Alaska Non-Resident Moose Hunting

Alaska Private Guide Service

Smokey Don Duncan, old Master Guide #136 is no longer guiding any hunters, anglers or snowmobile trips. He has quit. These web pages are left up for historical purposes, cataloging and research and are not for client recruitment purposes.

Non-Resident Alaska Moose Hunting GMU 17

GMU 17B is located 300 miles west of Anchorage, in southwestern Alaska, north of Dillingham. Moose season for all non-resident areas in unit 17B is Sept 5-15.

We hunt GMU 17 where the Alaska moose hunting season is September 5 - 15 for Non-residents for eleven days of hunting. The bull moose are generally velvet free and polishing antlers after Sept. 1st as they head into the rut. Few moose hunting experiences are as exciting and scary as a huge bull slashing & crashing through the woods answering the calls and coming to, or in some cases, after you! To shoot the moose, first we have to judge it legal. You are part of the team and you are the trigger puller, so I send you a video on how to judge moose that you must watch and study before hunting. The shots are frequently very close especially in the vegetative river corridor. Game management 17 is our primary hunting area. You might as well call this a 60 moose hunt because almost all the moose we take are 60+ inches.

Within Game Management Unit (GMU) 17B. The rivers we hunt in GMU 17 B require a hunter to pick up a free registration permit in Dillingham at Fish and Game before you hunt. Now most of the moose hunters choose to do the Alaska moose and brown bear combination hunt. Hunters may also take incidental game such as wolf, wolverine and black bear and enjoy some great fishing at minimal costs. The kill fees are listed below in the prices section. We don't take many but the seasons are open.

NEW 3/9/2011; The Board of Game will now allow you to pickup the non-resident moose registration permit in Dillingham until September 8th. Smokey submitted this proposal. This will save a lot of time and money for all involved.

Non-Resident Registration Permit Area - GMU 17B

The Non-Resident River Corridor moose hunting permit RM 587 allows you to hunt with in 2 miles of either side of the river. Now you have until Sept. 8th to get the permit. You must pick up the permit IN PERSON at Fish and Game, IN DILLINGHAM between July 15 and Sept. 8th. Monday through Friday, 8AM - 5PM. Only seventy-five permits are issued each year. During the last 5 years; F&G only issued about 25, 50, 24, 25 and 22 permits respectively. They have never run out. That is the deal, don't ask me to change it or if you can reason out of it. Hey; I tried in 2009. I made a proposal and spent $2000 going to Anchorage and waiting to testify in front of the Board of Game requesting they modify the permit conditions. I got it extended to Sept. 5th This was the best I could get. By my self. All Alone. The other guides were too busy recruiting clients at shows to weigh-in and protect non-residents. Even when they lived in Anchorage and the meeting was in Anchorage. I did not see any other proposals related to this nor relevant comments made in writing. In March 2011, I submitted 3 more proposals addressing this permit and got the registration period extended to Sept. 8th with very little if any help. Another $1000 spent on 2 trips. If you are considering hunting with any one else in Unit 17; ask them if they were at the Board of Game meeting and testified for the pro non-resident proposals. Then ask them if they were competent enough to even write a comment to the Board supporting my proposals to make it easier on you guys. It is a matter of public record. Now; think about what they will do for you on a hunt, when the real work starts! Oh I forgot; Our "friends" at APHA, Alaska Professional Hunters Association testified against my proposals. Their members wanted the permit to be issued in 2-3 other towns/villages which would have benefited them and their clients but hurt you and the rest of us. It would have allowed the other guides and transporters to once again flood the area with mostly drop off hunters and ensured that F&G would run out of permits. Remember who your friend is and how much time, money and effort I spent to keep this open for you and to make it tolerable when it comes time to hunt. -- top

Permit Area Alaska Moose Hunting Description -- Jet Boat Camps

This area is centered around the major rivers and creeks through out the unit.

