Planning 2004 Moose hunt.

[wak'm&stak'm]

I and a few others are wanting to plan a moose hunt in 2004,I have heard many disappointed hunters stories, and some who had great hunts.

What I am looking for is the best chances at a nice bull. A BC hunt doable from OR. would be great but Alaska is not out of the question either. It is the hunt that is more important than distance or cost.

If any of you happen to have a forvite guide that could use a few new clients please let me know, I would appreciate it.

We are not relly interested in Hot tubs, lobster dinners and such......beans, an all day hike and a nice bull sounds just fine.

Thanks Dan

[skein]

Wak,

I hunted with a pretty good outfitter up at Babine Lake in BC, but it's been a few years ago. I'm not even sure the same guides are still there, but if so, they were pretty good.

It was a nice camp with a log bunkhouse, and another for a cook shack. Food was good but simple, and the accomdations were the same.

They cater to a wide variety of hunters, so you have to tell them what you want. They hunted from 4-wheelers a lot, and I finally told my guide that I didn't mind walking and would like to do a hunt on foot. That's when I got my moose. It felt good to slip through the woods, find the bull, decide I would take it, and then make the shot. Pretty fair-chase in my book and that's just what I wanted.

I grew up in Alaska and have shot many moose, but I hadn't shot one since I moved to Oregon (about 20 years before this hunt). I shot it with the 300 H&H Sako my dad had given me when I was 14. It was a real walk down memory lane. :smile:

I'll look up the guide's info and email it to you. I would recommend him, but like I said, things may have changed and I don't know what the camp is like now.

Skein

[wak'm&stak'm]

Thanks Skein, I look forward to learning more.

I know many are hooked on selling the experience, and pampering their clients... I want to kill something :smile: , even if I sleep in the rain :smile:

Thanks

[McBaine]

I did a moose hunt just last year that I won from work. :grin: I ended up going to central BC, just west of Williams Lake. I had a great time, for it was the first time I ever hunted off horse back. The size of the moose where I went averaged between 28 to 40 inches. The other guy who was there got a 48 inch bull. I would say that is a big bull for there. But if your truly looking for a trophy, goto Alaska. Give Bob Adams a call, he can set you up. He's hunt is a true adventure hunt. Hehe. If you want contact information PM me. I know Rick Young of Northwest Hunter TV, and that's who he recommended for big Yukon Moose.

[Reel Crazy]

Did a DIY float trip in AK in '98. Probably the biggest adventure of my life. 4 of us shot 2 moose and 8 caribou. My brother hunted with Dave Dixon in the Yukon in '01 and had a great hunt. That one costs a few bucks though. 3 in camp and 3 good bulls. My brother's is top 5 muzzleloader. E-mail for more info.

[wak'm&stak'm]

Thanks, you got mail :smile:

[Norm]

I hunted twice out of Manning Alberta. The first hunt we did not connect. On the second trip we each took small bulls in the mid 30's. The bigest factor seemed to be the weather. If it was clear and cold, the bulls were more receptive to calling. The weeks of Sept 15->30th seemed to be the hot weeks in that area. It's a 23 hour road trip each way from PDX to manning, and another 8 hours into most camps. You can also fly into Manning and have the guides pick you up. There are several outfitters in the area, if you want more info on who I used, PM me. I had both good and bad experiances.

Here is a few tips on selecting a outfitter for moose based on my experiance.

1. In BC the tags are issued to the outfitter so some(but not all) guides tend to overbook. In AB the tag is issed to the individual hunter.

2. Make sure you get a guide that has either a boat or argo at their disposal for you and your partner. Some outfitters transport huners to the hunting areas in groups . You need to be very mobile and cover lot's of ground for moose. We travled 5-6 hours a day in the argo, the moose love the swamps.

3. Make sure they give you a large area thats exclusivley yours to hunt while you are there. Spike camps should have 4-6 hunters max.

4. Make sure you get a experianced guide. Some outfitters train the guides for as little as a week and then turn them loose :shocked: .

5. Bring a GPS and know how to use it. Also bring a couple of mesquito nets and survival gear. Don't rely on just on your guide for your survival, you will be in very remote country.

6. Bring a good "bolt" action rifle and a softcase. We used 30-06 with 180g noslers wich were fine. The guides were mostly using .338's.

[Grantspastor]

A DIY hunt is not that difficult. This could either be a fly-in drop off hunt..or I have done Alaskan float trip hunts. I think of the two, that a fly-in drop off hunt would involve less expense and preparation, but would also give you access to less area. Be careful about arranging such hunts from Lake Hood in Anchorage. There are better ways to do it. The best way to hunt moose is during the rut. They can be called in with a coffee can/shoestring call. This usually means after September 15th. Game management unit 16 (West side Cook Inlet) has or had good numbers of moose, and could be hunted by non-resident DIY hunters. The problem is access. I floated Lake Creek from Chulatna Lake to Yentna River. It was fantastic country but the white water was significant. There is one 50 mile stretch of whitewater with at least 2 class 4 rapids. I liked the trip but won't do it again for moose. I have also successfully hunted moose in GMU 13 using a commercial boat operator out of Talkeetna. I killed my best bull here (68")and did well year after year. It might not be currently possible to hunt that unit late as a non-resident. If money is no object, my brother used to hunt out of Candle Alaska by boat and they did really well including one 76" moose that made the record book. When I arrange such hunts or fishing float trips I use air charter services out of Talkeetna or Illiamna. Flying out of Lake Hood in Anchorage is too expensive, and many of those guys will just drop you off somehwere marginal, take your money and not lose any sleep over it.

I would be glad to provide names of services that have done well for me, and instructions on how to make and use the moose call

[wak'm&stak'm]

Thanks so much good info and this week I will sit down and put my mind to it,,,,, Thanks I am sure I wil have more questions...