The folks in Red Devil always seemed to appreciate the couple thousand pounds of moose meat we would always drop off there!

correct ..just cows and calves after Oct 1

Alright, I'll dive. No sides chosen, either. Yukon, you say you fly all over the area, and have an intimate knowledge of the goings-on of your area, and then state you have no aircraft, but because the guides do, you are at a dis-advantage. I don't get that. You then blame the guides for a lack of harvest opportunity, yet your moose population has expanded incredibly, to the point that you can harvest about anything. The guiding industry is constantly blamed for about everything imagined, yet they, both individually, and as a whole, (APHA), have a huge interest in the health of Alaska's game populations.
I can tell you that as a former AC member that has attended every BOG meeting here in south east for the last (more than), a decade, the guides are by far the more conservative representatives at the meetings, and thier proposals reflect such.
As for statistics, for those that care, the guided hunting and fishing industry pays WAY more than their fair share, yet only accounts for less than 4% of the effort/harvest. The hunting harvest for treophy bull moose by non's is absolutely insignifigant, to the point of not discussing. Yet the financial contribution to villages and areas that would never see a dime from hunting is considerable.
I am by no means minumizing the value of meat in the freezer, but am pointing out the value of another commoditee, the guided hunter or fisherman, that one should also think about.
And as an addendum, no, I have never guided any paying client, ever.

Nummy! Sheep meat garnished with Ben Franklins. Tasty!

$1100.00!!!!???? I'm in!!!!!!!!

Yes I can see you have not chosen sides..lol..but I will play.

First off I do fly around alot chartering into villages to buy fur and thats just how we get around out here( no state funded Ferry systom like there)
I am not blaming the guiding industry for anything..just dont want to compete with them in my hunting spot.
and yes they do have an advantage when they fly around and look for moose with their plane I have seen how they operate.

I cant say what finacial bennifit they have been in this village..so far the guy that brings hunters in the past few years has never dropped a dime out of his plane.

That's kind of weird. We got a name for those guys that fly around hunting all the time over here. We call them " Alaska resident hunters". LOL

Hey Dirt,, thanks for reminding me we have sheep in the freezer. We refer to them a residue!!!!

My turn?
I live in an area with a high caribou population. I work at the airport and see firsthand the operations of guides and transporters. Have you ever seen a dumpster of caribou? 2 pallets of meat stacked 3-4 feet high in 50 degree weather for 3 days? Anyone ever try to give you rotten meat? Ever see a sign "free meat" cause a guy got 5 caribou and a moose but didn't want to pay freight charges back where he came from? Note* he took the antlers! I can go on and on but I know ill be in the minority here because there are guides that will defend themselves and others. Another quick note that happened a few weeks ago the local police were given rotten meat from a client that ended up in a dumpster also. I overheard a cop telling the story at a local store. You might ask why this wasn't brought to troopers attention believe me it was. It makes no sense that all a person has to do is bring the meat to a hub in edible condition. What is done after is a grey area.
Ok. Now for the misconception that money is brought into the community. Guides and transporters pick their clients up at Alaska airlines and bring them to their base of operations. They sit on the ramp and wait for the aircraft that takes them to their destination. Tents food water are all provided for. Relax ive seen the everything these guys keep stocked in their buildings and shelters. When clients return they sit on the ramp and gather their belongings to be brought to Alaska airlines to check in. How do I know this? I work at the airport. Where is the money coming into the town? Tickets are bought from Alaska airlines. 4 out of 5 transporters are based in towns other than kotzebue. 1 based in kotzebue has 1 local pilot part time. Guides are not based in kotzebue. Fuel is bought from Crowley.
where is the money that is supposedly being brought in?
The last gripe I have is about the notion that with an airplane you get out where locals will not be affected by the actions of guides and transporters. Have you ever hunted the migration of caribou? You ever shoot a caribou out of a herd and have the next bunch an hour later take another rout because the herd that you shot one from leaves a scent going in another direction for them to follow? Imagine this.... 5 transporters dropping off a few hundred hunters in the path of these caribou and this not affecting the migration of the herd. Not only hunters but plane traffic all day long. Noatak kotzebue noorvik kiana selawik ambler shungnak and kobuk all rely on this migration for food. Depending on what the caribou do in a year some villages have a tough time getting meat. 2 years ago the migration went a northern route and everyone suffered from locals to guides and transporters. Locals didn't get the meat they needed and the guides and transporters had to burn more fuel to get hunters to the caribou. The moose population took a major hit that fall because people prefer moose over caribou. A friend of mine settled for a moose that fall after not getting caribou and said there were 26 sets of moose antlers up to the place he got a moose. After all we don't eat antlers.
Alrighty then. Let the mudslinging begin. Ive put a big bullseye on my chest so grimmer your best shot.

