Moose, caribou, sheep, goat DIY hunts - 02/17/16
I’ve been looking at a bunch of DIY type hunts for game I’ve always dreamed about but can’t afford a fully guided hunt. My issue is that I can’t spend $10,000 on a fully guided hunt. I’ve been resigned to the fact that I’ll likely never go on a moose/caribou/sheep/goat hunt but can’t quite put the thought away. A DIY hunt definitely has lower odds of success but preparation, hard work, and a bit of luck helps increase the odds. I’ve been pretty successful on DIY elk, deer, and bear hunts so the concept is not foreign to me.
I thought I’d throw it out here for consideration and ideas. I’m looking for solid ideas, mainly geared at reasonable odds of both drawing a tag and success. As far as specific species, I’ve been looking at various options.
Moose: My Dad has hunted Newfoundland several times and taken several moose from there. A guided hunt here is likely doable and runs ~ $45-5500. I’ve been looking at the northeastern states and it appears Maine is the only viable option and has surprisingly high success rates. Several western states have moose draws but these seem to have long draw odds. I have a buddy that did an AK float trip for moose/caribou a few years back. They shot a moose a bit far from the river and advised not to do that ever again. Is it possible to DIY in Maine? Any other DIY moose options to consider?
Caribou: I’ve looked at eastern Canada hunts but understand most of eastern Canada caribou populations are down. We have a connection in Newfoundland but in the past couple years they have only received a small handful of tags, and the hunt price has gone up. Which leaves Alaska. I’ve been poking around several air charters and think a DIY AK caribou hunt is doable. KC has been helpful in sharing his experiences.
Sheep/goats: I don’t really see any viable DIY options. Draw odds are very high in most of the western States. MT does have an unlimited opportunity but I’ve talked to guys that have tried that and the odds of success are long – long enough to not consider it. WY has a lot of sheep but a long line to draw a tag. Any other options?
Any thoughts are welcome.
I thought I’d throw it out here for consideration and ideas. I’m looking for solid ideas, mainly geared at reasonable odds of both drawing a tag and success. As far as specific species, I’ve been looking at various options.
Moose: My Dad has hunted Newfoundland several times and taken several moose from there. A guided hunt here is likely doable and runs ~ $45-5500. I’ve been looking at the northeastern states and it appears Maine is the only viable option and has surprisingly high success rates. Several western states have moose draws but these seem to have long draw odds. I have a buddy that did an AK float trip for moose/caribou a few years back. They shot a moose a bit far from the river and advised not to do that ever again. Is it possible to DIY in Maine? Any other DIY moose options to consider?
Caribou: I’ve looked at eastern Canada hunts but understand most of eastern Canada caribou populations are down. We have a connection in Newfoundland but in the past couple years they have only received a small handful of tags, and the hunt price has gone up. Which leaves Alaska. I’ve been poking around several air charters and think a DIY AK caribou hunt is doable. KC has been helpful in sharing his experiences.
Sheep/goats: I don’t really see any viable DIY options. Draw odds are very high in most of the western States. MT does have an unlimited opportunity but I’ve talked to guys that have tried that and the odds of success are long – long enough to not consider it. WY has a lot of sheep but a long line to draw a tag. Any other options?
Any thoughts are welcome.