best way to hunt calf moose?
- Thread starter triton
- Start date
rustysdream
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Best way is, if you see a cow and a calf, let the cow go and shoot the calf. 
OK, seriously.... I don't think there is any "recipe". You must be EXTREMELY lucky to come across a cow and a calf unless you know the area where they hang around.
The way I shot a calf last year was... I was sitting by the edge of a logging road close to where I saw fresh signs crossing the road back and forth that morning. I was hoping that they would come back in the evening and cross the road at the same spot. Actually, I asked my hunting buddy to take the best spot so he would have a better chance and I settled down about 200m-s away from him. I parked my ATV about 50m-s from me on a small opening by the road. So, I sat down and just waited. It was getting dark and I only had about 10-15 minutes left to shoot when I heard the moose running towards me. I thought it was only one. I couldn't see a thing because there was dense forest on both sides of the road. Suddenly, he/she/they stopped. I knew the moose must have been really close to me so I didn't move, just listened. After a minute or so -felt like hours- they started to move again. I got down to kneeling position, switched the safety off and held my rifle to where I thought they would come out. Sure enough, soon I saw a head. She looked around and sniffed in the air very carefully. I still wasn't sure if it was a single moose or more of them would come but I let her go thinking that she may be a cow and just checking the road before her calf would come out. Then she ran across the road quickly. So, I was hoping that if another moose comes, that should be a calf. I was right (= LUCKY...). Moments later I saw a second head sticking out of the bush, looking around. I couldn't tell the difference in size, so I had to wait to see the whole body before I could take a shot. I just kept my crosshair on him. When he came out I knew it was a calf but I also knew that I only had about 1 second left to shoot before he disappeared in the bush. KA-BOOM - said the .338 Win. Mag. To my astonishment, then came a HUGE cow and ran across the road. Apparently, she had a last year calf (the first one crossing the road) and a young calf (the second one) with her. They crossed the road exactly where my ATV was parking. They didn't care about it. Later my buddy told me that he saw a huge cow. She wanted to cross the road where my buddy was sitting but he either spooked her (actually, he had a camcorder in his hands instead of a rifle and later showed us the footage of the cow ) or the wind was working in the cow's favour. So she turned around and ran off to my direction. My buddy never saw the calves and thought that I shot the cow by mistake. We only had a bull tag.
OK, seriously.... I don't think there is any "recipe". You must be EXTREMELY lucky to come across a cow and a calf unless you know the area where they hang around.
The way I shot a calf last year was... I was sitting by the edge of a logging road close to where I saw fresh signs crossing the road back and forth that morning. I was hoping that they would come back in the evening and cross the road at the same spot. Actually, I asked my hunting buddy to take the best spot so he would have a better chance and I settled down about 200m-s away from him. I parked my ATV about 50m-s from me on a small opening by the road. So, I sat down and just waited. It was getting dark and I only had about 10-15 minutes left to shoot when I heard the moose running towards me. I thought it was only one. I couldn't see a thing because there was dense forest on both sides of the road. Suddenly, he/she/they stopped. I knew the moose must have been really close to me so I didn't move, just listened. After a minute or so -felt like hours- they started to move again. I got down to kneeling position, switched the safety off and held my rifle to where I thought they would come out. Sure enough, soon I saw a head. She looked around and sniffed in the air very carefully. I still wasn't sure if it was a single moose or more of them would come but I let her go thinking that she may be a cow and just checking the road before her calf would come out. Then she ran across the road quickly. So, I was hoping that if another moose comes, that should be a calf. I was right (= LUCKY...). Moments later I saw a second head sticking out of the bush, looking around. I couldn't tell the difference in size, so I had to wait to see the whole body before I could take a shot. I just kept my crosshair on him. When he came out I knew it was a calf but I also knew that I only had about 1 second left to shoot before he disappeared in the bush. KA-BOOM - said the .338 Win. Mag. To my astonishment, then came a HUGE cow and ran across the road. Apparently, she had a last year calf (the first one crossing the road) and a young calf (the second one) with her. They crossed the road exactly where my ATV was parking. They didn't care about it. Later my buddy told me that he saw a huge cow. She wanted to cross the road where my buddy was sitting but he either spooked her (actually, he had a camcorder in his hands instead of a rifle
and later showed us the footage of the cow ) or the wind was working in the cow's favour. So she turned around and ran off to my direction. My buddy never saw the calves and thought that I shot the cow by mistake. We only had a bull tag.
