What do people feel is more successful hunting moose by boat or atv(quad,argo etc.)Both work well but if you could only have one which would it be?I think atv,s are more versitile but I think I'd take my jet boat.

Boat works best in my area because of the long distance that is traveled to get to the moose. If you have a big enough boat(I do) you can also carry an ATV with you. I also have access to an Argo for hunting but they are high maintenance items. Winter time it's snowmobile hunting for moose and caribou.

Guess it depends on what sort of hunting experience you want.

A lot of the hunters in the area I hunt head for the clear-cuts, in trucks or ATV's. Most of the "hunting" is driving around hoping to see a moose that happens to wander out. It seems that the moose aren't too worried about the noise, because they're used to the noise of the heavy equipment.

Other people get in the boat and do the same thing - putt around the lake, hoping a moose wanders out to the shore while you're in rifle range (of course, legally, you're required to stop the boat, pull the motor, etc., etc. before you shoot. I can't comment on whether they do or not.) Both these methods seem a lot like trolling for moose, to me.

Our crew has chosen a different tack. We scanned topo maps, checked out the area for sign, and set up in likely locations. This year, we saw 5 moose in 1 full day and 2 half days hunting. We shot 2, and I let a cow go that I could have (legally) shot 10 times over. We had enough meat, so no reason to shoot her.

The "trollers" were almost begging us to tell them where we were getting the moose. I just told them "Pull your boat up on shore and look for sign." The same thing should work for hunting from an ATV. Determine some likely locations, locate good sign, park the ATV and set up a stand.

Griz,

We have taken several moose with our jet boat. In our area the river system will allow you to cover a tremendous amount of country in a short time. Alternating between running slowly up a side channel and then floating out while calling is really deadly. Of course the pack is pretty easy also.

The country in our area is just not practical for the use of ATV's. The tundra is often too boggy and too rough to allow them to be useful.

Actually I much prefer to get dropped off by plane in a nearby pond that has already been scouted for good bulls. That is a real moose hunt IMO.

I vote for the boat. Easier to pack amoose out in that any dinky ATV.

Dump the ATV idea. I sold mine in 1986, 3 years after buying it. It was a wise move. I even got more than I paid for it new.

There are too many ATVs out there. They're on the bad list of the environmentalists. Sell it while you can.

We've been using boats for moose for a dozen years. Frankly, I'm tired of moose meat. I'm going to concentrate on deer and caribou. We don't even shoot our limit of moose when we go.

Moose hunting is like King Salmon fishing; too many folks, too much pressure, too little gain. You can have it.

I must say, I am really diggin' the vibe on this forum. Great topics and even more enlightening responses. Great job, everyone!

As for the ATV versus the BOAT, it's funny you should ask...

I was on an ATV-assisted road hunt while pursuing my first bull moose, which was a long while passed. After shooting my 45-incher a couple of miles off road, packing it up steep terrain with an overloaded 4-wheeler for three days, I vowed never to try that again...ever!

I bought my first inflatable raft that same winter, and I have always returned with a moose.

The funny part is, I just spent $2300.00 (about the cost of a float hunt) extracting a FREE 4-wheeler off a river that I regularily float, merely to create a winter hobby to fix it up and resale it, to gain capital for MORE BOATS!!!!!

I guess that means I prefer the boat idea...

What a twisted world "I" live in.

Larry Bartlett

Some rivers are too shallow for boats.



One moose on two 4 wheelers or two moose on 4

Okay, Larry, I'm dying to hear it.

How did somebody lose a 4-wheeler on a river? Did it float away when they tried crossing?

I did my moose hunt by horse back. A wonderful experience.

Huntsernorth:
The 4wheeler was "given" to me by the family of one of two guides who was murdered here in Fairbanks last month. He owed me something his family did not want to part with, so they allowed me access to his hunting cabin for "freebies." The Polaris 4X4 and trailer was one of many items. I merely had the burden of extracting it all by air.

All in all, very much worth it!

Larry Bartlett

Murdered? Two guides? Whoa!! Sorry to hear that. I hope the killer(s) were caught.

I've a couple Polaris 6 wheelers, my son and my buddies use 4 wheelers mostly. Three use boats. We all get Moose.

Both have their advantages, but I get way more use from our wheelers up here all year round where we get little snow anymore.

I'd like to get a couple mules for up in the mountains, maybe someday.