Alaska Fly-In Hunting: Complete Checklist and What to Expect on a Wilderness Hunt
Alaska Fly-In Hunting: Complete Checklist and What to Expect on a Wilderness Hunt
Alaska is the last great wilderness on the North American continent. Sixty million acres of the state is roadless — accessible only by bush plane, floatplane, or river boat. This is where caribou herds number in the hundreds of thousands, moose stand 7 feet at the shoulder, and brown bear tracks fill mud flats that have never seen a boot. If you're planning an Alaska fly-in hunt, this guide prepares you for everything from the day you step off the float in Anchorage to the day you load quartered meat onto a bush plane headed home.
The Aircraft: Supercub vs. Floatplane
The two workhorses of Alaska fly-in hunting are the Piper Super Cub and the floatplane (typically a Cessna 185 on floats, or a de Havilland Beaver/Otter for larger groups).
Piper Super Cub
The Super Cub is a two-seat, tandem bush plane capable of landing on gravel bars, tundra strips, and remote airstrips that no other aircraft can access. It is the bush pilot's finest tool — a 150-horsepower airplane that can land in 300 feet on the right gravel bar.
Typical capacity: Pilot + one passenger. Limited cargo capacity — expect to make multiple flights to deliver gear and hunters to a remote spike camp.
Best for: Remote spike camps on gravel bars along sheep country ridgelines, interior caribou country, or areas without a lake.
Floatplane (Cessna 185, Beaver, Otter)
A floatplane lands on any lake, pond, or calm river stretch. The vast majority of Alaska fly-in moose and caribou camps are floatplane-accessible — Alaska has over three million lakes.
Typical capacity: Cessna 185: pilot + 3 passengers with limited gear; de Havilland Beaver: pilot + 4–5 passengers; Otter: pilot + 8–9 passengers.
Best for: Remote lake camps for moose, caribou, black bear, and anywhere water access is available.
Weight Limits: The Critical Planning Factor
Every bush plane has a maximum gross weight limit. Exceed it and the aircraft cannot safely operate — period. This is not a negotiation.
Typical weight limits per aircraft:
| Aircraft | Approximate Gear/Passenger Limit |
|---|---|
| Super Cub | 70 lbs total per flight |
| Cessna 185 | 300–350 lbs payload (passengers + gear) |
| Beaver | 600–700 lbs payload |
| Otter | 2,000+ lbs payload |
What this means for you: A 185-lb hunter on a Cessna 185 has approximately 165–200 lbs of gear capacity — including ALL food, ALL gear, tent, stove, fuel, and everything else. This is tight. Pack ruthlessly.
Pack strategy for a fly-in hunt:
- Weigh everything. Lay out every item you plan to bring and weigh it on a luggage scale. This forces brutal honesty.
- Eliminate duplicates. One pot, one stove, one fuel bottle per camp. Not two of anything.
- Choose ultralight shelter. A quality 3-season ultralight tent (MSR Hubba Hubba, 4.5 lbs) beats a heavy wall tent when weight is at a premium.
- Compression bags. A down sleeping bag in a compression bag is half the size of one that isn't.
- Communicate with your air service. A good air service has helped a hundred hunters pack for their first fly-in hunt. Ask them what their previous clients have brought and what they wish they'd left behind.
Mandatory Gear: Non-Negotiables for Remote Alaska
These items are not optional. Remote Alaska is one of the few places on earth where a bad decision about gear can be life-or-death.
Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or SPOT/inReach Device
A PLB (personal locator beacon) or two-way satellite communicator (Garmin inReach, SPOT) is the single most important piece of safety gear you carry. In true wilderness, your cell phone has no signal. If you're injured, disoriented, or your aircraft is overdue, a PLB alert dispatches search and rescue.
Recommendation: Garmin inReach Mini — two-way satellite messaging plus SOS function. Costs about $350 plus subscription. Worth every dollar.
Bear Spray
Brown bear encounters are a real part of Alaska wilderness hunting. You will likely encounter bears on a moose or caribou hunt — they're attracted to gut piles and the smell of fresh meat. A 9-oz canister of bear spray (Counter Assault, UDAP) is proven more effective than firearms in close-encounter scenarios.
Carry it on your person, not in your pack.
Emergency Bivy
A lightweight emergency bivy sack (SOL Escape Bivy, ~14 oz) could save your life if you're forced to spend an unplanned night out due to weather, injury, or navigation error. Weighs nothing, takes no space. Bring one.
