Alaska vs Newfoundland

[Short Track]

I've done Newfoundland Moose, and it's pretty much 80% or better odds of taking a Moose.

What are the odds in Alaska ? Alaska seems more adventurous, more hard core for the younger guys. I know the Moose are bigger in Alaska, but I'm not a trophy guy.

Has anyone done both ?

 

[mooster]

i've done both. its not always fairly comparable due to different zones & requirements. my n=1 is that I had legal bulls in front of me in NFL daily. That's not true of my AK experience. That said, an AK moose is a different animal, an order of magnitude, compared to a Newfie moose.

 

[SaltySailor]

Never seen Newfoundland, but I've done a whole bunch in Alaska. Everyone thinks there is a moose behind every tree when they come up here, that is simply not the case. My father-in-law visited during the season and was shocked at the amount of 'pristine moose country' we passed to get to our camp. If you are just picking a direction and heading out, you could be walking/traversing for a looooong ways before coming into any moose.

Moose have general rut areas they return to year after year, if you know where these are then yeah, you can have a 80% chance of success every year too if the competition is low.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

In Alaska, it's all about working to increase the odds. In other words, the nature of competition with other moose hunters. If 1 in 4 moose hunters are successful, just work harder/smarter than 75% of the other hunters out there.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I've done Newfoundland Moose, and it's pretty much 80% or better odds of taking a Moose.

What are the odds in Alaska ? Alaska seems more adventurous, more hard core for the younger guys. I know the Moose are bigger in Alaska, but I'm not a trophy guy.

Has anyone done both ?

Apples and Oranges.

Alaskan/Yukon Moose (alces alces gigas) can weigh up to 1800 pounds and have 70 inch spreads. Guided trip runs $23-25K. May involve supercubs, jet boats, horses.

Eastern Moose (alces alces americana) are closer to 1000 pounds, and a 50 inch spread is hard to come by, with most hunters shooting something in the 30"-40" range. Guided trip runs $4K-7K. May involve a pickup trucks, 4 wheelers, jon boats.

 

[ganngus]

Not even comparable in quality of animal or the price. Newfoundland is an opportunity hunt. Alaska is a trophy hunt for nonresidents with 50inch minimum/4 brow tine requirement. Newfoundland you can get guided hunt for 4k. Alaska would cost more than 4k for a drop camp.

If price was not an issue, I would choose Alaska over Newfoundland. Then again, I already got my archery moose from Newfoundland and have no interest in going back. I'd probably go to BC before going back to Newfoundland...

 

[HuntHarder]

Which outfitter offers a guided New Foundland moose hunt for 4k$? I am interested.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Don't overlook Alberta. When hunting mule deer and whitetail, I saw quite a few moose that had very nice racks. Costs were pretty nice as well.

 

[william schmaltz]

From my limited experience, there isn’t a hunt is AK you could assign the word typical to. Talk to 50 different AK moose hunters and you have 50 vastly different experiences. There are so many variations of geology, hydrology, vegetation, population density, and weather across the state that every hunt in every part of the state is different. Simply add into that varying knowledge levels of moose behavior and calling as well as the fact that everyone carries around a cloud with varying amounts of luck. Even guys that hunt the same spot every year can report significant variations in each experience. But if you make the phone calls and go to the far reaches of the internet for the real hot tips, you typically get the type of trip you plan for.

I’ve had mtn lake hunts where we could see 1-2 miles in all directions and glassed “legal” bulls every day. Our success was completely dependent on how much distance and alder BS we were willing to tolerate. Also had river hunts where we found fresh rut sign and just stake it out on a bluff - extremely boring but they always come back through within a few days. And as of recently, I’ve been hunting an area with flat willow swamps you can’t see more than 100 yards and a bull seems to walk into camp within 45 minutes of hearing your morning fart.

I don’t know if it’s people just trying to sound bad ass on the internet or if it’s that everyone has watched too many Donnie V films and thinks they need to prove something, but AK isn’t nearly as challenging or complicated as people like to make themselves believe. It’s almost sad to think how many people have been turned away from a hunt because they spend too much time on the internet. With above average woodsmanship and grit, just get your mind right and a moose hunt is really pretty basic. AK certainly has it’s unique challenges, but I definitely wouldn’t say it’s more for someone younger or hell bent on adrenaline. Again, the trip is whatever you make it. You can do the 50lb weight limit and pack raft float if you want. On the other end of the spectrum, moose has become my annual relaxation trip. Give me an Arctic Oven, a 10lb propane tank, a cooler full of food, and a couple cases of beer. We call bulls to the lake or tent.

AK has several options both OTC and draw for NR hunters to hunt an any bull tag. I know one of them areas has outfitters with 100% hunter success rates the last few years. Most of the bulls they take are in that “legal” range. Several outfits hanging around 100% group success rates. I’d talk to about 20 different outfits before even starting to narrow things down.

The state is huge and I’ve seen trophy bulls from the rainforests to the northernmost arctic valleys and countless locations in between. Don’t let people tell you what to expect on an AK moose hunt; no one can answer that. I’ve only done a handful of AK moose hunts, each one very different. But each hunt provided the opportunity for at least a couple “legal” bulls; and take that as nothing more than my personal experience and not an expectation.

 

[PA Hunter]

There is a much higher density of moose in Newfoundland per square mile, but you need a guide as a non resident and I hate hunting with a babysitter. Also no size restrictions in Newfoundland but realistically it still is cheaper on average to hunt Newfoundland.

 

[PA Hunter]

Which outfitter offers a guided New Foundland moose hunt for 4k$? I am interested.

I can get you in $5200-5500 with mine I think.