Alaska moose - OYOA style
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Randy I think hunts like these and the DIY is what makes your show so great. You do not make the typical or spin off hunt of sitting in a tree somewhere waiting for a whitetail to stroll by like the hundreds of hunting shows do. Dont get me wrong i love chasing whitetails but these guys keep making the same show over and over again. You show us unique oppotunnities to hunt on our own with a critter we may not get to see everyday. Showing us these very affordable opportunities is why i love this show. Thank you for what you do for the American Hunter.
PS this hunt soudns great I look forward to watching it.
PS this hunt soudns great I look forward to watching it.
Mapriceak
New member
Wow! I guess when you actually live in the Last Frontier it's easy to take it for granted. I would love to see a show like the one you're talking about. I believe it can be done but it would take a LOT of extensive research and planning. While it's true that we have a lot of public lands here, only a very small part of them are accessable by roads. Outfitters who operate bush planes or river boats charge fairly steep rates to get a hunter away from the road system and to where the critters are. The hunt would also need to be at least a two person hunt not only because of the sheer size of the Alaskan moose, but it's also never a good idea to venture into the Alaskan wilderness alone.
Spent most the day with the production company working on budgets and details of this hunt. I have the budget approved with two caveats:
1) Keep it under $4,500 per hunter, and
2) Get two great episodes from it.
Hope you guys like lots of info, 'cause that is part of what will make much of the two episodes that come from this.
Need to get cracking on this one.
1) Keep it under $4,500 per hunter, and
2) Get two great episodes from it.
Hope you guys like lots of info, 'cause that is part of what will make much of the two episodes that come from this.
Need to get cracking on this one.
the nikster
Well-known member
You should be able to accomplish both with a little bit of work. After following your hunts this fall, work is not the issue. It looks to me as if you are saving this years' luck for use on your Alaskan adventure. Best of luck to you-congratulations for lobbying successfully.
I did a fly-in, drop off caribou hunt with a buddy about 13 years ago. We went commercial air to Iliamna then super cub. Costs were consistent with what you are thinking. I would definitely watch two episodes - with caribou and moose you would have more than enough material for two shows.
Another suggestion - do a planning video. I would buy that in a flash.
Another suggestion - do a planning video. I would buy that in a flash.
uplander12ga
New member
Agree completely with this! Show the logistics/planning in it's entirety!
Big Sky
Well-known member
I didn't read all the comments so I hope I'm not repeating what somewhat else has said, but whether a person does an OYOA type hunt or not, some hunting is just plain expensive. Just boils down to how bad a person wants to go and do it. I've been able to hunt quite a few places from Alaska to Africa and from Canada to Texas, as well as many places in between. I'm not rich or even close to wealthy. It boils down to desire and priorities. With the exception of Cananda and Africa no guides were used. Those two countries required guides by law, so I had to play by their rules. So if you show an Alaskan moose hunt that is cheap by comparison to a guided hunt it would be great for those that seriously desire to make such a hunt. To me personally it is of very little interest. I'd likely be more interested in a Sitka blacktail or possibly even caribou, but thats just me. You'll never please everyone, but you would certainly give a leg up to those that want to try an Alaskan moose hunt on their own. Even if I personally don't have a burning desire to chase around a swamp donkey, that weighs as much as a draft horse or more, I would most definitely watch the show.
Blacktailbc
Well-known member
Nice. I like it. Can't wait to see the details.
I can see one thing for sure. Getting the meat from the field to home will be the most expensive part of this hunt. Not sure how to make that part of the budget.
Either the budget is going to get exceeded, or to stay under budget you need to do one of two things - 1) not shoot a moose, or 2) donate most the meat to some locals and take home what you can afford. I don't like either 1) or 2).
The other option is to drive, as Bambi suggested. That saves a ton on transport costs, but sure eats up a lot of the time with travel. If we drove, it is 5,022 round trip from Bozeman to Fairbanks. Could take a freezer and a generator with us to keep things cool on the way home.
If we do a fly in, it is going to cost close to $1,000 per moose to get that thing from the fly-in camp to the base we fly out of. Ouch.
