You’ve spent months, maybe years, poring over maps for your Alaskan moose hunt. You’ve e-scouted for countless hours, pinpointing promising spots and flying over every ridge with 3D maps. Your Waypoints are saved, your Offline Maps are downloaded. You’re ready. And yet…

The bush plane starts its descent. You peer out the window and take in Alaska’s vast expanse for the first time with your own eyes. The magnitude overwhelms you. Your boots touch ground. Hours later, at camp, it dawns on you that the terrain you’re seeing doesn’t perfectly match how you envisioned it while e-scouting.

I’ve been there, and I’m sharing my lessons learned from two DIY Alaskan moose hunts so you can gain a stronger understanding of how the terrain you see on-screen translates into real-world experiences.

Background: My DIY Alaskan Moose Hunts

After two DIY Alaska moose hunts, I’ve learned firsthand how to bridge the gap between the digital lines on a map and the rugged reality of the wilderness. It’s one thing to study topography and satellite imagery from the comfort of home, but translating that into effective navigation and a hunting strategy in the field is a skill forged through experience. 

My first Alaska moose hunt taught me that a promising meadow on the map might be a swampy mess in person, while my second hunt showed me how to spot subtle terrain features—like faint ridges or hidden clearings—that don’t pop on a screen but can be moose magnets. 

By combining pre-trip scouting with onX Hunt’s detailed tools and real-time GPS tracking, I’ve developed a system to anticipate challenges, prioritize high-potential areas, and adapt when the landscape throws curveballs. I’ll break down the key lessons, from decoding map features to ground-truthing your plan, so you can move through Alaska’s vast terrain with confidence and focus on finding that trophy bull.

Essential Mapping Tools

In the following four hunt scenario breakdowns, I leverage several onX Hunt tools. A few of the most critical features for Alaskan moose hunts include: 

Aerial Imagery (shown below): Critical for scouting Alaska moose habitats, Aerial Imagery allows hunters to identify open meadows, explore water features like rivers and lakes, and assess the density of forest cover. By zooming in on satellite views, you can determine the thickness of vegetation to pinpoint glassable areas or dense thickets where moose may hide, enhancing your pre-trip planning and in-field strategy.

3D With Elevation Exaggeration (shown below): When in 3D mode, use the Elevation Exaggeration feature to amplify subtle terrain features like ridges and meadows, making it easier to identify prime moose habitats in Alaska’s vast wilderness. By adjusting the slider in 3D mode, hunters can pinpoint glassable vantage points for spotting bulls or calling during the rut. This tool helps plan efficient routes within a one-mile packing radius, ideal for drop camps or river floats. Pairing 3D views with onX’s Hybrid Basemap reveals moose-friendly river corridors and subalpine zones, boosting your scouting success.

Waypoints Radius (shown below): When e-scouting for Alaska moose, mark promising camping or glassing locations with Waypoints. Always use the relevant icon and customize the name so you can easily recall what’s what when you’re in the field. Use the Waypoint radius tool to set a one-mile perimeter around each Waypoint, defining your practical hunting area based on the feasible distance for packing out a moose on a DIY hunt. This ensures you focus scouting efforts within this zone, as packing a moose from two, three, or four miles away is often physically impractical. By organizing Waypoints and radii, you streamline e-scouting by staying focused on high-potential areas.

Alaskan Moose Hunt Scenario Breakdowns 

Map locations are approximations and offer representations of areas similar to my real-life experiences. Use the left and right arrows to explore each scenario breakdown.

Hunt Scenario Breakdown 1
River Tributary Camp

Hunt Style: Boat-based.
Habitat: Willow-rich zones with cover.
Tactic: Highly dependent on calling since it’s thicker country.
Pros: 
-Good accessibility for the boat.
-Several nearby glassing knobs.
Cons:
-Dense foliage creates low visibility.

1

At first glance, this location at the mouth of a tributary looks promising. There’s a nearby meadow, and it appears you could establish camp near the mouth and then gain elevation to glass meadows, potentially spotting or calling in a moose.

2

The area likely offers suitable moose habitat with willow-rich zones and nearby cover, but visibility is a challenge. When zoomed out, the meadows appear open compared to the surrounding dense forest, but zooming in reveals scattered trees and likely thicker brush than expected, based on my experience.

3

Additionally, the vantage point itself is heavily timbered, with large trees obstructing your line of sight to the meadow below, making it difficult to spot moose even at close range.

Scenario 1 Takeaway

While you might successfully call a moose into this location during the rut, the dense vegetation and obstructed views could make it nearly impossible to get a clear shot.

This scenario highlights how easy it is to think a location is a prime location on the screen, only to appreciate the reality once you’re there. Ideally, you want meadows with minimal to no trees and lookout points clear of large timber to maximize visibility. When e-scouting, avoid this scenario by taking the time to flip 3D mode on and really zoom in on the features to get an eye-level of view of what you’re likely to see.

Hunt Scenario Breakdown 2
Downriver Hotspot

Hunt Style: Boat-based.
Habitat: Clear meadows, willow-lined riverbanks, subalpine slopes.
Tactics: Calling and/or spot-and-stalk.
Pros: 
-Prime moose habitat, lined with moose food sources like aspen and birch.
-Flexibility to choose your preferred tactics.
-Natural funnels encourage moose movement.
Cons:
-No major cons…unless you go too far from camp. Watch your distance in this tempting area.

1

This location, a few miles downriver from the previous example, is a moose hunter’s dream. Zooming in on onX Hunt reveals a clear meadow largely free of trees, though scattered thick brush patches remain.

Despite this, the open expanse offers ample visibility for spotting moose — large animals that stand out starkly when they emerge from cover.

