Back in 2015 when I was looking to book a moose hunt, I struggled with a difficult decision as I perceived two completely different moose hunt categories. I’ll call the first category “Plan A.” In the fall of 2016, my hunting partner, Mike Hall, and I hunted moose in British Columbia with Copper River Outfitters. The equipment, guides, lodging, and food were excellent. The mountain setting was breathtaking, and the concession included thousands upon thousands of acres. The area teemed with moose, mule deer, black bear, grizzly bear, mountain goat, sheep, and lynx.

Mike and I were joined by Steve, a Wisconsin hunter, and the three of us went home with a bull moose. All moose are big, but Mike’s had the largest antlers, Steve’s the smallest. While the area’s largest bulls might sport 50 inch antlers, chances for a moose of this caliber were slim. Copper River’s primary goal was sending its hunters home with quality meat. Mike and I drove to Smithers, British Columbia with a freezer chest and generator in the back of our pickup for the meat. The cost of our seven-day hunt was $6500. Today the cost is $7500. I’ll call this hunt “Plan A.”

“Plan B” would be a ten-day hunt in Alaska, Northwest Territories, or the Yukon. These hunts are longer as weather can be a formidable factor. The Canada Moose and the Alaska-Yukon Moose are separate sub-species with the latter being larger. Sixty-inch antlers are a realistic goal for an Alaska-Yukon moose. Neither the “Plan A” hunt nor the “Plan B” hunt is a guaranteed success, but the odds favor a good hunter who works at it.

Today the cost of a MacMillan River Outfitters moose hunt out of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory is $24,500. A Ceasar Lake Yukon hunt costs $26,000. An Alaska hunt is similar in cost. My question was, were larger antlers worth $17,000 to me? It would actually be more than $17,000 as transportation is an additional factor. My answer was “No,” the big antlers weren’t worth $17,000 to me. If I wanted to, I could book at least two other hunting or fishing trips with that $17,000.

I have some hunts in mind. If the Corona Virus pandemic is contained and under control, I plan to attend the Dallas Safari Club Expo in February 2021. There I will hopefully book an affordable summer 2021 hunt for roebuck in either Scotland or Eastern Europe. I’m leaning toward Eastern Europe as I’ve been told that Prague is an incredible city.

I had written off an African Cape Buffalo hunt as something I should have done years ago until I read the story “Living the Dream” in the September/October 2020 issue of Sports Afield. It was about a 78 yearold man with a gimpy knee who made a successful hunt with the help of hiking sticks and a gun bearer while walking six to eight miles a day on relatively flat ground.

If I consider this hunt, I will have to be totally honest in describing both my tremor and the neuropathy in my legs to potential African outfitters. Right now I feel like I could walk the six to eight miles a day if I had to. Brain surgery has made my tremor more manageable, and I believe that I could handle a rifle in close quarters with a cape buffalo after many hours of off-hand shooting practice. Of course I don’t know how I’ll feel in 2021, or what my legs will be like.

In the meantime, I have a great fall of hunting experiences in front of me with South Dakota antelope and elk tags in my pocket, not to mention West and East River Deer tags. There’s also grouse, ducks, and pheasants. This Cape buffalo thing might be a dream, but if we don’t have dreams about tomorrow, life during this pandemic thing could be a real bummer.

See you next week.