To Get the Gear Listed above to Alaska, I Packed in the following System:

Hunt pack: Optics, tripod, personal effects, partial personal hygiene pack, flashlights, gloves, and rain gear.

Waterproof duffel bag: Clothing, remaining personal hygiene items, boots, emergency bow repair kit, and backup release

Bow case: Bow, arrows (field tip arrows stored in an arrow tube, broadheads in an arrow box), first change hunting clothing, and primary hunting release. This is how I pack for any trip that requires air travel.

Hunting Methods

We spent most of the hunt posted up on one of two glassing points. On days with good weather, hours were spent on the glass. On days with poor weather, we spent much of the day in the cabin, sneaking out with any break in the weather to glass from the deck of the cabin.

Other Considerations

Notes on Gear

I found my KUIU Super Down Zip-T to be the most useful article of clothing that I packed. The temperature ranged from between 10 to 60 degrees fahrenheit each day. Layers that are light and packable are a must for spring hunts. My Kenetrek gaiters were also extremely useful on this hunt.

As you can see from my packing list, I don’t have a ton of brand loyalty when it comes to hunting gear. I do lean towards Under Armour’s synthetic layering systems because my skin seems to be sensitive to wool. When picking gear for a trip like this, the most important thing you can do is rigorously prep and practice with your gear. Make sure you know how it functions and in what situations each piece is useful. Once you get into the mountains, you have what you brought and there is no turning back.

In hindsight, I would of packed some heavier optics. I went light thinking that we would be covering more country. We spent most of our time on two glassing points. This was some big country and I wish I had packed my Leica Geovid 15x56s for locating bears. I have always found glassing with two eyes open to be best. Alaska is big country and the looks can be extremely long.

Once located, the spotting scope could then be used to identify sex and trophy quality.

Packing Hacks

Here are a couple tricks to pack for a trip like this:

Lessons Learned

From my Alaskan experience I learned several important lessons. The first lesson was the importance of taking the time to prepare for the physical challenges a hunt presents, Alaska requires a certain mental toughness that exceeded any hunt I have gone on in the lower 48. Alaska requires more gear prep than your average hunt.