I have hunted moose in Alaska twice with out a guide. I can see were you can get into trouble very easy. If you do not READ the reg. for the area your hunt, it could be trouble, as they tend to change from area to area. Some people have no ideal as to what they are getting into. One moose is one hellve of lot work when your doing it on a back pack, 800 to 1000 pounds of work, plus bear, bugs and a few other things. The laws that are in place at this time are very clear, if the meat is left and they find it you go to jail and/or fines up to $5,000.00. I do not think a guide is nesaccary to hunt moose, but you dam well better read the laws and be ready for some hard work!! The real problem, as I see it for the first time hunter is, judging horn size. Where I was hunting they had to be 43 inches or better, that sounded big until I saw one 60 plus.
This all sounds like Ak guides vs. Ak drop camp service to me. A money thing!!
Be safe, have fun!
deadeye2