BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

hesseu · Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 1:33 pm Post subject: affordable hunting

is their any way to hunt alaska and still keep it affordable? it seems to me that no matter how you do it, your gonna spend $10k

txbritman · Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:35 am Post subject:

It depends on what you want to hunt. Alaska is one of the more expensive places to hunt, particularly for moose, grizzly, brown bear, and dall sheep, which are all priced over $10,000. Moose can be done on self guided trips though for $5000 and under. You can do a mountain goat hunt in the $7500 range, and black bear and sitka deer hunts can both be done for under $5000. Caribou hunts can be done for under $5000 for guided or under $2500 for unguided drop camp hunts.

So there are a lot of options. Of course these prices do not include tags and travel, including air charters to the camps or lodges, which will vary but will often run in the $700-800 range. I hope that helps.

aaalaska · Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:54 am Post subject:

what are you interested in and how much work are you willing to do,Grizzly sheep and goat require a guide,but everything else can be done on your owen.hunting near roads can be done but no wilderness experience comes cheap , many residents hunt off the road system it costs to much even if you live here , but most wont hike very far for moose ,big animal many load and you must salvage ALL edible meat, but if you are willing to gamble work hard and do your homework a fairly inexpencive hunt seem possible.

Slackjaw · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 4:03 pm Post subject:

There's a guy in Fairbanks named Larry Bartlett that outfits hunts up here.
http://www.pristineventures.com/

I believe he charges $800 per party; you tell him how much you want to spend and if he can make it work for you he will. I've never used him (I may for an '09 caribou/grizz hunt). He also rents/outfits gear if necessary.

Slackjaw

175rltw · Newbie Joined: 13 Sep 2008 Posts: 3 Location: AK

rent a truck in anchorage, drive up to willow or so, past houston anyway, park on the side of the road and skirt muskeg, a mile or more form the road and you should find legal bulls as long as there is no 4 wheeler access. then you gottsta cut him up and pack him out. have fun. getting bulls is the least of your problems seems like to me.

expatriate · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 3:19 am Post subject:

The problem with hunting Alaska on the cheap is that most people from the Lower 48 don't have enough respect for the wilderness. It's not that they're bad people, but you never really understand muskeg or moose country until you've tried traversing it for any distance. It's also very wet here -- fall into the slop, get wet, and before long you're hypothermic. There have been times when I got in a bind with an ATV, and took the plunge in thigh-deep water. Before I went in, I knew that the trip was over, because once I got the machine out the next step was to ride in to warm up and change clothes. If I didn't, I'd be in trouble.

Bottom line is that Alaska has seen a lot of people take off across the tundra after caribou, and then get lost or stuck. People have taken down moose, and then been overwhelmed packing it out (or had to deal with a bear on the carcass). And then there's the factor of walking through grizzly country covered in blood and packing a lot of fresh meat on your back. I've known people who went up rivers and lost boat motors, or had the river freeze up overnight, leaving them stranded.

This is why Alaska requires guides for out of state hunters going for grizzly. It may sound snobby, it may sound extreme. But guides increase safety tremendously. Alaska's the toughest country I've ever hunted, and it's brutal on people and equipment. I don't use guides, but I'm always with somebody and I took a lot of precautions. For example, I never go out in the woods without the ability to fix up major injuries, deal with a bear, start a fire, spend the night, drink water, eat, call for help, and signal.

Alaska also has access issues. Roads are few and far between, so areas accessible by road can be crowded. getting off the road system and away from people depends on how much you want to spend and how much you want to be alone -- because you're talking ATVs, boats, and airplanes.

Bottom line is that inexpensive hunts are possible if you know what you're doing and know the territory. But if you're not familiar with Alaska, be very wary of hunting on the cheap.

And when I say "know what you're doing", I mean in terms of Alaska. I've known some serious hunters that came up here thinking they know everything, and after one experience I'd never go out with them again.

Cold North · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 12:51 pm Post subject:

The way to a cheap Alaska hunt is to know someone in Alaska who can take you out...like a relative or close friend. Airfare, gear, and getting to where you are going really does cost some money, even for guys like me who have all the gear and live here! Boats, airplanes, and atv's cost money to buy and to keep in good running order all year long.

jerkylover · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:52 pm Post subject:

I've been looking at the DIY hunts for Moose where they fly you in and you float down the river on a raft. I have done some reading on this and have spoken with Branch River Air about hunting this way. I have hunted all my life and am an experienced outdoorsmen. BUT........ I know nothing about Moose and realize it would be easy to get in over your head. I think if a guy did it once with someone who knew what they were doing, it would not be that bad to DIY.

Has anyone on here ever done one of those hunts? It seems to me like an affordable way for amzing hunt.

lv49th · Newbie Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 3

If you are a bowhunter fly to anc. or Fairbanks rent a truck and drive to the hual Rd. unit 26b to hunt caribou you can get 2 bulls. For 5mi. on each side of the Rd. it is bow only. And they are over the counter tags

the nikster · Newbie Joined: 31 Oct 2009 Posts: 1

I did a float hunt for moose last year.
I really enjoyed it. It was DIY and I rented a raft. The rest of the gear I used was mine. Did the whole thing for under $5000 easy about $3600 total.
Anyone wishing for more info can contact me at
ncleggsr@dometech.com

expatriate · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:36 pm Post subject:

There are two things to prepare for when moose hunting. The first is the terrain they like to hang out in. It can get swampy, tussocky, and tough to navigate.

The second (and most important) is the size of the animal. Picture shooting a horse. You don't drop a moose and then drag it somewhere more convenient to cut up. They're a big animal, and you've got to be prepared to bone it where it falls. And that's a lot to haul out of the woods. This is extremely important, because Alaska law requires all usable meat to be salvaged.

Oh, yeah...and then there's the part about burying yourself in hundreds of pounds of bloody meat in territory frequented by Alaska's fuzzy brown carnivorous mascot -- who happens to have one of the most highly tuned senses of smell in nature.

Bottom line: the fun stops when you pull the trigger. Make sure you have at least one friend with you to help.

As for caribou on the haul road, bear in mind that it's still not that easy. You've gotta get within bow range, and that takes some strategizing. Whatever you do, if you're coming in from out of state don't let anyone talk you into doing the 5 mile death march off the haul road. The terrain can be brutal and a lot of people have got lost or in trouble going that route. Even those that do it rarely do it twice.