From Climber to Alaska Hunting Guide: Neil Moore's Path to the Wild

For Neil Moore, the journey from San Francisco's Sunset District to guiding hunts across Alaska's most remote wilderness was driven by an insatiable curiosity about wildlife. "I've always had such an interest in wildlife, always wanted to study it," Neil explains. "And hunting offered the most beautiful interaction with nature I've ever seen."

Finding the Wild

Growing up in San Francisco, Neil's outdoor pursuits centered around climbing and surfing nearby. But at 18, everything changed when he moved to Montana for wildlife biology studies. "I never even met a hunter in San Francisco, but Montana's loaded with it," Neil says. His roommates introduced him to hunting, and what started as casual day trips quickly evolved into multi-day solo backcountry expeditions.

The addiction took hold fast. "When I was first working in Jackson, I would take all of fall off to live in the woods for 60 days straight, just to learn as much as I could about elk, deer and bears."

The Alaska Chapter

Eight years ago, a conversation with his boss in Jackson opened a door that would define Neil's hunting career. His boss, a former Alaska guide, connected him with an old friend who had become an outfitter. "He was like, 'Hey man, I have a friend and I think you guys would hit it off. He loves the backcountry, fishing, loves hunting. You should go up and help him pack moose meat for a year.'"

That first season as a packer (hauling moose meat on his back to airstrips) became "the time of my life." After completing the required 60 days over two years as a packer, Neil applied for and earned his Alaska guide license. "Ever since, I've made it a priority, no matter what my job is in Jackson locally, I will be up in Alaska for my boss the whole season. So it's just me and him. I'm his guide, he's the outfitter."

The progression was rapid. "When you hunt close to 60 to 80 days a year, you learn in one year what a lot of people learn in 10," Neil reflects.

The Bull That Waited Two Weeks

Of all the hunts Neil has guided, one story from this past September stands out. He'd been patterning a particular bull moose since September 4th, "It's gnarly country. It's really swampy, it's really thick," Neil explains. "In moose country, five miles away could take a day and a half because it's just wet, thick, gnarly, swampy stuff."

By mid-September, as the rut intensified, the bull returned to their area. They started calling, and the bull showed interest but bedded down in thick willows before getting within range. Neil made a call. "I told my client, 'Dude, if we rush this moose right now, if we crash through those willows with the right wind, they can mistake you for a female moose walking through. I've seen this work.'"

They pushed through what Neil describes as "almost like Jurassic Park jungles of alders and willows eight to ten feet tall. You almost want glasses because tree branches are ripping you in the face." He apologized to his 70-year-old client multiple times as they crashed through the vegetation.

Then, at the meadow edge: "The moment I pop out, I hear that grunt of a bull. And I'm like, oh my God, that's really close." The bull they'd been tracking for over two weeks was less than 90 yards away, coming right at them. "To watch an 1,800-pound animal, seven feet tall at the shoulder with antlers over five feet wide coming at you at 80 yards - it's an experience that I don't know, it's why I go back to Alaska."

The client made a perfect frontal shot. The bull, measuring 62 inches wide, expired quickly. "To be that close and to have it all work out, nearing the end of his hunt, was pretty amazing."

The Nutrition Challenge

Throughout his years in the backcountry, Neil struggled with traditional hunting meals

and easy camping meals. "One thing I have struggled with on any backcountry mission is not really wanting or being interested in a bunch of dry foods. Actually getting bars down gets kind of hard," Neil explains. "I see food as fuel. I don't need to love it on these backcountry trips. If it's lighter, if it's easier to get down, if it's got the nutrition I need, great."

Protein intake was another persistent issue. "I've also always struggled with protein on hunts and climbs."

Finding the Right Fuel

This past season, Neil brought RecPak to Alaska for the first time. "That's what's neat about RecPak. Not only do I have a liquid diet, I also have the higher protein content that I struggled to bring into the woods."

The practicality proved invaluable during heavy packouts. "It's so cool to have something that is liquid and enjoyable. You can close the lid so well, so you don't have to drink it all at once. You can sip it throughout as you're struggling through a heavy packout, carrying 120 pounds of moose meat on your back."

For guides and serious backcountry hunters, lazy camping meals and typical hunting meals don't cut it when you're packing out moose in the dark or moving camp daily. Neil's experience reflects what backcountry professionals are learning: complete nutrition in a lightweight, liquid form isn't just convenient, it's a performance advantage.

Now heading into Wyoming's backcountry for elk season with five RecPaks in his pack, Neil has found what works. "I'm pretty sold," he says simply. When you're chasing your passion 60 to 80 days a year across some of the most demanding terrain on earth, finding the right fuel matters.