524/536 undersubscribed moose hunting

[Daka]

I am planning to head up north in November to explore the area and try my luck hunting moose.
I came to Alberta in 2017 and did not get a chance to hunt moose yet.
I know that most likely area has been overhunted for a while but would love to get a chance to see Northern Alberta.
Was thinking to get a room up in some motels and then either drive, walk, wait and call(I know November is not ideal for calling but who knows how the weather will be in October).
Again would like to avoid all of those sarcastic comments as I am not looking for tied down animals.
What I am looking for is:
-access (roads) is there a lots of oilfield road gates, condition of the roads, native reserves and road block (such as Chilko country in BC)
-is there an open areas where one can walk in and wait still
-trails to walk in (got no quad or snowm.)
-is there any grouse
-any other opportunities such as mulie or WT hunting
-predators (BB, cougars, wolfs)
Any general info and pointers are more than welcome.
Not generally a road hunter but if the weather is extremely bad and there is no point sitting still acting like popsicle, don't mind covering some ground and looking for good spots or odd grouse by driving around. Road conditions are important to me as well as I am heading by myself so if there is any washouts or something like that anything is helpfull.
Thank you ahead of time.
The wonderer...

[Somehunter]

I can help you out. I know the area well and have taken moose there in 536. PM me

[7magtime]

Haven’t been in there for years but when I worked in 524 we always headed in West off the highway north of Manning on the Chinchaga Forestry Road. A fair amount of lease roads off the Chinchaga road and lots of cut lines, trails and cut blocks. There was a fair amount of Grizz/black bears and wolves, grouse were fairly plentiful before the snow…..

[Big Grey Wolf]

4mag covered it well. 524 was always a good remote moose zone in past years. More wolves have reduced numbers. You will even have grizzly to keep you company in November. Lots of oilfield roads and normally frozen that late, but be prepared for possible heavy snow.

[35 whelen]

Originally Posted by 7magtime

Haven’t been in there for years but when I worked in 524 we always headed in West off the highway north of Manning on the Chinchaga Forestry Road. A fair amount of lease roads off the Chinchaga road and lots of cut lines, trails and cut blocks. There was a fair amount of Grizz/black bears and wolves, grouse were fairly plentiful before the snow…..

Also haven't been up in that way in a quite a few years but used to guide off the chinchaga used to be lots of moose and lots of grizzly

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[7magtime]

Originally Posted by 35 whelen

Also haven't been up in that way in a quite a few years but used to guide off the chinchaga used to be lots of moose and lots of grizzly

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We might have met each other at one point, I ran into hunting guides a few times up there. One time my partner and I pulled a guides truck out of a mud hole with our quads, he had a couple US bear hunters with him. The guide was very happy to see us.....Lol
I worked in Forestry up there, was a nice area to work in the fall once the bugs were toast and the land started drying and freezing up a bit. One spring, I saw the biggest black bear I've ever seen just off the Chinchaga up there around km 55-65 I believe. Couldn't get on him fast enough though....lol

[35 whelen]

Originally Posted by 7magtime

We might have met each other at one point, I ran into hunting guides a few times up there. One time my partner and I pulled a guides truck out of a mud hole with our quads, he had a couple US bear hunters with him. The guide was very happy to see us.....Lol

I worked in Forestry up there, was a nice area to work in the fall once the bugs were toast and the land started drying and freezing up a bit. One spring, I saw the biggest black bear I've ever seen just off the Chinchaga up there around km 55-65 I believe. Couldn't get on him fast enough though....lol

Didn't meet too many people up there we used Argos to hunt Moose and Bear stayed away from the roads

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[Jim Blake]

Originally Posted by 35 whelen

Also haven't been up in that way in a quite a few years but used to guide off the chinchaga used to be lots of moose and lots of grizzly

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Did you guide for Dennis Potter?

[35 whelen]

Originally Posted by Jim Blake

Did you guide for Dennis Potter?

