Contributors to this thread:
Does anyone have any suggestions for good Air Transporters for DIY Moose in Alaska? I am just starting a little research for a future Moose hunt. Any good ones to look at or bad ones to avoid? Thanks.
40 Mile Air gets good reviews. Larry Barlett is a DIY hunt planner up there that has a great following. Joe Schuster (Sportsmans Air I think?) still does outfitted camps if I am not mistaken. Papa Bear Adventures does DIY drop offs. ALL get excellent feed back from a loyal customer base for the most part. All will likely already be booked up for 2014 already as well.
Plan on $5-10k depending on how cheap you do it and which route you take, and whether or not you drop an animal. Be realistic in that a 50% success rate on legal bulls is a pretty darn good average for DIY drop offs. Go expecting an awesome Alaskan adventure with the off chance of seeing some moose, that way you can come home happy with the trip regardless. I will be going September 2014, where depends on how the draws turn out up there.
Trevor, plan to be up there also with wife, depending on draw.
I highly recommend Joe Schuster and cant imagine that there is a better option for a non resident. He provides a great camp and outstanding food and the trophy quality is phenomenal. I have hunted with him twice and will be going back.
Shyster is great. Also talk to northwest backcountry rentals and Larry Bartlett of pristine ventures.
Yes it was... Hahahaha... Joe did us great ...
Did you guys have a gun in camp when you went? Just wondered if I should even bother with one
Ty, read my article/post I wrote about a DIY moose/caribou hunt in AK. There's a lot of info in there that should help. My best advise would be to put in for a draw hunt, you'll be in a much better area with much better chances for success. I've read stories on here of guys not seeing any moose or only a couple during their trip. The draw area I've been guiding in, we see several legal bulls every day. Don't start off your trip by lowering your odds in a low success area, wait till you draw a good area.
Joe's areas are all draw areas. I don't think you necessarily need a gun in camp but I it's nice to have in case you need it. My buddy shot a beautiful black wolf in the middle of the day while fishing.
I'd always bring a gun to camp. E. donnel Thomas jr. Is a bigger man than I!
Got a buddy in Fairbanks that never carries a gun. he has faced more than one interior grizzly and a Kodiak Brown, plus numerous Blacks and so far has always come out on top.
On the other hand a couple of friends up there won't step outside to releave theirselves without a rifle over their shoulder.
It is what it is!
I like what was said somewhere- A gun is like a parachute, if you find yourself needing one and don't have one, you will never need one again!
Black Bears don't scare me at all. They are kinda like a big dumb dog in my mind. Grizzly bears are a little different. I guess I could try that spray stuff.
Never under estimate a big dumb dog. last year a 13 year old girl got drug off her porch in the middle of the day by a black bear here in Upper Michigan. Another fellow was hiking on a popular trail here in Marquette county and got mauled by a big dumb black dog. Both unprovoked ! Im not afraid of bears or chipmunks but respect them both.
I talked to Joe last year about a moose hunt. He had asked if I was a bowhunter. I said yes. He then said don't bring a gun. You will end up shooting a moose with it. I said what about a pistol for bear protection. He said it won't do you any good but go ahead and bring it. I said well I am just going to bring a knife. He said a KNIFE I said yeah sure I am just going to stab my hunting partner in the leg and run. He got a good chuckle out of that.
Also I do know 40 mile air has an area that they hunt that has no antler restrictions. They don't prebook out more then the upcoming year. They start booking in December. Returning customers get priority.
Curious on these draw areas, do you contact the transporter and then put in for the draw in an area they service? What are the odds to draw these areas for a NR? Any advantage to having a transporter already for the draw?
Or put in for an area until you get drawn, then try and contact a transporter?
Contact transporters now over areas to apply for (too late for this year, Draw ends mid December).... unless you have a specific unit/area you want to hunt, then research which transporters service that unit and call around about availability.
In either scenario, contacting transporters earlier than later is always a good idea as they typically book up fast and may change your mind on the draw units you are applying for in the first place.
Tyler,
Or anyone else considering going for the first time...Before I made my maiden voyage a kind bowsiter sent me the book "Hunting in Alaksa: A Comprehensive Guide".
It is now time to pass this book on to another bowsiter planning their first trip.
Any takers?
Shiras, I would be very interested ! And would pass it on to another hunter also ! How do you want to work this out ?? U could PM me also.
Thanks a bunch ! Don.
Actually Tyler u got first dibs on the book !
I have the book: Hunt Alaska Now by Dennis Confer is that the same one?
Larry Bartlett? Same surname as me (hence my moniker on here)
Hmmm....wonder if he's any relation?
