Hooray for the hunt!

Last week we started discussing moose hunting in particular and hunting in general regarding when and why some people go hunting. I mentioned that I would go into more detail this time about planning for that long anticipated hunt.

As you read this, I should be either just getting home or well on my way from an early season moose hunt. Planning for this hunt started about two years ago. My friends, Gnarly Dan and Ben (he’ll have a nickname when this hunt is over), had originally raised the idea of going back up the Dalton Highway in pursuit of caribou. We hunted together up there about five years before and figured maybe it was time to return. A fourth member, Sweet William, a man of delicate sensitivities, was added to the list a few months into the discussions.

You first read about Sweet William a few years ago when I originated the Gnarly Dan adventures stories. That first set of stories was based on an actual moose hunting trip Dan, Bill and I had made on the Teklanika River. Sweet William, a nonresident, was interested in trying for caribou. We began discussing how to get outside the 10-mile corridor on the Dalton where archery-only hunting is allowed. A trip up the Ivishak River was the obvious choice. The next step was figuring what type of boat and motor would do what we needed.

Early last spring, when gas prices were spiking, we decided that none of us could afford the trip north. During that first hunt, I had put 1,600 miles on my truck, which gets 10 miles-per-gallon. Gas headed for $5 per gallon made that hunt too expensive. We went into a fall-back position.

Gnarly knew some folks up in GMU 14B who would let us cross their remote property to access public lands way back farther than sane people would go. We started seriously planning to hunt moose at that destination.

This was to be an ATV-accessible hunt, so the first order of business was to make sure everybody had a functional ATV. I have an older machine that needed a little bit of adjustment and cleanup, and I was good to go. Gnarly had a newer machine in good condition. Ben went looking for an ATV and eventually purchased one. Dan borrowed a neighbor’s machine for Bill to use.

Before we held our first group planning meeting, Dan and Ben scouted the area for trail conditions and to learn whether we actually could get to where we hoped to hunt. Things took another turn for the worse. All the rain we’ve had during August basically drowned out any reasonable access into this area. The guys got stuck just trying to run into the area with no gear on the machines and no meat trailers in tow. What to do now?

Again, Gnarly Dan knew some folks in GMU 14A who lived remote and were willing to allow us to access their area and hunt. These folks live at a little higher elevation and the trails accessing their area should be runable with the ATVs pulling meat trailers.

These same good folks also offered to let us use a couple of their outbuildings as a place to camp. This significantly reduced the amount of gear we would need to haul in: no tents or cots, minimal cooking gear, no chainsaw for clearing brush and cutting firewood, no large tarp to cover the campsite and no folding chair. Life just got a lot easier!

I’m bringing my main hunting rifle and a sidearm, a back-up rifle (just in case), and a small gun for grouse or rabbits. I’m probably bringing more clothes than I really need, but I’d rather be warm, dry and comfortable than cold, wet and miserable. I’m also bringing in a ground blind to hunt from. This thing offers great concealment and a dry place to sit on a rainy hunting day. I’ve also got a ladder stand packed, but it’s large and heavy and, at this writing, may not make the cut for the trip in — I’ll let you know what happened in a future column.

This early in the season I can guarantee that bug dope gets packed. I’ve also learned that a water filter to clean up drinking water is a given as well. I bought a computer program with topographical maps and I have printed out the complete area in detail on waterproof paper. Of course, a compass and GPS unit will be going along with my binoculars and a small spotting scope. I’ve also become quite fond of my walking stick, not only as an aid to walking but also as a shooting rest, too. Even though we’ll be using ATVs, I’m bringing my pack frame. A couple of books will find their way into the meat trailer as well. Food is pretty basic with a lot of canned and dry stuff in the mix. We’ll have some fresh items the first couple of days and then the granola bars and Spam will get a workout.

This is far from a complete listing of gear for planning a hunt, but it gives you an idea of what you need to do to prepare for your own trip. Good luck to you. I’ll let you know how we did. There might even be a new Gnarly Dan adventure or two coming out of this.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.