MikeC
I sure wish someone would take you up on that and drive it further east. I'd pitch in. I'm worried that Alaska Express either won't have space for me or his schedule is running too early.
MikeC
Pros&cons welcome for sure ,,have you been there done that? how did it work for you! Thanks MikeC
Mr Mule P HAHAHA if theres a will theres a way :)
Have you checked into the hoops you may have to jump through when you will have to go through customs with someone else's meat/racks/capes?
What happens if others sign on & YOU don't tag out?
When there's a will there's a way!
If you just want to drive the AlCan to say you did it, great, more power to you. But if you are looking for a better way to take care of your meat/horns, driving is the most expensive option. On top of your truck rental ($3K?), gas will run you about $1/gal more in Canada and that truck might get 10-12 mpg. So lets say 2,500 miles or 250 gallonsx$4.00/gal= $1,000 in fuel. Hotels will run you $150 conservatively x 4 nights plus meals at $50/day. You are up to almost $5000. Again, Im assuming your truck is $3K and youre staying in motels and eating something more than a jar of jelly and loaf of bread.
You could drop your horns/hide at a local taxidermist and have him flesh and salt it and ship it to your local taxi for $500 or so(I know a good one). and take your meat as excess baggage.
Its a direct flight to Seattle out of Anchorage so very little chance of lost meat.
You could cut your bill down to $1000 or so for getting your meat and hide home and avoid a 4 day, 10-12 hour a day drive.
As an aside, Im planning the trip for the next 30-60 days, Spokane-Anchorage. My pickup, pulling a trailer at 10mpg so $1000 in fuel, $750 for lodging and $250 for meals so Im at $2,000. I budget high, and then look for good deals. But lodging along the AlCan is expensive. And once you get West of Fort Nelson or East of Tok, the options are limited except for Whitehorse.
Again, Im not trying to discourage you, parts of the drive are amazing, but if you are looking for the "best" way, driving isn't it.
If a guy drove his own vehicle up and back the expenses would double which is big coming from Pa. Any ideas there?
Mr Hugh its typiclly bologna and cheese on dry bread! you dont need any tools,you just unwrap slap and eat hahaha.... good points and ideas thanks fellas MikeC
Its not cheap no matter how you slice it. But the easiest way is flying. As I mentioned have a local taxidermist flesh and salt your hide and ship it back. Your rack can be split to fit in a smaller box or crate and reduce costs. The meat can be frozen and flown with you in "fish boxes". Basically wax boxes that people use to take their frozen fish home with them. Or you can raid Sportsmen's Warehouse or Cabelas and purchase several coolers and place your meat unfrozen in them and take them as excess baggage(carefully check each airline for restrictions). You would be amazed at what you can fly with. The anchorage airport during salmon season or hunting season is pile after pile or boxes and coolers as hunters and fishermen try to get their meat home. Although Ive never flown with a moose, I would think that you could get most of it in 6 big coolers boned out. You can ship your hunting gear and clothes home USPS.
Driving from PA would be a long hard ride both ways. Ive given you a couple tips, but you may want to visit www.outdoorsdirectory.com, its an Alaska based hunting/fishing forum for suggestions. Or contact an outfitter here just to ask how they advise their clients on how to take it home.
Can't split a euro. I'll be taking, with a little luck, the entire skull back. If I have to I'll UPS my gear and bow back. Then I'll fill some coolers, about 6 of them, to the max weight without paying for overage. That's usually about 50 lbs each. The rest I'll probably donate to the Nick Muche Foundation in Fairbanks. :-)
Don't need the hide.
My problem then becomes getting a moose cut and wrapped pretty quick to get into coolers to fly out. From what I've seen Indian Valley and Deltas Meats both take about 2 weeks! Not good.
Even if you had it processed here and shipped, you would still come out much cheaper than the drive the original poster mentioned.
Hunting AK is expensive and getting trophies home adds to that cost. I think it shocks some people who plan a DIY hunt to cut costs only to have the budget blown when they try to get the meat home.
Take antlers whole as check-in baggage. Fee was something like $150 But there was a max size. If I shot a trophy size bull (I came within 50 some yards and the winds switched and saved his life) and didn't want to slit the rack, I would cargo ship it home to the lower 48. I was willing to pay the price for a record book moose.
