A Few Lessons Learned about Hunting in Alaska

I moved to Alaska with huge hunting dreams. A few have come to fruition, I’m still chasing many, and I have learned a lot through failure and success. This could be an absolute book of a post, but I’ll try to keep it short and to the point. I’ll no doubt be expanding on much of what I’ll mention here in the future. I won’t even come close to covering a fraction of the hard lessons learned or experiences, but here are a few that come to mind.

You “need” good gear

I’ll start by saying you don’t need great gear to be successful up here, but it certainly makes the hunt more enjoyable. Gear I wouldn’t skimp on, includes rain gear, boots, a tent, and a pack. It’s going to rain on you. If you are backpack hunting, you’ll need to trust your rain gear because you won’t always get a chance to dry off, sometimes for days at a time. Grundens Neptune rain jacket https://amzn.to/3T3mnpS would be my top choice followed closely by Helly Hansen Impertech https://amzn.to/3T2kAl1. These jackets are made of non-breathable polyurethane, straying away from most of the high-end rain gear which is made with breathable gore-tex. What you lose in breathability and a few added ounces you gain back with the assurance that you will remain 100% waterproof. They are also MUCH cheaper than offerings from KUIU, SITKA, etc. Your boot choice is important as well. Waterproof boots are a must. Foot and ankle support should be considered, especially when in the mountains or packing a heavy load. When choosing a boot I would focus on finding one that fits well and is made for the conditions you will be faced with. Your tent is your shelter from the elements. Things to consider are its durability, simplicity, and waterproofness. There was a night on my 2022 moose hunt when the wind was so strong I couldn’t walk into the wind, I had to crawl. My little two-man MSR Hubba Hubba https://amzn.to/4bJvsfc held up to that onslaught even as the wall was folding down almost to my nose as I fell asleep. This tent is great as it has double vestibules, allowing for plenty of room for gear and cooking. Your pack should be big enough to carry your gear and meat in and out of the field all while being comfortable and secure. Find one that fits well and has the layout you prefer. Get to know it and have a system of how you pack your gear. Nothing is worse than digging around in a pack trying to find that one little item.

You’ve got to be tough, or at least slightly insane

Success seems to come to those who will go to great lengths to achieve their goals. Whether that means hiking endless miles in search of a ram or sucking up the pain and continuing on, I believe you’ve got to be tough to have consistent success up here. On the previously mentioned 2022 moose hunt, my buddy, Jacob, flew up from Vermont to join me. He wore XTRATUF boots the entire hunt. I didn’t have a wheeler so we backpacked into an area I had scouted that summer. We walked and walked. We spent 8 days looking for a bull before we found one. That last day alone we walked 16 miles. His feet were a mess, blisters from day one on. He never complained. Many people would’ve given up or whined about it, but Jacob was right there with me.

My buddy Jon joined me on a caribou hunt off the Haul Road this fall. After a day of bow hunting, we decided to go after them with the rifle. We caught up with a small group about 8 miles from the truck. After shooting a bull and quartering it, we each had about 100lbs in our packs. Jon is a super tough and athletic kid, but I dare say on the lighter side. That pack was a good 3/4ths of his body weight. That kind of weight ratio will wear you out, especially across the north slope tundra. I decided to drop into the valley on the way out rather than climb up and out the way we had come. Big mistake. It added a mile, and the going was way tougher. We ran out of water and food around 11 pm that night, and I had to stomp out a small seepage to get some much-needed fluids. Every break we took, Jon would instantly fall asleep exhausted. I’d drag him up and make sure his feet kept moving, it was 25 degrees with snow on the ground. I knew we couldn’t stop. We finally got back to the truck around 2 am and thoroughly passed out. On the drive back, we both agreed we couldn’t wait to do it again. Like I said, slightly insane.

Let the glass do the walking

I don’t care how much you enjoy hunting with your best buddy, your glass is your best friend. On that 2022 moose hunt, we walked an embarrassing amount of miles. I won’t even mention how far, because it was stupid. In the end, the bull came within 600 yards of our camp anyway. I’ve since realized that sitting down and looking over miles of area is far more effective most of the time than walking around hoping to make something happen. I find it enjoyable to pick apart mountainsides or tundra looking for game. It’s amazing how animals can bed just out of view. By staying in one vantage point and looking over an area, the animals will eventually show themselves. In the evenings, sheep seem to pop up out of nowhere. Moose stand up out of the brush and are suddenly in view only 300 yards away. Whole hillsides can be covered with caribou that are not visible to the naked eye.

Get a good set of binoculars, they are a great investment and will help find more game. While I would love to someday own a pair of Swarovskis https://amzn.to/49AABnK, I’ve had the most experience with Vortex’s lineup. A few of my friends have pairs of Vortex Diamondback Binoculars that I think are a great option for their price https://amzn.to/3UEFhov. I have a set of Vortex Viper HD binoculars https://amzn.to/3UJJsiF, these are a substantial upgrade over the Diamondbacks and I think well worth the price. Vortex optics come with a lifetime, no questions asked, warranty. That came in handy after my first set of vipers flew off the hood of my truck at 70mph…

There is no substitute for experience

I’ve had to figure things out as I’ve gone up here. There aren’t many similarities to hunting in Maine. I’ve been limited on equipment, so many hunts have been backpack-style, walking in from the truck. I’m gung ho about hunting just about everything, so my focus has been every which way. That really isn’t the most effective way to figure things out. There is a seemingly endless amount of ground to choose. Many times I’ve found myself unsure about what to do. How close can I get to caribou on the tundra before they spook? Is it worth walking further up this drainage? Is it worth staying here and glassing, or should I change areas? Is it easier to go in a straight line across that tundra, or should I follow the creek bed out and around? Definitely stay on the creek bed. All of the questions I’ve had can only be answered by experience. Sometimes you’ve just got to make mistakes and learn from them. I try to scout as much as I can in the offseason. It adds to my experience and gets me practiced up for hunting season.

I have learned that the more time spent in the field scouting and hunting the better. Simply put, I’m still green and learning as I go. I’ve learned a lot, but there’s still an endless amount to experience and observe. I wouldn’t have fun if it wasn’t challenging or if I felt that there was nothing left to figure out. Facing challenges and learning from mistakes is what keeps it interesting.