Tips for local hunters

Just as Tevya, the father from the “Fiddler on the Roof” musical, sang about what it must be like to be rich, I too, have dreamed those dreams. If money was no object, I would book multiple guided hunts in the remotest parts of Alaska with the best available guides for moose, caribou, sheep, goats, or bear. I might also consider a self-guided hunt where I chartered out on an airplane and floated some remote river or hunted some pristine wilderness area.

However, these are just dreams. I am not rich and spending tens of thousands of dollars to hunt in my home state is just not realistic. In today’s economic times, the less spent to go hunting the better.

So what are one’s options for big game hunting without spending a small fortune?

First, hunt locally. That minimizes the cost of getting to the hunting grounds. Second, use equipment you already own or can borrow. A “moose buggy,” riverboat or ATV can take you into some amazingly remote areas. If you don’t own any of these items, you can join a friend who does. Another set of hands while gutting a moose is always welcome!

If your friends are as equipment-poor as you, there’s always the infamous “road hunting!” For those unfamiliar with this, it basically involves slowly driving the back roads through unpopulated areas while keeping an eye out for a legal animal. I have tried this technique but have not been successful using it. However, I do know some folks who regularly use this method and have a reasonable success record over the years. Of course you can also walk into your chosen hunting location.

Okay, so where can you hunt locally?

The Mat-Su Borough is virtually the same size as the state of West Virginia and only has a population of around 95,000 folks. You should be able to find a few places which will fit your hunting needs. If you study maps and talk with folks like fuel delivery drivers, newspaper delivery people, wildlife enforcement troopers or others who routinely are out on the road system, you will probably get a hint about where to go. Fish and Game does not make specific recommendations, but they will tell you about general areas and possible access routes.

If you do leave the Mat-Su road system and travel via ATV, research the trail systems available and where they go. The borough has developed a list of existing trails and should be a good information source. The state Department of Natural Resources is another good information source. There are a few books available describing local ATV trails and rating them in difficulty. One such book is by James Riley and Ted Schachle and titled “Alaska Wilderness Trails”. There are seismic lines in several parts of the Mat-Su which provide access to some remote places. Some of the dog musher trails might be available and places like the Knik Public Use Area are specifically managed for multiple uses of the existing trails.

There’s also the possibility a legal moose could wander into your yard during the season as well. I have a friend who, over a 5 to 6-year period, has harvested three moose with his bow while they stood by his archery backstop in his yard. If you choose to hunt in the Palmer-Wasilla Management Area, make sure you have the appropriate hunter education certification for the firearm or archery gear you will be using.

If you have access to a riverboat, a lot of the borough you couldn’t get to by road is now accessible. You can either go to a specific area along a particular river and hunt or you can drift with the current, watching for a legal moose, sort of a wet version of road hunting. Some hunters will haul a camp out in their boats and base out of the camp, moving to different locations along the river to investigate potential hotspots.

So, no riverboat available?

Folks harvest moose while floating rivers like the Little Susitna in a canoe. An inflatable raft also works well for these kinds of trips. Just make sure to bring your PFD, a patch kit for the raft, and make prior arrangements to get picked up after the trip.

We all dream of that remote wilderness guided hunt, but the freezer can still be filled by hunting locally if you’ll just use a little imagination, existing equipment, and have a little luck!