Solo DIY Alaska moose float hunt ‘26

[sniper7]

Sounds incredible!

 

[Andrew62]

Good luck next year on your float trip! Sounds very exciting!!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Looks like you have a great plan based on experience. I look forward to the story and pictures from the adventure.
Good luck.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

A right solid list my friend! On fly-ins I use Folgers singles for coffee. Not everyone likes them but they work for me.

I prefer a First Need water filter but that's a personal choice thing. A Sawyer mini makes a nice back up.

Klymit sleeping pads are the BOMB and pack so small and light. Also, LOVE my Alps Ready Lite cot. 5×17, 4 pounds and a full 30" wide.

Bugs? I like Therma-cell's backpacker.

A light weight bear fence for the meat and the Kaboat?

Oh, and strawberry Pop-Tarts for breakfast.

 

[Betterinthebush]

A right solid list my friend! On fly-ins I use Folgers singles for coffee. Not everyone likes them but they work for me.

I prefer a First Need water filter but that's a personal choice thing. A Sawyer mini makes a nice back up.

Klymit sleeping pads are the BOMB and pack so small and light. Also, LOVE my Alps Ready Lite cot. 5×17, 4 pounds and a full 30" wide.

Bugs? I like Therma-cell's backpacker.

A light weight bear fence for the meat and the Kaboat?

Oh, and strawberry Pop-Tarts for breakfast.

I love hearing what others take to camp.

I use a therma-rest waffle pad.

The boat is at camp with the tent. I don’t keep any food around camp. The meat pole I always place downwind on an island that’s a good ways away from camp. That’s where I hang the cooler of fresh food and cook at. Try and keep the temptations away from where I sleep at night.

Never used a bear fence. I always considered them bad luck.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I love hearing what others take to camp.

I use a therma-rest waffle pad.

The boat is at camp with the tent. I don’t keep any food around camp. The meat pole I always place downwind on an island that’s a good ways away from camp. That’s where I hang the cooler of fresh food and cook at. Try and keep the temptations away from where I sleep at night.

Never used a bear fence. I always considered them bad luck.

You are incredibly experienced and know what works for you. Likewise, on hearing what others do and use.

My Kaboat is always close at hand too. But I have had friends lose inflatables to bears. I'm not going to be that guy. I build my own fences from parts so they do what I want and fit specific trips. I have found them very helpful.

I won't be pushy about anything else but... seriously think about trying a Klymit. They make several models (size, insulated or not). My favorite is a full 30" wide and packs down to about the size of a Nalgene bottle. Also, they have a site on eBay and you can get them for about 50 bucks or so.

 

[Betterinthebush]

You are incredibly experienced and know what works for you. Likewise, on hearing what others do and use.

My Kaboat is always close at hand too. But I have had friends lose inflatables to bears. I'm not going to be that guy. I build my own fences from parts so they do what I want and fit specific trips. I have found them very helpful.

I won't be pushy about anything else but... seriously think about trying a Klymit. They make several models (size, insulated or not). My favorite is a full 30" wide and packs down to about the size of a Nalgene bottle. Also, they have a site on eBay and you can get them for about 50 bucks or so.

You’re very kind. Thank you.

I’ll check out that pad. Anything to save space and weight! My old thermarests I can donate to the scouts.

ETAdd: I’m not too worried about seeing any bear anyway. I’ll be carrying a license and tag!

 

[K-man]

Hello! When I first read your initial post, I was thinking, “doesn’t Alaska require a guide or resident to accompany out of state big game hunters?” So I went and looked up the regs, and moose are exempted from that reg. I’m sure you knew that, and now so do I. Good luck and all I can say is “wow, I wouldn’t want to bone out/pack out a moose by myself!” I hope you get one!

 

[Betterinthebush]

Hello! When I first read your initial post, I was thinking, “doesn’t Alaska require a guide or resident to accompany out of state big game hunters?” So I went and looked up the regs, and moose are exempted from that reg. I’m sure you knew that, and now so do I. Good luck and all I can say is “wow, I wouldn’t want to bone out/pack out a moose by myself!” I hope you get one!

Thank you! I’m happy you looked up and learned our regs.

 

[MedRiver]

My hat is off to anyone that plans to handle a moose carcass solo...especially in a bone-in area. My one and only bull died 60 yards from the camp meat pole and I about blew an o-ring carrying the hinds through the sponge. There were three of us but I wanted the hinds for myself as a personal pride thing.
It was close enough we didn't bother with packs....won't do that again.

My apologies for the gratuitous trophy photo...

I like your style of staying in the same camp and consistently hunting the same area rather than constant travel. The time and mental suck of breaking down a wet camp just to do it all over again has kept me from getting excited about a float hunt.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

The time and mental suck of breaking down a wet camp just to do it all over again has kept me from getting excited about a float hunt.

For me it's a part of the experience, just like the long flights to Africa. But I absolutely respect that you feel that way. I love float hunts. They do something profound to my soul.

 

[MedRiver]

The time and mental suck of breaking down a wet camp just to do it all over again has kept me from getting excited about a float hunt.

For me it's a part of the experience, just like the long flights to Africa. But I absolutely respect that you feel that way. I love float hunts. They do something profound to my soul.

I can understand that. May have to open my mind to it. Trying to hunt Alaska every other year. Next year is fly-in caribou and then planning a blacktail hunt after that. May have to con my buddies into giving the float thing a shot. It would definitely qualify as a "classic" hunt.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I can understand that. May have to open my mind to it. Trying to hunt Alaska every other year. Next year is fly-in caribou and then planning a blacktail hunt after that. May have to con my buddies into giving the float thing a shot. It would definitely qualify as a "classic" hunt.

It doesn't always have to be a rainy tent. We try to have enough days built in to allow for a couple of "stay put" days.

I went to Sitka for blacktail in 2022. I want badly to go back - soooo much fun.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

There were three of us but I wanted the hinds for myself as a personal pride thing.

I forgot my pack last year. Fortunately it was only 250 yards over fairly hard-pack flat ground. I let my buddy - who had his pack and is 20 years younger - take the hind quarters; I carried the front quarters - also a pride thing.

 

[Betterinthebush]

I like your style of staying in the same camp and consistently hunting the same area rather than constant travel. The time and mental suck of breaking down a wet camp just to do it all over again has kept me from getting excited about a float hunt.

Thank you. As I’ve written before, this is an area I know very well. This is more like a “hybrid” camp..(if that’s even a thing), I guess? I just like the option to go up or down river as I please using one camp location. I also like the idea of using the boat to get to an easy extraction point.