During the '80's I owned a 16' Avon white water raft & rowing frame - the whole schnizzle. I did four or five float hunts above the Yukon. If you've seen the movie "The Revenant" then you can have some idea about what a float hunt will be like. After the first camp is broken down and set back up again everything is wet and stays that way the rest of the trip. Constantly setting up camp and breaking it back down every day or so sucks. The wind is ALWAYS in your face, no matter how many twists and turns the river makes. And God help you if you're floating navigable waters where locals hunt. Your raft may well be sliced up when you return to camp from a day of hunting. Overall a float hunt is a miserable option compared to other types of moose hunts.
The ONLY two good points about float hunting versus a fly-in camp are: 1) when you get a moose you don't have to carry it very far, and 2) you can often have nice fishing to augment your freeze dried meals.
I stopped float hunting because even back in the '80's float hunting was becoming very popular. The last float hunt I organized and went on I saw two other camps. In other words I was hunting the same territory behind two other groups. And the river I was on was not easily accessible. It required a half-mile haul from the drop off point to reach the river. That is not why you want to hunt moose in Alaska. If you want crowds just stay in the L48.
If you can be assured of being the only party on the float and if you are assured that you will not have interference from locals along your way then float hunting can be a successful, albeit miserable, way to hunt moose. If you will not be the only party on the river or if you will be floating navigable waters then do not go.
hunting in Alaska can be wet no matter what method, be prepared. There is no way you can be assured you will be the only one on the river, it is not your private park. Some places get more pressure than others, typically hunters get spread out on a river and will be far and few between. If one comes up here with the expectation of never seeing another human that you need to adjust your expectations. If you plan to hunt the Koyukuk you will see plenty of hunters, if you hunt the Black river, not so much. You can choose where you want to go.
Local's slicing rafts, rare, what did you do to pizz them off..? Treat local's with respect as you are in their backyard and you will get along fine...
Freeze dried food = last resort back up chow, you can bring a lot of groceries on a float trip, bring a grate to cook on, do some fishing, usually find ducks on the river as well...... also there will be grouse, when hunting its great to acquire your sustenance as you go.
