An Alaskan Moose Hunt

[roymunson]

Finally, almost 2 years after booking it, I was blessed enough to spend 10 incredible days in the Alaskan bush with one of my best buddies from college who moved away, and my wife. She have never sat in a deer stand with me, but wasn't going to miss out on the adventure. She spent 100 hours on stand with us until I finally got my shot the evening of Day 9 of 10.

My buddy tagged his Day 5 and had a grizzly using the gut pile during the night, but nothing while he hunted it.

It all came together Day 9 in the evening when I spotted the bull at about 450 yards on the timber edge. We made sure he was a shooter and made a break to a stand of trees to cut off 150 yards or so. He took his time raking, grunting, and working toward us until he gave me a broadside shot and the 300 WSM put him down.

had about a 1/2 mile pack out thru swamp/tundra, across a stream and the river, and to the airstrip. It was an incredible trip and one where I got to prove to myself that I had what it took to get it done.

58" wide, really nice fronts. 700# of meat coming home to me in Ohio in the next couple weeks.

Giddy Up.

 

[Tree Spud]

Congrats, great hunt and trophy!

 

[GMan5465]

Congrats, that’s incredible. On the bucket list!

 

[Telemark]

Congratulations! Sounds like an amazing trip.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

1/2 mile doesn't sound too bad until you've hiked through taiga or tundra with a few hundred pounds on your back. I'm sure it will be a hunt you don't ever forget. Congrats!

 

[roymunson]

1/2 mile doesn't sound too bad until you've hiked through taiga or tundra with a few hundred pounds on your back. I'm sure it will be a hunt you don't ever forget. Congrats!

it was tundra. Swamp, water, tussocks, with a couple random 3' deep sloughs running thru the meadown to keep you honest. I carried a front that they'd estimated around 90#

they didn't let me haul the rears (bone in). But between that and the rack, I had my work cut out for me to help get him out.
It was labor and it was the kinda suck you have to convince yourself it was fun to have. Which was great.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Damn right! Nice job I bet that was an outstandingly fun trip.

 

[hillrunner]

I'm jealous!

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Fantastic! Who did you go with? Outfitter?

 

[roymunson]

Fantastic! Who did you go with? Outfitter?

Hidden Alaska Adventures
I didn't know it when we booked, but it's Buck Bowden's old outfit that's being run by his son in law Tony Marchini now. I tried to dig in and find some red flags somewhere, but everyone from the pilots to the guides said nothing about what a solid outfit he runs. And it showed.

 

[Bill]

Congratulations! Trip of a life time.
I've only killed 1 small elk in my life on a DIY trip. Last one for me me, I couldn't convince myself the labor and suck was fun.
But it sounds like you had some great help along for the trip.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Congrats! Curious about logistics and tactics. What kind of plane did you get dropped off in? Did you basically set up camp and call from near camp and glass the whole trip in that one location?

 

[omicron1792]

Finally, almost 2 years after booking it, I was blessed enough to spend 10 incredible days in the Alaskan bush with one of my best buddies from college who moved away, and my wife. She have never sat in a deer stand with me, but wasn't going to miss out on the adventure. She spent 100 hours on stand with us until I finally got my shot the evening of Day 9 of 10.

My buddy tagged his Day 5 and had a grizzly using the gut pile during the night, but nothing while he hunted it.

It all came together Day 9 in the evening when I spotted the bull at about 450 yards on the timber edge. We made sure he was a shooter and made a break to a stand of trees to cut off 150 yards or so. He took his time raking, grunting, and working toward us until he gave me a broadside shot and the 300 WSM put him down.

had about a 1/2 mile pack out thru swamp/tundra, across a stream and the river, and to the airstrip. It was an incredible trip and one where I got to prove to myself that I had what it took to get it done.

58" wide, really nice fronts. 700# of meat coming home to me in Ohio in the next couple weeks.

Giddy Up.View attachment 57673View attachment 57674View attachment 57675View attachment 57676View attachment 57677

My man! Congrats. So awesome.

 

[roymunson]

Congrats! Curious about logistics and tactics. What kind of plane did you get dropped off in? Did you basically set up camp and call from near camp and glass the whole trip in that one location?

We left Anchorage on a 206, flew most of the way in to an old airstrip where the bigger plane could land. then from there we flew another 4-5 miles to a grass runway in a super cub. Camp was 100 yards from the airstrip. We hunted about 400 yards from camp. Called andd glassed most of the time. of my 18 sits (9 am and 9 pm), we hunted 15 of those from 1 tree island in the middle of a huge meadow. It's traditionally been a spot that has produced. We saw our first bull day 8 (yeesh), saw 2 on day 9 and heard another (including the one I killed)

Where my bull fell was about .4 or .5 miles from the air strip so we packed it straight there an the afternoon of Day 10 the meat started leaving camp in the Super Cub.

Saw some black bears up on the mountainside eating berries 2 miles or so away, but we weren't going to leave our primed moose spot for a black bear. My buddy killed his moose day 5 about a mile and a half up river, he hunted the carcass for a grizzly. Had one using it thru the night, but it never showed during the day.

 

[gwm]

Congrats! Bucket list hunt for me. Maybe one day.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

How many cub trips did it take just to get meat out?

 

[roymunson]

How many cub trips did it take just to get meat out?

We had 2 dead moose in camp that week. Flew meat and 1 packer to anther airstrip. Probably 5 or 6 trips for that. Then get the other 6 of us out of camp. That cub is amazing. Dude is really good in it, busy, and makes really good money. A tough combo to beat.

 

[Teeder]

Congrats!

 

[Catscratch]

As someone who is somewhat of a dreamer and who likely will never do something like this I need to say... outstanding and congrats! What a dream hunt for you guys!!! I can't describe how cool it is that you got to do this and that you posted it on here for us to share. Absolutely amazing! Congrats!!!

 

[Bszweda]

Congrats on the awesome moose!