Annual Alaskan Moose Hunt
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
An annual Alaskan moose hunt by two brothers, their sons and friends has become much more productive with the use of Argos. Larre and Tuck Brouhard have been hunting moose north of Tok for twelve years. “With our four wheel drive ATVs, we had to be very weight conscious and we sometimes couldn’t reach our preferred area because of the dramatic changes in conditions from year to year.” Larre reports that since they switched to Argos in 2003, the group hasn’t been stopped by anything Mother Nature has thrown their way.
The trip that made true believers out of the Brouhards was in 2004, a year of extreme drought and forest fires that burned over six million acres of Alaskan wilderness. It was their second year using Argos, and they were already happy with the increased hauling capacity and ability to handle the stream crossings, hill climbing and other challenges presented by the varied terrain. They were relieved to learn that their hunting area had escaped the fire, and thought that the drought would prevent past problems they’d had with swollen streams along the 48-mile trail from the highway into the mountains.
“We drove through what was once forest and was now black soot and stumps. But instead of dry ground, we were slogging through miles of gooey mud. The fire had melted the top foot or so of permafrost,” Larre explains.
After the worst trail conditions they’d ever experienced, the brothers had a successful hunt. They wondered if the weight of the meat from two 1600-pound Bull Moose was going to cause problems getting out. They found, though, that the extra weight of the moose meat improved their traction. “We wouldn’t have made it in or out without the Argos that year,” says Tuck. “Not saying we didn’t get stuck a few times, but the Argos come unstuck so easily. Just get one of the eight wheels to grab, and off you go.”
Expert camp cooks, the Brouhards appreciate the increased cargo capacity they have with their Argos. Larre grins, “We used to ration our food supply because we need to haul fuel, camping gear, clothes and equipment for four to six guys. Now our grocery list has no limits, and boy do we eat good!”