Jim Shockey - Alaskan/Yukon Moose

ALASKA/YUKON MOOSE:

The moose that live in my Rogue River outfitting territory in the Yukon are the largest antlered game in the world, the mightiest of the North American moose species, the literal giant, Alces alces gigas! Tucked between Alaska and Canada’s Northwest Territories, the Yukon is a world-class hunting destination for moose, Dall sheep, grizzly bear, wolf and mountain caribou. My remote outfitting area offers spectacular mountain scenery, fish-filled rivers and lakes, wide, timbered valleys and incredible hunting; the perfect place for serious hunters seeking the adventure of a lifetime!

The moose-to-human ratio in the Yukon is 2-to-1; there are more than 65,000 moose and only 30,000 humans living in the Yukon! Even better, very few of those Yukon citizens hunt moose! When you add the approximately 500 non-resident moose hunters who trek to the Yukon every year for the “moose rush,” the human-to-moose ratio becomes about 20 moose per hunter. In a word, the moose in the Yukon are virtually “unhunted.”

According to biologists, the Yukon moose population is stable or increasing. The 40% of the Yukon that is covered in boreal forests (and moose) is a mixture of hills, mountain slopes and valley bottoms. Much of the north-central Yukon was, for the most part, missed by the last Ice Age, allowing the giant moose of the Yukon to evolve in isolation from other moose species. Approximately 80% of the Yukon is still classified as wilderness, making for a truly wild hunting experience for truly wild and undisturbed moose. Most moose in the Yukon never see or smell a human being, and are as apt to ignore or even approach the hunter, as they are to walk away.

HUNTING METHOD:

We hunt these monster moose either on foot, by boat or by Argos or by some combination of the aforesaid. Generally each hunter has his own base camp and hunts directly from there; but where it is feasible, the hunter might spike out with his guide. In most cases, the main camps are situated on the shores of lakes or rivers. The Argo all-terrain vehicles allow us to access some distant moose habitat. Those hunts will start for moose from around August 10 – October 4. We run our classic boat hunts from September 1 – October 4.

Generally speaking, the August hunts and all hunts up to September 8 are spot-and-stalk hunts. The big bulls are relatively easy to locate prior to September 8th; they are in the high basins where they spend the summer, growing their antlers. The biggest bulls begin shedding their velvet around August 25, but even though they are covered in velvet prior to that date, they are pretty much “hard-horned” from August 10 on; the velvet is easy to strip off after that date, and the stripped antlers can be stained by any good taxidermist. By September 1st, virtually all the big bulls have stripped their velvet off and are starting to think about the rut.

The rut hunts start on or about September 8-12 and run through October 4 and during this time, no matter when the hunter is hunting, receptive bulls can be called in. The strength and intensity of the rut and the calling success during this period depend on the weather and, of course, this varies year to year. Some years the rut is strongest early, and other years it is later. There is no way to predict this ahead of time. The bulls will also be moving at this time, and new bulls will filter into each hunter’s area as the rut progresses.

Boat hunters will arise early and work the lakeshore, watching for bulls and listening for their calls. Your guide will call, using bull “grunts” or cow “moans.” Bull moose can move all day at that time of year, and you will be hunting all day for the most part, sitting up high and glassing, depending on the weather. Hot weather slows diurnal movement for these largest of the deer family, as it does for any deer species. The better physical shape you are in, the higher your odds of success. That said, we can still normally find good moose for hunters in less-than-average condition, but if you are able to hike the hills for better vantage points, or able to go after a bull you see that isn’t coming to a call, your odds will obviously be higher.

Alaskan/Yukon Moose

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

Shots on these big animals will generally be inside 200 yards and can be as close as 20 yards. We had one bowhunter last fall who shot his moose at six yards! Just having one of these beasts walk up to you will be one of the most exciting and memorable moments of your hunting career! They can stand nearly 10 feet to the top of their antlers and can be 10 feet long. Good choices for firearms are any of the .300 caliber magnums or .338 caliber magnums. Larger guns are wonderful, and smaller guns will work. Always use well constructed bullets, such as Nosler Partitions. Anyone considering hunting with muzzleloaders or archery equipment would do well to book a rut hunt.

