Does anyone know if Bartlett is still doing his hunt consulting? If so what are your thoughts? I don't really have any experience with him other than nearly 20 years ago when he would occasionally pick my brain about Adak caribou. At that time I thought he was a pretty straight shooter.
Or maybe it was Mike Strahan, or maybe it was both; my mind is getting a little foggy.

I just noticed I totally blew it in my advice above: I should have said "wouldn't" instead of "would".
Looks like you've already figured this out though. Good idea about hunting partners; been there, done that.

Trying to keep it close to 6k a piece. We are all new to this so more less trying to see if it can be done. I guess that would be total round trip for us. I guess I’ll need to talk to an air taxi and get all cost including if we tag out. Thanks John

A lot of folks don't understand the way flying is priced. If you charter a Cub at $170 per hour...........and fly 1 hour to your drop point, the cost will be 340$ because the pilot and plane have to fly back to the point of origin. Just so you are not surprised when you get your invoice.

Not sure about Strahan but Larry Bartlett is still doing his thing, ran into some float hunters last year that had used his services.

Thank you for that info White. I will make some calls. Talk to some air taxis and go from there. I guess it can get quite expensive with a couple bulls down.

However, during hunting season, and if the charter outfits know you are hunting, most of them won't quote you a hourly rate. They quote you a much higher package deal. I looked at one outfit recently that charges $3700 (per person) for a caribou hunt package with not much more that maybe three hours total flying time; PLUS an additional $1000 to fly out your caribou. I'm trying to figure out how to find a outfit that will just charge by actual hours.

The thing that really bothers me about so many of these outfits is that many times they don't dead-head, so they are in actuality double charging.

Waggler
Just watched some great videos from Larry Bartlett, looks like he would be a great place to start!! I was wondering if the air taxis gave you a flat rate. But it sounds like it will be much higher than per hour.
John

Bartletts services are booked through 2026 and after that he’s not taking any new clients. When you’re good you’re good. Lol

I agree with Jeff. Unit 18. Commercial flight to Bethel, Ak. Then a float plane transporter to a lake or slough in unit 18. There are at least 2 transporters offering that sort of service in Bethel. You can iron out the details when you choose a transporter.
Mike Strahan is deceased.

If your successful make sure you have plans for all that meat and how your going to get it home, it can be quite expensive so figure that into your budget. If you don't want to keep the meat or only some of it then figure out beforehand where you can donate it.

Just a few words of caution.

1) There is probably no place in AK where you will not see someone on a moose hunt. You will just see less people by flying in (due to cost) than you will trying to hunt from the road. Even then, there will be other hunters that have a much larger budget then you do.

2) Talk to the area biologist, and your outfitter/pilot for the area you pick. They don't always agree on population or area to hunt. Where they count them isn't where they are in the fall when it is hunting season. You should also be able to find out hunt success rate in areas you might want to hunt, and that will help you in deciding.

3) Moose are HUGE and most people from the lower 48 don't understand how big they are until it is dead in a swamp and they have to start to butcher it. They are HUGE (I can't say that enough) and don't even compare to an elk. And you need to plan on being able to get them out of ponds, swamps, thickets of black spruce, etc., and just be able to carve them up and pack them back to the airstrip. And Alaskans frown on wanton waste. You may think you can leave some meat, but your pilot/outfitter will know how much meat should come out with a big bull, so when the horns are there and the meat is not, they will be making a call to the troopers.

4) Plan on being wet and cold the entire time, and if the weather is nice, then thank your lucky stars. Better to be prepared and not need it, then need it and not have it. The outfitter/pilot isn't on call for whatever you need, and if they do come, it will be expensive.

Good luck on your hunt and I hope you are successful. I love it, even when I don't get to pull the trigger, but it can be a very demanding hunt.

-TJ

My son flew in this past September and took a fine moose. Without travel to and from Alaska, meat processing, tipping, taxidermy,, license, just the in Alaska part was very near 6k. This was a drop in hunt.
I think all said and done hotels, travel, etc still no taxidermy he was between 10-11 thousand.

Osky

Thank you, I will definitely take a look at that area! And make a few calls
John

Thank you. I will take this advice. I don’t need all the meat but for sure want a couple hundred pounds. That’s why I hunt big game! For the table fare!
John

Thank you for all this advice TJ. I have found a lot more info on the web than I thought I would about specifics. I know I’m going to be dealing with a huge animal….hopefully. Elk are prob the size of a small calf. I have become quite proficient with butchering duty’s on elk and I welcome the task of a huge moose.along with my two buds for help.
The plan on being wet and cold the whole time sounds great lol. Embrace the suck they say. Thank you for the good luck vibes!
John

This is good to know. I guess I better up my budget and also maybe put the hunt out another year. Plan on making some calls soon to find out if anyone can take my group on for 2024.
Was your son with a partner or group to help split some costs?
John

If not bent on Alaska, Newfoundland has some great moose hunting for $4000-$4500. My hunting buddy and I both got nice bulls the year before. The hurricane literally destroyed our moose hunt this year.

I suggest you read the regs very thoroughly. Make sure you understand the meat salvage regs. Rib meat, brisket, neck, etc must be salvaged, pretty much any flesh other than the flesh on the head. Non-resident hunters get pinched all the time for failing to take all the meat, and all the meat has to be packed back to camp before the antlers get packed back. No excuses are excepted like; " they don't require we take the rib meat where I come from". The brown-shirts can, and do make hunters dump out their meat sacks to verify that certain cuts appear in the sacks.

Lots of good advice. I will add what I can. Been up here quite a while, and have done many fly-out hunts.
There are big differences between outfitters, and air taxi's. Some operate in the gray area. All I will say, about that.
Everything in Alaska that goes in an airplane is expensive. With 3 guys, gear, etc., for over a week, you are looking at multiple trips, if going alpine. Here in southeast, there are larger floatplanes, such as Otters and Caravans that can easily haul tonnage. You are more likely looking at Beavers, 206's, and similar.
Each aircraft has it's pluses and minuses, and each costs differently. They also each have their own limits.
Last year was pretty hard on moose in a lot of areas, so when you do your due diligence, I would look at 5 year success rates, not just 2022.
Another thing to be mindful of is your gear. Your life will depend on it. No joke. Big wind, heavy rain, even heavy, wet snow are all not just possibilities, but likely.
I have hunted elk in Colorado, deer all over the west, caribou in S.W. Alaska, moose, (un-successfully), on Kenai, around Tok/Chicken, and everything that walks flys, or crawls in Southeast Alaska. Trust me, your gear, homework, and positive, can-do attitude are your critical must-have components.
The rest is gravy.