Alaska Moose Hunting Guides and Outfitters

Moose: The Alaskan moose is the larges living deer and a very popular big game animal for hunting guides and outfitters in Alaska. Its original range covered most of the forested regions around the Northern Hemisphere to the timber line in the Old World as well as the New World. Its scientific {genus} name, Alces, is from the Greek word meaning elk, the name by which the animal is known in Europe.

The moose reaches its greatest size in Alaska, where a bull {male} stands over 6 feet {2 meters} at the shoulder and can weigh over 1800 pounds {800 kg}. This large size is one of the reasons it is such a popular animal to hunt and one that is widely offered by outfitters and guides. This big game has a large, long head with a pendulous upper lip and large ears. Its shoulders are raised higher than its rump and it has only a stump of a tail. The moose’s body and neck are short, while its legs are exceptionally long; this makes it necessary for the animal to wade out into water to drink. It has long, coarse, blackish-brown hair with grayish tones on the face, undersides of the body, and lower limbs. Its coat serves as insulation against the bitter cold northern winters. A growth of skin covered with hair hangs from its throat and is known as a “bell”.

The bull possesses enormous antlers that are broadly palmated with numerous points along the outer edges. This is the prized trophy of any sportsman that has planned a guided moose hunt or trip. The Antlers is what all hunters want and the hunting guide or outfitter that they hire will bend over backwards to help them find it. These mighty antlers grow backward and may extend sideways for 50 to more than 70 inches {130 – 180 cm}. Exceptionally large moose antlers have been known to weigh as much as 60 pounds {30 kg}. This is remarkable since they are shed annually and replacements are grown in a few months.

The Alaska moose is a browsing animal, and its long legs enable it to hunt for and feed on the leaves and twigs of trees at a considerable height. Because of its long legs, it is also able to stride through the seemingly impenetrable tangled mass of timber found in the virgin forests of the north. The moose has its own home territory and frequents well-worn trails to its favorite feeding grounds. During the summer it feeds in low-lying swamps and lake districts. This big game animal likes to wade out into deep water of the many lakes and ponds that are throughout the Alaska landscape, and feed on lily pads and succulent water plants; at times its entire body becomes completely submerged. In winter the moose is found in hardwood upland ridges where its principal food is the leaves, shoots, and tender branches of willow, striped maple, and witch hazel. Many of these areas of Alaska that moose can be found feeding could be areas that are visited by hunting guides and outfitters regularly. That is why one hunter had a great moose hunting trip while another had a bad hunt. The hunting outfitter or guide you hire can easily make or break a planned trip. These feeding areas can be in multiple spots and change during the seasons. When the snow falls the moose keeps a small area open by constant use. This is known as a “moose yard”, and they are sought after by moose hunters. As food becomes scarcer, the yard is extended. Two or more moose may use the same yard.

The moose is a solitary animal that travels alone except during the breeding season in Alaska. However, it is not antisocial, and several individuals may be found together where food is plentiful. The mating season starts about September and continues until the beginning of October. During this period the bulls fight savage battles for possession of the cows. The battle may continue for a whole day or even longer when the bulls are evenly matched. Eventually the weaker animal will turn and flee. The calf is born about eight months after mating, usually sometime in May. During the cow’s first season she usually produces only one calf, but the fully adult female frequently has twins. The calf is colored like its mother, without the white spots found on the newborn of most deer.

Alaska Hunting Season Schedule

Alaska Hunting License

United States Weather

North America has four varieties of the moose, Alces alces. The typical variety, A. alces Americana, is found in the northeastern part of North America. The Shiras moose, A. a. shirasi, is native to Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. The Anderson moose, A. a. andersoni, is found in northern Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and Northwest Territories. The Alaskan moose, A. a. gigas, is the largest of all living deer and a popular big game animal that is offered by hunting outfitters and guides in Alaska. It is common to find the Alaskan moose in the Kenai Peninsula to central Alaska.

There are three kinds of Old World moose. The antlers of these animals are somewhat flattened and do not even approach the enormous spread of those of the Alaskan moose. The European elk or moose, A. a. alces, once ranged over most of northern Europe. The sibberian moose, A. a. pfizenmayeri, is found across northern Asia. The Manchurian elk or moose, A. a. cameloides, is a large Asian variety, but not as large as the Alaskan moose.

The moose is classified in the order Artiodactyle, family Cervidae.