Moose hunt 2018 Advice

[mcseal2]

You have killed a pile of elk! I have been practicing calling, bought some videos on it and read lots of books too. I just ordered one of the bull magnet megaphone looking calls. That caribou hunt sounds awesome, that will likely be my next AK trip.

 

[35 Whelen]

:shock:
US Army WW2 packboard; modified with Molle II , waistband & shoulder harness. Shown in picture
Below:Here it is empty
Here it is a minute later with a 40 qt cooler lashed to it to
Simulate the bulk of a moose quarter? Will your straps even reach???

 

[35 Whelen]

If your going to actually attempt to pack a compleate 1/4 of an Alaskan bull moose (why would the state care if a person cut it in two pieces??? ) you better get yourself one of these ! You can lash a quarter on this in less than a minute and never have to resinch it up. But I don't see how that's possible on an Exo??? It is three times the size of the bag?? Anyway ,Good luck with that pack! I am 6'2"/ 220 and can bench 150 lbs but I cannot pack 175 :shock: ....... you guys must be some super tuned; rugged fellas! I doubt there would be one trooper up there: that is soposed to enforce that law: That could strap it on; and show you how to go out through an Alaskan Bog and Muskeg with 175lbs on his back? Or there never was.....,.. that law sounds totally ridiculous from my side of the fence?
WoW

 

[salmonchaser]

If your going to actually attempt to pack a compleate 1/4 of an Alaskan bull moose (why would the state care if a person cut it in two pieces??? ) you better get yourself one of these ! You can lash a quarter on this in less than a minute and never have to resinch it up. But I don't see how that's possible on an Exo??? It is three times the size of the bag?? Anyway ,Good luck with that pack! I am 6'2"/ 220 and can bench 150 lbs but I cannot pack 175 :shock: ....... you fellas must be some super tuned; rugged fellas! I doubt there would be one trooper up there: that is soposed to enforce that law: That could strap it on; and show you how to go out through an Alaskan Bog and Muskeg with 175lbs on his back? Or there never was.....,.. that law sounds totally ridiculous from my side of the fence?
WoW

I think you need a 20 year old packer, that's what I think.


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[mcseal2]

I agree that it doesn't make much sense. I might have to shift weights around to make my Cabelas Alaskan frame make the trip if the Exo isn't enough. That law looks like a great way to injure a back or ankle to me. I guess I don't have to like it just do my best to follow it. I think the best way is going to be being VERY selective on where I shoot a moose and do my best to anchor him in a good spot.

On my Exo I can remove the bag and use their Crib attachment to hold the bottom of the quarter and strap the rest to the frame. I haven't had to use it on game yet but packed a 50lb bag of mineral with it training. I'm sure it would do great with an elk quarter, but moose are huge. I know my training weight is nothing like a moose quarter and I was on much better ground. I will do more testing as I ramp up my training to see how it handles larger loads. I'm still working up my max weight for pack-outs. I want to do it slowly and not get an injury that slows me down and sets me back waiting to recover.

I think I'm going to do "pond laps" as it gets closer to the hunt. Packing weight around one of our ponds out in it deep enough to get a heck of a work out. I'll do laps around it in the silted in muck with a pack on and get somewhat used to how bad it sucks before the trip.

 

[35 Whelen]

Don,
From experence the only thing better than a twenty year old packer; is two (2)Twenty year
Old packers!

 

[IdahoCTD]

I think I would saw the quarters in half and tkae my chances with the fish cops. You didn't bone it out. If he give you trouble ask him if he can show you how to pack 150 to 175lbs through muskeg.

 

[salmonchaser]

Don,
From experence the only thing better is two Twenty year
Old packers!

Packers don't last too long, they figure out they can graduate to assistant guide after a couple of seasons.
Two friends of mine hunted near Chandler last fall, guided hunt. Killed the first bull, 72 inches even, about a fifteen minute walk down stream from their camp. Couple of days latter they saw another big bull up stream only 300 yards. Watched him lay down. They circled around got up even with him across the stream. The bull stood up and my buddy put a .375 through the void between the spine and lungs. They tracked him for a couple of miles finally loosing the trail due to rain.
Day or two later they found him with the plane about five miles away. 8 hours after they left camp the next day they put him down. Heard that was a shooting circus too.
On the way back it got dark, the guides GPS quit, it was raining and they finally rolled into camp about 0400.
They had an alternate pack out location only about a mile from the kill site but they couldn't fly there the next day so they had to hike. Got it packed out and hung. Plane never showed due to weather so they hiked back.
Day or two later the super cub went into get the meat and a couple of bears had found it. Drive the bears off and salvaged all but one quarter.
Yep moose hunting is fun



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[35 Whelen]

Don that sounds just like a hundred times we packed meat for miles, flew it out in dangerous weather, and air taxis just never picked it up! I hauled 17 Caribou out to Lava Ck for an outfitter, he contracted an air taxi to fly it all to King Salmon and a week later I flew by in the Cub, and it was still sitting there ; a slime pile with a 9' bear on it......
I am with you Idaho, I honestly would cut em in two, and take my chances! That will never stick in court if you got it all out! It would be worth something to tell em to " kiss my ax"
That's the stupidest law I have EVER heard of

 

[salmonchaser]

Don that sounds just like a hundred times we packed meat for miles, flew it out in dangerous weather, and air taxis just never picked it up! I hauled 17 Caribou out to Lava Ck for an outfitter, he contracted an air taxi to fly it all to King Salmon and a week later I flew by in the Cub, and it was still sitting there ; a slime pile with a 9' bear on it......
I am with you Idaho, I honestly would cut em in two, and take my chances! That will never stick in court if you got it all out! It would be worth something to tell em to " kiss my ax"
That's the stupidest law I have EVER heard of

My guess is it has to do with wasting meat. I will check with the brown shirts when I get up there in June.


