Renfro's Alaskan adventures
Moose
I've been researching a moose drop camp in Alaska for about 6 weeks now. I really like what Mr. Renfro has to say and he has some great references. I'm just trying to do my last bit of "due diligence" here. Has anyone used Renfro's Alaskan Adventures for any hunts? Obviously most interested in the moose drop camps but any opinions and information will be very appreciated. Thanks in advance for any info!
We used Wayne for a DYI caribou hunt in 2005. We only needed air service as we brought our own gear. He did offer a full drop camp but not sure of the details. He got us in and out without a problem.
Go with Steve Powers owner of PaPa Bear Adventures out of Bethel also. Best service you could go with hands down!
Pretty sure Papa bear is booked 14 and is also full 15 but give him a call
realunlucky is right. I talked with Steve at the ISE show and they are pretty much booked up. 87% kill rate last year I believe. Non guided.. but they put you where the moose are. And some pretty good ones if you are willing to wait. I was not..but took home 600 lbs processed meat with my hunting buddy after donating half of the bigger one. I am eating this stuff every day. Bob.
Spoke with Steve as well. Seems like a great guy and has a spectacular reputation. He is booked until 2016.
Steve is probably now booked through 2016 after the shows.
I flew with wade on a near hunt, trip was great. 6-GOLD
I booked for 2016 with Steve. Jarrod and I have had many conversations about the hunt. danny
Thanks for the references guys. I appreciate it.
jjh, I'm booked with Renfro's for Sept 2015. I talked to several references and think I made a good choice. Thought about Papa Bear but just never got around to calling him. Two things swayed my choice, 1. Scott Mileur, who I'm hunting with on Kodiak in 2 months highly recommended Wade. 2. Wade flies super cubs and can land in more obscure and remote areas. Good luck on your choice.
Redneck hunter, thanks for the input. I just hung up with the last reference I wanted to call. We're going to book for 2015 as well. Hope to see you there!
JJH myself n a buddy are doing a dropped moose hunt this September with Wade. We have some friends that did the dropped hunt last yr with Wade also, n they both killed nice bulls. They said to make sure we take the best rain suit that we can buy, n a few extra tarps because it rained almost every day.
I'm looking forward to hearing the story of your hunt! Best of luck!
I honestly do not think you can go wrong either way! I have the itch to go again so I am looking at doing it a little different this time. Gonna maybe do the float trip this time. Having problems on the net trying to get a hold of Wade Renfro due to the bandwidth usage. Many guys from work have expressed interest in doing this since my last trip, so I just have to get all of the logistics figured out so all of the guys that want to go can plan and save. Not too many only two! Looking at this with excitement! I cannot wait to put this one together! Got bitten with the Alaskan bug!Bob.
My brother and I are doing a outfitted moose hunt with Mr Renfro and company in Sept 12 2015 ..should be quit the adventure....we`re driving from Tacoma WA to Anchorage so check moose hunt and the ALCAN HWY off the bucket list, then a short plane ride and were there,to Bethel anyway
should I purchase a wolf tag,what are the odds of seeing a wolf..any input would be good Thanks
See ya there jjh MikeC
I would get a wolf tag if I were you!
if there that pleniful Elmer im with ya! kinda silly not to have one ,but my thinking is if I have a tag I wont see one "Murphys a *#@*% " hahaha and I really wanna see one doing its thing in the wild and Ill shoot it with the Nikon,I`m sure ill end up with a tag, the other reason is I wanna focus on a nice moose
yak at ya soon
I am not saying they are super plentiful, but I see a wolf on Just about every Hunting trip I take up here, even the ones on the outskirts of Anchorage.
Thanks Mr Elmer..ive got some time to think about it and do a little more research about the numbers Thanks again
Reading the thread again i see Mr Redneck going to be there as well,, it`d be cool to meet up before or after the hunt for a frosty cold one,and storys
MikeC
Doesn't Wade also Fly for the State for checking Moose populations, that sure can't hurt.
The majority of the times I see wolves up here they are hunting arctic hares in the dry river channels. A few have been on gravel bars of rivers and 2 have been in the flats just below a mountainside.
Mr.C Let me caution you about using 'Murphys a*#@*%" in vain while hunting with Wade Renfro. :)After all my name is Murphy and I took this Browny a few years back while hunting with Wade as the outfitter.:) Ron
yes! from what I understand he does annual population counts for A.F.G,and he's always in the air with taxi service and mail you got it Mr Ron! I`all probably have tags fallen outta my pockets haha ! DANG thats a beast
Mathewsman how`d ya do??
Mr.C there was 3 of us that ended up going, and we all killed decent bulls. If you have any questions you can pm me.
