Summitthunting
Well-known member
Lookin forward to the story, have been patiently waiting for this post.
Alaska moose - OYOA style
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Wyodeerhunter
Banned
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2002
- Messages
- 2,150
How many times did you throw your hat?
pseshooter300
Member
Good luck
the nikster
Well-known member
I can see Randy shaking his head and pursing his lips as his head points earthword and his eyes look sideways in exasperation....
passinthru
Active member
Just keep thinking " therapy for your soul"
Thats why we do this. Much more to it than whackin and stackin.
Although, it is fun to whack one now and again.
Glad you guys made it out.
Thats why we do this. Much more to it than whackin and stackin.
Although, it is fun to whack one now and again.
Glad you guys made it out.
Calvin
New member
Looking forward to hearing about it Randy.
Damn, have I made that my trademark reaction when things just don't go the way I had hoped?
There are plenty of these types of moments in that episode.
Actually none, but plenty of times I had thought about it. Probably wanted to keep my head dry. I did have it blow off while running the boat up the river. Was able to retrieve.
By the end of the hunt, my hat was so smokey, wet, and greasy, I am not sure I could have peeled it off my scalp to throw it. I dared not get too close to the fire, for fear my hat would self-ignite from all the oil, boat gas, diesel fuel, and other debris it acquired in ten days.
Sitting in Anchorage right now, with a two hour lay over. Will give some points I learned that I will not do again when I go next year. Hopefully none of you will have to learn these same mistakes. Some serious, some humorous.
1. Don't hunt in the middle of the season. Go early and shoot the stupid ones on the sandbars (the tactic by which accounted for all moose we saw taken), or go late when the big boys might be closer to rutting (I assume this is best). We had twelve boats camped within a few miles of us from the 15th until leaving. We did not hear of a moose shot after the 12th. Not sure how it turned out these last few days, but given our encounters all happened the last two days, I suspect things turned around. Seemed to be getting better by the day.
2. Don't go to a unit that the biologist says could be "hit or miss, depending upon the phase of the rut and movement of moose toward traditional breeding/rutting areas." If you go on a hunt like this, go on one that is closer to a sure bet. This unit had 32% success last year, but is known for the occasional whopper. It was easier to draw, so I was willing to take the chance.
3. Don't choose a unit where success is predicated on transient moose populations when you have four guys and a boat load of production gear, as it very much limits your mobility and options to travel far distances to where these transient moose are located. The biologist told me where to go, in the event that the moose were not showing up, but taking four guys, all the TV gear, enough fuel, and spike camp gear for rain-soaked camp is not feasible when you are talking about going 100 miles upriver in a small jet boat, then the logistics of getting that moose back to base camp.
4. Don't expect all of your cameras to survive ten days in Alaska, with much of that wading swamps, sloughs, and half the days being torrential rain. Bring at least three big cameras.
5. Don't expect your transporter to be able to show up based on agreed upon dates. Everything in the AK bush is a fluid situation that requires some flexibility and adaptability. If other hunters have moose that need to be brought to storage, they will get priority (as they should), leaving you in camp a day or two more than planned. Note to self - Be the guy who shoots the moose that need transported, then you will stay at the top of the transporter's priority list.
6. Don't forget your good gun cleaning kit at home.
7. Don't leave your tool kit at home, as you will need it, and transporters purposely leave you very little in the form of tools, given their fear that hunters will do more damage than repair if left a large option of tools.
8(a). Do not use a boat with a Mercury Marine motor, no matter how new. Maybe it was because I have always owned Yamaha motors and it is the folks at Brunswick Marine getting even with me for not buying their products.
8(b). When you have to hand start the 90hp motor with P-cord and a screwdriver due to a starter not engaging, do NOT smash bare knuckles on the motor block while pulling. Large amounts of skin will remain attached to motor and ensuing language will need to be edited from the TV show.