My wife suggests we weigh the amount of meat we get home, put a value on it of $2.00 per pound and offset that value against the transport costs. She must be an accountant's wife.
When you start doing it this way, the more guys you can take, the better the cost per person. Think I need to charter a bus and drag a huge trailer up there and sell slots on the bus. Might get the travel and transport costs down to $1,000 per hunter if a dozen of us went in one group.
Either the budget is going to get exceeded, or to stay under budget you need to do one of two things - 1) not shoot a moose, or 2) donate most the meat to some locals and take home what you can afford. I don't like either 1) or 2).
The other option is to drive, as Bambi suggested. That saves a ton on transport costs, but sure eats up a lot of the time with travel. If we drove, it is 5,022 round trip from Bozeman to Fairbanks. Could take a freezer and a generator with us to keep things cool on the way home.
If we do a fly in, it is going to cost close to $1,000 per moose to get that thing from the fly-in camp to the base we fly out of. Ouch.
My wife suggests we weigh the amount of meat we get home, put a value on it of $2.00 per pound and offset that value against the transport costs. She must be an accountant's wife.
When you start doing it this way, the more guys you can take, the better the cost per person. Think I need to charter a bus and drag a huge trailer up there and sell slots on the bus. Might get the travel and transport costs down to $1,000 per hunter if a dozen of us went in one group.
npaden
Well-known member
I like the way she thinks, but you must not have priced any organic free range meat lately. Looking online buffalo hamburger from Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat Co. is $12/lb! Steaks are $25/lb+. Nebraskabison.com is having a black friday sale on their bison hamburger and it is $8/lb if you buy 20lbs or more.
I think you could easily value that moose meat at $5/lb and that would really help your transport budget! If you drove that bus with 12 guys and valued the meat at $10/lb you might even be able to make this a profitable venture!
Seriously, I think you could throw the transport costs out of the budget and just put it in there as a footnote or something. It only matters if you actually end up with a moose on the ground, and the value of the meat you take home will easily be worth the cost of transporting it back. If someone really doesn't want the meat they could donate it like you said. I'm sure plenty of folks would accept that donation. Heck, I'll pay the cost of transporting it and you can send it all to me!
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Bambistew
Well-known member
Meat transpo is going to be spendy no doubt, butt check into Alaska Air cargo, its usually about 1/4 the price of UPS or FedEx. Just did a quick quote on Alaska Air for 1000lbs... $725 from Anchorage to Bozeman. A moose should run you about 450-475lbs of boned meat, caribou about 135-150...
IMO the hardest part of dealing with the meat is processing/packaging and getting it frozen for the ride. Most of the air cargo places have big freezers.
Check with D&C Expiditers here in Anchorage for getting antlers/capes home. Very reasonable, he ships a container of racks/capes to Butte and they crate and distribute from there. I think he gets $200 or something for a rack/cape to transport to Butte, then they charge from there on for shipping. Its about half the price or less than crating/shipping everything from here. For a little more he'll flesh/salt your capes. Super nice guy to deal with.
Good luck with your trip. I know you said you have family and friends up here, but if you need any help let me know.
IMO the hardest part of dealing with the meat is processing/packaging and getting it frozen for the ride. Most of the air cargo places have big freezers.
Check with D&C Expiditers here in Anchorage for getting antlers/capes home. Very reasonable, he ships a container of racks/capes to Butte and they crate and distribute from there. I think he gets $200 or something for a rack/cape to transport to Butte, then they charge from there on for shipping. Its about half the price or less than crating/shipping everything from here. For a little more he'll flesh/salt your capes. Super nice guy to deal with.
Good luck with your trip. I know you said you have family and friends up here, but if you need any help let me know.
rmyoung1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2010
- Messages
- 2,330
The other thing you can deduct is the difference of the average out-of-state moose license in the lower 48 vs. the alaska non-resident moose license.
AkBearHunter
Member
If your interested, I know a guy that comes up to Alaska with his semi every year, does his hunt then picks up meat/antlers from other hunters and transports it to the lower 48 in a refer. If your in Montana it would be a breeze for him to drop your meat off. He is fully licensed and has all the permits to transport meat/antlers through Canada. Let me know if I can help. HunterI can see one thing for sure. Getting the meat from the field to home will be the most expensive part of this hunt. Not sure how to make that part of the budget.