Please be advised that if you choose to hunt with a bow and arrow or even a muzzleloader, you are thereby also choosing to reduce your odds of getting a big bull. We will do our best; we are good at what we do, but that in no way guarantees you will take a big bull with a primitive weapon. Please seriously reconsider using primitive weapons if you are not in good physical shape or have problems such as bad knees that will affect your ability to hike. Last season, out of all our hunters, we only had one hunter who failed to take his animal, and that hunter was a bowhunter. As I understand it, the guide showed him several bulls, including two good bulls, but the larger bulls would not come closer than 80 yards.

Temperatures can range from a fresh, just above zero to a balmy 70 degrees. Hopefully your hunt will occur during the former weather. It can snow, rain, sleet, blow, boil and be calm, all on the same day, so you must be prepared for anything. Once you book the hunt and send in your deposit, an equipment list will be forwarded along with a contract. Please be advised that you are limited to 45 pounds of gear, including your rifle, when you fly into camp.

Our accommodations are the finest in “Wilderness Classic,” cabins, wall tents and pop-up tents. Food is standard guide-prepared fare in the remote camps. Your guides are the best there are, most personally trained and hand picked by myself. They will do their best to provide you with the service and expertise you need to make this a successful hunt. The guides are also outfitted with the latest in Satellite telephone equipment, and will be in touch with our command and control office should problems arise. Safety always is and always will be our primary objective.

On the last hunt in the Rogue area, you can experience cold weather patterns which can freeze up lakes and slow moving streams, making hunting problematical. This does not happen very often, but be forewarned; if you book the last hunt, your hunt may be shortened should winter come early. In that case, we will have to fly you out before freeze up, and your hunt will be over.

FACTS AND STATISTICS:

From our outfitting territories, we have taken several moose in the 65-inch range and many bulls that scored well enough to qualify for the B&C record book; the average size was over 60 inches again last year! This fact is important for serious moose hunters as there are very few places left in the North America where the Alaskan moose populations have not been decimated by over-hunting and wolf predation. The Yukon is becoming the Mecca for the moose cognoscenti because of the high success on trophy bulls.

There are many hunters who feel the biggest moose in the world will come out of the Yukon. There have been reports of 80-inch-plus moose roaming our areas. That said, if you turn down a good moose on the first day, waiting for a giant moose, you are taking the chance of going home empty-handed. Remember too, width is not everything, there are some spectacular bulls that are narrower in width, but that have all the “riggin,” meaning they score great and look great but might only be 55 inches wide. Pan size is important, both length and width. Many of our bulls are filled in between the top palms and bottom brow palms.

Also bear in mind that the body size on moose can vary significantly, making the job of judging bull antler size very difficult. This last fall I had one hunter who I was personally guiding, turn down a distinctive-looking, magnificent bull that I could not say for sure would go over 60. I told him I thought it would make 58, maybe bigger, maybe smaller. In the end that hunter shot a different 57 1/2-inch bull, and the next hunter shot the one he turned down. It turned out to be a giant 63-incher! The moral of the story is, unless you are a dedicated “numbers” oriented trophy hunter, come up, enjoy the hunt and shoot the good bull when you see it and then let Boone and Crockett sort it out.

Because safety is and always will be our primary concern, all moose racks will be split for the flight out from the camp so they can be loaded inside the cargo compartment of the airplane, unless they are All-Time B&C, P&Y or Longhunter record-book animals or destined to become European mounts or if the hunter chooses to simply not have the antlers split or if the antlers can be loaded into the storage compartment of the airplane along with the rest of the cargo to be loaded on that flight. In these cases, there will be a surcharge of $400 USD to fly the antlers out whole. Splitting the moose skull is a common and accepted practice, and any taxidermist can and will attach the antlers back to the skull for mounting. In fact, many hunters want the antlers to be removable from the mounted moose for ease of access to their trophy room. Last season we nearly lost an airplane and a pilot because we were trying to fly out a large set of moose antlers tied to the floats as an external load. I will not let any antlers be the cause of a pilot losing his life.