8(c). When using a Mercury two-stroke, do NOT leave home without many spare 40 amp overload fuses - the two on the right side that have a tendency to fail when you have wet weather and they do not reset for twelve hours rather than the ten minutes as designed. Failure to bring those will cause your motor to be tilted completely out of the water while greasing the jet unit and unable to lower back into the water without overriding the hydraulic cylinder that provides auto tilt/trim. You will also find that such fuses are what cause starters not to engage when you most need to reach the sound of those moose calls you just heard, resulting in hastily opening the cowling, unbolting the flywheel cover, then hand cranking, which then leaves ample DNA samples of your skin on the motor block. If there is anyone on this board who works for Brunswick Marine, do not tell me, as you will be black balled from this site.
9. Don't schedule your airline tickets too close to your expected return to civilization date. In Alaska, something will mess up your time schedule, at least half the time. Failure to get your camera guy back civilization in time to meet his darling for a long-planned vacation does nothing to endear yourself to him and his girl, especially when he had already been in AK for two weeks of filming prior to this hunt.
10. Don't try to film a moose hunt under these conditions. It adds a level of complication and effort that is hard to convey on film and only those who participated will realize what compromises you make in doing so. That being said, I will violate this rule when I return next year.
Plenty more mistakes I made, but right now, I will keep it to ten. Will add some more when I start scribing the daily events from my journal.
1. Don't hunt in the middle of the season. Go early and shoot the stupid ones on the sandbars (the tactic by which accounted for all moose we saw taken), or go late when the big boys might be closer to rutting (I assume this is best). We had twelve boats camped within a few miles of us from the 15th until leaving. We did not hear of a moose shot after the 12th. Not sure how it turned out these last few days, but given our encounters all happened the last two days, I suspect things turned around. Seemed to be getting better by the day.
2. Don't go to a unit that the biologist says could be "hit or miss, depending upon the phase of the rut and movement of moose toward traditional breeding/rutting areas." If you go on a hunt like this, go on one that is closer to a sure bet. This unit had 32% success last year, but is known for the occasional whopper. It was easier to draw, so I was willing to take the chance.
3. Don't choose a unit where success is predicated on transient moose populations when you have four guys and a boat load of production gear, as it very much limits your mobility and options to travel far distances to where these transient moose are located. The biologist told me where to go, in the event that the moose were not showing up, but taking four guys, all the TV gear, enough fuel, and spike camp gear for rain-soaked camp is not feasible when you are talking about going 100 miles upriver in a small jet boat, then the logistics of getting that moose back to base camp.
4. Don't expect all of your cameras to survive ten days in Alaska, with much of that wading swamps, sloughs, and half the days being torrential rain. Bring at least three big cameras.
5. Don't expect your transporter to be able to show up based on agreed upon dates. Everything in the AK bush is a fluid situation that requires some flexibility and adaptability. If other hunters have moose that need to be brought to storage, they will get priority (as they should), leaving you in camp a day or two more than planned. Note to self - Be the guy who shoots the moose that need transported, then you will stay at the top of the transporter's priority list.
6. Don't forget your good gun cleaning kit at home.
7. Don't leave your tool kit at home, as you will need it, and transporters purposely leave you very little in the form of tools, given their fear that hunters will do more damage than repair if left a large option of tools.
8(a). Do not use a boat with a Mercury Marine motor, no matter how new. Maybe it was because I have always owned Yamaha motors and it is the folks at Brunswick Marine getting even with me for not buying their products.
8(b). When you have to hand start the 90hp motor with P-cord and a screwdriver due to a starter not engaging, do NOT smash bare knuckles on the motor block while pulling. Large amounts of skin will remain attached to motor and ensuing language will need to be edited from the TV show.
8(c). When using a Mercury two-stroke, do NOT leave home without many spare 40 amp overload fuses - the two on the right side that have a tendency to fail when you have wet weather and they do not reset for twelve hours rather than the ten minutes as designed. Failure to bring those will cause your motor to be tilted completely out of the water while greasing the jet unit and unable to lower back into the water without overriding the hydraulic cylinder that provides auto tilt/trim. You will also find that such fuses are what cause starters not to engage when you most need to reach the sound of those moose calls you just heard, resulting in hastily opening the cowling, unbolting the flywheel cover, then hand cranking, which then leaves ample DNA samples of your skin on the motor block. If there is anyone on this board who works for Brunswick Marine, do not tell me, as you will be black balled from this site.
