2018 DIY Alaskan moose hunt

[Tjv28]

This trip was something I had been dreaming of and planning for years. I turned 40 this summer and had convinced one of my best friends to come along with me on the trip of a lifetime (one of many hopefully).  As the days leading up to the trip became fewer and fewer I was boiling with anticipation. We arrived in Bethel on September 5th and would fly out the next day. Looking at our gear in the hanger I hoped and prayed we would have everything we needed for 12 nights in the tundra. After a short weather delay we were airborne in a 1955 beaver. The flight was incredible. We saw 70+ moose, with over 40 of those being bulls. They were everywhere... standing out in the open, bedded in the willows, even standing in the middle of some of the lakes. We landed and unloaded our gear and said farewell to our pilot. We were actually here! Our camp was situated on a bluff about 30 feet above the lake. The location was on the border of the spruce forests and the open tundra of the Yukon delta. We could literally be in the woods 50 yards behind camp or the open tundra 50 yards in the other direction.

The next morning we were up early and ready to go. Everyone told us to stay close to camp and call. We took turns climbing a tree and glassing while the other guy would call and rake brush. In the evening we took a 20 minute hike up to a nice glassing spot. What an amazing place. We could see miles in almost every direction.  Right at 9pm I spotted a big bull over a mile away. This would prove to be an unfortunate event for us because we spent the next 3 days glassing and calling out towards the tundra instead of in the woods behind camp where the majority of the animals ended up being. On day two we were at the glassing spot at first light. After some cow calling we saw a bull about 1/4 mile away. He looked pretty small after seeing the giant from the night before, but was probably a 40” bull. After some more calling we heard a pack of wolves responding to my cow calls! We both had wolf tags and decided to leave the bull behind and go after the them. Bad idea. They probably saw us coming a mile away and were long gone when we got to where we thought we would see them. The weather was proving to be our enemy... it was hot and sunny for the first 5 days and it seemed like the moose were nocturnal. We were “stuck in the pre-rut”. After the flight in we thought it was going to be like one of those Jim Shockey videos, but it was becoming apparent that this was “real hunting” and we were going to have to work for our bulls. I carried my bow for the first 5 1/2 days and decided it was time to pick up my rifle for the evening hunt.

We scrambled through the woods to our new “raking hole” and got ready to sit and call for the evening. After an hour or two I decided to hike over to a different vantage point and look towards where we had seen the bull on day two. I quickly spotting three small bulls and a cow bedded out in the open! One of the bulls looked pretty decent. Our morale was getting low by this point and ANY bull looked pretty decent.(no antler restrictions). I ran back and got my buddy. We closed the distance to around 800 yards, but had a swamp in between us and the bulls. The bigger bull got up and walked off and i thought this might be our only chance.
My instinct took over me and I took off my boots and pants and crossed the swamp. I got to the brushy edge of the pond where I had last seen the bigger bull. He was nowhere to be seen, but I ranged one of the smaller bulls at 215 yards. It was surreal to watch the young bull. I had time to gather my thoughts and steady my 7mm... I made a nice shot and he took a couple steps and stood still facing away from me. A couple minutes later he tipped over and I had my bull. A dinker by any standards, but a bull moose none the less. Before we got to Alaska I was saying things like “nothing less than 50” and “I’m gonna hold out for a giant”, but within a day or two this trip became more about the experience and less about trophy.

We butchered until midnight and started back to camp with front shoulders on our backs. 1 mile as the crow flies is a LONG way on the tundra, and in the dark it is for real. We crossed the swamp, stubbled through bogs, and got to the forest overheating and exhausted. This forest turned into something out of the Blair witch project that night. We were going in circles, headed completely in the wrong direction numerous times, and were about to lay down and die when we decided to “go straight” (hell or high water mode)following our gps. We made it to camp around 2am. The next day I strung pink flagging tape every 50’ through the woods. We still ended up losing our way several more times, even in daylight, but finding a flag was like collecting coins in Super Mario bros and helped keep us going.

We got my bull back to camp before dark the next day and had tenderloin sautéed in butter and salt for dinner. The next couple days were kind of a bust because we were waiting on the transporter to pick up my bull and we couldn’t get too far from camp. On the 9th day we put our waders on and crossed the the swamp again heading towards where we had shot my bull and seen several others. We sat in the rain and wind for hours without seeing a thing. It was time to move... We only had a few days left and knew we would likely have to hunt closer to camp after today. The further we went the more sign we saw. We followed a low ridge for half a mile before it was just too damn far from camp and we had to turn around. We said things like “what a cool spot” and “holy crap we are far from camp”. We turn to head back and a big bull was standing 75 yards away looking right at us! He had heard us walk by and come to check out what the noise was. It was an image I truly will never forget. My buddy cracked one off with the 300 weatherby and he was out within 10 seconds. The look on my buddies face was priceless. He keep saying “we did it,..we did it..” what a beautiful animal. Much bigger in every way than mine. We got to work and made it back to the Blair witch trees just as darkness fell for round 2. We spent the next day packing meat and had a full camp day the day after that. We were picked up the next morning and flown back to bethel where re-entry to civilization was dampered by me forgetting my ID as we went out to pizza and having to watch my buddy drink cold ipa’s in front of me.

This was a true adventure from start to finish. We saw the northern lights, heard wolves howl, and got to sleep for 12 night on the Alaskan tundra. I missed my young family a ton, and am truly grateful for them allowing me this opportunity.

P.S. I did a ton of research prior to this trip and contacted a huntwa member (thanks Lewy) who had done this a few years prior. If anyone has any questions about logistics or anything for that matter I’d be happy to offer advice.   

   Cheers

[Jason]

Sounds like you had a great hunt..congrats!

We need more pictures!

[Widgeondeke]

Great read so far.    Congrats
 Hope to see some bull pics soon

[CedarPants]

Great story, thank you for sharing.  That tundra is no joke, like trying to walk on basketballs spaced 6 inches apart.

Congrats!

[Tjv28]

More pics coming soon! I hope. Ugh

[elkrack]

Congrats! 

[lewy]

Your the man tvj nice work! I laughed out loud several times reading your story

[boneaddict]

I honestly think that you haven’t really lived until you’ve tackled a DIY Alaskan hunt.  Thanks for the write up and pics

[Highhuntin]

Very Cool Congrats! I would love to do that someday

[MerriamMagician]

Awesome job guys. I cant wait till its eventually my turn for an Alaskan moose hunt. 

[Pathfinder101]

Awesome!  Looks like a great bucket-list hunt for sure.

[AlwaysPackn]

Thanks for sharing the story, I have been discussing a similar trip for awhile now. What budget should a guy expect for a trip like this?

[Tjv28]

Thanks for sharing the story, I have been discussing a similar trip for awhile now. What budget should a guy expect for a trip like this?

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[BLDtraLR]

 

[lokidog]

Nice, moose meat is the best....