There are two questions I get asked more than just about anything when guys find out I hunt moose in Alaska:
“How the hell do you afford that?”
Usually followed shortly thereafter by:
“How do I do that?”
And I get it.
That second question is actually a big part of why I created the FREE DIY Alaska Moose Hunting Masterclass through Elkhorn Expeditions. I kept hearing from regular hunters who wanted to do Alaska but had no idea where to even start. So I took what I’ve learned from planning these hunts myself and put it into a free course that walks hunters through the process.
But before we get into how to do it, let’s talk about the question everybody wants answered first:
What does this thing actually cost?
For most hunters, Alaska has always felt like the place you hunt someday. You watch videos of giant bulls getting dragged out of swamps by bush planes, look up the price of an outfitted hunt, see $35,000, $40,000, or $50,000, quietly close the browser, and go back to looking at whitetail stands.
But here’s the thing: You don’t have to spend $40,000 to hunt moose in Alaska. You can plan the hunt yourself.
Is it cheap? No. Is it easy? Also no.
But it’s a lot more attainable than most hunters think. On my most recent DIY Alaska moose hunt, I spent about $10,000 to actually go hunting. I ended up killing a bull, which brought my total to roughly $14,000. Yep, killing the moose cost me another four grand. Nobody puts that part in the brochure…
The Cost to Hunt vs. The Cost to Succeed
This is something I tell guys all the time when they’re budgeting an Alaska hunt. There are really two budgets:
What it costs to go hunting.
And…
What it costs if everything actually goes right.
On my hunt, getting myself to Alaska, into the bush, and hunting was roughly $10,000. Then I killed a moose, which is obviously the entire reason I went, but now you’ve got several hundred pounds of meat, a giant set of antlers, a skull, and whatever else you’re bringing home sitting in Alaska while you’re standing there thinking:
Well… now what?
Meat storage, transportation, shipping, extra baggage, and getting everything from the field back to Missouri pushed my total to roughly $14,000. It was the best extra $4,000 I’ve ever been pissed about spending.
So Where Does the Money Actually Go?
The biggest expense for most remote DIY Alaska moose hunts is going to be getting into the field.
Bush Flights
Depending on where you’re hunting and how you’re doing it, figure roughly $6,000–$8,000 for an air taxi or bush flight. If you’re using a transporter who provides additional services, you could be looking at something closer to $10,000–$16,000.
That’s a big damn check.
But if you’re hunting with a buddy and can split some of those transportation expenses, suddenly the math starts looking considerably better. And if you’ve never flown into the Alaska bush in a Super Cub with a pilot who appears completely unconcerned about landing on something you wouldn’t drive a four-wheeler across, you’re in for an experience.
Commercial Airfare and Baggage
Figure somewhere around $700 for airfare and travel insurance, depending on where you’re flying from and when you book. Then comes baggage, and Alaska moose hunters apparently travel like a small infantry unit. Between hunting equipment, camping gear, and everything else, another $500 or so in baggage fees isn’t unreasonable.
Lodging and Food
You’re probably going to spend at least a little time in town on either side of your hunt. Hotels, restaurants, last-minute supplies, and the ceremonial post-hunt cheeseburger can easily run another $700 or so.
Could you do it cheaper? Absolutely. Could you also spend considerably more? Go spend two nights in Anchorage and get back to me…
Raft: Rent It or Buy It?
If you’re doing a float hunt, the raft becomes another major expense.
You might spend around $1,000 to rent one for a 10-day hunt, but buying an appropriate raft could easily run you $3,500–$5,500. Personally, if you’re not planning on doing this repeatedly, renting can make a lot of sense. There’s no trophy at the end of the hunt for whoever owns the most expensive pile of equipment in their garage.
Licenses and Tags
Then you’ve got the stuff Alaska requires before you’re legally allowed to go chase Bullwinkle around the tundra.
Nonresident Hunting License: Roughly $160
Moose Locking Tag: Around $800
There are obviously additional tags and licenses you can purchase if you’re planning to hunt other species or fish while you’re there, but those aren’t necessary expenses for the moose hunt itself.
Food and Miscellaneous Expenses
I budget around $500 for food and everyday necessities for a ten-day hunt. Then there are all those little expenses nobody thinks about when they’re sitting at home planning the glamorous version of their Alaska adventure.
