Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska DIY Hunting Reality Check Please

Hey guys, looking for a reality check so I can make some decisions.

DIY hunting, public land, no ATV/SXS/snow machine/boat/plane. Just my Outback and my boots.

What's my life going to be like trying to do this? Doable? Or do I absolutely need one of the above for some reason?

Thanks!

Grouse yes......moose very difficult!

Rent some boat or plane time unless one enjoys a crowd.

Yeah, no moose this year I'm thinking like maybe wolf, duck, goose, rabbit.

What should I expect as an average fee for plane or boat time?

What does a vehicle cost...

More important than how to get to hunting areas is narrowing them down. I've more than learned my lesson that much of the state does not hold game and you first need to narrow down to where the game is, then figure out how to get to it.

Yeah that is an important step Did quite a bit of that back in TX, roaming and working land that just did not produce.

Will need to work on that part first for sure.

When one is heading out from the typical roadway access points, it's very difficult to come up with an original location, idea, or mode of transportation. What ever idea one comes up with, there's always a few parties that are already out there well ahead of you.

My last go around flying time (Beaver sea plane) was around $400 per hour. Not bad if it's split amongst a party of 3 or 4. I think a Beaver can do a max of about 6 people. Cubs are a push to get you, the pilot and some gear aboard. It really does not take a lot of air time to get away from the crowds depending on the direction one takes. A buddy of mine did sheep out of Soldotna, and his GPS indicated he was only about 20 air miles from town.

Any of the services that handle hunters will typically know where the game is. Our party has used High Adventure out of Soldotna for 3 trips over the years. They have knowledge and are in the air all summer moving fishermen, so they can suggest locations. They also have some hunt packages put together, or one can assemble his own destinations/schedules. Time afield is your call and has no effect on costs. There's also the potential of float trips. Not done one up there myself, but most folks tend to make those too short. I.e. having to float to get the miles in and not leaving enough days to hunt without having to load up and move camp every day. I do river stuff here in Oregon, and I like a week or two just to get in 25 miles or so.

I also know some folks that have hunted off the haul road. I believe there's some non hunting buffers, so one has to put in hiking time/miles to get to the zones where hunting's allowed.

Should be some folks here that have more local and up to date knowledge than I. Good luck,

Step #1 - read the reg book.

Step #2 - read it again.

Step #3 - Experts go to page 107

Yeah, I've been trying to wrap my brain around it and the fishing regs, it's a lot to take in

You can do a lot without a boat/plane/wheeler. Your odds of success will be lower.

Without a snowmachine, you'll get in great shape in the winter! But a snowmachine will open a whole different world, and nothing says you can't step off the machine and switch to snowshoes...

Does "my Outback" mean a Subaru?

Yup. It will get me a lot of places, but I know there are some places it won't quite make it.

Boots and a pack have worked unsurprisingly well for me for over 40 years. But you do need to do the research on area/population.

Damned few people are willing to solo or partner pack a moose for a mile or more. My last one (2014) was a 30 yard snow machine drive up to (the one before was a solo one mile pack), and one in the 70's I drove the boat up to within 50 feet. My biggest was a half mile pack. The other 19 were somewhat longer... The farthest was a small yearling @ 5 miles or so- 3 loads. Heavy loads.

Thank God I got old!

Caribou packs have been up to 12 miles.

Last 6 years in Kotz, I drive the snow machine or ATV up to them after the kill. I kinda like that for meat getting, but foot stalks have always been the most fun.

Thank God I got old and moved to Kotzebue....

It sounds like you are maybe new to Alaska ? No problem. After digesting the reg book everywhere you head will be a new adventure. Enjoy and learn !

And carry a pocket attorney to interpret those regs!

Get pretty familiar with those areas having limited or no motorized access.

If your outback has a canoe rack:


Take your wife to help pack:


Canoe specs (gunwale width in particular...): http://www.clippercanoes.com/tripper/

Using some advanced math ( dangle/angle; riveted/deriveted; depravity depth: mass; and some more numbers I met once or twice... that sucker is skinny!!!


Errrrrrr, wide!

His right backstrap was almost entirely scar tissue, and there was a 375 caliber nosler encased in a white fibrous mass where the strap turns into shoulder. He took it southbound square in the stern, while traveling south...note the left palm is folded in half and split.

I imagine it probably hurt a bit.

You are new to the state without a ATV, Snogo, jetboat, raft or any other collection of stuff. Get your pilot's license this year. Get your hours in next year and save for a 180 or a cub. You will not miss opportunities. When people ask about hunting you will just wink and smile! You will have saved money over the long haul.

VEK

Your moose is one that is hard to judge in the field as the bases extend way out before splitting or palmating. There's 30"+ of shaft prior to dividing. Interesting!.....and yes, a canoe is an inexpensive and capable moose getter.

A bit of a throwback to the ancient Irish Elche.

Zackly!

hard as heck for me to guess but I'm going with a wide margin.... 58-62 depending on the angle...

Lets see how far off I am.

A mile off!

That sucker is WAY wide.

High to very high 60s, might nudge over the mythical 70.

When I got him to the office, our redneck IT guy measured him at 70 on the nose, and our redneck VP said that I'll never top it. I could never get more than 69.75 out of him.

He looked wide wide. From the pictures I just can't get more than 62 out of it, but thats not fair either, sometimes photos just don't work.

Or maybe the fact I"m scared to death of shooting a small one... LOL... brow tines rule.

I"d still be arguing over the .25 inch... not...

Great bull for sure, would have been really grand if not folded, but to be honest I love the character of that bull!

Look at the hand on the moose, nearly dead center of the antlers on the edge of the hand. The hand on the antler is spread out a ways... between them there is topography...

yeah, now I noticed that, I did not originally... hand to hand, if it were 3 feet, thats 6 feet of spread....

But then how does I know what hand to hand is.

OTOH I'd never even look twice at that bull, bang. Worry about the rest later.

He certainly does have a different shape with those bases extending out so far. I though high 60s was a pretty easy guess!

My wife wonders why I can't shoot anything that's normal...my best muley is a big heavy long typical 3 on one side, with a 2-fist-sized knot on the other with 4 big long tines poking out. Better dall sheep is broomed way back.

The bulls death was out of a pat McManus story. I turned around to pack up to leave, and my wife peeks out over her novel from under a poncho and sees the bull waltz out of the woods and maim an alder. "Bull...shoot him!"

Thats a great story and glad to know there are others out there that appreciate different....