From our base camp, we use the boats to travel up or down the river to reach where we will get out of the boat and go into the woods and call. Sometimes we catch a bull moose standing in the river. Resident bull moose will gather their cows in the traditional rut areas near camp. That is why we put the camps where we did. The rivers and creeks are bordered on both sides by the vegetative corridor. Out side of the corridor is open tundra. The moose hunting will be in or near the vegetative corridor between the river and the tundra. The vegetative corridor is not solid nor is it real wide. It is bisected with smaller river channels, lots of old cut off river channels, sloughs, ponds and clearings. These areas are what we hunt. Typically, we do a lot of calling to locate the big bull moose. The jet boats allow us to hunt moose several places a day. If we don�t get an answer, we move by foot or boat. Early in the season, most bull moose will only answer calls and are reluctant to come to the call. So we mark the spot and check back on them from time to time until we can convince them to come to us. It is best that they come to us. We have to see them good to judge the antler spread. And frequently by then, they are close. Early on, the prime times are early morning and late evening to dark. The bull moose will bed down mid day. That will change as moose season progresses and the bulls travel to find cows. Using the jet boats and back pack rafts we have never had to pack a moose kill more than 15 minutes to the boat! Shots are frequently very close. In 2009, the shots were 9, 12 and 20 yards. There is some open country where longer shots are available across meadows, from bluffs, or across the creeks. Towards Sept. 15, the bulls can be very aggressive coming to a challenge call and they can be dangerous at close range. This is ideal for those who can't walk far or for bow hunters needing close shots.

The brown bears feeding on fish will never be far from the river. We use ground blinds set up at the bears� fishing locations and traveling areas. A moose kill along the river or creeks will almost always have a brown bear on the gut pile with in 36 hours. Once a moose kill is left overnight, you had better be prepared when you return. We kill a lot of moose right before dark. We have to butcher the moose right then and there. We can call for help on the radio to get it butchered and hung up in a nearby tree. Do you see why most hunters are choosing the moose and bear combination hunt? Early in the season the bears and moose are close together and seeing either one or both is possible no matter what you are hunting. It makes sense! Especially when the second animal is on a kill fee. Brown bear season is open before, during and after moose season and the limit is 2 bears These days, most of the combination hunters are buying 2 bear tags as apposed to buying a separate moose and bear tag since a bear tag will cover a moose or a bear. If you use both tags on bears then I can I sell you another moose tag in the K1 base camp if needed.

All of the jet boat camps will have world class fishing for silver salmon, red salmon, rainbow trout, grayling, pike and char. Before the hunt starts or after lunch during the hunt, you may have some time to fish. Keep in mind we get up at 5 am for the morning hunt and get back to camp about 10 pm for dinner after the evening hunt. About day 3 of that, and you'll be liking the idea of a mid day snooze.

The permitted K1 base camp are outfitted with 12 x 12 x 7/12 ft tall steel framed weatherproof tents. Each tent has wooden floors, wood stove, lights or lantern, comfortable cots with thick pads. There is a separate fully equipped cook tent, an enclosed shower, an enclosed privy, and satellite phone or two-way radio communication with other camps and the village. We do our best to make base camp and all spike camps a warm, dry, and comfortable place to stay. The temporary base camps, have much the same except plywood floors. They are set up on gravel bars or a flat spot in the woods with a tarp down for the floor.The smallest spike camp tent we have is an 8 man Cabellas guide tent that easily accomodates 3 persons overnight.

The Moose hunts always book up first and earlier than the brown bear hunts. We will only book a few moose hunters depending on whether they are 1guide/1hunter or 1 guide/2 hunters. Lately; all of the moose spots have been taken by moose and brown bear combination hunters.

Alaska Moose Hunt and Alaska Brown Bear Hunt Combination Prices - GMU 17B

In unit 17, moose and brown bear hunting season overlap, My advice is to concentrate on brown bear hunting at the beginning of the hunt while keeping an eye out for moose. As the season progresses; the rut turns on and the bull moose will come towards and challenge the caller so they can be judged and taken. When you get a moose the brown bears will come to the gut pile/kill site and meat poles. Generally the bigger brown bears of the area will command the kill sites. This is particularly true along the river system in the moose hunting permit area. It's then easier to bag a brown bear as well. These are Alaska Yukon Moose or ALCES; the biggest of all. -- top

Alaska Non-Resident Bear and Moose Combination Prices - This is now priced as a Bear Hunt with a Moose Kill Fee

* The first 4 days is bear hunting only.  This time frame allows you switch emphasis between bear and moose hunting during your 11 day window.
** Wolf Kill fee $200: Wolf is considered incidental and priced as such. This means that once your primary animal/s are taken, your hunt is over and we do not spend money chasing wolves for the chance of a $200 kill fee. Our minimum daily rate to continue hunting for wolves (once your primary animal/s are taken) is $350/day.

APGS may elect to not pursue a second bear after primary animals (1 moose and 1 bear) have been taken for many reasons including for the benefit of remaining hunters who lack a bear unless the client pays an additional daily rate of $350/day.

See other animal tag prices below.

