Alaska Moose Unit 20

[RuRu12]

I am looking at doing a guided hunt in Unit 20 for Moose. The area is SE of Fairbanks near the Johnson River. Can anyone give me any general info about this area? Moose populations, average trophy size, numbers of grizzlies or wolves in the area, etc.? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nmtaxi]

I killed this bull in September in Unit 20E, north of Tok. It was a DIY hunt, 52" bull. No grizzlies or wolves. This was the only moose we saw, but it was our first day of real moose hunting. The preivous days were spent caribou hunting and packing caribou meat. I know this probably doesn't help you, I just love posting pics of my mosse

 

[RuRu12]

nmtaxi - Those are some great pics, anyone should be proud to post pics like those. Looks like beautiful country, The area we will be hunting is 20D. I will be there Sept. 5th-15th. Were there a lot of Caribou in the area you hunted?

 

[nmtaxi]

We got lucky and hit the tail end of the migration. For about 4 days, there were lots of caribou. The area we hunted in 20E was the only spot in the unit where you can hunt both moose and caribou at the same time. And yes, the country was breath-taking. I'm still dreaming about it, and hope to get back someday. We took all these animals in a total of 4 days of hunting with the 3rd mostly spent resting. That hunt was a dream come true.

 

[nmtaxi]

LAST EDITED ON Feb-07-08 AT 12:21PM (MST)[p]Here are some caribou shots taken right from camp. Got lots of great video, too.

 

[RuRu12]

Awesome pics! The area I will be in is east of Tok, between Tok and Delta Junction. What were temps and weather conditions like in early Sept? Can I assume from your username that you are a taxidermist? I've never caped anything as big as a moose. Any tips? Any suggestions on poses or forms? What cartridge did you use, and how did it perform?

 

[nmtaxi]

We were out there from Sept. 10 to the 21st, I believe. The first four days we had terrific weather. Cool at night, but probably around 50 degrees during the day. On the 15th, bad weather moved in. It never got real cold, but we had snow, rain, fog and wind. We were suppose to be pulled out on the 18th, but the planes couldn't land because of weather, and we got stuck out there for a few extra days.
I haven't mounted my moose yet. Still waiting on the cape. There is a very cool form by Research Mannikans that has a full brisket, and goes back to the hump on the shoulders. It really shows how big these animals are. You will need a lot of wall space, and a lot of cape, but it does make a very cool mount.
Caping the moose wasn't too bad. If you've caped elk, it's probably easier. The nose in unreal. I swear after it's caped, before it's split and the cartlidge removed, that nose weighs 20 pounds.
I used a .338 Win. Mag. and it performed very well. That bull still took 4 shots to put down for good, though. Tough animals.