Cow Moose Help

[A Sittn Duck]

Alright guys, After years and years of waiting I finally have enough priority to likely draw my cow moose tag in WMU 324. The problem? I'ver never hunted Moose before lol

I've only ever gone after Whitetail. So in anticipation of this hunt, I need help!!!

Anything you guys can offer up, any tip or strat that seems to work. I'm starting my homework now so I'm ready for the season.

A little background about me that may help;

I both Bow and Rifle hunt
treestand, groundblind, spot and stalk, ATV...All are possible
I hang multiple trail cams

Appreciate the help folks! looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say! Cheers

[Big Grey Wolf]

Cow moose very easy to hunt, just find fresh track,follow to her bed and shootum, I mean her when she stands up. Watch the wind, nothing to it.
Then work starts.

[1Heavyhitr]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Cow moose very easy to hunt, just find fresh track,follow to her bed and shootum, I mean her when she stands up. Watch the wind, nothing to it.
Then work starts.

Just like going to the grocery store

[tswg]

make sure you have friends with strong backs to help with the harvest.

[Bigwoodsman]

I hunted 324 every year from 1987 - 2005 and only ever saw one cow moose and 2 bull moose in their. It's a tough hunt!

BW

[trike_flyer]

Moose are easy. Just make sure you are in the area they are and start looking for the black stripe in the trees. They love to just stand there as you walk by about 10 m in the bush. I have sat in blinds and had them walk up just like the deer do. They seem to follow about the same paths as deer do. Most of my kills were from walking till you find fresh tracks. Then a slow walk into the bush there and boom your done. That is when a days work starts.

Hope you can access your hunting area with a quad or have a cart. There is no taking a whole animal out after gutting it. Its a four or five trip deal. If you shoot one in a field and take just the meat out, you will still not be moving the left overs to the edge of the field without a machine.

As to where to shoot, that is a personal choice. If you shoot the boiler room, they will go up to several hundred meters. Only choice if you use a bow I think. Some recommend the hump, but you wreck lots of meat. I like a neck shot, dropped every one right where it was that I did it to.

Hope that helps you.

TF

[last minute]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Cow moose very easy to hunt, just find fresh track,follow to her bed and shootum, I mean her when she stands up. Watch the wind, nothing to it.
Then work starts.

I wish i knew that years ago nothing comes that easy to me anyway .

Moose are easy. Just make sure you are in the area they are

I am guessing that's half the battle

[BorealBucks]

Me and a buddy were both atving around looking for fresh tracks got to a clearly saw fresh tracks, turned off the quads, said wow there is a moose near by, look up he's standing 50 yards away, load my gun, it gets jammed, fix the jam he's still standing there & starts to walk away, bang drop him where he stood. Moose stand there and let you even have your quad running while you get off and load your gun, they're like grouse, pretty dumb.

[JDK71]

you will have a better chance in 318 there is a few hanging around. there is getting to be a lot of posted lease land in 324 and a few locked gates access getter harder

[Slicktricker]

If I was hunting moose in 324 i would be hunting down the ram river gas plant and along the swan lake road

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by BorealBucks

Me and a buddy were both atving around looking for fresh tracks got to a clearly saw fresh tracks, turned off the quads, said wow there is a moose near by, look up he's standing 50 yards away, load my gun, it gets jammed, fix the jam he's still standing there & starts to walk away, bang drop him where he stood. Moose stand there and let you even have your quad running while you get off and load your gun, they're like grouse, pretty dumb.