Nolluk...good post (I was getting beat up here).. I heard the Horror stories but never seen it first hand, I guess you have.

I think you will hear crickets now.

Supposed to be gimmee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No excuse for wasted meat!!! But I have to wonder if the employees at the airlines get paid and spend their money in kotz or not? If the planes fill up in kotz? Wouldn't that bring money and jobs to the community?

Alaska airlines employees get paid irregardless. We pay 600 plus roundtrip to Anc. Era aviation Bering air and Ryan do not make any money from guides and transporters. We have 11 villages that's where that money comes from. Try again?

They make no money on flying people out? So flying out hunters is a negative number in the books?

Alaska airline makes money. Does it stay here? Probably not. Remember we pay our way your way his way and their way.

This jumped in kind of late. Wrote it this afternoon and after the recent posts.
I will reedit this to address some of my feelings on keeping money in the villages.
My thought is that locals could gain from providing drop off packages and boat rentals for resident and non. Restricted to certain areas that the villages deem appropriate. Cut down on the competition and give some local employment and harvest some of the excess. Many residents would pay for drop off hunts if the equipment was supplied. It is not guiding. Other guys do this. Not sure of all the legalities but it is a thought.

There will still someday become an issue of carrying capacity. And I bet the lower reaches of the Yukon are getting there. There are far more alder than anything in the lower yukon area. Where are the concentrations of moose in the winter. Specific patchs of willow. You see concentrations of them where ever you fly over the willow patchs near the river bend and disturbed grounds some of the best. There is only so many willow tops to go around. There is always scattered moose. Always will be. But the willow patches take it in the tops in the concentrated areas. Come to Homer and look at what years of overgrazing did to the willow patches in the prime winter areas. Very apparent. Short stubble of a willow with ever available nibble taken off them every year.

The numbers are not there yet in the Mountain Village area and above. But their will come a day in the lower river, if it is not their yet when winter browse will be the deciding factor for a healthy herd. Be different if they had a place to go. Holy Cross moose can migrate up or down as they need. Where does a moose at the mouth of the Yukon go when it needs new habitat.
Much like the lynx populations. They have steadily grown for the last 15 years.
My theory
They also have no where to go. Bearing Sea, Tundra for miles and miles north and South. Or back up river. Plenty of food. Even with low hare numbers our rodent population is such that it could support any predator out there if they got hungry.
Doesn't seem to be a boom and bust. Just boom. at least for the last 12 years. No sign of a down turn yet.
Trappers seem to be keeping these numbers in check.
But moose. Only so many the villagers can take.
And yes no dead moose yet showing up to starvation.
And certainly not in your area Jeff but I do wonder about the Emmo Kotlik areas. When we might see some of it down the line.
Interesting article. Alaska Moose management-Science or Comic book biology
As he describes it moose left to fulfill the carrying capacity of an area live on the brink of disaster. It is far better to maintain the herd at 50 to 75 % Thus insuring extra food for those hard winters of cold and deep snow. Little wiggle room on a hard winter with little food. Moose die. Just like other animals. And that might be worth it to the local villagers in view of the alternative, Outside hunting pressure.
Hard decisions for both sides. But in the end. There will be dead moose one way or the other. Wolves, people, cold, starvation. What should we manage for. Many sides to that question. And to each his own.

just checked a website 7 day 2 person minimum $3,150.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats three thousand one hundred fifty dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! talk about money for nothing and the caribou for free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fyi that's only one trip and these guys fly from morning till dark............. u do the math. late august till beginning of october. money that goes to four other towns i probably cannot say names.

Nolluk u don't pay my way it is just as expensive for a ticket from bet to ANC and we r closer

ok... sorry... my bad... i wish there was competition from era or another airline. even the villagers suffer haeing to pay 400 plus for a roundtrip ticket. people in the lower 48 have nothing to complain about compared to us.

nolluk imagine what it would be like without the mail contracts. 10 years ago a round trip ticket to MYU from BET was 140, now it is 500 bucks.