Every morsel of moose, caribou and Dall sheep must be brought in; nothing is wasted or left to the scavengers except the offal. Your moose meat will be given to the local First Nations Elders and needy Yukon families. If you drive up, you can take your meat with you after we help you get the necessary permits, only available during work days, during work hours. It is possible to fly home with your moose meat, if you wait for the necessary permits to be gotten as above, but please be aware, the cost will be extremely high in light of the new airline regulations regarding excess baggage and overweight baggage. Plus you will have to wait until your moose is butchered (at your cost) and frozen. This will delay your departure for some amount of time, perhaps days if the butcher is busy with other moose at the time. The choice is ultimately yours, though, and if you want to pay, we will be more than happy to take your moose to a butcher and have it cut, boxed and frozen, and we’ll help you apply for the export permits while you wait in Whitehorse for all of this to be done.

COMBINATION MOOSE, GRIZZLY BEAR, MOUNTAIN CARIBOU & DALL SHEEP

It is possible to combine all of the above hunts, including wolf, black bear and wolverine as well. When you hunt with us, you will have tags for all of the above animals in your pocket, and if you happen upon a male grizzly bear during your moose hunt, you can go after it, provided we still have grizzlies left on our quota. There are no promises in this regard. If the quota is used up early that season, you will not be able to shoot a grizzly on your hunt. Same goes for the other species, although we do not have a quota on Dall sheep or the other predators. Our grizzlies are mountain grizzlies, some of the most beautifully colored bears to be found. Our caribou are the desirable mountain caribou species, only found in that part of North America. These are the largest of the caribou species and they have the heaviest antlers, often palmated.

If you desire to come and hunt with us in hopes that you will take more animals than just moose, there are certain things you need to know. First off, there are trophy fees for each additional species you kill. If you book a moose hunt and kill a grizzly bear, there is a $7,500 trophy fee. If you kill a caribou, there is a $4,000 trophy fee. The black bear trophy fee is $1,500, and wolves and wolverines are free. The Dall sheep trophy fee is $6,000, but moose hunters should understand that they will likely not be hunting in the area where Dall sheep are found. That said, it never hurts to glass up the mountain once in a while just in case! All these trophy fees are applicable even if for some reason you do not kill your moose. Also, wounded animals count as killed animals, one drop of blood means the animal is wounded. Every effort will be made to recover every animal you shoot at, but should one be lost, it is considered to be dead, no matter where it was hit.

Generally, moose and grizzlies are found living around the lakes and rivers, but caribou will wander through from time to time and Dall sheep are scarce close to the lakes. Black bears, wolves and wolverines can be anywhere. If you are hunting a lake and kill your moose and if we have another camp available, we might be able to fly you to another area better suited for caribou, grizzlies or Dall sheep, but there will be a minimum flying charge of $2,000-$3,000 to do so and there are no guarantees. You might be required to “backpack” hunt for caribou or grizzlies, basically hunting on foot for day trips from a main camp. Weather, airplane and alternate camp availability will be the determining factor on whether we can move you and your guide to another area and bring the guide back to the original lake for the next hunt, after your hunt ends.

Here is an example of the above. Last fall we were trying to move an archery hunter who took a 57-inch bull moose on the first day of his hunt, to another spot where he could backpack for caribou. In this case, our floatplane was busy hauling moose meat from all the outlying camps, and the hunter had to wait until we were able to free up the plane. That gives you some kind of idea of how the program works.

Once they have their moose down, many of our hunters choose to fly out early before the scheduled end of their hunts. Last season approximately half our hunters chose to do so. Changes in scheduled flights will cost the hunter $1,400 USD extra for floatplane trips and $3,000 for wheel plane trips. This is the cost regardless if there are two hunters or more sharing a flight.

We will make every effort to fly you as soon as you tell us by satellite phone that you would like to fly out early, but the exact time and day will depend on whether our airplane is available and provided the weather cooperates. This applies to any early or late departures and/or arrivals and any airplane flying out to a camp will be filled with materials, parts, gear, etc. on the flight out to camp. It’s entirely up to you, but on the later hunts, I recommend flying out early, once you get your bull. Winter is usually right around the corner at that time of the year and when I’m hunting in these types of remote places, I personally always fly out the instant I can once I’m tagged up.

