Legal Moose in Alaska

Bulls like this can make a hunter who hasn`t seen many bigger bulls excited enough, but it`s not a legal animal. Autumn 2015, Nikiski. (Photo by Steve Meyer) In the 45 years I have lived in Kenai, there have never been so many bull moose. Between genetics, which somewhat affects the size of the antlers, and grazing conditions, which seriously affect the development of the antlers, there are many bulls that fall into the category of those that the young man had discovered. Many mature bulls might measure one or two inches on each side of 50 inches — but with only two frontal teeth. It seems that adding a simple score — say 10 points to at least one page — works. Thus, a legal bull could be a bull with a 50-inch antler or three or four frontal teeth on at least one side or 10 points on at least one side. Or whatever the score, the number must be the one that meets the goal of maturity and reproduction. The points are tangible, and while it`s not always easy to count, it seems to be better to have this option as another way to identify a legal bull than to hope and pray for the ribbon to say 50 inches when a hunter comes to claim his moose. Using the width of the head at the widest point (above the eyes) as a 10-inch guide is useful for assessing the spread of antlers. Another method commonly used by moose hunting guides is to visualize the ears horizontally on the sides of the head and then use this “visualized” distance between the ends of the ears as a 28- to 30-inch guide. Imagine adding a foot from the tip of each flattened ear for a 50-inch safe guide or doubling the 30 for a 60-inch moose.

The approximate ear length of an adult bull moose is 10 inches, the width of the head of a moose is also about 10 inches. In order to effectively evaluate a bull, you need to examine it well. A soft growl or cow call just loud enough to be heard will make him watch and listen, which provides the ideal perspective. The moose world record scored 261 5/8 and was included in the Alaska Game Management Unit (GMU) 20. I had misunderstood. The guy said, “My buddy spotted a moose,” not shot. On the Boone and Crockett website, you`ll find diagrams where you can take measurements and a handy moose pointing calculator. 5) Be prepared For residents and non-residents alike, bow hunting for moose here in Alaska does not require a guide. Guided hunts can be quite expensive; Thus, most bowhunters do the “DIY” and go alone. In my opinion, that is the only way. Seven to ten days in the tundra with bow in hand is not only the ultimate adventure, but also a real test of your bowhunting skills. But like all hunts in Alaska, it`s not for the faint of heart and can be difficult, sometimes bordering on extreme.

Finding and taking this bull of his life can and will be the pinnacle of hunting, but bringing 1,800 pounds from him to camp and then home may be another story. In addition, a hunter must be prepared for all that the great outdoors and a hunt like this have to offer. Whether it`s constant rain, mosquitoes, a disgruntled bush pilot, or the constant threat of bears, you need to be prepared and have the brains to get things done and, in some cases, survive. I highly recommend investing in a satellite phone and a good GPS. You never know what can happen and the security they offer will make hunting even more enjoyable. Another technique is to take off from the camp with spot-and-stalking. As always, you need to pay special attention to the wind, which moose lack speed, they compensate with the smell. Moose have a huge nose that can smell not only bears and wolves, but also hunters. After a few years, sightings of bull moose before, during and after the hunting season became commonplace. Until 2015, there were male moose everywhere, the likes of which I had never seen in 46 years of living on the Kenai. For the first time since the early 1970s, a bull moose could be seen, virtually at will.

* The hunter takes a risk and brings the bull home, then has to live with a capture of an illegal animal. Under state law, elk antlers caught in Unit 18 must be destroyed by cutting the skull in half before being sold. In this case, Rex`s antlers were officially and legally carved before he cut them in half and sold them to Tony Nogy, the current owner. Rex` Bulle was confirmed by the jury of the 29th Awards program at the end of April 2016 with 2-7/8 points as a new world record. Heinz Naef set the previous world record in 2013 along the lower Yukon River in the Yukon Territory. Although Heinz`s bull (263-5/8 points) was taken three years after Rex, it was the world record for three years as the result of Rex`s bull was not verified until it was selected by the jury of the 29th bull in 2016. Rewards program. Fish and Game has long passed an ordinance limiting the removal of bull moose on kenai to those who had pointed or forked antlers or at least 50-inch antler or at least three frontal teeth on one side. At that time, I had only been hunting kenai for about 15 years.

Consider the four differences between a dead bull moose with 50-inch antlers and one with 48-inch antlers. Perhaps what happened isn`t surprising given that many hunters hadn`t even seen a bull moose in years, and when they did, it was a sting/fork. People who have a lot of experience with large moose can handle the land of land application estimation much better than the hunter, who may never have seen a bull approach 50 inches. No wonder moose populations have declined. The bull/cow ratio in a healthy moose population is at least 30 per cent. That figure dropped to 20 per cent on the Kenai. In fact, it was a remarkable event to see a bull moose. Hunters recognized the problem and suggested in the fall of 2010 that it was time to stop killing all one-year-old bulls — and even suggested a complete closure of the moose season. What can we learn from this unusual form of moose management (the only evidence I have found of similar regulation in elk-growing areas in Canada and the northern United States is limited implementation in British Columbia)? We stayed about 10 days in moose season, and the morning had gotten cold.

A little fog on the ground shrouded the tall grass along the power line the young man was looking at. The moose in question was still very much alive. 4) Bow hunting strategies A legal moose here in Alaska must have a minimum width of 50 inches or have four frontal teeth on one side. All moose look big and it can sometimes be difficult to identify smaller bulls, but when a monster comes out, those between 60 and 70 inches tall will know. Not so long ago, historically, there were no moose per se in Unit 18. It wasn`t until the Alaska Department of Fish and Game put a moratorium on moose hunting from 1988 to 1994. The inhabitants accepted it. The season resumed in 1995. Weiden habitat was and is intact at that time. It supports a moose population that is growing by 30% per year, even with hunting. This means that the population doubles every three years. Elk are doing so well that they have become an important source of meat for the residents of the pilot station.

What I thought he said next gave me food for thought. “My boyfriend shot a moose, and we need to know if it`s legal.” “Uh, okay,” I replied, pointing the way. Driving away reminded me of a similar situation. A hunter friend was on another side road and had spotted a moose he thought was legal, but he also had doubts. Then a soldier from the state of Alaska came and stopped to look at the bull. They watched the bull feed, and finally my friend asked the soldier if he thought the bull was legal. The soldier told him it seemed legal to him. The young guy who pointed me out from the side street Nikiski seemed a little agitated. He was standing near an old two-lane vehicle leading to a power line popular with local moose hunters and ran to my truck when it stopped. In other words, a piece of. I have always been amazed that there are regulations that require such extraordinary skills in judgment on the ground. Between the fish, waterfowl and highland birds and the occasional caribou we catch, we really can`t eat moose in a reasonable amount of time, so we don`t catch a lot of it and don`t really have a fighting dog.

But the young man`s plight sparked the thought that there might be a better way. The fleece overlay is another big plus, plus several pairs of socks and some sort of camping shoes. You will also need good wading birds if you want to hunt moose. River crossings are sometimes endless and require something to get to your knees. Wading birds are not my favorite, but necessary; They do not breathe, have very little cushion and become very uncomfortable after a long day of hunting. Your feet will feel like they`ve been hit with a hammer and your socks will be soaked. Trust me, nothing is better than putting on a pair of dry socks and a pair of regular shoes or boots at the end of the day.