I am looking to hook up with someone to do a moose and/or caribou hunt this fall. Have stuck out on all the ower 48 hunt draws. Right now am solo and need hunting partner(s) for this fall and/or someone who has a drop camp planned. Will gladly pay my fair share but am not able to hire full guide service.

I don't know about everywhere's else, but here in Alaska, most residents don't like anything about the lower 48, other than a few of their friends & relatives; same as out west how they hate the back east hunters who come out and sometimes do better than them. Heck, even the Indians see it as bad luck to talk about hunting or what they kill; you can figure out why yourself. I figure the guides think people ain't paying them enough now anyway, and honestly that's a tough business to make it in; expenses keep going up.

All that being said, I have seen people from outside drive to Alaska with trucks & campers, pulling trailers with 4 wheelers inside, and even with 24 foot river canoes and do float trips and some do well. All about access here in Ak which costs the bucks. Load up your 4 wheelers & plan a trip. Several places in Ak where non-residents can do this and be successful. Example: our outsider caribou season which only lasts 4-5 days starts Aug 29th. We also have a 5 day moose season from Aug 24th to Aug 28, but the moose don't move much that early, but a few are shot. Everybody gets their caribou. That be a good hunt for people that wanted to spend 2 weeks getting here, hunting, and back.

Call F&G and ask them where outsiders can do these type hunts.

Ya know most people around here have several atvs, several snowmachines, a boat or two, and all the gear to keep a couple moose camps downriver or out somewheres. They accumulate everything for their hunting passion over the years. It ain't like back east where you buy a box of shells and go out and stand in the woods behind the house first day of deer season. Of course you don't see no orange and hardly ever any other hunters if ya get off the road.

No joke, I've seen guys pulling covered trailers with atvs inside come up and do quite well. Get moose, caribou, bear, and a wolf in 2 weeks; course they are natural born hunters that kill game wherever they go hunting.

I did a cheap fly in about a dozen years back, cost 2K for flight into camp for 7-10 days; whenever weather was good to get in and out. That wasn't bad actually and I was able to call in several bulls.

Hope this has given ya some ideas. I actually know people that spend a few months in Alaska every spring & fall hunting; they leave trucks and atvs here and fly back and forth. They tell me the hunting is so much better here than in lower 48 and that down South they can spend just as much as they do in Alaska to be able to go hunting anyway. I guess we are spoiled up here when it comes to hunting.

Engineer
Just book a hunt with Tom Shankster for 5 or 6K for caribou and walk away with a booner.
elk88101@hotmail.com
Larry

5-6K for a guided caribou hunt? Really? I'm being serious, bou goes that much?

Joel, we sure are spoiled if they are paying that much. We always have 1000-2000 bou show up on our summit from later July till mid August. I always see around 20 huge bulls; bigger than anything I've ever seen on any of those TV shows. Then too the guides are flying them in for the way out there experience too. I just prefer the fresh meat .

I have shot 13 caribou on DIY hunts; just fly to Kotz and line up a flying service to take you in. I would never hire a guide for caribou in AK.

Moose is a different question; I find it tough to do a moose and a bou on the same trip. The other issue for a NR is the 50 inch rule; be sure he is legal before you pull the trigger.

I don't much agree with the idea that Alaskans hate the lower 48 or the people from there. Most Alaskans are actually from there but have lived here for 6 months or 60 years.

Dillingham has two very reputable air taxis, (Bay Air, Tikchik Air) that can do as good a job as any providing transport into good moose hunting areas. If you come up backpack hunting style you can rent a zodiac from them and fly where you want to go.

Managing a trophy size moose is an onerous burden and I'd not recommend doing it without some kind of support from a guide. Sorry, we've really no good caribou hunting here.

Howzabout a fishing trip? Easy to do and the fishing and adventure is great!