Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Alaskan Float Trip for moose and caribou

My very good friend and I are planning a float trip for moose and caribou. Possibly 2022 or 2023. I have hunted Northern AK out of Kotzebue but neither of us have done a float trip.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Bob

Delete the notion of "float hunt means a comfortable camp" from your head.

Figure out how to operate nimbly. Camp setup/sacking, food preparation, all activities other than hunting need to be expedient.

An expedient camp might not be the safest, from a weather standpoint. It's fine to bring additional gear (bomber tent) and not deploy it until needed. An extra 15lbs for a 4-season mountain tent and accessories won't kill you.

If you don't abide by the above, you'll spend the entire hunt camping.

This advice is how I expected it to be. Hunting is by far the main interest. I can camp comfortably at my house..

Thank you,
Bob

The demand for fly-in hunts exceeds the supply so start looking now for reputable outfits. Prices are climbing rapidly.
To hunt for both caribou and moose on the same trip limits your selection drastically.
Floating out moose requires serious boats. Do you have the boats or intend to rent?

My best friend and I did a guided float hunt in 2019 for brown bear, moose, caribou. It was an experience of a life time. Buddy killed a bear and I killed a moose.

It was a lot of work but glad we did it. Hardly ever saw the sun. Slept in 2 man tents. Saw lots of bears, only one moose, and a few caribou. Stayed in one small cabin first two nights, then moved down river and set up camp in two others spots was all that we moved, before floating down to our pick up point.

If you're thinking about a guided hunt I can pass along the contact of the guide that we went with and I would recommend him. However, his prices aren't on the cheap side. Matter of fact, when I look at his current price list I don't know how I was able to do it.

We will be renting our boat. We are from AZ. The Caribou is not as important, I was told this before, that it would drastically reduce our areas. Moose is our main reason for going. Would wolf and black bear tags be advisable to have with us? Are these animals that would be possible on this float trip?

Bob

Where "Roughly" are you planning to float...This is helpful in advising about probability of using other tags....??? And as a "general rule" a tag for bear also would be prudent, as they are "cheap" relative to cost of the overall adventure. Also note that you can use tags for different species if the tag for that species is cheaper then the tag you are in possession of. You will need to be aware of unit and sub-unit boundary, as harvest of species change by the location you are and the day of the harvesting, as you float the distance.

Also be aware that photos "often" record not only the date, but the time and exact location the photo was taken.
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Hire a hunt planner and one that specializes in float hunts, Larry Bartlett would be that guy. He has the boats to float any river in this state and they are designed for float hunting Alaska's shallow rivers and carry the type of loads you will have should you get 2 bulls. I hired him back in 2008 , we could have taken a bull that was very close to 70" the first day but it was warm and we had a long float ahead of us so my buddy passed him up, I ended up shooting a 52" bull with dropdown brows on the 5th day of the hunt, it was a fantastic time and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Yea,,,,,, what he said....
LJ

Leave plenty of days for hunting as opposed breaking/pitching/ and floating every day.

DIY moose in Alaska is one of my favorite trips.
A lot of good advice above. I would echo Vern.
Good transporters with good areas fill fast. That
would be my number 1 right now.

I have not used Larry but know of guys that have and
all had great trips. Well planned out and great experiences.
Just for logistics reasons alone , I would use Larry in a heartbeat.

The "ONE" downside I have heard about float hunting, is that by its very nature, the streams-creeks-rivers are lower then the surrounding countryside. And it can be frustrating, because most streams-creeks-rivers are lined with thick vegetation, and it can be hard to find a high spot to look that area over.

Very valuable info I appreciate your reply.
Area is unknown at this time we have a lot of research to do.

I passed a 50" MOOSE my first day north of Kotzebue on a drop camp hunt. That memory burns in my mind every time I see moose antlers in a trophy room or a garage. I wish I had taken him but was looking for a 60" plus for my fireplace... I didn't follow the golden rule. Never pass up the first day that you would shoot the last day....

Speaking of Larry Bartlett, you might check out his video on float hunting.

https://thinkoutside.fishalaskamagazine.com/backcountry-hunting/

Good luck.

L.W.

most 2022 hunts are booked by now and 2023 is filling up fast. you really have to think ahead to get a hunt booked now days.

Larry has several videos and books out related to float hunting and they are all very good, when it comes to float hunting there is none better than LB IMO.

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.

Add on to AGL - I think you can use your tag for "equivalent cost" animal, as well as lower cost ones.

I'm too lazy to check right now......

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.

Exactly right, gravity is a powerful force and you will be a the lowest level, typically visibility is very limited, take advantage of bluffs to do some glassing and calling is key.

johnn, back in the day I was a resident of Alaska so I knew what to do and where to go. I personally never had my raft sliced because I went out of my way to never float navigable waters, but there are plenty of well-publicized examples of that happening. True, no one owns sole access to a river. All I'm saying is that if you are competing with two or three other parties on the same river your experience will be diminished. There are better options than hunting on a river behind other hunters.

Float hunting for moose is the best. My very first moose in AK was only 42” but got him on a solo float hunt since I didn’t know anybody. Since then I’ve done probably 5 more moose floats and been lucky enough to get a few 60+ inch bulls. I personally think float hunting is the best way to get into moose and caribou, i have only floated for sheep once but some guys do that too.

We saw plenty of other floaters when we did the Sheenjek in early 2000’s took two moose & a griz, wolf got away 🤦🏼‍♂️

I’ve always wanted to do the sheenjek.

Anything can happen, Wet, wind, wild creatures. I remember an account where John Harvard was hunting in Alaska and got caught in a wind burst where his shelter literally blew apart at the seams sending everyone scrambling grabbing gear and participating in a overnight survival adventure. Remember that one John?