That sounds like success to me!good for you guys I just hope I get all the base`s covered for the same results!
Mathewsman, I'd love to talk with you about your hunt, my dad and I are getting ready to go on ours. I'd bet you have some good advice for a couple of rookie moose hunters! PM me if you have a minute or two to chat. Thanks!
JJH I`m a rookie as well chasing these Gaints of the Yukon, if you have time watch Guthros Moose madness do it! I dont regret buying it..
Ill be in Bethel sept 11 return the 23
MikeC..... come n out heavier then I went in
Mr C. Thanks for the advice! I will pick up that video. Good luck on your hunt!
Good luck over in Bethel guys. Some really big bulls over that way. I'm currently putting something together for 2016 or 2017, can't decide if it will be based out of Bethel or Kotz yet though. Will be using air taxi services only though, as I have all the gear I need already up here.
Mr C. Thanks for the advice! I will pick up that video. Good luck on your hunt!
I realize this thread has been going on for awhile and is a bit old, but wanted to see if there was an update? My dad and I are looking to book and unguided moose drop camp in 2017 and Renfro's is one of the outfitters we're looking at. Thanks in advance!
Wade is a great guy to go with, he flew me out of Bethal and back. 6-GOLD
I booked my first ever moose hunt with Renfro`s ( outfitted drop camp) and my brother and I both killed good moose!51" and a 35 ish".. I booked my second for 2017 with another company because of the service!It`s was not what I was told it was going to be,food sucked alot was past the use by date,bring your own tarps.... and its not up to him to decide to keep someone out in the bush for an extra 5 days ....if you do go with Renfro`s remember your health and welfare come second to his profit and thats wrong JMO
It was a great adventure for my brother and I thats why were doing it again! just not with Renfro`s
MikeC...A salesman is a salesman is a salesman
I have a question. I see Renfro's is out of Bethel. But I also see they service some rivers to the south such as the Kuskokwim. Do they base out of somewhere else such as McGrath?
the airplane we rode in (yes the one that crashed)left from the muddy banks of the kuskokwim river! on the return flight 5 days late, differant plane of course haha we landed just north of Bethel airport on a small lake
MikeC... fool me once shame on you! twice shame on me
Thanks for the replies guys. Just stumbled upon this article which doesn't make Renfro's look too appealing... http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2015/12/08/theresa-vail-charged-with-illegally-shooting-grizzly-bear-in-alaska/?intcmp=hpff
its one thing to make a mistake and fess up to it! but to try and cover it up thats no different then poaching IMO
Mike
there is a whole other thread that is just getting going on this very issue
Honestly the LAST thing I would judge a fly in moose hunt on is the quality of the food or that I was delayed in the field for whatever reason for a few days. Actually it IS up to them, depending on equipment malfunctions and conditions, dealing with others who had been delayed prior, my understanding it's relatively common. I would guess it's likely in the contract even.
The hunting is what I would base it on, all I would base it on actually. Sounds like it was pretty good hunt if two bowhunters tagged out on moose.... success rates for bowhunters aren't exactly high.
TD do you like stale bread and food thats 1 year past the use by date, I dont think you would but maybe..theres a reason people throw that crap out! it sucks! and when your burning through the calories like crazy you need quality food that actually taste good not like garbage the delay was sorta expected and not a big deal at all(got delayed going out to) but when you tell people you'll be back in 3 hours on the day your suppose to fly out to start back hauling gear and meat and you dont see them again for 5 days IMO is wrong.. some of the not knowing anything was my fault, I ordered a SAT phone and just assumed it was in the gear box`s with our name on it,nope and we didn't realize that until the plane was gone so no way to contact them and no air drop of said phone, it was in the hanger office the intire time and no one noticed??....the weathers one thing and I agree, but if you dont come get someone because your equipment failed or crashed you need to hire another plane not make them sit and wait for days without know anything.... ive talked to Mr Wade personally and he admits he dropped the ball on my brother and I.I even took some blame for the SAT phone thing I shoulda discount double checked hahaha the boxes before loading into plane but i think excitment got the best of me and they said load um there ready..did i mention we didnt even get the choice to hunt the draw permit area thats so coveted and folks wait years for. It was get in the plane this is where your going ...I have nothing against Mr Renfro and we did have one hell of an adventure and it was fun but i think he got to many clients in the field at the same time (over booked ) and when the "S" hit the fan(plane crash) he didnt have the resources to properly deal with it IMO which made it seem like he didnt give a crap about leaving use over 5 days, every extra day out cost use a grand back home...TD go find some food thats 1 year + past the use by date in a cardboard box and eat that $#@% then tell me what you think! ... going again !just no airplanes this time and I have the ability to leave if I want or when I`m tagged out MikeC
If you earn $1000 per day, perhaps next time you should hire a guide and not pinch pennies? Heck, I make a hell of a lot less than that and I bring my own food in the field. I even own a satellite phone, and I don't get paid anywhere near "a grand" a day. Just observations.
