricing information is a little out dated though. The next is "Hunting in Alaska" by Christopher Batin. This is considered to be "THE" source on Alaskan big game. It deals mostly with the different big game animals, their habitat, habits and he gives you hunting ideas and strategies that work for each animal. The last book is "A Complete Guide to Float Hunting Alaska, Vol 2" by Larry Bartlett. While this book deals mostly with float hunting, there is a lot of practical information on hunting in Alaska. All of these books are available for sale on the Alaska Hunting Forum. See link above. I know this sounds like an advertisment, but I am not affiliated with the forum, except as a poster. This is the only place I know of to find all of the books in one place. You might also check Cabela&#39;s. I think Larry&#39;s book is available there.

Sorry for being so long winded on my first post in this forum. There&#39;s just so much to share. I would like to join you guys, however I already have a 2 week float hunt for moose planned for Sept. 2003. If you have any specific questions I can answer, I will do my best. I am in no way an expert on this subject, I have just done a lot of research for my own purposes.

Good luck,

Paul

[Paul Merrill]

Just an after thought. You should pick your air taxi as soon as possible. The good ones fill up fast. At least get on their schedule. Most require deposits starting in January. If you wait too long, you will be at the mercy of cancellations or at the very least might have to settle for your second or third choice of dates.

Paul

[AlleninAlaska]

Hey Paul welcome to the forum. Not to be negative, but I have hunted in Alaska since 1974 when I first moved here. That was some great info you gave and I hope the non-residents that are planning on going on this trip take some time to read it. Thank you.

[Moose-Hunter]

Let&#39;s bring this thread back to the top!

[Moose-Hunter]

Allen, Joel, you guys still around? Still interested? Only 8 and half months until September! Time is flying by.

[Kickaha]

Unfortunately, I&#39;m going to have to back out on this one. September 2003 is looking to be busy for me.

I&#39;d like to thank everyone for all the information though! The fire is definately lit. 2004 for sure! I&#39;ve even started mentioning moving to Alaska to the wife. Looks like a great place.

Thanks again everyone!

[Moose-Hunter]

Kickaha,

I have you marked down for the 2004 JHP AK Hunt. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif Too bad not this, but hopefully 2004 for sure. Nonetheless, good luck on whatever game you hunt this year.

[lilbiggun]

Moose, I&#39;m still around and seriously thinking about it. It all depends on if I get drawn for a sheep hunt. This spring I&#39;m going to Tok for 10days for bear and with my vacation I can only afford 1 more big trip. If (and Its a big if) I get a sheep tag than I&#39;ll be joining kickaha for bou in 04.

[DKScott]

Still here and interested, but the beginning of the year is brutal financially. Everybody seems to want to start the new year off with a big check from me! Still not sure about what to bring and making weight restrictions, what the weather will be like etc. Anybody down here looking ahead 9 months?

Scott

[lilbiggun]

Scott, Dont worry about the weather, just pack for the worst. When dalliwacker and I went a sheep hunt in the wrangels, it was hot, the year before it was snowing( from what he told me). Last spring I went to Tok for bear, it was in the 80&#39;s, snowing and cold the year before at the same time.
The hard part for folks in the lower 48, when it comes to packing, is that who&#39;s gonna bring what. Obviously, your own personal gear is yours but what about camp gear? If Allen, moose and myself go, rest assured that the camp gear is taken care of. That way all you have to worry about is your own stuff and whatever luxory items you might want (within reason of course). although we might have to distribute the weight of camp gear amongst all hunters.

[Moose-Hunter]

Joel,

I&#39;m thinking about the Kenai area for spring black bear, Skilak Lake(??) and also Delta Junction for spring grizzly. Been hearing some stuff from the residents up that way that there is too many grizzlies around. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-biggrin-aqua.gif I&#39;ll be up there for sure for a couple of days to hunt.

And on this hunt, I&#39;ll wait another month or so and see what progresses with others here. If not this hunt, maybe somebody would be interested in a moose hunt on Kalgin Island with me Natron Air offers a decent deal. I heard the hunt is tough, but you can shoot either sex moose that you want.

[lilbiggun]

Skilak is a good place for blackies. Just dont be on the water in the afternoon hours. The glacier makes its own winds after it warms up some and it can get pretty nasty. Same thing goes for tustamena lake.

I talked to fish and game a few years back about Kalgin. Alot of cows and only a handful of bulls. Alot of devilsclub and thick underbrush. If your after meat, according to F&G, this is a good place to go.

[Moose-Hunter]

Joel,

I was also told the same thing. Also, they said the bulls on that island don&#39;t exceed 50", and when they do, it&#39;s really rare.

[DKScott]

You guys are killin&#39; me.

Can I establish residency and only "live" there while I&#39;m hunting? There must be some cheesy angle I can exploit.

Scott

[Kickaha]

That Kalgin Island deal looks pretty good. Do you know if that&#39;s a one day hunt or a drop hunt where they&#39;ll pick you up after a few days? It sounds perfect since I&#39;m interested in Moose but not really in bulls. Mainly for the meat.

[AlleninAlaska]

Still around, just been busy. Been out doing some winter caribou hunting without much success and I have upwards of 60 tags ti fill, been getting things ready for a winter moose hunt coming up on Feb. 1st. Still ready for this one if it is going to happen.

[RIFLEMAN]

Allen,

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
...and I have upwards of 60 tags ti fill...[/b]

Am I understanding you correctly? You get to tag sixty (60) caribou?

[Hook]

Did I already tell you guys that I cannot make it this year? With the new baby due in a month or so, It looks like I will be missing all of this years hunting. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-rolleyes-green.gif

[AlleninAlaska]

Rifleman yep, up to 60 tags. Under Federal Regulations I can be a designated hunter for another person that qualifies. So the organization I work for has gotten 5 tags from the 18 kids in the program and there are 2 of us trying to get them filled. Haven&#39;t had much luck though, the caribou just haven&#39;t made it to this side of the hills.

[RIFLEMAN]

Very impressive! Guess that helps to make you willing to put up with all the cold weather, huh?

[Moose-Hunter]

Allen,

Have you filled any of the tags yet? What herd you hunting?

[AlleninAlaska]

Moose Hunter, filled 5 tags so far. Hunting the Mulchatna herd. With the lack of snow out this way, they did not have to travel very far for winter feed. No snow in the mountains and they will be heading for the calving grounds to the east very shortly.

[Moose-Hunter]

Allen,

Sounds like that could be a blast if the snow and weather was cooperating. What gun did you use to fill those 5 tags? Your 7mm?