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Scott Haugen’s account of an Alaska moose hunt describes how his longtime guide, Bruce Hallingstad, was too unwell to travel to camp, changing plans for what Haugen expected to be their final hunt together. Haugen also recounts early opportunities that two clients chose not to pursue; the supplied excerpt does not say how the hunt ended.
Scott Haugen’s Alaska moose hunt, described in an Outdoor Life report published Oct. 19, became difficult for reasons beyond terrain or weather: longtime guide Bruce Hallingstad was too unwell to travel to camp, and two clients declined opportunities to pursue a bull. The account frames the trip as a planned final hunt between Haugen and Hallingstad, but the supplied excerpt does not establish how the season ended.
Haugen writes that he had hunted across Alaska for 36 years and had known Hallingstad, owner of Becharof Outfitters, for 19 years. After Hallingstad invited him to return for what they expected might be their last moose hunt together, Haugen arrived at Hallingstad’s home after a 25-mile boat ride down the Egegik River. Hallingstad told him his health would not allow him to travel upriver to camp.
Hallingstad arranged for Haugen to join a camp run by guide Carl Adams, where two clients, Peter and Stan, were also hunting. Haugen says the group reached camp after a separate 23-mile boat ride. He describes spending long stretches glassing for moose while the clients appeared less focused on filling their tags than he and the guides had expected.
On the second evening, Adams spotted a bull across the river and estimated it was nearly 60 inches. Haugen says Peter declined to leave his tent to pursue it, first saying he would shoot the animal the next day and later saying he was there to enjoy the company, not necessarily to kill a moose. Stan also told Haugen he did not care whether he killed a bull. These are details from Haugen’s account, not independently verified statements from the clients.
When Clients Set the Hunt’s Pace
The account highlights a tension between the expectations attached to a guided hunt and the personal goals of the people paying for it. Haugen writes that each client had paid $30,000, while neither initially treated taking a moose as essential. The episode illustrates that a guide can identify an opportunity, but the decision to act remains with the hunter.
For Haugen, the trip also carried personal weight. He had expected to hunt alongside Hallingstad after years of shared trips, and Hallingstad’s health meant that plan had to change before the hunt began. The report’s difficulty is therefore not presented simply as a test of physical endurance: it is also about altered expectations, patience and the limits of what a guide can control.
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A Long Partnership in Alaska
Haugen’s report traces his relationship with Hallingstad across several Alaska trips. They first met 19 years before this hunt, when Hallingstad invited Haugen to film outdoor television episodes. Later trips included hunts for brown bears and a 2017 moose hunt on the King Salmon River, where Haugen and a companion took bulls.
Haugen says serious back problems had made him think the 2017 trip might be his last moose hunt. After two back surgeries, he felt able to hunt again. Hallingstad proposed the return trip the previous spring, while discussing the possibility of selling his outfitting operation in a year or two. That history explains why Haugen regarded the new trip as a likely final chance to hunt with him.
““Don’t think I’m going to be able to make it up river to camp this year.””
— Bruce Hallingstad, as quoted by Scott Haugen
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The Hunt’s Outcome Is Missing
The supplied Outdoor Life excerpt ends while describing the clients’ attitudes and does not include the full account. It is unclear whether Haugen or either client later took a moose, how long the hunters stayed in camp, or whether Haugen and Hallingstad were able to meet again during the trip. The excerpt also does not provide Hallingstad’s diagnosis or further details about his health.
The clients’ motives and the events are reported through Haugen’s narrative. The supplied material does not include responses from Peter, Stan, Adams or Hallingstad beyond the remarks Haugen attributes to them.
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The Full Account Holds the Ending
The next information needed to establish the outcome is the remainder of Haugen’s published report, which is not included in the source material supplied here. That account would clarify whether the hunt continued as planned, whether any tags were filled and what happened with Haugen and Hallingstad’s plans to hunt together.
Until those details are available, the confirmed development is the change in plans caused by Hallingstad’s health and the early decisions described in camp. No later result should be inferred from the excerpt alone.
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Key Questions
Who wrote the account of the hunt?
Scott Haugen wrote the account published by Outdoor Life. He says he had hunted in Alaska for 36 years and had known guide Bruce Hallingstad for 19 years.
Why could Hallingstad not join Haugen at camp?
Hallingstad told Haugen that he was not well enough to travel upriver. The supplied excerpt does not identify his condition or give further medical details.
Why did the clients not pursue the bull?
According to Haugen, Peter declined to leave his tent when a bull estimated by guide Carl Adams at nearly 60 inches was spotted. Peter later said he was there to enjoy the trip and company, while Stan also said he did not care whether he killed a moose.
Did Haugen or the clients take a moose?
The supplied excerpt does not say. It ends before the outcome of the hunt is reported.
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