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Outdoor Life published Scott Haugen’s account of an Alaska moose hunt he described as the most difficult of his life. The supplied excerpt centers on his longtime guide Bruce Hallingstad’s declining health and two clients who said they were not concerned about killing a moose; it does not establish how the hunt ended.
Outdoor Life published Scott Haugen’s account of an Alaska moose hunt he called the most difficult of his life, describing how his longtime guide’s health problems and two clients’ choices disrupted plans for a final hunt together. The supplied excerpt ends before Haugen’s hunt concludes, so it does not say whether he later shot a moose or how the trip ended.
Haugen writes that he had hunted in Alaska for 36 years and had known outfitter Bruce Hallingstad for 19. After earlier trips together, Hallingstad invited him to return for what they expected could be their last moose hunt together, as Hallingstad was considering selling his operation. But when Haugen arrived after a 25-mile boat ride down the Egegik River, Hallingstad told him his health had worsened and he did not think he could travel upriver to camp.
Hallingstad arranged for Haugen to join a camp with guide Carl Adams and two clients, Peter and Stan, both described in the article as being in their 70s and new to Alaska. Haugen says he spent long hours glassing for moose. On the second evening, Adams spotted a bull across the river and estimated it was nearly 60 inches. According to Haugen, Peter declined to pursue it, saying he would shoot it the next day. The bull moved within a reported 517 yards of Haugen, who had a rifle set up, but Peter did not leave his tent.
The following morning, Haugen says Peter told him he was in Alaska to have fun with the group and did not care whether he killed a moose. Stan later expressed a similar view, according to the account. Haugen writes that he decided not to shoot a moose until both clients had tagged out. The excerpt does not include what happened after that decision.
A Hunt Changed by Its Clients
The episode highlights how a guided hunt can turn on client priorities, not just wildlife or terrain. A bull that the guide considered a substantial opportunity did not match Peter’s level of interest, while Haugen chose to give the clients priority rather than take the shot himself. That choice cost time during a trip planned around a limited season and a shared camp.
The story also makes the planned reunion more difficult: Haugen had traveled to hunt with Hallingstad, whose health kept him from joining the upriver camp. For readers, the account offers a specific look at the expectations and decisions that shape guided hunts, without suggesting that clients are obliged to take an animal. The excerpt does not verify the hunt’s result or provide the clients’ accounts.
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A Long Partnership in Alaska
Haugen’s report places the trip within a long history with Hallingstad, the owner of Becharof Outfitters. They first met 19 years earlier when Hallingstad invited Haugen to film outdoor television episodes. Their later trips included a fall brown bear hunt; Haugen writes that they took a bear measuring 10 feet, 9 inches. In 2017, Haugen and a friend hunted moose with Hallingstad on the King Salmon River and shot two bulls.
Haugen says back problems had made that 2017 hunt difficult for him, but after two surgeries he felt able to hunt again. Hallingstad’s invitation for another trip was framed as a chance to hunt together before he potentially sold the operation. The new plan was for Haugen to help at an upriver camp while two clients hunted, then pursue a moose himself. The supplied excerpt describes the plan and its early complications, not a completed hunt.
“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
The Hunt’s Outcome Is Missing
The source material provided here is an excerpt that stops while Haugen is describing the clients’ lack of interest in shooting a moose. It does not establish whether either client later tagged an animal, whether Haugen hunted afterward, or whether he and Hallingstad were able to reunite at camp. The account also gives no direct statements from Hallingstad, the clients, or the outfitter beyond wording quoted by Haugen.
The article’s headline describes this as Haugen’s most difficult hunt, but the excerpt does not provide his full account of how the trip ended or explain all the factors behind that assessment. The clients’ stated priorities are reported through Haugen’s narration; their perspectives are not included in the supplied material.
The Full Account Holds the Ending
The next confirmed information would come from the remainder of Haugen’s Outdoor Life report, which is not included in the source excerpt. That continuation would be needed to establish whether the hunt produced a harvest, how the remaining days unfolded, and whether Haugen and Hallingstad had another chance to hunt together.
Until those details are available, the report supports a limited account: Hallingstad could not make the trip upriver because of his health, a client declined an opportunity at a bull, and Haugen chose to wait while the clients hunted. The final outcome remains unconfirmed by the material provided.
Key Questions
Who wrote the account of the difficult hunt?
Scott Haugen wrote the first-person report published by Outdoor Life on October 19, 2026.
Where did the hunt take place?
The excerpt describes a moose hunt in Alaska, with the group traveling along the Egegik River to an upriver camp.
Why was the trip difficult for Haugen?
In the supplied excerpt, the difficulties included Hallingstad’s health, which kept him from joining the camp, and clients who said they were not focused on killing a moose. The excerpt does not give Haugen’s full account of the hunt.
Did Haugen or either client shoot a moose?
The excerpt does not say. It ends before describing the hunt’s outcome.
What happened when a guide spotted a large bull?
Guide Carl Adams estimated the bull was pushing 60 inches, according to Haugen. Peter declined to pursue it that evening, and the excerpt does not report whether the bull was seen again.
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