Float Hunt Logistics: 1 Raft + 2 Hunters w/ Gear + 2 Moose

[Johnboy]

Hey, All. Great site, here. I appreciate all of the wisdom and experiences shared. I've been in the process of planning a hunt for 2016. It'll be a float hunt for moose with a buddy of mine (2 hunters total). It seems that one of the dilemmas on this specific type of hunt is having enough raft to accommodate a payload consisting of 2 hunters, all necessary gear and potentially 2 bull moose.

If any of you have done this successfully, what rafting gear did you use to accomplish it?

Thanks for any information/insights you can provide!

-John

[stid2677]

My float gear weight with a heavy camp and two hunters is about 900lbs going in and 800 or so coming out with NO moose. This is a heavy camp with cots, propane heater, charcoal, food and drinks. I have done in light and squeak by right at 750lbs. A bull moose will average in the 600 to 700 lb range depending on many things, boned out or not, cape or not, size of bull harvested.

Many rafts will do the job and all float hunters have their favorite. Size, depth, and class of water should be considered as well.

If you have no experience, you may want to think about hiring a hunt planner. The owner of this site provides such services.

http://www.alaskahuntplanning.com/Lo...pany/Home.html


Couple books that will be of use in planning such a trip.


http://www.alaskaangler.com/products...e.tpl&vmcchk=1

http://alaskaoutdoorssupersite.com/a...rtlett&cPath=1

Mine is a raft that may no longer be available a SOAR Levitator.

[Troy Hamon]

Two moose, roughly 1200 lbs right there. Another 400-500 for two people. That maxes out a DeHavilland Beaver already, and you haven't put a single bit of your gear on board yet. I have never heard of anybody getting a one-flight field retrieval of two moose and a hunting party. Would take an Otter to do it.

[Johnboy]

Stid: Thanks for the info and awesome pics. That Levitator is quite the workhorse! Also, believe it not, I've already purchased the books you referenced AND hired the hunt planner you suggested. Just trying to get a feel for how others go about the task.

Troy: In the event that we tag out (or fill any tags at all, for that matter) a meat haul will be required. We're not looking to accomplish the whole transport in one flight, only the float in one raft.

[POLE BENDER]

stid, love the meat thermometer!! thanks for a great idea!!!
pb

[AKChester]

Unless you use a huge raft 18' or bigger, there is little chance of getting two moose on a single raft.
I use an Aire Superpuma 13' raft because it fits in planes well, and I can portage it. I bring an IK or Packraft for my partner for when we get a moose. There is no room for a second person after getting a moose. I pack backpacker style light too. When I got a medium moose 46" that weighed in quartered at 680#, I had water over the self bailing floor. It was clearly maxed out. Now, I have pondered getting two small moose in the raft. A couple of the moose I've gotten were probably small enough to fit a second, but I haven't tried yet. One moose is plenty to share between two families. Anyways, once I get a moose, I want to get it in the freezer ASAP. Fall temperatures have been high for some years, so getting the meat out becomes a high priority.


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[Bushwhack Jack]

Hey, All. Great site, here. I appreciate all of the wisdom and experiences shared. I've been in the process of planning a hunt for 2016. It'll be a float hunt for moose with a buddy of mine (2 hunters total). It seems that one of the dilemmas on this specific type of hunt is having enough raft to accommodate a payload consisting of 2 hunters, all necessary gear and potentially 2 bull moose.

If any of you have done this successfully, what rafting gear did you use to accomplish it?

Thanks for any information/insights you can provide!

-John

Two moose, roughly 1200 lbs right there. Another 400-500 for two people. That maxes out a DeHavilland Beaver already, and you haven't put a single bit of your gear on board yet. I have never heard of anybody getting a one-flight field retrieval of two moose and a hunting party. Would take an Otter to do it.

1200 lbs. for two moose? For two small moose maybe. If you get a mature bull moose you are looking at 700-800 lbs. each. That's anywhere from 1400-1600 lbs. That's the max capacity of a standard 14 foot self-bailing raft. Plus you looking at two guys @ 175 lbs. each. So figure another 350 lbs. Now your are up to potentially 1950 lbs. Now you have to add weight for gear, food etc. Let's say you are going light, you can probably get by with 100 lbs. for each person. So add another 200 lbs. Now you are up to 2,150 lbs. Now you are roughly 550 lbs over capacity. Assuming you are on a class I river with no shallow water to deal with you might get by. But you would be taking a risk. I suggest not taking the risk and either get another boat, or plan on shooting one moose and possibly a caribou or bear. Good luck.

[Johnboy]

I found spec's for stid's Levitator on Larry's website, and it states a max load of 3000#. That seems like a mammoth amount of stuff. Does anyone here dispute that load capability? Not trying to stir up trouble; I'm just trying to determine realistic feasibility.

[Bushwhack Jack]

I found spec's for stid's Levitator on Larry's website, and it states a max load of 3000#. That seems like a mammoth amount of stuff. Does anyone here dispute that load capability? Not trying to stir up trouble; I'm just trying to determine realistic feasibility.