First Aid Kit
A comprehensive wilderness first aid kit including wound closure strips, SAM splints, a tourniquet, and blister care. WFA or WAFA certification (wilderness first aid) is strongly recommended before a remote Alaska hunt.
Food Planning: 10 Days Minimum for Remote Hunts
Rule one: Plan for more days than your permit allows. Weather delays are not a question of if — they're a question of when.
For a 10-day remote hunt in Alaska, bring food for 12–14 days. Calorie-dense, lightweight food is critical given weight limits.
Daily calorie target: 3,000–4,000 calories/day. Remote hunting is physically demanding — you'll be hiking, wading, and packing meat.
Recommended food system:
- Mountain House freeze-dried meals: ~600–700 calories per package, extremely lightweight
- Peanut butter packets, nuts, and jerky for daytime snacking
- Instant oatmeal and instant coffee for morning
- Bars: Cliff Bars, Lara Bars, RX Bars — calorie-dense and packable
Stove: A reliable canister stove (MSR PocketRocket, Jetboil) with sufficient fuel. At 10 days, plan 1 large canister per person minimum.
Weather Delays: Build Buffer Days
This is non-negotiable: always build weather buffer days into your Alaska fly-in hunt schedule.
Alaska weather — particularly in interior and coastal regions — can strand aircraft for 2–5 days at a time. Low ceilings, rain, fog, and crosswinds ground bush planes without warning. If you schedule the last day of your hunt as a travel day, you will eventually miss a flight.
Recommended buffer: 2 days on each end of your hunt. If you're flying Alaska Airlines home, build at least one night of hotel buffer in Anchorage or Fairbanks before your departure flight.
Your air service cannot control weather. Neither can you. Plan for it.
Pack-Out: Getting Your Meat Home
An Alaska moose can yield 600–800 lbs of meat. A caribou, 150–250 lbs. Getting it all back on a bush plane requires preparation.
Field Quartering
You'll quarter large animals (moose, caribou) in the field — separated into front quarters, hind quarters, backstraps, neck meat, and organs. This makes handling possible for two people and is required for proper meat care.
Tools needed: A sharp, heavy knife (Havalon Piranta or similar), a folding bone saw, and practice. Watch quartering videos before your hunt — this is not the time to figure it out for the first time.
Game Bags
Proper breathable game bags (KUIU, Stone Glacier, Caribou Gear) keep meat clean, allow air circulation, and prevent flies and insects from contaminating your harvest. Bring twice as many as you think you need.
Bone-in meat on a floatplane: Bush pilots in Alaska transport bone-in game meat regularly. Your air service handles this routinely — communicate the anticipated yield in advance and they'll help plan the logistics.
Meat Care at 40°F
Alaska's cool temperatures (typically 30–55°F in hunting season) are your best friend for meat care. Get meat cooled quickly by spreading quarters on clean brush or hanging in a shaded, breezy area. Keep meat off the ground. Monitor for hot spots. Good meat care in cool Alaska conditions means the harvest that reaches your home kitchen will be outstanding.
If temperatures rise above 45–50°F: Cool nights become critical. Hang meat in shade where it gets full air movement. Pack coolers are worth bringing if floatplane capacity allows.
Drop Camp vs. Guided Hunt
Drop camp: Your air service flies you to a remote lake or strip, drops your gear, and returns on a predetermined date (or when you call on your satellite communicator). You hunt on your own. This is the most affordable fly-in option — typically $1,200–$2,500 per person for air service on a 10-day hunt.
Fully guided: A licensed guide or registered guide-outfitter accompanies you in the field, runs the camp, handles logistics, and provides expertise. Required by Alaska law for non-residents hunting brown/grizzly bear and Dall sheep — but not required for moose or caribou.
Fully guided moose and caribou hunts typically run $8,000–$18,000 depending on the operator and area.
Alaska Hunting License and Tag Costs
| License/Tag | Non-Resident Cost |
|---|---|
| AK Hunting License | $160 |
| Moose tag (most areas) | $500–$800 |
| Caribou tag | $650 |
| Black bear tag | $450 |
Non-resident hunters must purchase tags from the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game — online at adfg.alaska.gov. Know your unit's regulations before purchasing tags; bag limits and season dates vary significantly by area.
Plan Your Alaska Hunt
WildTag connects you with vetted Alaska fly-in hunting outfitters and air services for moose, caribou, brown bear, and Dall sheep — with transparent pricing, available dates, and direct operator contact.