Like it was yesterday.

That was a breezy night. I pulled the poles in my Sawtooth and rolled up in it until morning.

The South wind was so strong it blew houses off the foundation in Tanacross. there's still evidence of the williwaws in the dry Creek area where trees were flattened over large areas.

Having fished Baja for years, I watch birds for indication of fish or wildlife. When I saw a huge bird circling our area, I asked my buddy to verify my opinion. We both agreed it was a black albatross.
In the 40 Mile Country!

But I've seen worse conditions as it was fairly warm being a south wind. The storm of 9/11 in 1992 was much worse.

I had a Tent called the "Bomb shelter" literally explode from wind in excess of 114 MPH. Had two very young hunters and myself in the tent with all our gear, rocks and bags of salt. The next morning the only things still in the shredded bombshelter tent was two bags of salt, and a bunch of rocks we had hauled in. We put earplugs in as a roar of the wind was painful, and we could no longer communicate anyway.

We would have not survived the next full day.......but the boys fathers were at the lodge about 20 miles away, and no effort was reserved to get the lodge owner and pilot to look for their sons.

The lodge is in a very protected sheltered location, and they had "all" guests, cooks, grunts, housekeepers, owners, every one possible inside the company Beaver, or laying on the wings, or standing on the floats, or holding ropes. The airspeed on the tied down Beaver in a protected cove registered 114 MPH.

This thrilling adventure started late afternoon and roared for fourteen hours. My guess is we experienced winds of 130-140 MPH. They said when they landed that the entire camp was in a "straight" line for five miles. This was just south of Iliamna Lake.

Float trips are one exercise i will never again do with inexperienced people. One idiot move can create huge problems and it simply is not worth the extra work.

Sheenjek is where u go for bear ... 11 in one day we seen ... every size, shape an color.... river boat with 90 jet , from the bottom , and yea ...we drug the boat over that 20' log jam and ran up enough >that we watched the planes pick folks up at the standard floater pull out..i will not do that again...

There have been over 200 plus Solar Inflatable jet boats sold mostly in Alaska that can run anywhere you can float a raft where legal. So expect some changes, makes
float hunting from a raft a question of why in my opinion.

I can tell you exactly what's going to happen, the serene peacefulness will be long gone thanks to the jet boats. They'll be running the rivers day and night and the game will move off.

Yeah, those critters hearing a boat a week are going to run... not...

My buddy was on the Innoko when that storm hit. Put in at Ophir with 3 other guys, 2 15 foot rafts and 2 12 foot trailer rafts. Floated about 5 days, took 2 moose, then wham-0. 2 inches of clear ice overnight. Got on the hand held and arranged for an early pickup, but it was nip and tuck through the ice. They had to leave almost all their gear behind at the pick up site because the river was closing fast. Quite an adventure. No country for old men.

That needs to VernAK and my signature line. So.....I added it, VernAK you are more then "welcome" to copy it or modify it.
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If your considering a “do it yourself” float trip.... I suggest getting this book!....Hunt Alaska Now, by Dennis W. Confer. It will answer questions that you have never thought to ask! Good Luck and wishing you great success!

Obviously, some things have changed ( jet boats, ect.) since the book was written. But, it should still offer a wealth of information! memtb

ya, not gonna happen, I did mechanical logging for a few years in the 90's, I'd shut down the Timbco feller/buncher after 8 hrs of running it continuously, cutting down 800 or more spruce trees, making a hell of a racket all day, well, I'd shot big bulls off the machine within 30 minutes, I'd still hear the tik. tik, tik of the engine cooling and the moose would appear out of nowhere and walk right into the area I was dumping the trees in

In many cases game isn't afraid of heavy machinery.

WELL WORTH WATCHING...I've donr 6+ drop hunts in Alaska....Plan w ell with quality outdoorsmen,,experianced in the wild...These are tough hunts..Don't shoot a moose 2 miles from camp,,imagine packing 600#'s over rough country..Enjoyable if you'e all fit.,.

I did the Sheenjak too. Had an awesome time!

The math on moose get a lot of people in trouble. Using your 2 miles from camp.
10-12 loads @60 lbs each
At 4 miles round trip is 40 miles
1/2 with a heavy pack.

(Yes I know a lot of guys pack heavier loads)

Long-long-long ago my hunting partner and I packed a moose out from the very back of "Peters Creek" just north of Anchorage, way back "past" Bellicose Mountain, at the very end of the valley. We were not moose hunting, we had been Dall Sheep hunting and our camp got blown off the mountain, and destroyed. It must be near six miles back there.

Don't need frivolous sht for moose/caribou:

Over half ah decade ago, I liquidated every thing I owned and cashed out all my spindly savings to buy land and start up a boat building company and a sled dog kennel. Things were so fkn thin, I couldn't even afford one of the boats I built!

Had ONE gun ONE chainsaw. The land I bought had a washer dryer combo in the connex that came with the land.

Fk the guns, having only one chainsaw darn near brings an alligator tear to my eye. I'm a saw fanatic.

Sold all my landcruisers, for a work truck. All I could afford was a lowly dodge one ton, and I hate Dodges.

Anyhow, I sold that washer and dryer as I decided it was time to get tah hunting again. Had just enough for a piece of sht canoe off Craigslist and an ancient boat motor that didn't work.

Sht was so tight I had a used coleman tent.

Bam, two bull caribou and a good bull moose off the nasty delta river.

The key to a decent moose/caribou hunt is good loaves of sourdough bread and potatoes

I prefer one or two nephews with strong backs...

One gin pole beats two nephews every time.

Never had the room in the plane for more than my pack...

If I lived up there, I definitely would had mechanized the operation....