Inside Lauro & Neil Eklund’s Moose Hunt on Alaska’s Tolovana River — Mountain Men S14E1

In the Season 14 premiere of Mountain Men, viewers are taken into the heart of Alaska’s wilderness; here, we zoom in on Lauro and Neil Eklund’s pursuit along the remote Tolovana River. Stretching 117 miles through some of the state’s richest big-game habitat, the river has long sustained hunters and families who depend on the land for survival. As the narrator notes, it is a place “where survival is more than just skill. It’s a tradition.”

In this episode, the spotlight turns to father-and-son team Neil and Lauro Eklund. The two continue that Alaskan tradition as they head out on a fall moose hunt, determined to secure enough meat to carry them through the long winter while also keeping up with Lauro’s Iditarod sled-dog training. As Lauro explains:

“Right now, we’re getting one of our fall chores done of moose hunting. Our goal is to get a nice bull to fill up the freezer for the winter and then get back to training for the Iditarod.”

The Challenge of Moose Hunting in Alaska

Moose are notoriously difficult to hunt, but the Eklunds time their expedition during the rutting season when bulls are more responsive to calls. “The moose are starting to rut right now,” Neil explains. “The cows are calling, and the bulls are responding to that. That’s the best time to be calling them.”

To maximize their chances, the pair decide to divide and conquer—Lauro heads out on foot while Neil drifts along the riverbanks. Silence is key, as moose have exceptional hearing: their ears can pick up sounds from miles away.

Using Birch Bark for Traditional Moose Calls

In a nod to traditional hunting methods, Lauro strips bark from a birch tree to create a natural megaphone. He explains how this technique connects generations of hunters:

“I was shown this by my dad. My dad learned this when he first came up to Alaska. But really, this has been around forever. Like, you’ll see them all over Alaska.”

By rolling the bark into a cone and taping it together, Lauro fashions a tool that amplifies his cow calls, carrying across the valley in hopes of drawing in a bull.

The Waiting Game on the Tolovana

From drifting quietly downriver to posting up in open meadows, Lauro and Neil play the patience game. As Lauro’s plaintive moose calls echo across the wilderness, the moment is paired with Neil’s reflection: “Hunting moose down here is pretty much a waiting game. All you can do is call and keep working on it and see what happens.”

Their efforts pay off when a bull emerges from the brush. But there’s a catch. Regulations in the Tolovana require a bull’s antlers to span at least 50 inches to be considered legal. As Neil admits after a tense moment of decision:

“At first he looked like a huge bull. His antlers looked big and legal. But when he came out broadside and we got a good look, this guy wasn’t. He wasn’t 50 inches, and so we had to pass on him.”

Hunting with Ethics and Respect for the Future

The disappointment of letting a bull walk away weighs heavy, but Lauro reminds viewers of the bigger picture:

“At the end of the day, as a hunter, it sucks to pass this thing up. But you got to have ethics. There’s a reason why they have these rules. Down the line, if I ever have kids and they have kids, there’s still moose to be hunted.”

The episode closes with the Eklunds still empty-handed but optimistic, knowing the season has just begun. “We didn’t get a bull, but we still got a lot of time left in the season to keep on hunting. Hopefully something turns up,” Lauro says, underscoring the patience and persistence that defines subsistence life in Alaska.