Whether you’ve been moose hunting many times or you’re looking at this to get an idea of what to bring on your first moose hunt, it’s always good to be prepared and have a thorough moose hunting checklist and gear guide to prepare for your hunt.
This list will give you an idea of what to bring on any moose hunt, but some items (tents, rafts, etc.) you need will vary depending on what type of hunt you’re going on. If you’re doing a fly-in or float hunt, walk in hunt, hunting from a cabin, or another way, or you may have some specific gear you need for a particular place or way you hunt. Maybe you’re packing in all your gear so your goal is to be as lightweight as possible? Maybe you’re taking a camper so you don’t need a tent? Are you doing a float hunt and will need to have a camp that you can put up and take down quickly? For any way or any place you hunt, we hope this moose hunting checklist helps you have a successful, safe, and fun moose hunt!
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Camp
Shelter
- Tent
- Rainfly
- Tarps
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Pad
- Cot
- Stove
Gear Tips: Check out our Ultimate Camping Checklist for an in-depth camping guide!
Camp Necessities
- Fire Starter
- Wood (if you are going into an area with few trees and have an easy way to get wood there)
- Lantern
- Head Lamps
- Batteries (make sure you have every type you need before you go)
- Solar Charger
Personal Items/Miscellaneous
- Medication
- ID (grab a waterproof case like this one to protect your phone, ID, hunting license and tags)
- Toiletries
- Toilet Paper
- Wet Wipes/Baby Wipes
- Lip Balm
- Body Glide (don’t let chaffing ruin your hunt!)
- Sunscreen
- HotHands
- Thermacell with Extra Mats and Fuel (I was skeptical, but these things really work!)
Creature Comforts
- Camp Chairs
- Phone (for contacting people on the way in and out of camp, and incase you have service in your hunting area or use it for photos and video)
- Phone Charger to Charge off of Solar Charger
- Phone Skope/Phone Adapter Mount
- Cards
- Book
- Camera
- Camera Charger to Charge off of Solar Charger
Food
- Mountain House
- Peak Refuel (the chicken alfredo is the best)
- Dishes
- Utensils
- Water Purifier
- Water Bottle
- Jet Boil (Check out my Jetboil review here!)
- Jet Boil Fuel
- Snacks (trail mix, bars, fruit leather, etc.)
- Instant Coffee/Tea
Gear Tips: If you want to try a variety of food and snacks, check out the Backcountry Fuel Box. It’s a handy subscription box that give you a taste of many different snacks, meals, bars, and more, and helps you discover new brands of products to try. Check out this link for 10% OFF your first purchase!
Safety and First Aid
- inReach
- First Aid Kit (if there are any specific items in your kit, such as a tourniquet, make sure you know how to use it and how to apply at least basic first aid before you go)
- Emergency Blanket
- LifeMed/Guardian Flight Subscription (or medevac subscription for your area)
- HotHands
- Fire Starter in Waterproof Container
- Extra Food (incase of getting weathered in or situation that prolongs your hunt)
- Water Purification Tablets
Clothing
- Boots (make sure they are waterproof)
- Camp Shoes (aka Crocs)
- Gaiters
- Socks
- Base Layers Tops and Bottoms (aka long underwear)
- Rain Gear (pants, jacket, hat if you don’t have a hood)
- Hunting Pants (preferably with knee pads, they will come in handy when you’re skinning your moose)
- Heavyweight Sweatshirt
- Hunting Jacket
- Beanie or Warm Hat
- Gloves (thick ones for the cold, thinner ones for dexterity when needed)
- Neck Gaiter
- Warm Pajamas (or use base layers)
- High Visibility Hat, Bandana, Etc. (aka “Hunter Orange”; check regs on this as it’s not always legally required, but highly recommend)
Gear Tips: Layering is the name of the game. You could be sweating one minute and see snow the next. Always be prepared with layers. Try make sure your gear is as waterproof as possible, or at least water resistant. Quiet gear is good gear; you don’t want noisy pants swooshing around and scaring a moose off.
Transportation
This is one of those things that will vary a lot depending or your type of hunt, so some of these may apply to you and others you can scratch off your list.
- Your Feet (in well fitting shoes and socks; they will be one of your biggest methods of transportation!)
- Four wheeler/UTV
- Pack Raft
- Fuel
- Spare Tire
- Ratchet Straps
Gear Tips: Before you head off on your adventure, be sure to have all vehicles, atvs, side by sides, etc. serviced before you go. It’s always better to know of a problem when you’re in town, rather than when your out in the boonies! And if you can, bringing a spare tire is always a plus.
The Hunt
Must Haves
- Hunting License
- Tag
- Copy of the Current Reg Book
- Gun
- Scope
- Ammo
- Lot of Practice
Scouting
- Binoculars
- Spotting Scope
- Tripod
- onXmaps (use this before the trip too for scouting out your hunting area)
Calling Them In
- Lots of Practice (check how-to videos YouTube)
- Moose Call
- Moose Lure (Check the regs in your area before you use this. As of the 2022-23 Alaska regulations moose urine is currently banned, but mare in heat is allowed. Check current regs for updates. )
- Moose Scapula to Scrape Brush
Butchering and Meat Care
- Rubber Gloves
- Tarps
- Knives
- Extra Blades for Knives
- Bone Saw
- Citric Acid (to spray on meat for preservation and to keep bugs away; I would not suggest using black pepper as that is what we used the first time and got charged a cleaning fee to take it off at the processor)
- Spray Bottle for Citric Acid (make sure you also have water around to mix the critic acid with)
- Game Bags
- Backpack/Packboard
- Extra Buckles for Backpack
- Rope (to hang up the meat)
Helpful Extras
- Electrical Tape
- Gun Cleaner/Snake
- Shooting Stick
- Pad for Sitting On
- Trekking Poles
Gear Tips: We just started washing out our game bags last year to reuse them and it seems to work great. You can soak them and hose them down to get the real nasty parts off and then pop them in the washing machine. This will save you money so you can go buy things like more ammo, more ammo, and more ammo. 🙂
I hope this moose hunting checklist helped you get started packing for your hunting adventure. Please remember this is not a completely comprehensive list, but I did try make it as complete as possible. If there are any other items you recommend packing or hunting tips you’d like to share please leave a comment and I can add your suggestions to the list! Don’t forget to check out my hunting tips, tricks, and lessons as well! Happy hunting, friends! Wishing you a safe hunt and a full freezer.