A U-Haul might run you another $200. Shipping a raft home might be another $150. Need another hotel night? There’s another couple hundred bucks.
Alaska has an incredible ability to turn $20 problems into $200 problems.
Then You Kill a Moose
This is where things get interesting.
A mature Alaska-Yukon bull is an enormous animal. You’re not stuffing the backstraps into your carry-on and calling it good. You’ve now got hundreds of pounds of meat that have to be cared for, transported, stored, and eventually gotten back home.
Depending on how you do it, meat and antler shipping alone can run $500–$2,000 or more. Add meat-locker storage, transportation, baggage, and all the other logistics involved, and success can tack several thousand dollars onto the hunt. That’s exactly what happened to me. My roughly $10,000 hunt became a $14,000 hunt when I killed a moose.
And I’d gladly have that problem again tomorrow.
What About Gear?
Notice I haven’t included gear in these numbers. That’s intentional.
You could spend $10,000 on gear without breaking a sweat if you walk into this thinking you need to replace everything you own because you’re going to Alaska. You don’t.
Some equipment absolutely matters. Alaska isn’t the place to discover that your rain gear is actually just a decorative suggestion of waterproofness. But you probably already own a lot of equipment that’ll work just fine. Spend money where Alaska genuinely demands better equipment—not because somebody on YouTube convinced you that a moose will know you’re wearing last year’s camo pattern.
How to Make a DIY Alaska Moose Hunt Cheaper
The easiest way to save money is to plan the damn thing correctly. Split expenses with a hunting partner. Rent expensive equipment you’ll only use once. Book flights early. Know your baggage limitations. Figure out your meat logistics before there’s 600 pounds of moose lying on the ground. And don’t buy equipment simply because somebody slapped the word Alaska on the packaging.
The more homework you do before the trip, the fewer expensive surprises you’re likely to encounter once you’re there.
And this is really the entire reason I built the DIY Alaska Moose Hunting Masterclass. There are a hundred little decisions like these that can either save you money or cost you a pile of it. The course is completely free, and I walk through the planning process so you don’t have to learn every lesson the expensive way.
DIY vs. a Fully Outfitted Moose Hunt
This is ultimately why I became such a believer in DIY Alaska hunting.
A fully outfitted Alaska moose hunt can easily run $35,000–$50,000 or more. My hunt? About $10,000 before the kill and roughly $14,000 after successfully harvesting a bull.
That’s still a lot of money. I’m not going to sit here and tell a working guy that fourteen grand isn’t fourteen grand. But compared with dropping forty or fifty thousand dollars on an outfitted hunt? We’re talking about potentially saving tens of thousands of dollars.
The catch is that instead of paying somebody else to figure everything out, you have to know what you’re doing.
You have to understand the regulations. Find your hunting area. Arrange transportation. Choose equipment. Plan your food. Understand meat care. Know what your bush pilot can carry. Have contingency plans when Alaska inevitably decides your original plan was adorable. That’s the price of admission.
Alaska Isn’t Just for Rich Guys
The biggest thing I want other hunters to understand is that Alaska isn’t some playground reserved for wealthy hunters. You don’t necessarily need $50,000. You don’t necessarily need an outfitter, and you don’t need to spend the next ten years saying:
“Someday I’m going to hunt Alaska.”
You need a realistic budget, good information, a willingness to do your homework, and enough humility to understand that Alaska doesn’t particularly care how good of a hunter you are back home.
My hunt cost roughly $14,000 when everything was said and done. I came home with a bull, a freezer full of moose, and one hell of a story.
Was it expensive? Yep. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
Plan Your Own Alaska Moose Hunt
If you’ve spent years telling yourself you’re going to hunt Alaska someday, maybe it’s time to start figuring out how to actually make it happen.
I created the Elkhorn Expeditions DIY Alaska Moose Hunting Masterclass specifically for hunters who want to plan their own adventure instead of writing a $40,000 check to an outfitter. It’s completely FREE. No catch.
The course walks you through the planning process, logistics, bush flights, gear, regulations, meat care, and the other pieces that go into putting together a DIY Alaska moose hunt. And there’s another perk: students get access to exclusive gear discounts from KUIU, Peak Refuel, ALPS, and many other premium outdoor brands.
Take the free DIY Alaska Moose Hunting Masterclass at www.elkhornx.com
