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Planning a trip to alaska in 2017 for moose. We are wanting an unguided trip meaning we hire a bush pilot company to drop us off.
We have been talking with lots of these companies. It is hard to tell who really will be the best for the trip.

Any help or experiences would be appreciated!!

3 guys from wyo

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Quote
It is hard to tell who really will be the best for the trip.



You lay your money down and take your chances. A drop camp is only as good as the weather ,the hunter, and game present.

If a drop camp sounds expensive, stay home, you won't enjoy the hunt.


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Liberal father: " I fought the Americans, along with all the other liberals."

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40 Mile Air is a real good bush pilots for moose drop hunts but I would be surprised if they are not already booked solid for 2016 and they may have some 2017 bookings. They have lots of repeat clients. You may be able to get a spot for 2017.

KC



Wind in my hair, Sun on my face, I gazed at the wide open spaces, And I was at home.





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It all depends on what type of hunt you want to do, trophy expectations etc.

3 people 3 moose isn't an easy feat btw.

For someone who want to do zero research 40 mile air is the way to go....

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Talon Air here in Soldotna seems to have fair success with their drop-offs. They run a Caravan and a Turbine Otter on floats. This is not an endorsement, as I have never flown with them, I just see them come and go every day. Any pilot on any given day can kill you. That is a fact you have to consider.


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Does anyone have experience with Alaska quest?
Their videos are all over youtube and they drop some very nice moose?

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Many areas are >50" for non-residents and three bulls for three hunters would be very difficult to bag and very difficult to process and fly out.

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If I was a group of 3 after 3 bulls, I'd find 3 other folks, that wanted a black bear or caribou or such possibly though sometimes bou and moose ain't in the same general areas...

And be dropped off at 3 totally different places...

Moose/bear hunter pair at each one...


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Give Rick Grant a call. Putting people into great moose areas is one of his specialties.
http://www.tikchikairventures.com/


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Originally Posted by VernAK
Many areas are >50" for non-residents and three bulls for three hunters would be very difficult to bag and very difficult to process and fly out.


Understatement of the year. And too, folks who may not appreciate that fact firsthand might easily run into trouble at judgement time (not necessarily day wink ).


Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Yeah. I would think a realistic goal is one moose for three guys.


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Originally Posted by Kodiakisland
Yeah. I would think a realistic goal is one moose for three guys.


Yep, certainly the best way to get your toes wet. I would never discourage someone who had the experience and ambition to get it done, but I guess I would also err toward caution until you know the drill. It takes several caribou to equal one mature moose, and caribou tend to be bigger than whitetails.


Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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The moose capability analysis isn't difficult. Your abilities are limited only by your own strength and endurance, not by what anyone here tells you. A bone-in moose is 6 behemoth loads without cape, so plan for 8. Only you know if you and your crew are capable of carrying 100-130# loads for half a day (out empty, back full, rest/eat) on memory foam ground for days on end. If you can, then knock yourselves out.

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To me, the most important thing, having done a couple of moose solo, is time and weather. If you shoot one, better plan on a few days, 3 would be my minimum, after you pull the trigger. And thats if the weather is cool enough for the meat.

Then you can chug along at a pace that won't get you hurt etc...

My personal solo time to get one in game bags runs around4-5 hours. I"m a bit slow and a bit picky, but very safe, and tend to take breaks more than needed for my body and my safety.

I've been lucky to get both on a 6 wheeler so far. But to get in a pack and pack in, its the same time frame. Just how many trips, how long are teh trips, etc...

I can say I shot a bou once, and we split the load between 2 packs. Up before daylight, and took us a couple of hours plus, to get to the load and the most joyful/miserable day of my life with a load I could barely stand up under, and at teh end close to the air strip, I was going as far as I could between rests....and singing songs in my head, counting steps and so on... just plain out of fuel and didn't realize what the problem was. Back by 3-4 pm only to have my buddy and I drop packs and shoot his bull.. LOL

Multiply what would have been almost impossible to make 2 trips in one day, to 4 trips for 2 people....

My personal max is 1 mile or less, from an area that you can access... thats not in swamps or tundra heads....

Lets just say the last bull I shot, while not big, took all I had at 1am, to get the head with cape still attached, on top of the 6 wheeler pile of meat. And I had to drag the hinds in bags, sans hide, onto the 6 wheeler, I could not lift a hind more than 6 inches or so... Of course I'm not strong to start with and never have been, but more about using my head somewhat and just keep the body moving until its all finished. Slower but sure.


We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Thanks for everyone taking the time to respond to this post.
I will be looking into the outfitters mentioned above.
If we do this trip I am going make sure I am in great shape.

All the outfitters promise big things but I am really looking for first hand knowledge of a hunt. Raft float hunt vs a lake drop vs a regular drop camp.

Thanks

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Originally Posted by wyolipripper
Thanks for everyone taking the time to respond to this post.
I will be looking into the outfitters mentioned above.
If we do this trip I am going make sure I am in great shape.

All the outfitters promise big things but I am really looking for first hand knowledge of a hunt. Raft float hunt vs a lake drop vs a regular drop camp.

Thanks


I strongly suggest you drop the float trip plan if you are not very experienced rafting rivers. Just a little bad luck can leave you in a very bad place, quickly. And you will be dealing with others of questionable experience...


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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I'd love to raft... I don't do it here. I don't know anyone that does.

I've seen what it takes.

Its off my list unless I get an invite by knowledgeable folks.


We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Originally Posted by Sitka deer
Originally Posted by wyolipripper
Thanks for everyone taking the time to respond to this post.
I will be looking into the outfitters mentioned above.
If we do this trip I am going make sure I am in great shape.

All the outfitters promise big things but I am really looking for first hand knowledge of a hunt. Raft float hunt vs a lake drop vs a regular drop camp.

Thanks


I strongly suggest you drop the float trip plan if you are not very experienced rafting rivers. Just a little bad luck can leave you in a very bad place, quickly. And you will be dealing with others of questionable experience...



everybody that does it twice has survived their first one


but SD is giving good advice, a 100 miles from any help is a bad place to be experiencing a learning curve.


and I'll add this while I enjoy float hunting and have done a fair bit of it up here

it's a lot of freaking work


particularly if you take game, floating one of the northern rivers we took two moose and a grizzly with two guys on each raft that was plenty of a load with camp gear.


both moose were taken fairly early in the hunt, so every night we stopped to hunt, build a meat rack, set up camp, then worry about getting folks fed.

take it all down in the morning, rinse, lather and repeat.


not every one hangs their meat, but I hunt to eat. Plus I don't want bloody meat on my transportation to my pickup point. They do have bears here and they like an easy meal as well as the next guy. Serving it up to them on a non puncture proof plate never made sense to me.


in fact we had a rogue bear on one hunt and one of the guys I hunted with couldn't sleep in a tent very well for a few seasons. I'm glad I'd built two tripods and hung our meat, it was a PITA to set them back up and rehang meat, but I hate to think what our rafts would have looked like if we'd left meat upon them! eek


also when I turned the oars over to one of the novice float hunters, he was amazed how much effort it took to keep us on an easy stretch of the river we were on. Prior to that point I'd been gettin a workout moving those oars and keeping us in the channels and out of sweepers, rocks and shallow water that hangs you up.


not trying to dissuade you, just feel like you should have your eyes open to what you might be getting into.


if you've rafted a good bit of fast water, you're probably good to go


if you haven't, 100 miles from help is a chitty place to be figuring it out.

hope you guys have a great hunt whatever you decide to do.




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100 miles is close in a lot of places... wink


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Remember that the troopers are cutting back on rescue helicopter air time.


If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
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American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
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