alaskan hunt

[6mm06guy]

I'm heading to alaska in September for a diy moose/caribou hunt, do any of you guys know if I can ride a 4 wheeler the 5 miles off the haul road to haul my meat back to the truck? Any info would be great. I'm also open to suggestions on a back pack I should take with me, I haven't picked up all my gear yet and that is the next item on my list.

 

[Hunter]

4 wheelers are not allowed in the 5 mile haul road corridor. Backpacking in is fine, packing out meat is a little more logistically challenging. Beautiful country for sure.

 

[86alaskan]

unless you have a draw tag i think the corridor is draw only for moose. that means to moose hunt you'll be hiking 5mi off the road. i sure as sh#t wouldn't want to carry any part of a moose that far. i've done the hike out for caribou and will be doing it again this year. it's tough because of the tundra. soft and spongy with rock s hidden underneath. we're taking a heavy plastic drag sled this year to haul animals out on. lots easier than carrying that heavy pack on that ground for sure. and no 4 wheelers or offroad vehicles in the 5mi corridor. you can use a boat but thats it

 

[6mm06guy]

Thx guys, I'll hunt moose elsewhere, but if I do the haul road hunt I didn't know if I could use a bike or not, thx.

 

[450hunter]

Also remember the 5 mile haul road corridor starts at the Yukon River Bridge. No hunting with rifle in that 5 miles either.

 

[spdcrazy]

I have done a few backpack hunts. I used the USMC ILBE pack for its shear size! I worked well but if I recall correctly, its something like 8lbs empty. I do remember some people doing some weight shaving by removing tabs and stuff they wouldn't use, but all in all it is still a heavy pack. very well made, and very comfortable. it fit my entire bear hide plus some meat in it, in fact.

I am no longer in Alaska, but planning a few long hike backpack hunts and i'm looking into a freighter frame. something minimal and light weight, i'll put all my stuff in a dry bag, lash it to the external frame and have at it. that way I am not limited to the bag's size for the meat on the pack out. I noticed with my ILBE pack, it was difficult to use the space effiecently (think of the shape of a quarter elk/bear/moose/caribou). an external frame pack eliminates this.

just my two cents

 

[lazylabs]

I used a kifaru emr2 for moose 1/4s and it worked fairly well. The additional tie points of the load sling is very helpful. Lightweight game bags should be on the list too!

 

[6mm06guy]

I will keep that in mind, do any of you guys have recommendations on where to hunt moose? Any other tips? I have never hunted outside Missouri or kansas

 

[lazylabs]

The size of a moose is hard to imagine until they are down. I had packed several elk and the step from deer to elk is about like elk to moose. The tundra makes walking 3X as difficult depending on the mix. If you have to pack a moose a mile it will take at least two guys a full day. If your hunting in waders/boots break them in like mountain boots, Simms wading socks are worth having along! Dry ice was hard to find in Canada driving back.

 

[wyosteve]

I use a Freighter frame. Hauled whole antelope or mule deer on it as well as sheep parts. Very strong and durable.

 

[86alaskan]

Look up Barneys Frontier Gear of Alaska. They make the preferred pack of most guides and hunters in Alaska. I use the barneys hunter pack, its like 6000cui, and i've carried a boned out caribou with antlers, entire 8ft brown bear skin and skull, and a 6ft brown bear skin and skull on separate occasions. if you're hauling, DO NOT skim on the pack. the barneys frame is one of the best at handling that kind of weight efficiently. They're heavier with the frame than an internal, but that frame distributes the weight so well that you can carry way more weight comfortably. fairbanks, delta junction area are good for moose. if you can fly out by nome, kotzebue, mcgrath are good as well.

 

[450hunter]

I use a Cabelas frame and it has served very well for 13 years. It has hauled a lot of meat and also thrown out of a bush plane at about 700-800 feet with no damage. Also you may want to look at doing a float hunt.

 

[lazylabs]

Nice float pics, what is the green boat?

 

[450hunter]

It really doesn't have a name. It is a prototype that Brian Richardson had made( Alaska Raft Connection). It is a beast and I think is better than the Pro Pioneer next to it. Larry Bartlet has changed the design of the Pro Pioneer to look like my green one.