How bad is Unit 13 (AK)?

GMFG

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Nov 6, 2018
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Hi all, I've heard nothing but horror stories about the crowds of people in Unit 13 during moose season, as it's the primary area covered by the road system. "You and 5,000 of your closest friends" kind of thing. I've stayed away from moose hunting it for that reason, but my August Denali Hwy caribou hunts over the past few years have been quiet and peaceful, just by bushwhacking a mile or three off the path.

What I'm wondering is if those horror stories about the crowds are really limited to the roads and ATV trails, and that putting in a little effort on foot can get me away from a lot of that? Or is everyone else already putting in that effort, too?

How bad is it really?
 
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GMFG

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Yep, resident. My summer work schedule is pretty hectic, so rather than meticulously plan out a float or fly-in trip, I'm more about spotting an open week last minute, grabbing a few buddies, throwing the gear in the truck and running. ATV is no problem, and feet is the plan, anything else is probably off the table. I'll do a fancy fly-in hunt at some point, but I'm mostly going to be stuck on the ground with the masses!

*Edit to add the hunting partner thing before the "don't hunt moose alone, moron" replies :)
 
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Yep, resident. My summer work schedule is pretty hectic, so rather than meticulously plan out a float or fly-in trip, I'm more about spotting an open week last minute, grabbing a few buddies, throwing the gear in the truck and running. ATV is no problem, and feet is the plan, anything else is probably off the table. I'll do a fancy fly-in hunt at some point, but I'm mostly going to be stuck on the ground with the masses!

*Edit to add the hunting partner thing before the "don't hunt moose alone, moron" replies :)

I went 20 miles in and still saw multiple hunting parties daily.
I used a boat though. Not sure I’d want to pack a moose out more than a mile. Even with a friend.
 
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Visualize GMU 13 as a whole. Next, highlight each and every motor-accessible road, trail, river etc. Anywhere a motor-driven vehicle (atv, truck, boat, orv, etc) can go is going to see hunters and that equates to pressure. That pressure will be the greatest within the first mile or two of any routes or river, perpendicular to the route. Just think of a road and understand the first 2 miles near it will be the most pressured. Same with any atv trail or navigable waterway. Obviously trailheads, good parking spots and easy-to-access rivers will be the hotspots. Its the interior sections which don't see as much hunting pressure, but access is the problem. Some of the hardest hunted units in AK have plenty of huge bulls once you get 5-10 miles away from anyone else and into places where guys can't just drive, ride or boat. Therein lies the conundrum....

Moose are just too damned big to pack out a TRUE 5 miles on your back x 8+ loads. In almost all cases the terrain makes the effort too great. The cumulative weight of moose meat makes it a huge task. I know this from killing a few bulls and doing a lot of packing. I killed a bull at 3/4 miles and the intervening terrain was tough enough to make me want to NEVER do that deal again. So what to do?

I really don't know. I would try to find an area accessible only by foot which didn't look to have much competition around. Most guys don't have the grit to go kill a moose unless they can get near it with some type conveyance. "I won't kill it unless I can drive to it" sort of thing. Very understandable. The key...I think...is to use this tendency to your advantage in finding places the average atv guy can't reach. Find a few of them and keep quiet about it in case you're successful. There are more moose around the unlikely places than many suspect. I fly in and out of remote areas every year and I can always count on seeing moose very near roads, small creeks and places which escape notice. Meanwhile guys are running jets (boats) 50+ river miles to hunt.

As a side note: 4 of us (2 couples) were traveling around the state this past summer. In just 5 days we saw something like 23 moose from the vehicle. The key is we knew where to look and we know how to spot game. We talked to several people who saw only one or two moose after a week of travel. The animals are around, but that doesn't mean they're always visible.
 

AKBorn

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The furthest I have packed a moose was between 1/2 and 3/4 miles. On two occasions I have packed a caribou about 2 miles back up to the ridgetop airstrip. I hope to never try to pack a moose that far...