I guided for that outfit but Bob Freeland owned it I was there a year or two after he bought it off of Dennis Potter

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[MarcG]

West of High Level down Hwy 58 towards Rainbow in 536 there’s good numbers of moose. I’ve been doing layout in the Chuckegg burn area since last fall and I’ve seen lots of tracks, frequent fresh tracks after rain, and last winter in the snow there were fresh tracks everywhere I walked it seemed. You’ll have trouble with access, however. There’s lots of logging roads and cut blocks as they are salvaging all the wood they can from the burn, but post harvest and post burn flooding have rendered all the roads very swampy. Even the tracked quads could only go so far and we’ve had to use the Argo. If it stays dry the rest of the summer there would be plenty of places you could walk in, and lots of cut blocks are along the highway, so you could walk through those. Another issue is that we had a round of thunderstorms a few weeks ago that blocked the trails with a lot of deadfall. We’ve had to do a lot of cutting to get to where we need to go!

[Chahmane007]

Try WMU 346 seen Couple mature moose this past few years. Lots off cut lines in the areas to walk and stalk. As well decent amount of grouse when not lucky with big Game. Roads are always good, except the odd days when it rains and they become muddy.
Good luck


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[270person]

Originally Posted by Chahmane007

Try WMU 346 seen Couple mature moose this past few years. Lots off cut lines in the areas to walk and stalk. As well decent amount of grouse when not lucky with big Game. Roads are always good, except the odd days when it rains and they become muddy.
Good luck


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There's undersubscribed moose tags in 346? I am so on That.

[Daka]

Thank you all for some really useful info.
These side roads I wanted to know whether there is any access at all where I can pull in leave a car and head on foot within mile or two or mud is really that bad.

Wolves and BB's are they around as well for hunting opportunity or just present as ghosts, you see plenty of sign and so much that's it.

Whitetail and grouse situation as well.

I am more buying a tag to go up and explore the area and have reason to drive all the way up. No secret that moose would be amazing bonus for trophy and meat as well.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Trapline in WMU 346, not seeing the moose sign you mentioned. You need at least 8-9 to pull a tag in that zone. No such thing as unsubscribed tags, at least not for 40 years.

[Moosetalker]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Trapline in WMU 346, not seeing the moose sign you mentioned. You need at least 8-9 to pull a tag in that zone. No such thing as unsubscribed tags, at least not for 40 years.

Reboot to last year 100% chance starts at 10 yrs 8 rs 0% 9Yrs 54%

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by 35 whelen

I guided for that outfit but Bob Freeland owned it I was there a year or two after he bought it off of Dennis Potter

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Bob is a great guy 👍

[35 whelen]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

Bob is a great guy �

Yes he was great to work for

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[Daka]

How late moose can be called? I know buddy in Ontario was explaining that there are three ruts in a season, some of them only lasts a day. Mid/late september if cold, around Thanksgiving and then again shortest one in late October or beginning of November.
Will be going first week of November if everything all right to 524 for moose. Anyone got more experience on this? Thanks to all...

[KegRiver]

I know the 524 area well. I'd be willing to show you around that area if you wish.
I do grouse hunt out that way every fall.

I live less then ten miles from the hwy. 35/chin road junction.

Moose numbers are very low in that zone. Wold numbers are way up as are hunter numbers.

There are other side roads into that WMU, I know them all and have driven most of them this year.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Daka

How late moose can be called? I know buddy in Ontario was explaining that there are three ruts in a season, some of them only lasts a day. Mid/late september if cold, around Thanksgiving and then again shortest one in late October or beginning of November.
Will be going first week of November if everything all right to 524 for moose. Anyone got more experience on this? Thanks to all...

The latest that I've called in a Moose was on November 30.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Best way to harvest a moose in November in any Alberta WMU including 524; Find a fresh track in snow, track him to his bed and schtum! They call October 'Calling Season' in regulations because it is!
PS Hunted 524,525 and 526 for many years, but Keg is your best source for local/recent hunting info.