Moose for me, Black Bear for her

[eddiewalker]

My wife has informed me that she wants to go hunting in Alaska. She feels that I need to get a moose and that she wants to shoot a black bear. I've hunted the Mulchatna area for moose and caribou, taking a really nice caribou. The moose where there, but either on the wrong side of the river, or too small to mess with. There where also quite a few other hunters in the area. I hunted sheep in the Alaska range and shot a nice full curl ram. And I hunted moose out of Aniak with poor results. Miserable time dealing with the canoe, beaver dams and too many other hunters in the area.

After reading on here and other sites, I keep coming across 40 mile air out of Tok. Looking at their website, they seem to have a pretty good deal for moose and reputation for doing what they say they will. I haven't spoken to them yet, so I don't know if they have black bear for the wife or not.

We went to South Africa this past summer, so it will take a little while to have enough money to pay for this. As of right now, we are thinking Sep 2016. Dallas Safari Club show is next month and we will be there. The cost of fully guided is more then I feel its' worth. Anybody paying $16,000 to $20,000 for a moose is at a level of wealth that I cannot comprehend.

My questions concern getting to Tok. How is the drive there and back in September?

Would it be worthwhile to get there a few days early and go up to Denali and Fairbanks, then to Tok before the hunt, and they drive from Tok back to Anchorage?

What are the mosquitos like there? When I hunted the Mulchatna River, they where horrible!!!! It was too cold for them in the Alaska Range for the sheep hunt and the Aniak River hunt.

Are there any regulations or laws that we should know about that we probably don't since we live in Texas and I haven't been there in ten years?


Thank you,
Eddie

[stid2677]

40 Miles tend to fill up within a day or 2 of opening for bookings, I believe they book the first Monday in December if I remember correctly. Hunted that country a lot and have never seen a Black Bear, sure they are there, but tends to be mostly Grizzly and Wolf country.

Driving that time of year should be no problem, and the fall color change is awesome, for sure worth the drive.

Expect the bug to be horrendous, skeets and whitesocks.

If you plan on hunting here you really should read the regs cover to cover, lots of details. Leaving proof of sex attached to one of the rear quarters and wanton waste being 2 of the main issues.

Welcome to the forum and good luck.

Steve

[JuliW]

I'd highly recommend Zack Knaeble at Tok Air Service. He is very familiar with flying the 40 mile area and has lots of time in a cub. Great guy too!

40 mile air also has great service and long standing service in Tok.

Driving is Sept should be no problem.

[eddiewalker]

Thank you. I looked up his website and it looks good except there isn't any prices other then an hourly rate for charter. At $225 an hour, that's still pretty good if the good moose hunting isn't too far away.

I sent him an email. Hope he replies.

Eddie

[stid2677]

Thank you. I looked up his website and it looks good except there isn't any prices other then an hourly rate for charter. At $225 an hour, that's still pretty good if the good moose hunting isn't too far away.

I sent him an email. Hope he replies.

Eddie

I believe you are seeing his charter rates,, hunting prices are on a different page.

http://40-mileair.com/pricing.htm

Float hunting prices.

http://40-mileair.com/float-hunts.htm

[stid2677]

One other thing about 40 mile and that is unless they have changed their policy they don't fly solo hunters, you would need a partner, which is a good practice when moose hunting for many reasons.

[eddiewalker]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. 40 mile air has the best prices that we've seen. I also like that they are not hunting in a swamp. Been there and don't want to do that again. Tok is a new are for me, and I like the idea of glassing from the ridge tops.

Tok Air Service does not have any prices listed. I sent them an email about their rates and look forward to hearing back from them.

This will be a two person hunt. My wife is coming too. She has has hunted hogs here in Texas, and has also hunted with me in South Africa. She is still kind of new to it, but has killed a few animals now and is pretty good with her rifle.

I want a moose, my wife wants a black bear. Are their black bears in the Tok area? If not, then we wont go there and we need to find an area with both animals.

Thank you,
Eddie

[stid2677]

Like I said before,, there is some Blackies, but very low density. I have hunted there many times and never saw a Black bear, lots of Grizzly and moose.

Somewhere on the Yukon would have both as well as the Tanana Flats. A drop hunt with Wright's air in the GMU 20 might produce both.

[Roland on the River]

If you have the time, I would drive up early. Spend a few days visiting Denali, then go to Fairbanks and on to Tok for the Moose hunt. Then drive down to the Kenai peninsula for Black Bear. Should be a real fun trip.

[VernAK]

Moose hunting is all about logistics. The reason guides charge as they do is the effort required to get one or two hunters into moose and to get a moose out of the bush. I would not suggest a remote fly-in moose hunt for most couples.

Most of the Tok black bears are down in lower country and not up in the open hills.....it's heavy to grizzlies there. I don't see a moose and black bear combo hunt in 40 Mile country.

[eddiewalker]

If there are no black bear in the Tok area, then where would be a good area for us to go that might have both moose and black bear? We are still in the looking stage of things and trying to learn as much as we can before committing to anything.

Thank you,
Eddie

[Gary]

In refrence to your pre hunt trip touring - check out websites on ANY thing you think you might want to do. Most "tourist" places close up shop right after Labor Day.

Like Roland said - do your moose hunt then hit the Seward Highway for black bear. Late September (most any time in Sept) it is no problem spotting them from highway pull-offs as they graze on berries high on the hills. It will be a hike from the road, but its doable. Spend a day with a guide on the Kenai River for trout & dollies.

[Hunt&FishAK]

If you go the seward hwy route for black bear, be ready to move fast and be prepared to hunt steep rugged country and thick brush. It pays to be in reasonably good shape. Good boots and rain gear is nice to have. That being said its pretty easy to find one to put a stalk on.

[JuliW]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. 40 mile air has the best prices that we've seen. I also like that they are not hunting in a swamp. Been there and don't want to do that again. Tok is a new are for me, and I like the idea of glassing from the ridge tops.

Tok Air Service does not have any prices listed. I sent them an email about their rates and look forward to hearing back from them.

This will be a two person hunt. My wife is coming too. She has has hunted hogs here in Texas, and has also hunted with me in South Africa. She is still kind of new to it, but has killed a few animals now and is pretty good with her rifle.

I want a moose, my wife wants a black bear. Are their black bears in the Tok area? If not, then we wont go there and we need to find an area with both animals.

Thank you,
Eddie

There are black bears and moose in the tok area - not sure so much about blackies in the 40 mile area, but I would suspect, as has been mentioned, that you would find more grizzlies than blackies over there. You can find both cinnamon and blacks around the immediate Tok vicinity. I rugged several cinnamons from the area when I lived there. My sons usually see both blackies and grizzlies when they are moose hunting in the area.

You might do well to give the Tok division of AK fish and game a call. They will be able to tell you more specifics on blackies/moose in the 40 mile area.

Good luck... Hopefully Zack will get back with you. I suspect he may be busy with a trapline right now.

[Roland on the River]

I went along on a draw Sheep permit in the Robertson river area years ago. When we returned to the landing strip a few days early I mentioned I was not going to just stay and wait for the plane. My friend asked what I intended to do. I said I'm hiking down valley and looking for game. Within a half mile we encountered a Blackie eating low bush berries. I said John, if you ever wanted a big Blackie nows your chance. He said "I'll pass " looks small to me. John, were in the wide open and nothing around him to judge size, believe me he's big. OK, stay here, so I make the stalk and from a kneeling position my 270 barked and he instantly died. to my surprise he was a cinnamon and 6 and half footer. John said "gee If I would have known that I would have tried for him " Ha Ha, you snooze you lose.