Are the draws worth the wait as a NR

[JosephBrown]

I see that alot of the "trophy" moose and caribou are coming out of draw areas, but I also see that there are still big bulls killed in the OTC areas. Are the draws areas worth the wait, especially if all you want is a good representation of the species and some meat? I mean I would love to shoot a 70" bull moose, but realistically that's most likely not going to happen

 

[Gary]

What "wait" are you referring to? You are just as apt to draw on your first application as on your 20th. No preference points here.
But to answer your question - some are and some aren't. A lot of draw areas are because there may be a limited population in the area and F&G is limiting hunting pressure. One of the most consistent trophy draw areas (for moose) would be the Koyukuk River. It comes with access issues should you get a tag - no plane access. Most caribou draws are because of road accessibility or limited populations in the draw area.

 

[JosephBrown]

Oh ok, I did not know that AK had no preference points. That makes sense on the accessibility though. How do people access it then, is it by floating?

 

[Gary]

Most Koyukuk hunters use boats. Put in on the Yukon (above Fairbanks) or on the Tanana and run it to the Koyukuk, then upriver to hunt. Its a long boat trip and expensive when you start buying fuel along the Yukon - you have to carry a lot with you to go up the Koyukuk, too. There may be boat rentals in Galena (used to be, at any rate), which would negate a long Yukon trip.
Floating (raft) would result in a looooong expedition. You'd have to put in above the no-fly zone and float through to the pick up area. I'm not sure but would expect that you're looking a at least 150 mile float, maybe 200. Logistics would be a mess. And you couldn't count on doing it (plus hunting) in 2 weeks.

 

[Bambistew]

There are a couple sorta trophy areas, but really no better odds for finding and killing a giant there as opposed to a researched OTC area. There are only so many big animals. I would argue that OTC areas are better than any draw areas, but I like that people think otherwise. haha

The Koyokuk is a complete goat rope of a hunt logistically, and offers no better chance than anywhere else. For half the headache you can hunt better places for the same price or much less, and not run into people on every bend of the river. YMMV. Watch Randy's moose hunt, and you'll get an idea of what you can expect. I was scathing my head when he said he drew and was planning this hunt. While cool adventure, its about the hardest logistically in the state, and most heavily hunted area.

Also note that Koyokuk area is "OTC" registration with antler destruction for residents. There is something like 40 draw permits issued to res/NR (allows you to keep antlers), and about 1000 Registration permits issued, which requires destruction (cut top palm off) but allows for any bull.

As far as other "trophy" draw areas, I'm not really aware of any. The biggest moose killed, year in year out, are all on OTC tags in remote areas in many areas of the state.

Most people couldn't tell the difference between a record book "trophy" caribou and a nice one.

If looking for a representative, don't waste your time with the drawings, unless you want to hunt a special place.