Alaska Moose Hunting Logistics - GMU 17

Travel

On Sept 4th (morning) we have a charter to fly moose hunters from Anchorage to Dillingham for you to pick up the permit at F&G and then fly you to Koliganek by noon. The charter will return Sept 16 to fly you from Koliganek directly back to Anchorage. Note: If you are on a 15 day hunt starting Aug. 31, you'll need to arrange your own flights to Dillingham and Koliganek. If you come to camp on the Sept 9-20th hunt you will arrange all your own flights. When flying from Dillingham to Koliganek (about $110 each way) call Shannons Air, 907-842-2735, Warning: If you book with Penair to fly from Anchorage to Dillingham. they will most likely leave your luggage behind in Anchorage, sometimes for days. You definitely want to mail your weapon and clothes ahead to Koliganek. Right now Penair is the only choice between Anchorage and Dillingham except for our chartered plane. For return departure flights from Anchorage or Dillingham to home, schedule your return flights after 8 pm. The later the safer. Notes: Leave your hard gun case at the charter company in Anchorage. Wear your rain gear and bring warm clothes and waterproof boots/shoes on the flight. Koliganek has no airport building. So if it raining you need the rain suit on as soon as you de-plane. You can put on your long johns at Larrys. -- top

Trophy / Meat Shipment

Game must be dismembered in the field where it falls. By law, the front shoulders and hind quarters must remain on the bone, evidence of sex must remain attached to a moose hind quarter and the meat must be packed out before the antlers. You can not butcher the hind quarters or shoulders in camp by law. Bring 9 game bags for the meat. We sell them in camp for $50. We cape the moose and cut off the skull plate leaving the antlers attached. The skull is cleaned up and we remove excess from the cape. Generally we do not work on the lips, ears and nose unless absolutely necessary. Instead, we prefer to freeze in camp or Koliganek. If you are hunting bear, you probably want to hunt rather than spend a day+ working on the cape. We strongly recommend that you donate all or most of the meat to the Larry Lee family or other village residents. At any rate, transporting out the meat and trophies to Koliganek is included in the price. Shannon's air will charge about $600 to transport all the meat and trophies from Koliganek to Dillingham. But there is no longer anyone in Dillingham dedicated to handling and shipping the stuff from there. Currently; the most cost effective way to handle the trophies is to ship them out from Koliganek to Anchorage on our charter and you split the charges with us. The only other choice is with Dena'ina Air Taxi when they have space available. In Anchorage the taxidermist or expediter of your choice can pick everything up and do what ever needs to be done and then ship them where ever you wish. After booking your hunt, we will send a list of businesses in Anchorage that you can use.

Extra notes and advice: We can not split the antlers until they are in Koliganek. Splitting the antlers will save you more than enough in shipping costs to have them reattached. You'll remember this when the mount won't fit through your house door and when you go to hang it or move it. Large antlers un-split may have to go to Dillingham or wait in Koliganek until the larger Dena'ina plane comes in. AND all meat must be removed from the kill site or taken from camp to Koliganek before the antlers. BY LAW! It is a serious bustable offense to take the antlers to the boat or camp before all of the meat. The antlers can go with all the meat to Koliganek. We charge $150 to freeze the moose cape in Koliganek or camp. The cape can easily weigh 120 pounds and nothing about handling it is easy. Dena'ina charges $1.06 per pound to fly freight from Koliganek to Anchorage. There will be charges for the expediter/taxidermist and then the shipping charges home. When added all up, it can be much cheaper to buy a cape. It is next to impossible to properly and fully dry a cape in camp, particularly when the humidity is near 100%. The hair is thick, probably wet and the neck hide is � inch thick. We do not have near the problem with bear hides. -- top

Permits, License, Fees - GMU 17

Permits

See permit condition details stated above for getting the River Corridor permit.

Licenses

Tags

NOTE: A tag will cover any animal of equal or lesser value. *Wolf tag is not required in unit 17 or 20.

Kill Fees

Additional Costs Paid to APGS

Game bags we sell them for $50. Rubbermade tote for hides or meat. 18 gal. $20; 25 gallon $35; 32 gallon $40. Small cooler for 25-50 pound of meat. $35. Freeze moose cape in camp, Koliganek or Dillingham $150. Depart from camp early $500. If we have a chartered flight and you miss the flight for any reason you loose the charter fee for that segment and you must pay Dena'ina or whomever to get you to Dillingham or Koliganek as needed. Plus you pay APGS $300 to come get you. So don't miss your flight or schedule tight connections.