Last edited:
- Location
- London,Ontario
Great thread!
Let's hear your stories/advice fellas
Let's hear your stories/advice fellas
last years calf and bull draws saw us hunting hard on foot, hiking cuts, away from road watering and feeding areas...... bagged my calf while driving back to camp..... cow was cruising through a cut a km from camp with 2 calves in tow..... I took the slow one at 150 yards with the 7mm mag.....momma was pissed we could not get near the downed calf without first getting the atv off the trailer and drivn in... the engine and horn got her nervous enough to take off with her other calf.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
In Ontario, everywhere in moose country is a feeding area, and water is everywhere too.
IMO calling is questionable when on a calf hunt. Drives can be effective, once the moose are spooky, they move easier. Most of the calves we have shot have been shot by guys on stand, with only one I can remember shot by a driver. I remember two being moved by other hunters, two were simply encountered while walking in to the stand. All were with momma moose.
One story I've related before goes like this.
I was hunting out of a tent, with one other guy. We had my Dodge Caravan, and a trailer. Never did get an adult tag in that area.
I was walking up an old logging road, all grassed in, coming to a T in the road. Just before the T is a little hill. I see my hunting partners hat cross at the T over the hill. As I get closer, I see two moose following him down the road!
The calf is behind the cow, and I can't make a positive ID She spotted me, and turns away into the bush. I run like hell after her, making a quick silent gesture to my buddy, as he spins around, kinda bewildered. I get a positive ID, but no shot. I tell him to stay put, and I run like hell down the road towards our camp. The moose is running up the hill at this time, towards the main road. About half way to camp, I hear her turn, she's making a hell of a lot of noise, crashing through the bush. I stop, as I hear her coming back, and realize that I can see my van through the trees. She comes to the trail about twenty feet in front of me. The 338WM drops the calf so fast, that by the time I recovered from recoil, she was gone. Momma moose was not amused!
She stood over the calf, and refused to move, no matter what we did. Fired shots, we went in and rushed her, she bluff charged.
I decided I'd go get my camera, a Pentax SLR, and take some close ups, so I start to walk away. She starts for my buddy. He hollers for me to come back. We both go get the camera.
Now at the time, I had a pre-packed hunting suitcase, I used for everything. In it was a school bell I planned to use to get the guys up at deer camp. What the hell I thought, and I took it back to the moose.
You should have seen the reaction to that bell. Her eyes went big, and she freaked out, she swapped ends, and ran as fast as she could go, with me giving chase, ringing that damned bell, and dressed head to foot in orange.
It's real nice gutting a moose when camp is twenty feet away, and we hung it from a big tree near the outhouse.
That night my buddy woke me up. The shadow of a moose was clearly visible in the moonlight on the tent wall next to his cot, and then a bit of drool dropped on the tent above his head. Holy ####!
I reached out and tripped my Big Ben alarm clock, this was rewarded by the sounds of momma moose crashing off into the night.
When we got up, we found she had done a wonderful job, chewing back all the brush around the outhouse.
She did not return, but, the thought of what would have happened had one of those big feet come through the tent wall haunts me still.
One of our group came across a cow and a calf. This was before vhf radios were popular and he had no fail-safe way of knowing what our party's bag contained, so he shot mom.
The next day, it didn't matter where you were - that calf was covering ground like crazy, invesitgating every noise. You could have played the bag pipes and the thing would have showed. I was too young at the time and thought I was hearing a wolf call and so I didn't repond. By noon it was over.
I thought it was kind of a crappy situation, but it ended as well as it could have.
The next day, it didn't matter where you were - that calf was covering ground like crazy, invesitgating every noise. You could have played the bag pipes and the thing would have showed. I was too young at the time and thought I was hearing a wolf call and so I didn't repond. By noon it was over.
I thought it was kind of a crappy situation, but it ended as well as it could have.
