Future of moose hunting in AK

[Aeast]

In everyone's opinion, what is the real future of diy moose hunts in Alaska? (For the average guy)

It seems like there are only a handful of reputable outfitters out there. Out of those few, they have drastically increased their prices and seems like they are pumping out more hunters than ever for and ever limited resource!

I'm sure there are numerous transporters out there that are top notch, but they seem impossible to locate and usually only take repeat hunters year after year.

So what does the future hold, 5-6 year wait list, 15k - 20k for an unguided hunt? Only the wealthy will have the means to go on a hunt like this?

Is there opportunity for new outfits to open up and relieve the pressure, or is every "good" area in Alaska locked up?

 

[boliver29]

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[standswittaknife]

Unfortunately this is exactly what will happen.. I’ve had three diy hunts.. two great and one was awful.. but glad i did them!


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[Mykolaivka887]

Prices are guaranteed to increase. That's a given. Waiting lists are guaranteed, as well. It's supply and demand economics 101. There's lots of good commercial service providers in Alaska. Go to the Big Game Commercial Services Board to find them: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing/BigGameCommercialServicesBoard.aspx

 

[wildwilderness]

The truth is DIY is exactly that- do it yourself!

There are places anyone can fly commercial and rent a car and go moose hunting. You can buy your own boat, get your own airplane, heck even bring your own horses.

Once you do the math on what it costs to really DIY you will understand why the costs have gone up.

Simple capitalism with supply and demand is the other factor.

Moose are high demand to Alaskans as many depend on it for meat. There are plenty of state owned lands where more registered guides could expand. However I think there is a misconception that legal moose are behind every tree.

As evident by the RHAK movement locals tend to think there are already too many guides….

Moose are a low density animal, generally a low success rate hunt and boring. That’s why it cost a lot to get into a great area with a history of producing bulls.

 

[cnelk]

I’ve done 3 diy Alaska hunts - 2 moose and 1 caribou. (Fortunate to fill tags on all 3)

Gotta say, it don’t take long to figure out that tagging an animal in Alaska ranks down the list of importance when you are dropped off by an airplane in the middle of the bush in Alaska

Last year, I just went along with my buddy to help him fill his moose tag.

Why? Because it’s Alaska

 

[william schmaltz]

The first moose hunt I did was 8 years ago. I was brand new to Alaska and knew about 2 people here who were as green as me and it was years before I ever visited an internet hunting forum. So I pulled up the commercial services website link and put hours into researching operations and made a list and started calling. I had hundreds of hours into my first moose hunt before I booked the trip or even thought about what rifle or gear to use. https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main/Search/Professional

I found a guy that doesn't even advertise moose drop offs but he was on the list and had the license. He mostly serviced fishing lodges and had been flying the area for decades. I gave him a call and after we talked a couple of times and I put hours of research into the area we worked something out. I was one of three groups he hauled in that year and everyone was successful. My partner shot an upper 40" bull and we blew it on a 60" bull that came right to camp. We each paid $1500 for the transporter. I think he retired before my inbox fills up.

So my point is yes, there are hidden gems out there. I've posted this several times on this forum but I'm not sure if anyone has taken it to heart. Maybe you find something like I did or maybe you find a new guy you take a chance on but he's trying to establish himself and he puts everything he has into your hunt. That website is your best friend if looking for a bargain hunt in Alaska.

We are in the good old days of moose hunting in Alaska. It's as good as it's gonna get IMO. The best spots that you are talking about are mostly on refuge lands so new outfits won't be opening up. You can always start building a relationship with the bigger operations now and get on the wait list. You're right, you will probably need to save $4K a year over the next 4-5 years if you go that route.

 

[cgasner1]

The average guy is lazy wants to find a number on here make a phone call and head out this September and kill a 60” bull. Don’t be that guy put work in well before you ever get on a plane it’s very do able.


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[Kevin Dill]

I think anyone being totally honest tends to think a quality NR hunt for moose in Alaska will involve a bush flight. NRs don't go to Alaska to hunt moose off the road systems unless they are really going super-economy to cut costs. The road system tends to be very competitive, and rivers are almost the same. I've been almost 90 river miles from town and watched multiple air and jet boats cruising the river looking for a bull to kill. The good resident AK hunters have it figured out in terms of road and water access to moose.

There are still lots of moose there. There are a lot of NR hunters willing to spend the money to get to them. The bottleneck is transportation into the bush or backcountry. I could write 2 pages on why that is, but suffice to say if it was easy and profitable to be a big game transporter there would be hundreds lining up to do it. So the bottleneck is limiting access and opportunities. Maybe that's a good thing really, at least for moose and AK residents. It makes for a lot of frustrated NR guys who want to hunt moose without a guide or a pre-equipped camp.