NOTE: Wounded game that is not found is considered killed. Wounded game is game that was obviously hit, or knocked down or leaves blood or hair. According to the State, your tag is still good. -- top

Gear List

NOTE: Many hunters are now choosing to mail most of their gear ahead direct to the village or Fairbanks. You can mail rifles and shotguns but no pistols or ammo. This does not mean you can bring twice as much shit. Lately, this has been getting ridiculously out of hand. It has to stop.

The most important thing by far is quiet clothes. For waterproof you cannot beat rubber. It is truly waterproof and dries immediately. What we have found is that rubber is not as quiet as some other cloth gortex type gear. The problem is the gortex gear is niether waterproof or quick drying. What we recommend is a thin rubberized jacket with a long waist that comes down below the belt line past your rain pants. The rain pants should be thin rubberized fabric as well. After buying a perfectly good pair of rain pants you cut them off at the knees. This way they do not bind up on the hip waders and hinder walking or stepping over obstructions. All you need is something to keep your ass dry when sitting and water out of your hip boots. The alternative rain pants would be water proof rubberized fabric with an exterior cloth or polar fleece type material that is quiet when your thighs rub together walking. Your ass is dry and you thighs quiet. They are easy to put on and off because they are cut off at the knees. Plus; because everything is light weight and thin, it rolls up small and fits in a day pack. Hip boots: you will wear them most of the time. So get a good pair that you like and are comfortable in. A pair that is easy to remove, as in, not ankle fit. Get a pair big enough you can wear extra socks for warmth if your feet get cold. Let me put it this way. You are going to spend a lot of money for this hunt. Why screw it all up because you have crappy, noisy clothes that make you loud and uncomfortable. Test your gear. Wear it. Well before you come to hunt.

• Waterproof hunting boots
• Hip Boots
• Waterproof camouflage outerwear that is quiet when moved (no crinkling)
• Camp shoes/slippers
• Towels
• Personal medication
• Compass and/or GPS
• Weapons and 1 box of bullets
• Waterproof binoculars or rifle scope
• Game bags, 7-9 for a moose, or you can buy them from me when needed for $50.
• Camera with new batteries and back up batteries
• Flash light
• 2 band aids
• Sunglasses or clear glasses
• Video cameras that are rechargeable by a 12 volt battery
• 2 hunting shirts and pants with extra underwear and socks
• Fishing reels and lures, we have the poles
• 1 small bottle of pump spray bug dope -- top

K1, K2 and Camp References

Remember the time zone differences and be respectful of the time you call. Call the references, they will gladly talk.

Bob Wilson, TN 423-332-2385; Greg Down, PA 814-796-8017; Rick Morris, PA 814- 824-8119; Jerry Dennis, AZ 623-327-0934; Jeff Kirkpatrick, AZ 951-538-4838; Bill Etter, PA 412-486-2765; Andy Kisis, OH 440-835-4967; Gary and David Rasor, OH 330-336-1703; Ed Fernandez, WI 715-384-8095; Jimmie Davis, AR 870-901-007; Wayne Shelton, OH 330-336-7001; Joe "Kastaway" Kulas, OH 440-232-8352; Mike Hawkins TX 713-249-0838; Wayne Brewer, TN 423-476-6472; Dan Wesen, MT 406-586-0775.  Bob Stogdill, TX 979-421-9046; Jim Brozell, PA 814-774-3790; Ron and Dave Lofquist, AZ 928-684-0672; Bob Vanicek, Pa 814-774-9012; Doug Dunn, UT 435-789-7143; Chris Pendergraft, WY 307-857-1977; Buck and Brad Carroll, GA 478-256-2018; Jerry Dennis Phoenix, AZ 623-341-9271; Barry Barton, Butler PA 724-234-3656; James Swidryk, NJ 201-991-0860.  Dan Wesen, MT 406-586-0775. Tracy Fisher, OH 440-298-1569; Robb Moses, OR 503-721-0905; Joe Weiss, NY 716-759-0986; Phil Humphrey, NY 585-765-2139; Jerry Smith NC wk # 336-279-6022; Vernon Jacquel, PA 814-476-1058.  KK camp is a no permit area: John Henderson, OH 216-272-4997; Gerry Mumfrey, TX 214-564-6300.

Bow Hunters: Bob Migliore, TX 409-737-3986 wk#; Bruce Trapp, OH 440- 247-6755; Ron Stine, OH 330-264-3406; J.D. Thomas, MD 410-838-7828. -- top

See our Moose Hunting Success and Results listed by year!!!

Smokey Don Duncan, Owner, Master Guide #136 and P.H.
299 Alvin St. Fairbanks AK 99712
Landline: 907-457-8318     Verizon Cell: 435-890-8328
Email: apgs@gci.net

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