Meat cost something like .89 per pound to process and vacuum sealed. Will last up to 24 months frozen I was told by the meat processor. I was going to have the moose aged for 7-10 before processing, then have 6 ea 50# boxes second day air to my home. The rest I was going to donate to my guide and family.
The total was going to be less than $750 AK express trailer. Plus the gas to meet the truck. I didn't need 6-700 lbs of meat. Even 300, I have plenty to give to friends and neighbors.
This was all figured out before I flew-out for my hunt. Did paperwork with the butcher before fly-out too.
I didn't get a shot, but had a good time trying.
My guide felt bad for me (I guess) and gave me a cooler full of salmon and halibut.
I need to run this same calculation, as I'm hoping to bring home a moose in '16. $750 seems like a reasonable deal, considering a cut moose is ~600#, but if I can do it cheaper that's just money in the bank.
Thanks!
I never got a shot opportunity. Very close but no cigar.
I have most of my notes at home.
The butcher was in Soldotna "Alaska Seafoods Direct". Cost .89 per pound to process. 300# equates to $267. I was planning on keeping only half of the moose.
At the time, I needed someone to process the meat. I've recently learned how to butcher a deer (thanks to my buddy in NY and my sharp arrows).
You need to figure out the cold truck route. I would have to drive est 1500 miles round trip to get the meat and antlers.
Later on today, I'll update this entry with cost details for air shipment.
Lucky for me, the express drives almost through my backyard. AK is a long way to go to leave most of my trophy there (not that it would go to waste, and charity is a worthy cause, no doubt). I'd still be interested in knowing how the numbers shake out. Seems like most of hunting AK is about the budget for guys like me. I have lots of dreams and big ideas that turn out to be cost prohibitive once it's boiled down to a final-tallied spreadsheet. Frustrating.
It sounds damn hard. Bet it is too.
I will pay the fees to get the meat home one way or another. Don't like the idea of taking only the trophy home and donating all the meat.
The Yukon is pretty expensive to ship meat home too. They recommend taking a cooler full or cold box on the airplane as cked luggage. Eight months and counting.
I flew Delta Airlines. Antlers: $150 as checked luggage. Must weigh 100 lbs or less and 115" or less (L+W+H)
To ship via UPS Ground. Cut antlers in half. $290.
Ship antlers whole via freight (no notes on carrier) $400 est.
Meat: 2nd Day Air. 60# box cost est was $150 (I was going to have 5 boxes sent for a total cost of $750
I was based out of Kenai so getting meat to Anchorage area was another logistical challenge and cost money to move the boxes and to store them until trailer pickup.
Darn, if I lived in WA, driving back looks better and better. (my favorite duty assignment was Ft Lewis) Miss the area, but sure don't miss the traffic nor population density.
I think the rates have come down since I drove a U-Haul up here in 13. I wish you the best on your trip. When I spoke of shipping the moose rack etc, it was unmounted. Have it fleshed and salted here, split the rack and it will fit in a small crate. Also taxidermy up here is much more expensive than it is in the lower 48 for the most part.
Mr Hugh as far as the mount .we just have to wait and see what comes outta the woods..then ill go from there Thanks guys MikeC
MikeC GO HAWKS
The airlines generally allow you 2 (50#) bags at a reasonable price. The 3rd gets to $150. What I've done in the past for moose, bear, deer, and caribou is send my gear home via the USPS as it doesn't have to be there next day. This cost me about $90-$100. I then buy the wax fish shipping boxes. I debone the meat the best I can and fill the wax fish box with 50#s of meat. As Mixed said, I've never had trouble finding someplace to put the boxes in a freezer to get some cold on it. The meat doesn't have to be frozen solid to make it home in good shape. Most times the time from baggage check-in to home is less than 24 hours. I generally take 3 boxes home for about $300. That's 150#s of meat. Like I said above. I love the meat, but it just gets too expensive to bring it all home. What I've done with the rest of the moose meat is donate it to a local church and then take it as a charitable contribution on my taxes. Ground meat in Alaska is very expensive. Unless you really have to have your animal in the books you can split the rack and take in home as oversized baggage. The last trip I cut up, deboned, and put the caribou meat in the wax box just hours before boarding a plane in Prudhoe Bay. It arrived home in upstate NY in great shape and was excellent eating.
MikeC
You must love moose meat as it will be very expensive meat. Which, we all know that if we actually put the cost to the game meat we eat our wife wouldn't let us hunt! :)
Good luck to all! Moose are fun to hunt and eat!