Moose aren't dumb....they just don't GAF,lol.
I'm originally from bass ackwards NB where we had to present the entire moose(and deer/bear) for registration/meat permit immediately after the kill,so I've been a party to moving several entire moose from field to home.
A good size 4x4 quad with lotsa torque and low range will "easily" drag an adult moose cut in half.(NOTHING is actually "easy" with moose after you squeeze the trigger though/that's when the fun ends and the work begins....but even then,it's kinda fun work with good buddies/a labor of love,lol))After gutting,cut them in half ahead of the 3rd rib and even a big bull is quite manageable this way if you can get your quad to him.
Now that I've been in more sensible AB for last 7years with none of this registration nonsense,I've really grown to like the gutless method,wether it's just to quarter an animal then debone the back straps/tenderloin,ribs and neck......or debone the quarters as well if it's a long hump out of there.
I've seen/been part of 3 good guys with knives completely debone and game bag a bull moose in under an hour with barely enough meat remains on the skeleton to make a soup,haha.....just quartering is even faster when the crew knows what they're doing......it's a BIG job by yerself no matter how ya slice it.😜

[Slicktricker]

Another good spot to check is south fork road as well!

[Big Grey Wolf]

I agree with west 05. moose are not dumb, If very quiet, wind wrong you will not even get close to one. When I said it was easy, you better develop some good hunting a stalking skills first.

[DiabeticKripple]

Originally Posted by Slicktricker

Another good spot to check is south fork road as well!

Saw some fresher moose tracks and mule deer while I was out dirt biking off the south fork.

[-JR-]

I find not to go opening day .... wise cows will hide deep in the bush .
They are hiding from the young bulls that want to bread them as they come into rut first.
This is why no one ever see cows as 90 % of hunter like to go opening day.
a lot of small bulls are shot on opening day.
Go about 2-3 weeks after opening day .this is when the big bulls come into rut and the cows come out to the cut lines.

[Puma]

The younger they are, the better they taste.

[Battle Rat]

I always thought that people who applied for cow moose did so for the reason that they had a tag that they didn't need help filling.

[R3illy]

Originally Posted by -JR-

I find not to go opening day .... wise cows will hide deep in the bush .
They are hiding from the young bulls that want to bread them as they come into rut first.
This is why no one ever see cows as 90 % of hunter like to go opening day.
a lot of small bulls are shot on opening day.
Go about 2-3 weeks after opening day .this is when the big bulls come into rut and the cows come out to the cut lines.

Imo opening day is always the best.. ive had 4 tags filled before 11 am between our group. One year its all bulls we see the next is all cows. Never had an issue with filling any tags on opening day.... weve taken lots of big moose opening day.

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by -JR-

I find not to go opening day .... wise cows will hide deep in the bush .
They are hiding from the young bulls that want to bread them as they come into rut first.
This is why no one ever see cows as 90 % of hunter like to go opening day.
a lot of small bulls are shot on opening day.
Go about 2-3 weeks after opening day .this is when the big bulls come into rut and the cows come out to the cut lines.

Interesting strategy,hmmmmm 🤔
So would that be 2-3 weeks after Aug.25 Opening Day or 2-3 weeks after Sept.1 opening day.....or Sept.17....or sept .24 opener...or Oct 1 opening day...maybe you meant 2-3 weeks after Oct.25 opener....or was it Nov.1 Opening day??
I'm confused,maybe you meant 2 weeks after Wainwright opener Dec .4th but then the season will be over by then .....😵

[-JR-]

Second week in oct is when the cows start showing them selfs again.
They may be out when archery opens in aug . but they will start to hide when the young bulls start to call in late sept.

[muzzy]

Originally Posted by West O'5

Interesting strategy,hmmmmm ��
So would that be 2-3 weeks after Aug.25 Opening Day or 2-3 weeks after Sept.1 opening day.....or Sept.17....or sept .24 opener...or Oct 1 opening day...maybe you meant 2-3 weeks after Oct.25 opener....or was it Nov.1 Opening day??
I'm confused,maybe you meant 2 weeks after Wainwright opener Dec .4th but then the season will be over by then .....��

No no no you've got it all wrong.... you just have to check the calendars that those cow moose use... the ones with the big X marked on them on opening day that hang from willows through out Alberta.... easy to not confuse with bug buck calendars that have 3rd qtr moon phase marked off and confirmed by the notation "little bulls coming hide!! "

[Big Grey Wolf]

JR, All bull moose are horny, starting in August and until the end of November. Just like young bucks on Saturday night!

[35 whelen]

I've always had my best luck first week of October killed our last three bulls at the cabin on October 4th

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