9. Don't schedule your airline tickets too close to your expected return to civilization date. In Alaska, something will mess up your time schedule, at least half the time. Failure to get your camera guy back civilization in time to meet his darling for a long-planned vacation does nothing to endear yourself to him and his girl, especially when he had already been in AK for two weeks of filming prior to this hunt.
10. Don't try to film a moose hunt under these conditions. It adds a level of complication and effort that is hard to convey on film and only those who participated will realize what compromises you make in doing so. That being said, I will violate this rule when I return next year.
Plenty more mistakes I made, but right now, I will keep it to ten. Will add some more when I start scribing the daily events from my journal.
Now for the things we did right and are things I will do the same when we go next year.
1. Hire a transporter who lives and works in the area you are hunting. He will know everything important to your hunt. He will know all the locals. He will be able to get you there and back with the least amount of problems. In spite of my earlier comments on the Mercury motors, there is nothing he could do about that, and when called on the sat phone, he spent significant time helping me solve those issues. Sometimes things just go that way. A good transporter will help you get the problem solved, as he did. A bad transporter will not answer his phone or will imply that you are "On Your Own."
2. Bring Hilleberg tents, or something of similar two-tent structure to keep you dry during periods of torrents.
3. Bring a great hunting partner who will make you laugh hysterically, regardless of how slow the hunting is.
4. Bring good Gore-tex waders, rather than hip boots. Hippers are good, but tend to get wet inside when raining a lot. They also catch all the leaves, limbs, and other debris that you knock off trees while walking the miles of sloughs and oxbows.
5. Bring really good rain gear, even if you luck out and end up not needing it. Saw a few guys out there who looked very miserable. They were surely not Alaskans, as those guys were easy to spot, seeming completely comfortable regardless of conditions.
6. Bring a shotgun to ground sloosh those grouse sitting on the sandbars. Also bring a marinade, as that can even make spruce grouse taste good.
7. Bring diesel fuel for fire starter. When it rains hard for days on end, it is the quickest way to get things "fired up."
8. Tarps - you can never have too many tarps, whether for camp canopies, covering meat, protecting gear, vapor barriers under your tent, etc.
9. Bring a sat phone. If traveling with young guys who are engaged to young women, make sure you have lots of minutes.
10. Ship stuff in advance. Alaska companies are the best in the world at shipping stuff, and lots of it. They know how to do it and do it well. It will get there before you, in one piece, and be cheaper than trying to bring on a plane.
Those are ten that will due for now.
In summary, it was a great adventure. I have spoke to enough locals, the biologist, troopers, and others who hunt the general area, that I have now found spots when I can be assured of a tag most any/every year. And, will be able to go to school on the learning from this trip.
I will use the same transporter. I will bring most the same gear, maybe adding a few things, such as a chain saw, maybe a portable stove for drying gear, and leave a few thing behind that I did not need. I will go the last week of season. I will apply in units that are more "filmable." I will have a ton of fun, just as we did on this hunt. Just hope next time I have to learn the ropes of getting a moose transported to the lower 48.
1. Hire a transporter who lives and works in the area you are hunting. He will know everything important to your hunt. He will know all the locals. He will be able to get you there and back with the least amount of problems. In spite of my earlier comments on the Mercury motors, there is nothing he could do about that, and when called on the sat phone, he spent significant time helping me solve those issues. Sometimes things just go that way. A good transporter will help you get the problem solved, as he did. A bad transporter will not answer his phone or will imply that you are "On Your Own."
2. Bring Hilleberg tents, or something of similar two-tent structure to keep you dry during periods of torrents.
3. Bring a great hunting partner who will make you laugh hysterically, regardless of how slow the hunting is.
4. Bring good Gore-tex waders, rather than hip boots. Hippers are good, but tend to get wet inside when raining a lot. They also catch all the leaves, limbs, and other debris that you knock off trees while walking the miles of sloughs and oxbows.