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
If you can find the cow, there's a good chance you can find a calf. That's easier said than done. Some guys cruise the rivers hoping they will be feeding, its all a question of timing. Its been quite a while since ive seen a calf around these parts, too many bears, plenty of wolf.
I think I know what to do come august 15th.....
I think I know what to do come august 15th.....
- Location
- Manitoulin Island
One time we were canoeing looking for sign around Sauble Lake. We found a spot where there was a lot of sign around a pond off the NE corner. We picked good spots to watch and waited till almost dark. We started to canoe back and as we came around a courner there were a cow and two calves eating the grass that grew up through the water in a shallow bay. We decided to see how close we could get. I paddled while my partner sat in the bow. Every time a moose lifted its head we would freeze, then silently paddle. We got within about 50 feet before one of the calves took off for the bush, then the other two followed. We could have shot the calves, but I think I have more enjoyment from how close we got.
JohnC
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Basically all you can do is look for cows - then check for calves. you almost never see calves alone- unless mom was recently shot. Then it'll be a race between hunters and other predators like wolf or bear to see who gets it first.
It is possible to call a calf away form mom - temporarily - with the right calls - you'll have to listen to a lot of tapes, some of them have the calls.
It is possible to call a calf away form mom - temporarily - with the right calls - you'll have to listen to a lot of tapes, some of them have the calls.
Last season I was hunting in a huge marshland over seeing an opening up to 370 yards. My partners hunted at this place the day before and saw a cow and a calf. They were too far for them to shoot at so they ask me to take that stand given that I am comfortable with long shots.
I sat on a log at one end of the marsh and was deep into the tall grass with only my orange hat exposed. Two hours into the hunt I was awaken by some noise at 7 o’clock of me. I raised my head and found a moose walking at the edge about 75 yards away. I was saying to myself “we are in business” as I lowered my head. Given that we only had a bull tag, I reminded myself to make sure I look and not shoot a cow. I look again and saw no horns. It was actually a calf. Just as I switched the safety off and was ready to take aim, a cow moose appeared right behind the calf. At 75 yards my 300 WM will exist the calf and hit the cow.
I had the calf on hair crosshair waiting for an opportunity to shoot for a long time. The thought of shooting the wrong animal and getting a fine entered my mind many times. I couldn’t remember how long I waited but my arms were getting tired taking aim. I finally decided to give up the calf.
As I sat back down on the log, the thought of “what could have been...” kept repeating over and over again. I must have waited for another 15+ minutes, noise in the same direction came up again. This time around I saw horns which got my heart rate and heavy breathing going again. The rest is now history – I got my young bull.
Anyway, it was a nice memory to have a calf on my crosshair for such a long time.
When hunting for a calf, make sure you don't shoot a cow as they are usually very close to each other. Look for fresh tracks. Moose has a habit walking the same trail from one day to the next.
I sat on a log at one end of the marsh and was deep into the tall grass with only my orange hat exposed. Two hours into the hunt I was awaken by some noise at 7 o’clock of me. I raised my head and found a moose walking at the edge about 75 yards away. I was saying to myself “we are in business” as I lowered my head. Given that we only had a bull tag, I reminded myself to make sure I look and not shoot a cow. I look again and saw no horns. It was actually a calf. Just as I switched the safety off and was ready to take aim, a cow moose appeared right behind the calf. At 75 yards my 300 WM will exist the calf and hit the cow.
I had the calf on hair crosshair waiting for an opportunity to shoot for a long time. The thought of shooting the wrong animal and getting a fine entered my mind many times. I couldn’t remember how long I waited but my arms were getting tired taking aim. I finally decided to give up the calf.
As I sat back down on the log, the thought of “what could have been...” kept repeating over and over again. I must have waited for another 15+ minutes, noise in the same direction came up again. This time around I saw horns which got my heart rate and heavy breathing going again. The rest is now history – I got my young bull.
Anyway, it was a nice memory to have a calf on my crosshair for such a long time.
When hunting for a calf, make sure you don't shoot a cow as they are usually very close to each other. Look for fresh tracks. Moose has a habit walking the same trail from one day to the next.