2

The terrain’s gentle elevation gain (here, the Slope Angle Map Layer is turned on, highlighting all the mellow slopes in green) is a key advantage, allowing you to maximize visibility across the landscape and amplify the reach of your calls during the rut, drawing in bulls from greater distances.

3

A prime setup for the day would be along the ridge overlooking the meadow, providing a vantage point to call along the river corridor while glassing the meadows and hillsides farther inland. This spot boasts diverse habitats, from willow-lined riverbanks to subalpine slopes, making it a natural travel corridor for moose following trails during the rut in mid-September to early October.

Scenario 2 Takeaway

With patience, a few days here could yield an intercept with a traveling bull. Plus, the location falls well within the practical one-mile radius for packing out a moose, balancing accessibility with prime hunting potential. 

Hunt Scenario Breakdown 3
High Mountain Glassing

Hunt Style: Boat-based or drop camp.
Habitat: Sub-alpine meadows.
Tactic: Spot-and-stalk.
Pros: 
-Clear visibility.
-Downhill packout.
Cons:
-Potentially strenuous hikes to get above treeline.
-Must judge bulls carefully to ensure they’re legal before expending energy to go after them.

1

On our first DIY Alaska moose hunt, we floated over 30 miles of river, using onX Hunt’s Aerial Imagery and Topographic Maps to pre-scout prime camping spots and hunting areas near the water. The effort paid off—we harvested one bull moose and assisted another hunter with a second, a thrilling success for our Montana crew. But we couldn’t help glassing above the treeline and were surprised by how many moose we would see up high.

2

Our Montana roots still had us glassing above the treeline, a habit from home, and we were shocked to spot several moose high up in the hills. Were they easier to see up there, or did they prefer the solitude and rich food sources of subalpine meadows?

Either way, it was a blast to pick them out through binoculars and daydream about a high-country stalk. Post-hunt, onX Hunt’s maps revealed that in areas where the mountains hugged the river, hiking up to a mile after a bull did seem feasible, with the bonus of a downhill pack-out.

3

This shows the area to glass above treeline in green with potential moose Waypoints for spotted moose. During the day, you would travel the blue route five miles to your new camp spot and could stop and glass along the way at the white Waypoints. 

On our second hunt,
a drop camp along the same river system, we leaned hard into this tactic, using onX Hunt to identify accessible ridges and open slopes for glassing. The results were epic: We spotted seven or eight mature bulls over the trip, harvesting a dandy on Day 1. On Day 5, we hiked up to another legal bull but passed, betting on his growth for a future hunt.

Our strategy was pure spot-and-stalk, no calling required. We’d glass from the river bottom, targeting hillsides around us. If we were to do this on another float hunt, a typical day might involve glassing from your camp spot for the morning hunt and then floating the route in blue (five miles per day, maybe) and stopping to glass at optimal spots throughout the day while floating. This tactic would be successful in areas where the ridges are close enough to the river to make the distance feasible.

Scenario 3 Takeaway

In high mountain spot-and-stalk areas like this one, patience is key—moose will drift in and out of view on distant mountainsides, and you’ll settle in with your spotting scope and Ollin phone mount to capture images and assess antler spreads. This type of setup is critical for confirming legal bulls (50 inches or four brow tines), saving you from wasting precious time chasing sublegal moose.   

Hunt Scenario Breakdown 4
Drop Camp

Hunt Style: Drop camp.
Habitat: Rocky ridges, high-mountain.
Tactics: Glassing and calling.
Pros: 
-Multiple vantage points.
-Ability to see long distances.
Cons:
-Uphill packout.
-Sit and wait type hunt—patience is required.

1

Here, you’re landing on a runway and camping nearby to avoid hauling gear long distances (though a short move for cover or trees is likely). Prioritize high ground for glassing and calling. Pre-scouting your drop camp location is key for a successful Alaska moose hunt, whether you get the coordinates from your transporter or know the site via your own travel plans. September’s unpredictable weather may force flexibility, so be prepared to adapt.

In this case, you have three distinct ridges you can follow out of camp to glass and call. Start going short distances during your first few days of the hunt to reduce scent distribution and disturbing the area. Remember, the goal is to call the moose as close to camp as possible.

2

Aerial Imagery shows gray ridges—likely rock or gravel—offering easy travel paths; mark these on the map. Use the 3D Elevation Exaggeration tool, setting the slider to about one-third, for a realistic terrain view.

3

Expect to pack your moose uphill if you harvest here, but securing a bull is the priority—packing out may take one to three days. Set a two-mile radius Waypoint to define your hunting area, which is ample for a drop camp. You might need to shorten your distance on the second half of your hunt, as you will have limited days to pack meat.

Scenario 4 Takeaway

Patience is crucial: Focus on calling and glassing from high ground to draw moose in or intercept them in valleys, avoiding unnecessary movement that spreads scent. If terrain is walkable and time allows (e.g., early in the hunt), expand to a two-mile radius to pursue distant bulls, but late in the hunt (e.g., Day 8), stick closer to ensure you can pack out meat in time.

Bonus Tip: Capture Your Own Aerial Imagery

One of the most effective tricks for a DIY Alaska moose hunt is capturing your own aerial imagery during your flight in—a simple move with big rewards. Use your phone’s video feature to record the landscape below. 

For river floats, pilots often follow the river to your drop-off, giving you a chance to catalog potential stops like meadows, ponds, or glassing spots. In a drop camp, pilots typically circle the runway once or twice to check wind and runway conditions, offering a 360-degree view of your hunting area, perfectly scaled to the 1-2 mile radius you’ll hunt. 

Review these videos during your hunt to refine your strategy as plans evolve. Below, I’ve included examples of high-quality phone-captured imagery from our fly-in hunts to show the level of detail you can expect.