Late season moose

[jaywroe]

Evening,

I've got an antlered moose tag that I haven't been able to fill during archery season.
What are your tips for late season antlered moose?

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[58thecat]

What we have done in the past was still hunt the same areas, if possible glass as much as possible, cut tracks and stock.
They tend to get back up in the thick stuff at least around here to feed and be left alone.
Wind in your favour, move slow and just hope the tracks you found got the critter with antlers....a few years ago I stocked up on many cows that were bedded

[1973 Moose]

If your tag is good for Swan Hills area, Their are plenty of moose if you go the the Goose tower area. just continue down the hill on the road after you cross the creek at the bottom, hang a right on the cut line/ trail, if you go 3-4 km go get into big timber and ridges that you can glass. I've seen as many as 9 moose in one day.

[3blade]

You’d better know where the wintering areas are. Think willows you can’t see 10 ft through. Even better if there’s flowing water available. With good feed a moose might winter in a space that is under 500 yards across.

Tracking is extremely difficult as they j hook and watch/listen, with the wind coming the other way. They are very good at being gone before you even know you’re close.

In big bush, this just sucks. You’re basically hoping wolves bump one into the open or you run into a young one that doesn’t know better. In farm country, you gotta be in the right pocket.

[-JR-]

# 1 tip is moose will live in one small area all there life.
So you need to travel on an atv or truck and cover as much as land you can until you find some tracks . They like comeng out in the same spot every day .
If you find tracks you will find your moose .

Its been years since I Bow hunted .
How does it work now .
Do you have to put in for archery only moose draw /can you use the same tag for late season riffle ?
Or is it a general bow moose tag you can just buy ?

[outofbounds]

The J-hook has been identified as common when moose travel with regard to their back track.

As this is common, it can be used for increased opportunity should the wind and other elements be in favor.

When on a track, reference a compass or gps on direction of travel, pay attention to a swing in direction that is deliberate or if known topographical barriers are present.

If the wind is in favor you can cut 90 degrees from the track and look for an area where visibility will present an opportunity. Any where from 75 to 100 (+/-) yards out from original track, again depending on topography. Gauge the stride of the moose based on tracks, is it walking and feeding, is it walking and on the move to judge your movements. Listen, you will 9 out of 10 times hear it coming before seeing it.

I have used this method several times when hunting on snowshoes with success.
Conditions have to be right for wind, fresh falling snow helps mask your noise when travelling, and knowing the topography of your hunting area goes a long way.
Knowing locations of steep ridges, rock walls and heights of land assist in trying to cut off the moose in its travel while presenting visibility for a shot. Poplar and birch stands offer greater visibility, but don't let willow patches and thick bush deter your efforts.
I have applied this method when cutting tracks and knowing the moose has not winded me.

I wouldn't suggest this method for instances where a moose may have got a snout full of your scent, as chances of catching up will be slim at best.
The low wind, light snowfall days work best, for cutting fresh tracks and applying this method. On overly windy days they just seem to hunker down and stay put until bumped or pushed and wind swirls will end the hunt quite quickly as they lit out.
It is quite rewarding when it comes together. Look for them where they are going versus where they had been. Open sights, such as a peep variant works best for me in these instances, as some opportunities will be in the thick stuff and shots can require quick target acquisition. No risk of scope filling with snow should caps not be utilized either.

Give it a try, you will be hooked and it is a great experience.

[Barry D]

This is my big bush moose experience. After the rut the moose move to where they can feed heavily and not move much. This is so the wolves have a hard time cutting a track and with that, their demise. The less they move, the better chance they have of survival. This obviously makes it hard for the late season hunter as well. I'm a big moose shed antler hunter, so find sheds, and that is where you will find late season moose. Finding moose sheds in big bush country, is like hunting wolves. You know they are there somewhere, but where? Don't say to your self there are no moose, because you can't cut a track on any cutlines and trails. They are there, just not moving. FYI, I find very few sheds even in the thick stuff that is close to cutlines and trails. You pretty much have to know the area, so you know where to go look for them, sorry, but that is why they give out a lot of late season tags. The success rate is very low. I know I have been way above the late season success rates, but I also put in about average research and hunting effort. Isn't that what the pursuit is all about anyway? Have fun in the trying my friend.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by jaywroe

Evening,

I've got an antlered moose tag that I haven't been able to fill during archery season.
What are your tips for late season antlered moose?

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Ok, first off moose do not normaly confine themselves to a small area their whole life. They require a massive amount of feed, so living in a small area would have been an impossibility throughout most of their evolution. A moose might remain in an area as long as it suplys his needs, especially post rut/ freez up, but once its eaten off... or for any other reason, that moose will be long gone. I once watched a pair of bull moose cover most of the distance between the Jasper Park Boundary and Rock lake in about a hour... at no point did they even look like they were in a hurry, and they sporadically stopped to graze.

Second of all, moose are not hard to track. I would rate tracking moose as quite a bit easyer than stillhunting whitetail, and WAY easyer than tracking WT. Anyone with even a small amount of stalking skill and bush savy can likely pull it off... My success rate for tracking moose is higher than my success rate for calling them. If I've got good conditions and I can get onto a fresh bull track before noon, theres about a 70-80% chance I'll get a shot opportunity before dark.

Here is an article I wrote for a friend on the subject, hopefully it helps you out and if you still have any questions after reading it, I'll do my best to answere them.

https://www.all-about-moose.com/late-season-moose.html

[DirtShooter]

I just want to say a big thanks to everyone on the forum who provided moose advice as I stand in my kitchen, sore as hell, eating a double quarter pounder w/cheese to celebrate dropping my first bull moose.

Pics will be posted tomorrow.