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[Anonymous]

The reason they don't let you bone out quarters is meat loss due to spoilage. Once you bone meat, it can turn fast under field conditions.

The unit I hunt has an "on bone" requirement- including ribs. The only thing I can bone out is the neck, but I seldom do...it just packs easier on bone than as a big bag of loose meat.

While the rear quarter on a moose is not to be underestimated, one that goes north of 150 would be unusual. Most moose can be broken down in the two rear quarters (the heaviest), two fronts, 2 ribs, and tenderloins backstraps and loose meat from the neck. Add in the head and you're at 8 loads.

Best advice? Shoot em near camp, the airstrip or the raft. I've let several moose walk simply because the pack out would be a man killer.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I've seen meat spoil just as fast or faster on the bone when it's warm. The bone holds too much heat and 100+lbs of meat makes a giant blanket. I'll never be convinced boning meat out is a bad approach if done right.

 

[35 Whelen]

Well let's hope you can catch one right on the airstrip that looks just like this one!
This one spent a lot of time on a packboard to get him out! But well worth it for a 71" ER.

 

[IdahoCTD]

That's a big bull. 6 brow tines on the one side is a bunch.

 

[salmonchaser]

That would look over the bed too.


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[mcseal2]

I want one like that to walk right into camp! Thanks for all the advice. I guess I'll see where we get one shot and definitely not rule out the idea of cutting a hind quarter in half if it's the only way to get it from where it is to where it needs to be. I'll be thinking of the pack-out before squeezing the trigger too.

Late September hopefully the rut will be going strong and I can call a good bull into a decent spot.

 

[mcseal2]

I was talking with a guy on another forum who has been on this hunt before. He has been extremely helpful and sent me an hour long video they made of their hunt. He has the same tipi/stove set-up and the same Exo pack as I do so his input there and seeing the video were really helpful. The whole "picture is worth 1000 words" hits a whole new level when it's an hour long video on what to expect.

He said he regrets taking the Exo pack so I'm going to need to change that plan. He loves his Exo but said it's just to small for what they did up there. I can see where he is coming from after watching the video They packed the inflatable boat and motor several times short distances across land to access more country, including where they took both their moose. He said the rigid frame of his buddies pack was better.

I have a Cabelas Alaskan frame but when I looked I can't find the bag for it. I haven't used the bag for over a decade and moved in that time, it may not have made the trip. I have used the frame packing elk a few times but never used the bag.

I'm trying to decide what to do for a pack. I could use my frame and just put a dry bag on it for my day hunting gear. I am also considering spending a little money and getting a Kifaru frame. The Kifaru frame with a cargo panel and guide lid would do what I need to also and I have always heard good things about how the Kifaru handles weight. With them bringing a new frame out soon I bet I can pick up one of their hunting frames pretty reasonable off the forums soon. With that frame I could always add bags later to fit hunts if I do something where I need more capacity than my Exo again.

Cabelas has some options that are larger and heavier than I need but reasonably priced. The Barneys and similar frames and bags are an option, but I really don't need that giant bag for what I'm doing. I just need dayhunting gear capacity and a stout frame. Also weight is a big consideration as I need to stay under the 100lb limit, and a 10 or 12lb pack eats a lot of that.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I have a Cabelas Alaskan frame also and they do handle heavier weight better. It's what I used before I bought my Exo when I was packing meat. I have a rather large bag for mine that I've put 2+ elk quarters in and I'm sure a moose quarter would fit into. You could always make some straps and cinch your Exo bag to the Alaskan frame. Like you, I've always wanted a Kifaru frame, and I might pick one up this year to try out before AK.

 

[mcseal2]

Well I tried my Cabelas frame with an 80lb bag of quick crete the other night. It does not pack weight as well as I remembered it doing. Maybe I've just changed enough since I last used it that it doesn't seem to fit as well or maybe the Exo is just that much more comfortable for me. I switched the bag of concrete over to the Exo frame with the bag and it felt much better to me on my second trip around the same route.

I made a decision to try the Kifaru frame. I ordered a Kifaru tactical frame, Nomad II bag, Guide lid, and Grab-it 2. I talked to a couple people at Kifaru plus asked on some forums before making up my mind. I'm hoping it handles weight as well or better than my Exo and handles the bulkiness of the loads I will encounter up there better. I love my Exo and really don't see myself using the Kifaru instead of it for the majority of my hunting in the lower 48, but I also don't plan on this being my last trip to Alaska so I decided to go ahead and try the Kifaru. If I do not like the Nomad II bag I will probably try just a cargo panel with some pockets on the outside and a dry bag inside instead. The Nomad II has some features I might like at times though including webbing between the wings that I could attach my Eberlestock scabbard to. I'll update this thread after getting it in and tested out.

 

[mcseal2]

Got the Kifaru, it takes some thinking to decide how to put it all together. Not in a bad way, there are just a lot of options on how you want to set it up. It's like opening a box of Legos and trying to figure out what I want to build with it.

I think the lay-out will work well with the Nomad 2 and Grab-it. I will have to decide if I want to use the Guide lid or not for this hunt. I may just put gear I want quick access to in the wings of the Nomad 2 and run a dry bag in the center with my puffy, rain jacket, and spare gloves. The 8x10 sil-nylon tarp I plan to pack could sit under the dry bag in the Grab-it. Lots of options on where to attach the K-clips for compression straps on the bag and frame I just need to see what works best for me. I plan to load it up this weekend and go for a hike.