Most of us in Ontario are calf hunters so you should get lots of advise here? Last year we missed due to some bad shooting. Year before we took two, one that nearly ran me over coming to a cow call. Almost every year we get a calf because we do not get many if any adult tags. In the spring and summer when I find calf tracks I know they will stay in this general area for the fall hunt if the calf lives. They do come to water more just before freeze up and also along water ways to eat the red willow when their leaves have fallen off. Try beaver marshes off the beaten path. Last year we were hunting a beaver dam that had all the signs but tried to get too close to where cow/calf was bedding, about 200-300 yards away. The other cow/calf up river would come to water in a quiet bay well back in the bull rushes and made for long shots. The water system you hunt must have the water plants to bring moose or the river is just like a road crossing. I find more cow/calf movement around noon when must hunters are in camp resting and the bush is a lot quieter than during the morning and evening hunts. We do not hunt off roads and travel mostly by water following feeder creeks back to quiet marshes. There is only two of us hunting and a calf is the perfect size to handle and the best eating. Even after every year we take a calf the next fall we see lots of yearlings that made it from the previous season that we never saw.
This fall my buddy and his 13 year old son(apprentice hunter) were up. We went out for the morning hunt, my buddy and his son sat on a slash pile for about an hour, son got bored and suggested they walk down to the pond at the end of the the cut. Lo and Behold, a calf standing on the beaver dam. The lad got up to about 75 yards and dropped it with one shot from a 30-30.
We went back out that evening and this time I had the pleasure of the young man's company. Once again we walked down to the end of the cut and sat for about an hour. Crashing began back in the bush and within 10 minutes the cow bolted out into the cut and came to a dead stop about 125 yards away. One shot from the 7mm and she went about 20 yards. Everyone came out from town for supper that evening and we pulled in late with 2 animals in the back of the truck. It was a good evening. If I can find pictures of the young man I'll post them.
We went back out that evening and this time I had the pleasure of the young man's company. Once again we walked down to the end of the cut and sat for about an hour. Crashing began back in the bush and within 10 minutes the cow bolted out into the cut and came to a dead stop about 125 yards away. One shot from the 7mm and she went about 20 yards. Everyone came out from town for supper that evening and we pulled in late with 2 animals in the back of the truck. It was a good evening. If I can find pictures of the young man I'll post them.
- Location
- London,Ontario
Great stories and info guy's! Keep em comin
WMU 61 in ontario. 2006 a cow and calf come to my buddy. 10 minutes later the calf separates from the cow for him to get a shot, got 'em. next day we see a bull with paddles, no bull tag,next day another bull much bigger. 2007 four of us get a bull tag !?!?. monday morning i see a nice cow at 50 yards. she stands there for twenty minutes looking around.friday my son sees another cow, a longs ways from mondays cow. end of week no bulls. still a good hunt. this is 2 1/2 hours north of lake ontario. bring on 2008!!
* Get away from roads/trails were people in ATVs/Trucks will come by and make noise (Not sure why people think driving around is hunting)
* If your not in the greatest shape, start walking 1-3months before opening date.
* Scout long before the season opener and spend alot of time out in the bush, talk to any trapper he'll tell you animals will get use to your scent if your around enough.
* Gear, if you dont have it chances are you wont be comfortable so all else will fail because you'll end up at the hunt camp instead of the bush
* Luck/prayer
* Spend the time out there, you wont fill a tag in 5min, atleast not in my area (unless its bear)
With the explosion in the bear population (sudbury ON) the second last point is most critical these days. I'll tell yeah, the bear season is easy and I like bear meat, way under rated
)* If your not in the greatest shape, start walking 1-3months before opening date.
* Scout long before the season opener and spend alot of time out in the bush, talk to any trapper he'll tell you animals will get use to your scent if your around enough.
* Gear, if you dont have it chances are you wont be comfortable so all else will fail because you'll end up at the hunt camp instead of the bush
* Luck/prayer
* Spend the time out there, you wont fill a tag in 5min, atleast not in my area (unless its bear
)With the explosion in the bear population (sudbury ON) the second last point is most critical these days. I'll tell yeah, the bear season is easy and I like bear meat, way under rated