Be aware that you must have reasonable expectations on combination hunts. If you take a moose, you will be busy for at least two days, getting the meat, cleaning it, loading it on the airplane, and possibly caping the moose, fleshing and salting the cape. It all takes time, so accept that you might only get your primary animal and hope for the best for the rest of the animals you want. We will try to fly your green cape out to a taxidermist, so you can save one day of hunting, but you can also save one day of hunting if you do not want your moose shoulder mounted, but instead want a European skull mount.

WHERE AND HOW:

Our exclusive outfitting areas include nearly 12,000 square miles of some of the very best moose and big game habitat in the world. We are located north and east and north and west of Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon Territory. You will likely fly in to Vancouver International Airport in British Columbia and then will hop on one of the daily scheduled jet flights to Whitehorse. It is about a two-hour flight from Vancouver to Whitehorse. Once there, our representative will meet you and drive you up to Mayo, a four-hour drive, and drop you at a hotel or some other type of accommodation we will have set up. You will stay overnight at your cost, and we will fly you in to your base camp the next day, weather permitting.

We cannot control the weather, and if it is inclement, you may have to hold up in Whitehorse or Mayo for one or more days of your hunt. You will be responsible for your own expenses if the flights into camp are delayed. Last fall we only had two hunters lose hunting days, one each. I have seen delays of up to four days in the worst cases over the years. This is a function of how remote the Yukon is, and there is nothing that can be done. Relax and be patient, we will fly you the instant we can do so safely.

You may fly from Mayo to your hunting camp, or we may have you fly in directly from Whitehorse, this can never be predicted prior to the day you are scheduled to fly in, but don’t worry, we will know what is going on and make sure that you are at the right place at the right time. All you need to worry about is getting to Whitehorse; we will handle everything from that point on. The flight can be one or two hours, depending on where we are taking you to hunt, and you may even have another short hop in the plane before you arrive in your camp. You cannot hunt for six hours after landing, but with luck, you may be in your camp early enough to get an hour or two of hunting in that first evening. There is no charge for this, but make no mistake, even if the largest moose in the planet is standing there when you land, your guide will not break any game laws and you will have to wait the six hours before you can hunt!

You will hunt for eight days and then we will fly you out, weather permitting. You will either be flown directly back to Whitehorse (unlikely) or more likely, you will be flown to Mayo and be driven the rest of the way to Whitehorse. There you will stay the night at your expense and will be driven to the airport to catch your flight home the next day.

MEAT AND ANTLERS:

The meat from your moose and/or caribou and/or Dall sheep will be flown out to Mayo or Whitehorse, where we will then give it away to the local First Nations Elders or needy Yukon families or if you want to take it home, it will be dealt with as outlined in the above section.

Your antlers will be taken to a taxidermist. It is your choice to either tell us to leave it with that taxidermist and he will mount your trophy(s) and ship them to you at a reasonable cost, comparable to having them done down where you live. Or the taxidermist will flesh, salt and dry your cape, clean and boil the skull (there can be no tissue on the skull if it is to cross the international border) and will crate the cape and antlers and ship them to your taxidermist. The cost for this is approximately $950, depending on the size and weight of your crate and where you want the crate shipped. Salting and fleshing will cost an additional taxidermy charge of $450. We will try to bring your green cape out for the taxidermist to flesh and salt as he is professional and the best way to ensure your cape is taken care of is to let a pro do his thing. That said, there might be times when the guide has to do the work in the field.

If you have the time, it will save you a few dollars if you drive up to Whitehorse. It is a wonderful drive, mostly along the Alaska Highway through some of God’s most beautiful wild lands (watch for moose, deer, bears, sheep and caribou on the road), and you will save the airfare to Whitehorse and also the meat and antler and taxidermy shipping charges.

PASSPORTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, STARTING IN JANUARY EVERYONE entering the United States by sea or air, beginning Jan. 8, 2007, INCLUDING US CITIZENS, will need a passport. All American hunters, planning to hunt in Canada or elsewhere in the future, should apply for a passport right away. The resultant rush for passports will possibly cause delays, so the sooner you apply, the sooner you will get your passport.

Please note that as of Jan. 1, 2008, the passport rule will apply at all land border crossings as well.