A bit of reminiscing to a different era...in the 60s and 70s my family got a moose almost every year, hunting almost exclusively in Hatcher Pass or on the Denali Highway (the trail to Osar Lake at about the 36 mile marker). My Dad would never shoot a bull that he couldn't drive within 100 yards or so of with his Scout... :)
 

SLDMTN

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I've hunted Unit 13 all my life, born and raised there. Since SxS's became commonplace, the trail system expansion has been unbelievable. It's very disappointing to see just how lazy some people really are, every little knob and ridge has a wheeler trail leading to it now. In my opinion, they're sealing their own fate due to terrain damage. It has its benefits though. You can ride into the most heavily hunted areas in the state, get off your wheeler, hike into the nastiest terrain around and find animals. Like Kevin mentioned above, the motorized activity tends to herd animals into areas that motors can't reach or ride right passed but you'll be limited by distance packing it back to the trail.

Having said that, if you want to see some blue collar heroes, head into the non motorized areas. There is one family in particular that pulls a moose out 10+ miles every single year. If anyone doubts that, I don't know what to tell you. It was one of the most humbling things I've ever seen watching young kids help their parents pull game carts loaded with a moose down a trail. They consistently make it happen with homemade game carts and old Camp Trails pack frames, true subsistence. Some of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of talking to and if we asked, they would have likely lent a kid to help pull our game cart loaded with meat as well.
 
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GMFG

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You can ride into the most heavily hunted areas in the state, get off your wheeler, hike into the nastiest terrain around and find animals. Like Kevin mentioned above, the motorized activity tends to herd animals into areas that motors can't reach or ride right passed but you'll be limited by distance packing it back to the trail.

Having said that, if you want to see some blue collar heroes, head into the non motorized areas.

This is great! I've so far been only hunting the non motorized areas for caribou. This year, for example, two of us backed the meat and gear 3 miles through tough terrain until we got to a main trail - we later figured we had about 110-120 lb on our backs after we got home and weighed the meat. We split things into two trips after that, adding back our camp gear for about 75-80 lb each, and each trip was about 5 miles (5 miles out heavy, 5 miles back in light, 5 miles out heavy and done).

With moose I'm expecting packs to be in the 150 lb range. Add in a few buddies to reduce the number of trips, and things seem feasible. The terrain could destroy these plans in a heartbeat, but that's what scouting is for. I'm leaning pretty heavy towards the non-motorized areas.

Thanks for the feedback!
 

AKBorn

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With moose I'm expecting packs to be in the 150 lb range. Add in a few buddies to reduce the number of trips, and things seem feasible. The terrain could destroy these plans in a heartbeat, but that's what scouting is for. I'm leaning pretty heavy towards the non-motorized areas.

Please be careful if you do pack 150 pound loads - in the terrain where moose are typically found, very easy to twist an ankle or throw out a knee, and impact your hunting and fishing for several seasons. If you use trekking poles, they are a great help. Good luck to you.
 

AKDoc

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...How bad is it really?

You will certainly get many different perspectives...because "bad" is in the eyes of the beholder. A huge part of hunting for me is getting away from the world of humans and getting into the world of the animal. If I can see other camps nearby or hear other hunters, then that is bad for me. I know that sounds pretty selfish, and it is...but it's what I seek.

For many years I hunted 13, and I enjoyed it. I have taken many moose in 13, as well as other animals. That said, after enjoying many different remote and distant drainages, I also witnessed each one become progressively more and more heavily hunted. As just one example, for two consecutive years I watched every single bull in a relatively small and difficult access drainage taken by highly ambitious representatives of several "community" moose harvests as they pushed the limits of their side by side rigs to access the area. Such is life. It is public property...not mine.

Can you get away from the crowds in 13? Absolutely yes...eventually, perhaps even quickly, dependent upon your standards of what constitutes a crowd while hunting. There are many people who enjoy meeting fellow hunters during the hunt. I'm not that guy, but some are. Almost the entire north side of the highway is non-motorized access only...that's a big chunk of ground. Get out there and give it a try, but it might take you several miles to get away from the crowd to your standard. However, and I'm sure you already know this, ALWAYS keep it in your head that humping that moose back to your vehicle is going to be a unique and very strenuous experience...numerous trips, heavy loads, challenging terrain, likely challenging wx...and all conducted under essentially a significantly limited time constraint, i.e., getting that wonderful meat back home to enjoy, not spoil.
 
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KJH

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You will certainly get many different perspectives...because "bad" is in the eyes of the beholder. A huge part of hunting for me is getting away from the world of humans and getting into the world of the animal. If I can see other camps nearby or hear other hunters, then that is bad for me. I know that sounds pretty selfish, and it is...but it's what I seek.

Me too!
 
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