Good question Johnboy. I'm not an engineer, but I would say that is max capacity in a swimming pool before the entire boat capsizes. Not the same thing as a recommended capacity for standard rafts while floating rivers. Especially while floating Alaska's rivers in remote locations. Not to mention that most rivers that are suitable for float hunting for moose you are going to encounter low water scenarios somewhere along the length of river you are floating. If you had your raft loaded with max capacity you would have to unload a lot of weight just to move your raft downriver. Just my two cents. Perhaps Larry B. or Mike S. will chime in here soon and give you some expert advice.

[Johnboy]

Stid, this is off topic, but I'm trying to get a feel for the size of a moose rack. What do you figure the spread on this beast is? I'll wager a guess of 42".

[stid2677]

Stid, this is off topic, but I'm trying to get a feel for the size of a moose rack. What do you figure the spread on this beast is? I'll wager a guess of 42".

Not sure let me use my paddle to measure him for ya,, LOL




I believe he was just under 50, IMHO he was an older bull on his way down, I say this because he was HUGE. I was 15 yards from him at one point. I had already taken a 65 inch bull and my partner one 62, so we were just calling this one in to get some photos.

This is the bull I took the day before we called the bull above in.




The Levitator was made specially for float hunting shallow class I and II rivers, they are heavy haulers, with a self bailing inflatable floor, it has no rocker so not the best choice for rough water. It is a beast to row when you get her heavy too. I have had 2 moose, a caribou, 2 hunters plus camp in mine and I know Louis has had 3 bulls plus camp and 2 hunters in his and I believe Larry B has as well. They are awesome moose hunting rigs as the raft alone is about 114 lbs and with the oar saddles, oars and rigging around 150lbs.

[Yukon Cornelius]

My float gear weight with a heavy camp and two hunters is about 900lbs going in and 800 or so coming out with NO moose. This is a heavy camp with cots, propane heater, charcoal, food and drinks. I have done in light and squeak by right at 750lbs. A bull moose will average in the 600 to 700 lb range depending on many things, boned out or not, cape or not, size of bull harvested.

Many rafts will do the job and all float hunters have their favorite. Size, depth, and class of water should be considered as well.

If you have no experience, you may want to think about hiring a hunt planner. The owner of this site provides such services.

http://www.alaskahuntplanning.com/Lo...pany/Home.html


Couple books that will be of use in planning such a trip.


http://www.alaskaangler.com/products...e.tpl&vmcchk=1

http://alaskaoutdoorssupersite.com/a...rtlett&cPath=1

Mine is a raft that may no longer be available a SOAR Levitator.

Great idea. I was wondering what the white thing was sticking in your meat. Thinking, is that a thermometer? Then I see the close up. Great idea.

[dhosera]

Agree with Stid we had 4 guys (2) Levitators with all the gear for a 10 day hunt, ended up with (6) caribou and big bull moose and Still didn't come close to the capacity. Don't get me wrong you could tell you were rowing a load but it even then they weren't terrible to maneuver. One real killer was it rained hard one night and we didn't think we had that much water in the boats so we didn't drain them. They become extremely difficult to maneuver if you have a bunch of water in the bottom of the rafts. That and because of the rain we covered the meat pile on the rafts with a tarp to try and keep it dry and on a windy day the tarps just served as sails and you couldn't go anywhere without the wind blowing you around.

[anchorrivercrowds]

don't forget that load capacity of your boat is NOT the only consideration. I put my moose in a 14 foot SOAR this year(to get him back to camp), and had more than enough flotation to paddle him out. The problem in this case was... loaded like that I was drawing 7 inches or so, and I'd still be there with the river conditions I experienced...had to spread the weight between two boats to make it possible to get through the shallows.

AND..Stid... that meat care looked pretty awesome!!!! CLEAN!!!!!!


It's all about the meat, take care of it like you are actually going to eat it!!! 40 degree core temp??.. WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!! I got ONE cooling night this season(night I killed the bull thankfully).. then 60 degree days, and warm nights. Saved it all but it was a fire drill to get out.

I watched a vid yesterday of three hunters that killed three bulls. Everyone of them killed in the evening, all left till morning to take care of... made me cringe.. GET THE HEAT OFF THE MEAT AS SOON AS IS POSSIBLE FOR THE WIN... what you do in the first 12 hours sets the stage for meat care for the rest of your trip!! If you can cool it the first night you can get away with a few warm events later...bacteria control.

good luck

[Bushwhack Jack]

Agree with Stid we had 4 guys (2) Levitators with all the gear for a 10 day hunt, ended up with (6) caribou and big bull moose and Still didn't come close to the capacity. Don't get me wrong you could tell you were rowing a load but it even then they weren't terrible to maneuver. One real killer was it rained hard one night and we didn't think we had that much water in the boats so we didn't drain them. They become extremely difficult to maneuver if you have a bunch of water in the bottom of the rafts. That and because of the rain we covered the meat pile on the rafts with a tarp to try and keep it dry and on a windy day the tarps just served as sails and you couldn't go anywhere without the wind blowing you around.

1 bull moose and 6 caribou is roughly the equivalent of 3 bull moose. 3 bull moose in 2 rafts is a doable scenario. 4 bull moose in 2 rafts is pushing it if you ask me. In Stid's case (no offense Stid), I think he was on a mild class I river. I think I know the river he was on but I'm not saying out of respect for Stid. Anyhow, in the right river situation yes, you can probably fit 2 moose in one raft with two guys, but in most situations I would say it is not advisable. Especially for an inexperienced nonresident. Again just my two cents.