The future? I predict there will be more pilots and backcountry access in the coming decade(s). I suspect some limits to aircraft access may come from this, with certain areas off-limits to fixed wing landings. As pressure on the resource increases (if it does) there could well be additional restrictions and costs placed on would-be NR moose hunters. Draw hunts may become more widespread in pressured areas, or those needing protection. High demand is already causing prices to increase with no shortage of hunters willing to pay $8-10K for a reputable transport. I can foresee the established transport services continuing to raise their basic flight fees $500 to $1000 per year over the next 5-10 years, especially with the proliferation of 2 things: Inflation and attorneys....both waiting to take a big bite out of any risk-heavy business.

 

[Wrench]

A good strategy is to grab a slope job, spend 3 years in the cab of a truck with some random dudes and the ones you don't want to hit in the head with a hammer are the ones yoy want to hunt with. Narrow that pool down to the ones that could and would transport you and enjoy your company....and you are set for the cheapest trip in the works.

If that sounds like too much, just pony up the dough.

 

[VernAK]

There are several misconceptions out there:

Moose hunting is not much cheaper for we residents. By the time I get out of the bush, I will have $4k-$5k invested in my annual fly-in hunt and that doesn't include meat cutting. I have no intention of shooting a moose as I've taken quite a few over the past 60 years but I've got a nephew that hasn't had the opportunity. We Geezers just love being out there to watch one of the greater shows on earth.



It's not easy for new air operators to get into the business as they have to find and develop landing areas that don't crowd another group of hunters. Moose hunters need space as most of Alaska's better moose hunting areas are <1/M/M2....less than one moose per square mile. A healthy moose population has a bull/cow ratio of 30/100 and not many of those are >60". So you need about an area of about one township to provide you with a trophy bull.

Ask your pilot if they developed the landing strip or did someone else develop it. Confrontations are becoming common as some new operators are charging $$$$ to dump clients on another's strip that may have been developed many years prior. Some lakes may have several groups. IMO, for moose; there is not much space for more air operators but caribou hunters can be grouped closer if the hunters agree.

Much of Alaska's moose habitat could support increased populations but I don't see that happening without a serious reduction of bears.

 

[BlueHeeler42]

The future? I predict there will be more pilots and backcountry access in the coming decade(s). I suspect some limits to aircraft access may come from this, with certain areas off-limits to fixed wing landings. As pressure on the resource increases (if it does) there could well be additional restrictions and costs placed on would-be NR moose hunters. Draw hunts may become more widespread in pressured areas, or those needing protection. High demand is already causing prices to increase with no shortage of hunters willing to pay $8-10K for a reputable transport. I can foresee the established transport services continuing to raise their basic flight fees $500 to $1000 per year over the next 5-10 years, especially with the proliferation of 2 things: Inflation and attorneys....both waiting to take a big bite out of any risk-heavy business.

Is there a silver lining to all of this? Now, or in the future? For the game or the hunters?

I’m aware of my lack of knowledge when it comes to Alaska-based hunts, so my perspective is limited (especially as a NR). That may also color my opinion, but it seems like a discouraging trendline for Alaska-prospective hunting.

 

[VernAK]

I don't see a silver lining out there as more and more people desire these resources. Most of Alaska's ungulates require substantial real estate to subsist.

Supply chain issues and collapsing of salmon runs have heightened awareness of food security in Alaska. The Governor recently formed a Food Security Commission to study the situation and make recommendations to ensure food supplies. I would not be surprised to see more constraints put on non-residents as in the Kotzebue area caribou hunts.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Is there a silver lining to all of this? Now, or in the future? For the game or the hunters?

I’m aware of my lack of knowledge when it comes to Alaska-based hunts, so my perspective is limited (especially as a NR). That may also color my opinion, but it seems like a discouraging trendline for Alaska-prospective hunting.

As bad as this might sound: It's obvious that Alaska's remoteness and difficulty in access are / were big reasons for outstanding big game potential. Simple to understand that the harder it is to get to animals, the fewer of them will be killed. A finite number of bush flight operators can transport a finite number of hunters each year. You can't land a plane where you can't land a plane, so a lot of moose country goes un-hunted. The current limitations imposed by lack of transporters is probably best for moose populations, but leaves many would-be hunters unhappy.

 

[AKDoc]

In everyone's opinion, what is the real future of diy moose hunts in Alaska? (For the average guy)...

Some excellent responses by others thus far, which I think are pretty accurate in regards to using transporters up here.

In answer to the OP's question (similar to the perspective that I think wildwilderness was taking), I personally think "the real future of DIY moose hunts in Alaska" is absolutely excellent...but I'm talking about real DIY moose hunts, i.e., the hunter transports him/herself into/out of the field without using the business services of others...perhaps renting/borrowing gear to do it or just hiking in/out. It's done all the time up here...I did it year after year for many years. IMO, the terms "DIY" and "unguided" are many times misused synonymously these days, so I'm not quite sure what you mean by DIY.

I think an important part of the answer to your question begins with determining what the hunter seeks (values most) in an Alaskan moose hunt. As an example, I seek remote solitude from other hunters in an area with good moose density, and to bring back meat to enjoy and share with family and others. I eventually reached the point that I have not been on a DIY moose hunt for the past ten years...I hire a hunt transporter to fly me in/out unguided, and it's worth every single penny for me because it gets me to what I seek. For the preceding twenty-five years all I did was DIY moose hunts and we took many moose, but I couldn't maintain the remote solitude that I value...progressively over time way too many hunters around me over the years, despite hiking in/out, or having my own four-wheeler to reach very distant hunt locations, or a boat with outboard for river hunts, etc.

