Looking for Moose hunting info

My buddy and I are starting to seriously consider a moose hunt in the next few years. We are both novices to moose or any hunting that far north but we have done a number of elk hunts in the Rockies. I figured this group would have some guys with experience and input they can share. Right now we are just starting to look and are gathering info to narrow down the when and generally where. We would appreciate any insight anyone can provide. Here are a few specific questions but we’ll take any info you got!

-Where would you go and what would a good budget be for that area? The upper end of our budget is around 8,000 each total (not counting taxidermy if we are lucky enough). That might stretch if it felt like good value for the extra money.

-We have a few other guys that may go but that may limit the budget even more. I know quality goes down with price, but any suggestions on less expensive hunts?

-Is Alaska even a possibility with that budget when taking into account travel and shipping meat back?

-How does shipping meat home work? Processed and frozen there and shipped to me? I’m a big meat guy and prefer to age and butcher myself.

-From what I’m seeing Alberta seems like a good choice – two day drive for us. Budget looks right for north-central and cheaper (lower quality?) hunts further south if we go that route. Thoughts on that?

-Any reasonable lower 48 options? We have no preference points anywhere.

Can't help, but following thread. I want a moose!

Alberta Moose

Got mine in B.C.




Well within you guys budget. I really did not like the outfitter, but I still managed to get a moose in spite of him. By the way moose meat is incredible.

Oh I drove so I could bring the meat home.

Many yankee hunters drive their pickups w/ camper shells and take the overnight ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland, which has the highest concentration of moose in the world. They fill their coolers with meat from the moose they take. Texans can do this hunt as well, but it will require an extra 2 days of driving on each end.

Another option would be a DIY float trip in remote Alaska with a buddy or three. You will still have to fly out the meat, an expensive task.

Currently, a fully-outfitted moose hunt in Alaska or the Yukon, will set you back at least double your budget.

Contact Kodiak on here. They kill some monster up where he hunts and guides. It is expensive but they quality is second to none. It is on my bucket list.

Your budget is tight to an outright no-go on most all AK/BC/Yukon moose hunts. Maybe an AK DIY - but those are tough and require a lot of homework and just plain old work to be successful. Even if you are in a great area, on a DIY hunt when the first guy shoots one that pretty much stops the hunting for a couple of days for everyone. So you either need a bunch of guys who understand this, a bunch of time to hunt or preferably both.

An Alberta hunt is within your budget - those have a tendency to be hit and miss so choose your outfitter with care.

IMO a Newfoundland moose hunt is the best bargain in moose hunting going - nothing else is even close. You can go guided, have time to enjoy a hunt in a beautiful area, and see a bunch of nice moose for a price well within your budget.

Newfoundland is a great place. The people there are some of the nicest folks I've ever met. The thing about Newfoundland is that you will probably get a moose, but it probably won't be a huge trophy. Logistically, it's a lot easier getting there and getting home with your meat and antlers than than Alaska (if you fly). It would be really cool to drive there if you had time but it's a bloody long ways and you have to time it right to catch the ferry.

With your budget you could probably add a black bear as well, and they do have some really nice bears. We had a big bear in camp but I hadn't pick up a tag so we had to just run him off every evening. We also spent a couple of days touring around the island, Gros Morne park is one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever seen. This also gave the butcher time to get my meat vacuum sealed and cooled down before the flight home. All in all it was one of my best hunts ever.

On that budget definitely keeping you out of Alaska other than a DIY hunt, which if yall have spent a week in the backcountry in the Rockies, shouldn't be that big of a deal.

As for a guided trip: British Columbia, Alberta, or Newfoundland will fit in the budget no problem. My trip to Alberta was under that with flights, excess baggage fees, and all the new gear I bought to take with me.

Thanks for the insight guys. That pretty well confirms what I was thinking on Alaska- which is that I need to put it off a while longer if I want the budget for that trip. Especially since a DIY float trip in grizzly country is not something I want to take on. Sounds like driving to Alberta or flying to BC or Newfoundland may be good options if we are serious about doing it in the next few years. A few follow up questions...

Is the trophy (antler) quality better in Alberta/BC than in Newfoundland? From what I've seen, Newfoundland sounds like more of a meat hunt and for a bucket list hunt I want to have a reasonable chance at something big.

How big of hassle is it and how much does it cost to ship antlers and meat back to Texas if we fly?

And by trophy I mean I'd be happy with what James A and Erny took in the pictures above. Nice moose (mooses?) guys!

I drove to BC. It was 40 hours of driving. It was a easy and quite scenic drive. If you are wanting to bring meat back it is the only economical way to bring back 300 pounds of meat not to mention the antlers. I drove alone from fort Saint John to Tyler. If you are going with someone it would even be easier as you could take turns driving and split gas. The moose I got was 50 inches. That is considered the lower end of a good moose. As I said earlier moose meat is very good and well worth the extra expense of driving to bring it home.

BC for trophy size of the three. There are 50" moose in Alberta and some approaching that mark in New Foundland are killed, but AB and NF average trophy size is probably more in the 35-45 range.

Just a quick check reveals to me a BC hunt is almost certainly beyond that budget.

Newfoundland moose are not all small. Their paddles tend to be smaller on average but 45-50' moose are not uncommon at all. AB is hit and miss (probably more miss than hit) - I would research areas and outfitters in depth if I were considering an AB hunt.

My moose was an add on to a goat hunt so I do not have the exact amount it costs for the moose. But I am pretty sure you could do it for 8k. If you go to the DSC convention there will be pleanty of Canadian moose hunts to get a good idea of the going rate for hunts.