just for the halibut man...hahahah that K is both my brother and I and he makes 2/3 of that, alot of his contracts got messed up and it was costing fines daily!yes he tryed to have all his ducks in a row before we left but s$#@ happens!(contruction)he had no idea until we got back to Bethel, mine was costing 8 hours pay every day Im just an hourly guy like most .... why would we hire a guide we know how to hunt! we been doing it most our lives
I chalk most of the experience up as learning because I certainly learned alot about this kind of pay to hunt stuff,most good some bad ...did i mention we had a lot of fun and eat moose tender loin off sticks in the camp fire good memories for sure that I wont soon forget...P.S im getting a SAT phone or a delorme GPS/text phone for xmas Mike
Was gonna mention you had two moose to eat.... =D
Have picked bugs/weevils out of the food before, just cook it well and don't think about it. Have cut the mold off of bread, bagels and tortilla shells, toasting helps both stale and soggy..... Check any cans to make sure they aren't expanding, I think some of the MREs I've had were from WWII.... lived a week once on nothing but vienna sausage, my buddies dad told us he had camp all stocked up with food, don't worry about it. Cases of vienna sausage, that's all. Killed the biggest muley in my life that week.
Everybody has different expectations from a hunt. I fly with my whole camp everywhere anyway, and pick up the food for the trip when we land. If the hunting was good I'd go with a comfort level that was likely lower than many.... ought to see my daily driver..... =D
Pretty cool you folks went unguided and tagged out. Congrats. My hats off. Made it back safe and sound with some awesome stories. That was an adventure for sure..... and on your deathbed that is what you will remember.... not some bad food, or that anyone missed a couple days of work for some money they can't take with them anyhow....
Some people just aren't cut out for hunting in remote places. Most seemed too concerned with food and living conditions than the area or quality of game.
Lots of residents of Alaska went moose hunting this year and brought home nothing.
To me, I could care less about food and amenities when hunting.
Next time just bring all your own stuff and you should be ok. Not hard to plan 10 or so days of food especially if it's just freeze dried and your eating it to fuel the hiking and hunting. Plus once you kill something you've got fresh steaks for days.
I'm sure you learned something's on this past hunt and that'll make the next hundred that much better.
Good luck in 2017, who are you going with this time?
TD,treat yourself every once in a while by taking a good strong plastic fork and mashing up them Viennies into some potted meat...splendid!
My truck cupholders usually have a spare can or two.....
If your position is that "shit happens", then why have you repeatedly posted negatively about just that? It's ridiculously common to have to stay past your extraction date, or to not be able to get into the field for days. That's just normal stuff. I'll concede that 5 days is a long time, but I've had multiple times where I had to stay for 3 days waiting on weather and the queue of hunters ahead of me in line. I just read books and told stories, sipped hot tea and reveled in the fact I wasn't at work. On an unguided trip, you are the only one to blame for forgetting anything and failing to make sure you had everything. I've been there too! The TSA took our lighters and matches one year. We lit the stove with a single book of matches that made it into a carry-on from a night out before the hunt. It's damn tough to make those last 10 days! Best of luck with your road based ambitions. That's not likely to yield two bulls, but heck, you might get lucky.
Seems that they are Down with whatever and will go to great lengths that your hunt is not bound by things like rules,regulations, bag limits and tagging requirements.
when your so hungry you could eat the north end of a south bound skunk and your food still taste bad there something wrong with it,because Ill eat liver and onions if im hungry and thats hideous hahaha ,ive been hunting and camping (not so remotely) all my life and never had food so stale! but I eat it and Ill get over it! I didn't expect a 5 course meal, but at least food ..Do I think Im cut out to do these kinda hunts! I do because I enjoy it very much and there no reason to have bad food and Ill pack it myself like mentioned above along with my own SAT phone....basically C.Y.O.A....
your right TD it will not be forgotten EVER and we cant wait to do it again.. and them little V weeners are sickening hahaha
Nick we are going sept 20-30 2017 with a fella name Brain MacDonald, LoneWolf outfitters out of Buffalo Narrows. Saskatchewan ...were just gonna have a long wait, and will it be better then the last trip ..only time will tell when it comes down to it the money and time or bad food dont matter,the memories that I will always have are priceless mike