Either the budget is going to get exceeded, or to stay under budget you need to do one of two things - 1) not shoot a moose, or 2) donate most the meat to some locals and take home what you can afford. I don't like either 1) or 2).
The other option is to drive, as Bambi suggested. That saves a ton on transport costs, but sure eats up a lot of the time with travel. If we drove, it is 5,022 round trip from Bozeman to Fairbanks. Could take a freezer and a generator with us to keep things cool on the way home.
If we do a fly in, it is going to cost close to $1,000 per moose to get that thing from the fly-in camp to the base we fly out of. Ouch.
My wife suggests we weigh the amount of meat we get home, put a value on it of $2.00 per pound and offset that value against the transport costs. She must be an accountant's wife.
When you start doing it this way, the more guys you can take, the better the cost per person. Think I need to charter a bus and drag a huge trailer up there and sell slots on the bus. Might get the travel and transport costs down to $1,000 per hunter if a dozen of us went in one group.
Here is where the research is leading me so far, and I have to make some decisions soon, as this is getting near the deadline if we are to hunt any of the draw areas. And, the transporter I might use for a fly-in hunt wants to know by the end of the month and have my deposit.
There are three options:
The flights to AK are around $500. Then flights out of Fairbanks to either the air or water transporter are betwen $300 and $500.
Licenses and tags are around $500, depending upon if you want fishing, and some other tags for critters you might encounter along the way.
Right there gets me to just to $4,000 - $5,000 target I was hoping for, but does not account for the cost to get meat and antlers home. That might break the bank.
I am leaning towards option #1 for many reasons.
First, if you go to Alaska, you want the best chance at a great moose. This might be your one and only chance, so do you want to spend and extra $1.500 and be in the areas with the best chance for an older aged bull, or do you want to save the $1,500 and know your odds are less?
Second, before my Grandfather passed away, we had talked about going into these areas someday, though I knew he was too old to do it. He had installed some fuel tank farms in this area and he always talked about the moose hunting to be had. It is a personal dream of mine to go there and hunt that place.
Third, I like the idea of the mobility you have when the transporter leaves you a jet boat. I think a fly-in hunt would be cool, but having hunted moose before, I know there are no sure bets that moose will be where you want them to be. If there are not moose near the landing site, I don't want to have to hunt four miles away. Not because I am too lazy to walk four miles each way, but I am smart enough to NOT shoot a moose four miles away. I think Bambi posted a story about packing a moose pretty far, and he can attest to the wisdom of hunting moose closer to your pick up location.
Fourth, I want to shoot a mature moose. With most units requiring a 50" minimum for non-residents, if you do shoot one, he is probably going to be a mature bull. I don't need a record book bull, or anything even close. But, if you go this far, you want to know the moose population is in good shape from an age class standpoint and you will most likely see a bull that is a good mature animal.
I think we are close to staying within the budget. Might go over for some unexpected and incidentals. But, I want to do this right. Just like the AK black bear, I think a lot of guys will contact us and seek more information. I don't want to set up false expectations of what it can be like. I want to show how it can be done with a great likelihood of success; tell people how much it cost; and if they decide to try something less expensive with lower odds of success then they can do that.
I have probably put 30 hours of work into research to this point, and have not even booked a transporter or applied for a tag at this time. That doesn't include the benefit of having been to Alaska many times, hunted moose before, and having researched other places with my family members who live there. Without that benefit, I would probably have even more invested in research to get to this point.
I need to keep good notes of what I am doing for the research, so I can provide that as part of the episode. We are talking about doing a web-only episode for the planning and logistics part, as it will be impossible to fit all of that into two TV episodes, along with the hunt itself.
There are three options:
1. A draw hunt in a very remote area, with a water transporter who will boat us to moose areas and leave us with a jet boat. For two hunters and a camera guy, it is $2,800 per person for everything. Boat rental, transport, gas, etc. The price is the same if he has to haul out one moose, two moose, or no moose. No weight restrictions, as his boat can haul 6,000#.