PRICING INFORMATION:

The Base Price: for a classic boat hunt for a moose OR a grizzly OR a classic backpack hunt for Dall sheep, including the trophy fee for that one primary animal, is $16,000. For All-Terrain Vehicle Hunts, the base price is $18,000 including the trophy fee for one primary animal. There is a 5% government Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the above quoted amounts.

Observers are Welcome: (Space permitting) at $4,000 per hunt, plus 5% GST.

Not Included: Meat and antler charges (see below). Licenses and tags for every animal available in the Yukon - $600 total (subject to change). There is a $1,400 air charter fee for every hunter or observer, which covers getting you into and out of camp on scheduled days and there is a meat flight charge of $1,400 payable for the first animal you kill and an additional meat flight charge of $700 for each animal you kill after that. There is the 5% GST on all of the above costs. As outlined in the above section, there will be a $400 charge for moose or caribou antlers that are flown out “un-split” as an “external load” on the floats for some reason that the hunter wants, usually because the animal is a record-book trophy or because the hunter wants a European mount.

There is also a government royalty fee for each animal you kill (subject to change): moose $150, caribou $180, male grizzly bear $500 ($750 if the grizzly is a female), Dall sheep $250, Black bear $75. Although we have never exercised it, we reserve to right to add a “fuel surcharge” to cover extreme rises in fuel prices between the time you book and the hunt date. Again, though we have never exercised it, we reserve the right to adjust the price of the hunt should the US dollar drop in value against the Canadian dollar, below the exchange it was when you booked the hunt. The US dollar has dropped nearly 35% in value in the last three years and we have not raised our prices to make up the difference, but we can not afford to subsidize further drops in the US dollar value. Please note that if you shoot at and wound an animal efforts will be made to recover the animal, but the hunt is considered to be over.

Trophy Fees: or other animals taken on a moose hunt (or other hunt): Grizzly $7,500, Dall sheep $6,000, Caribou $4,000, Black Bear $1,500. There is a 6% GST on the above amounts.

Moose Hunt Dates: (Please be aware that for scheduling, logistics requiring us to stagger the flights and hunters into the various camps, the actual start date and end date might be one to three days different from the starting and ending dates noted. You will be notified of the actual start date long before the hunt. DO NOT BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS TO WHITEHORSE, UNTIL WE TELL YOU WHAT THE ACTUAL DATES OF YOUR HUNT ARE.)

Aug 10–19: Argo, eight wheel drive all-terrain vehicle early hunts are 10 days long.
Aug 20–29: Argo, eight wheel drive all-terrain vehicle early hunts are 10 days long.
Sept 1–8: Boat or Argo, all-terrain vehicle at the time are 8 days long.
Sept 9–19: Boat or Argo, all-terrain vehicle at the time are 8 days long.
Sept 20–30: Boat or Argo, all-terrain vehicle at the time are 8 days long.

Other Species Hunt Dates: If you wish to hunt grizzly or Dall sheep as your primary animal, the dates are the same as above, except there is also an Aug 1 – Aug 10 Dall sheep hunt, and we don’t usually hunt Dall sheep as the primary animal on the last hunt.

Deposit: An $8,000 USD deposit is required to hold a date. This deposit is non-refundable. If the hunter finds a replacement, the deposit is transferable. The balance of the contracted hunt price is due 90 days prior to August 1 of the year the hunt is to take place. We will send a letter of notification regarding this final payment prior to the due date. We will not chase hunters down for this final payment. If the final payment is not received by the due date, the hunt spot and deposit will be forfeited. We strongly recommend that the hunter purchase travel cancellation insurance to cover ill health, business, family or world events that may cause the hunter to cancel the hunt. It is the hunter’s responsibility to make sure that he is covered in this regard.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT MYSELF OR JIM BISSENDEN AT (250) 715-1030 OR sales@jimshockey.com FOR MORE INFORMATION. AS WELL YOU CAN CALL OUR TOLL-FREE NUMBER AND SOMEONE WILL RETURN YOUR CALL AS SOON AS WE RETURN FROM WHATEVER HUNT WE ARE ON.

* All quoted prices in US funds