The moose hunter (resident or NR), who says the primary goal is to experience an Alaska moose hunt in uniquely beautiful country without breaking the bank, see moose, and hopefully just call one to me with fingers-crossed that it's a legal bull...that hunter has an unlimited future outlook up here IMHO. In the other extreme...the hunter (resident or NR) who's primary goals is a one and done +60" bull...that hunter will have much more limited and very costly options now and into the future. And of course, then there's those of us with valued outcomes somewhere in the middle...as will be the opportunities, resources, and costs for us to make it happen.

 

[Aeast]

I think what I'm referring to is an "unguided" hunt using a transporter to reach remote areas. Not a road or boat hunt where you'll run into many other hunters along the way.

There just seems to be a real disconnect when it comes to achieving this for NR hunters, especially for the first time. My goal when I went was to have a remote hunt, with solitude and not a single other hunter in sight with a real chance at a legal bull. This was achieved and my hunt was successful. It did take years of planning and research to sort through the internet jungle and make a plan.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I think what I'm referring to is an "unguided" hunt using a transporter to reach remote areas. Not a road or boat hunt where you'll run into many other hunters along the way.

There just seems to be a real disconnect when it comes to achieving this for NR hunters, especially for the first time. My goal when I went was to have a remote hunt, with solitude and not a single other hunter in sight with a real chance at a legal bull. This was achieved and my hunt was successful. It did take years of planning and research to sort through the internet jungle and make a plan.

As a commercial service provider myself, I'm not seeing a disconnect between available moose populations, productivity of those populations, commercial service availability, and opportunity for nonresident hunters.

The so-called "silver lining" -- as if by some bizarre logic we're currently in some sort of bad times relating to moose hunting in Alaska -- is that Alaska will continue to produce trophy moose and there will continue to be a wide assortment of commercial service operators providing access to trophy moose regions within Alaska.

Granted, like everything else in a capitalist society, pricing will be influenced by supply and demand and the cost of doing business. Rest assured that opportunity for nonresidents to access trophy moose will continue to exist, just as prices to access those moose will continue to go up.

 

[AKDoc]

I think what I'm referring to is an "unguided" hunt using a transporter to reach remote areas. Not a road or boat hunt where you'll run into many other hunters along the way.

There just seems to be a real disconnect when it comes to achieving this for NR hunters, especially for the first time. My goal when I went was to have a remote hunt, with solitude and not a single other hunter in sight with a real chance at a legal bull. This was achieved and my hunt was successful. It did take years of planning and research to sort through the internet jungle and make a plan.

I hear what you're saying, and said well...and you made your hunt happen!

I can only imagine the countless logistical unknowns for a NR arranging a first time Alaska moose hunt. It's got to be a big up-hill push in countless ways. That said, many of you get it done, and I'm truly glad to see it...and many of you will get it done in the future.

I'll share with you that every year in my transporters hangar, I enjoy meeting and talking with other hunters while I'm getting my gear ready to go into the field or ship back home when I'm coming out. In the past ten years of doing that, I have only met a handful of other hunters that were also residents...seriously, maybe four or five. All the many, many other hunters were NR's, who all made it happen. It's always pretty impressive and humbling for me...I'm just a one-hour flight away on Alaska Airlines to get back home and hug my wife at the airport (while she holds her breath because I smell like a successful hunter who's been in the field for two weeks!)

 

[SliverShooter]

The average guy is lazy wants to find a number on here make a phone call and head out this September and kill a 60” bull. Don’t be that guy put work in well before you ever get on a plane it’s very do able.


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That would be me, I‘m lazy & hate planing a hunt. The hunts I love the most consist of grabbing my pack, bow, flyrod, driving for an hour or three to the edge of a wilderness, then disappearing from everybody for a week or two.

Reality is, for most people, more time and effort needs invested preparing for and doing something remote in Alaska, especially hunting. Self planing an Alaskan hunt takes a commitment to investigating the logistics, financing the hunt, making prudent (not perfect) decisions, and then making it happen. Lots of dreamers can do the first two, logistics and financing, fewer decide who, what, and where but never fully commit, a really small percentage of the dreamers make it happen.

Pick a date, commit to it, set it in stone, don’t deviate, postpone, or change it. Then make it happen.

 

[Aeast]

SilverShooter brings up a good point about only a small percentage of people actually going on a hunt like this.

One big factor (for me anyway) is just the unknown of everything. Having so much invested in a hunt like this (time, money, resources) I think there needs to be a good bit of certainty involved Not certainty or a guarantee to kill, but that the transporter, guide or whatever is reputable and will try his hardest to make a great experience for the hunter. I've read alot of disappointing stories of unsuccessful hunters and unmet expectations.

For alot of us, this is a once in a lifetime hunt.