The draw odds are tough to good, depending on the unit you apply for. The success rates are off the charts. An Alaska Hunt Talker told me of this guy, and after more research from other people who have used him, he seems like the guy to use.
2. Hunt an over the counter unit with an air-based transporter. The cost is $1,800 per person, for both hunters and for the camera guy. It is $900 per moose that would have to be flown out. The weight limit is 50# per person, and another flight can be made to bring in more gear at a cost of $1,800.
Once they drop you off, you hunt by foot. They have great success. If for some reason there are no moose around, they will move you, but it costs a lot of money.
3. Drive up and hunt from trailheads. That will be by far the least expensive possiblity. I have some insider help that will probably give me a better chance of success than most guys who don't have family in Alaska. Not sure that is a proper depiction of what most guys can expect if they do that, as the benefit of family knowing a lot of the better areas helps me a ton.
I am thinking this entire trip could be done for $3,500 per person. And if you drove, even less, but would cost you a week of vacation for travel too and from. But, if you had a freezer in your cargo trailer, could get everything back to the states at no additional cost.
The draw odds are tough to good, depending on the unit you apply for. The success rates are off the charts. An Alaska Hunt Talker told me of this guy, and after more research from other people who have used him, he seems like the guy to use.
2. Hunt an over the counter unit with an air-based transporter. The cost is $1,800 per person, for both hunters and for the camera guy. It is $900 per moose that would have to be flown out. The weight limit is 50# per person, and another flight can be made to bring in more gear at a cost of $1,800.
Once they drop you off, you hunt by foot. They have great success. If for some reason there are no moose around, they will move you, but it costs a lot of money.
3. Drive up and hunt from trailheads. That will be by far the least expensive possiblity. I have some insider help that will probably give me a better chance of success than most guys who don't have family in Alaska. Not sure that is a proper depiction of what most guys can expect if they do that, as the benefit of family knowing a lot of the better areas helps me a ton.
I am thinking this entire trip could be done for $3,500 per person. And if you drove, even less, but would cost you a week of vacation for travel too and from. But, if you had a freezer in your cargo trailer, could get everything back to the states at no additional cost.
The flights to AK are around $500. Then flights out of Fairbanks to either the air or water transporter are betwen $300 and $500.
Licenses and tags are around $500, depending upon if you want fishing, and some other tags for critters you might encounter along the way.
Right there gets me to just to $4,000 - $5,000 target I was hoping for, but does not account for the cost to get meat and antlers home. That might break the bank.
I am leaning towards option #1 for many reasons.
First, if you go to Alaska, you want the best chance at a great moose. This might be your one and only chance, so do you want to spend and extra $1.500 and be in the areas with the best chance for an older aged bull, or do you want to save the $1,500 and know your odds are less?
Second, before my Grandfather passed away, we had talked about going into these areas someday, though I knew he was too old to do it. He had installed some fuel tank farms in this area and he always talked about the moose hunting to be had. It is a personal dream of mine to go there and hunt that place.
Third, I like the idea of the mobility you have when the transporter leaves you a jet boat. I think a fly-in hunt would be cool, but having hunted moose before, I know there are no sure bets that moose will be where you want them to be. If there are not moose near the landing site, I don't want to have to hunt four miles away. Not because I am too lazy to walk four miles each way, but I am smart enough to NOT shoot a moose four miles away. I think Bambi posted a story about packing a moose pretty far, and he can attest to the wisdom of hunting moose closer to your pick up location.
Fourth, I want to shoot a mature moose. With most units requiring a 50" minimum for non-residents, if you do shoot one, he is probably going to be a mature bull. I don't need a record book bull, or anything even close. But, if you go this far, you want to know the moose population is in good shape from an age class standpoint and you will most likely see a bull that is a good mature animal.
I think we are close to staying within the budget. Might go over for some unexpected and incidentals. But, I want to do this right. Just like the AK black bear, I think a lot of guys will contact us and seek more information. I don't want to set up false expectations of what it can be like. I want to show how it can be done with a great likelihood of success; tell people how much it cost; and if they decide to try something less expensive with lower odds of success then they can do that.
I have probably put 30 hours of work into research to this point, and have not even booked a transporter or applied for a tag at this time. That doesn't include the benefit of having been to Alaska many times, hunted moose before, and having researched other places with my family members who live there. Without that benefit, I would probably have even more invested in research to get to this point.