5. Bring really good rain gear, even if you luck out and end up not needing it. Saw a few guys out there who looked very miserable. They were surely not Alaskans, as those guys were easy to spot, seeming completely comfortable regardless of conditions.
6. Bring a shotgun to ground sloosh those grouse sitting on the sandbars. Also bring a marinade, as that can even make spruce grouse taste good.
7. Bring diesel fuel for fire starter. When it rains hard for days on end, it is the quickest way to get things "fired up."
8. Tarps - you can never have too many tarps, whether for camp canopies, covering meat, protecting gear, vapor barriers under your tent, etc.
9. Bring a sat phone. If traveling with young guys who are engaged to young women, make sure you have lots of minutes.
10. Ship stuff in advance. Alaska companies are the best in the world at shipping stuff, and lots of it. They know how to do it and do it well. It will get there before you, in one piece, and be cheaper than trying to bring on a plane.
Those are ten that will due for now.
In summary, it was a great adventure. I have spoke to enough locals, the biologist, troopers, and others who hunt the general area, that I have now found spots when I can be assured of a tag most any/every year. And, will be able to go to school on the learning from this trip.
I will use the same transporter. I will bring most the same gear, maybe adding a few things, such as a chain saw, maybe a portable stove for drying gear, and leave a few thing behind that I did not need. I will go the last week of season. I will apply in units that are more "filmable." I will have a ton of fun, just as we did on this hunt. Just hope next time I have to learn the ropes of getting a moose transported to the lower 48.
idnative1948
Well-known member
Wow! Just wow!
mdunc8
Well-known member
Too bad you guys didn't get to put your hands on a moose, but I'm sure it was a great trip nonetheless. Thanks for all the suggestions. I especially agree with rule #7 on the what to do list. A little diesel fuel mixed with saw dust is amazing stuff.
Joe Hulburt
Well-known member
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Joe Hulburt
Well-known member
Wow! Sounds like a heck of an adventure! Thanks for all the insight.
BiggWimm
New member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2009
- Messages
- 635
Sorry to hear about your problems with the Mercury. That is all I have run for years without a problem.
bow hunter
New member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2009
- Messages
- 199
funny you posted this. i was just talking to my wife that someday id like to do an alaskan moose hunt. id love to see an episode on this to better have an idea of what im looking at as far as logistics. ive read quite a few articles on alaskan moose hunts but ive never seen anything that was d.i.y. except for the show that had the 2 brothers out there for 30 days or so. i hope you will do it randy!
ashersdad
Well-known member
As usual, your positive attitude speaks volumes! Nice job on giving it your all. You'll get him next year.
stillkickin
Well-known member
Welcome back Randy and crew! I am thinking the Holiday Inn Express will be a worthy expense on the next OYOA adventure.
As far as Mercury marine goes:
8(a). Do not use a boat with a Mercury Marine motor, no matter how new. Maybe it was because I have always owned Yamaha motors and it is the folks at Brunswick Marine getting even with me for not buying their products.
I have had the same level of failure on way too many off shore fishing trips, so, I always ask if the anchor is on the front or back of any boat prior to committing!
Anyway great to have you all back safely!
As far as Mercury marine goes:
8(a). Do not use a boat with a Mercury Marine motor, no matter how new. Maybe it was because I have always owned Yamaha motors and it is the folks at Brunswick Marine getting even with me for not buying their products.
I have had the same level of failure on way too many off shore fishing trips, so, I always ask if the anchor is on the front or back of any boat prior to committing!
Anyway great to have you all back safely!
FishN4Eyes
Well-known member
Sorry to hear you didn't drill a moose.
Some of my favorite shows have been ones in which you were unsuccessful as you always put forth supreme effort with a great attitude and I think that reflects favorably on yourself and your crew.
And it also gives you a damn good reason to go back to AK next year!
Some of my favorite shows have been ones in which you were unsuccessful as you always put forth supreme effort with a great attitude and I think that reflects favorably on yourself and your crew.
And it also gives you a damn good reason to go back to AK next year!