I need to keep good notes of what I am doing for the research, so I can provide that as part of the episode. We are talking about doing a web-only episode for the planning and logistics part, as it will be impossible to fit all of that into two TV episodes, along with the hunt itself.
Calvin
New member
Spill the beans Fin.. Where ya going? And.. can I come? haha
I think you have already been there and done that.
Don't want the beans spilled until after the draw results are posted. Too many lurkers might jump in on the draws and mess up my drawing plans. After that, my books will be opened.
Calvin
New member
I think you have already been there and done that.
Don't want the beans spilled until after the draw results are posted. Too many lurkers might jump in on the draws and mess up my drawing plans. After that, my books will be opened.
That's awesome. I had a feeling that's where you were heading.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Fin,
All that sounds good.
The only thing I hate about hunting Alaska is the logistics, its just always a major production.
A few things I'd also take into consideration when on a moose hunt is that if you go with another person, it should be well understood before hand that only 1 person will likely kill a moose if you're on hunt of 7-10 days. Not saying that 2 people couldnt both kill bulls, it can happen and could have happened really easy on the hunt I did. But, realistically, when you hunt an area you've never been to before, you spend a few days learning the country. Most people believe that Alaska is like the serengeti, with animals all over. Thats simply not true, game densities are really low from what I've seen. Then once you shoot one, its likely a 2 day deal getting them to your boat, etc. Days go away really fast on those hunts. I think to be assured success for 2 hunters...you're looking at doing this type of hunt twice...which isnt necessarily a bad thing.
Like you say, another thing is that most people dont realize is the cost. I constantly have guys at work tell me about how they can do a fly-in caribou or moose hunt for $1500. I used to just say you better do it then...now I tell them their plumb full of crap. You have at least 1k in just getting to Anchorage and having a tag in your pocket.
I totalled up the hunt I did with my buddy in AK, who is a resident and had a jet boat we used...just under 2k. Thats all the fuel, food, flights, tags, shipping some stuff home, motel in Fairbanks for 2 nights, etc.
I just dont see any possible way to do it any cheaper...and flat impossible unless you know someone with a truck and jet boat that lives there.
If you can stay in budget at 4-5K, thats doing things about as cheaply as you can for the type of hunt you're doing, IMO.
As much as I hate to say it...I can see why they're getting 12K+ for some of the better guided moose hunts there. I dont think moose guides are getting rich off their hunters.
All that sounds good.
The only thing I hate about hunting Alaska is the logistics, its just always a major production.
A few things I'd also take into consideration when on a moose hunt is that if you go with another person, it should be well understood before hand that only 1 person will likely kill a moose if you're on hunt of 7-10 days. Not saying that 2 people couldnt both kill bulls, it can happen and could have happened really easy on the hunt I did. But, realistically, when you hunt an area you've never been to before, you spend a few days learning the country. Most people believe that Alaska is like the serengeti, with animals all over. Thats simply not true, game densities are really low from what I've seen. Then once you shoot one, its likely a 2 day deal getting them to your boat, etc. Days go away really fast on those hunts. I think to be assured success for 2 hunters...you're looking at doing this type of hunt twice...which isnt necessarily a bad thing.
Like you say, another thing is that most people dont realize is the cost. I constantly have guys at work tell me about how they can do a fly-in caribou or moose hunt for $1500. I used to just say you better do it then...now I tell them their plumb full of crap. You have at least 1k in just getting to Anchorage and having a tag in your pocket.
I totalled up the hunt I did with my buddy in AK, who is a resident and had a jet boat we used...just under 2k. Thats all the fuel, food, flights, tags, shipping some stuff home, motel in Fairbanks for 2 nights, etc.
I just dont see any possible way to do it any cheaper...and flat impossible unless you know someone with a truck and jet boat that lives there.
If you can stay in budget at 4-5K, thats doing things about as cheaply as you can for the type of hunt you're doing, IMO.
As much as I hate to say it...I can see why they're getting 12K+ for some of the better guided moose hunts there. I dont think moose guides are getting rich off their hunters.
