canoe moose hunt experience?

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fowkes

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I'm looking to connect with someone who is experienced hunting moose from a canoe. Specifically someone who has gone on multi-day moose hunting trips. I'm an experienced paddler and moose hunter, but I've never put the two together. It's on my 'want to do' list, just looking for advice on gear, canoe type, how much of the moose can be packed out (hopefully all of it... does it need to be skinned and/or de-boned before loading into the boat for weight purposes? I assume you'd skin it in order to help it cool. Just quarter, wrap in cheese cloth and stuff in the boat?). Solo paddler per boat, or can two guys plus a moose make the trip out in one canoe?

Thanks.
 
I should mention, yes I realize there is a lot of variety when it comes to canoes. Please take that into account. I've a 16.5' prospector, but would be willing to look at something else if it fit the bill.
 
I have put a full moose in this..my 21 foot Scott Freighter
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Most paddle canoes don't have the capacity unless spike camped and soloed. 600 pounds of moose, 220 pounds of hunter and 60 pounds of gear = 880 pounds. A very heavy load for a regular canoe. I'd carry 880 pounds in an Old Town Tripper 17 or equivelent.

For tandem the 20 foot Tripper XL or 20 foot Clipper McKenzie should do the job with one moose. 600 pounds of moose, 4-500 pounds of 2 hunters and 120 pounds of equipment =1120-1220 pounds. In an inflatable the SOAR Pro-Pioneer might do it though with two and a moose you'd be very crowded. The big 21 foot Scott Hudson Bay Freighter will take two hunters and two moose, but it's a 250 pound beast = a 130 pound 20HP Honda 4 Stroke that will carry 1 Ton.

When you get a canoe to 6" or less of freeboard canoes suck when the wind comes up or you get some rough water. Many of the capacity ratings are out of wack to me. Go one size bigger boat than you think you'll need.

As for meat prep I gutless skin leaving the spine, hips and hide in the woods but taking the leg bones and ribs as the meat keeps longer if the bones are left inside. I bag it in synthetic TAG bags if only out a day or two or heavy Canvas if further away as they breath better. I no longer use the stretchy cotton bags...fly eggs can go through the course weave.

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My experience hunting from a canoe is limited to one time. We shot a smallish bull, 2 yr old, we thought. Quartered skin on, we took it out in two trips (two people) in a similar capacity canoe to yours, but I think we could have made it in one. We were actually three people, so it had to be two trips because of that . To my mind, skin on has the benefit of being the best protection of the meat from grime, especially around river banks, but if you are comfortable to go skin off, that would help a lot. If you could have a good plan for keeping the backstraps safe, clean, and cool, then cutting them out would save hauling a huge amount bone.

I would suggest practicing shooting from a canoe. I don't know if your main plan is to shoot from a canoe (for me it is a very short range proposition), but it would be good to know your abilities and limits.

RG

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I have hunted from boat, and canoe...If the weather is nice it can be a good hunt. If cold, or rainy, it often turns out very miserable, unenjoyable way to hunt....Dress warmer than you figure you should..

Have never put a moose in a canoe, but I have put three big deer in my 16' fiberglass without issue...
 
I've hunted deer by kayak for long multi day excursions.
Close enough.
You don't need the hassle of a second one in tow. If you need that much room leave the kitchen sink at home.
 
I have researched the perfect tandem canoe for moose hunting and almost pulled the trigger on this one in the Kevlar lay-out:

http://www.clippercanoes.com/boat_specs.php?model_id=119

8" of freeboard with 1500 pounds gives a fair bit of safe reserve. It would also allow you to take a very comfortable Camp with you. I talked to the head honcho at Clipper and they add weighed quantities of water to measure freeboard. The figures on their web-site are accurate. They also make a Square stern model if you want a motor assist.

The 18'6" Version is lighter and would be a bit easier to handle. At 300 pounds less capacity it would still give 8" freeboard with 1200pounds. This would be the minimum Tandem Moose canoe for me. Might buy one myself once I get out of debt! 62 pounds in Ultralight!
http://www.clippercanoes.com/boat_specs.php?model_id=133
 
As a tandem moose hunting canoe, that certainly seems a great solution. In a solo situation a canoe like that could be a real pig in the wind!

This thread has me daydreaming about another canoe moose hunt. Also, I've acquired my first cedar&canvas canoe since the last moose hunt... Thinking through the numbers since my last post, a prospector or similar canoe should be fine so long as big water and big wind are avoidable.

RG

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I have a 17.6 Clipper Tripper in both FG and Kevlar. I wouldn't be afraid to do a Moose hunt with either. Pack lite as if going into the Mtns and you should have more than enough room/weight capacity for hauling a Moose.

The nice thing about the Tripper is that it's fast. We do extended trips with a family of four comfortably and it doesn't feel like your paddling a barge.

I made a transom that quickly attaches to the gunnels so I can use my electric motor - works great and saves me having to get a flat back canoe. Clipper also sells a motor attachment made with the same principles in mind.

Great all around canoe that won't feel too big when paddling outside the hunting season!
 
I did a moose hunt by canoe last fall.

It was an adventure, to say the least! We did it with 3 guys and 2x aluminum 17' Grumman canoes. We never did get our moose, but we learned a great deal.

The river was much lower than it usually is and we had a little trouble in the shallows with the aluminums. They of course stick to rocks instead of sliding over them. One of the guys had to abandon the trip a few days in. So we were left with 1 outboard, 2x canoes and 2x guys. The river was very rough at times and we were worried about how we would handle a moose if we got one. Plus how would we handle a canoe single handed if one of us was injured? There certainly is a different set of considerations and a different mindset on a trip like this in the north compared to a summer canoe trip in the south! So we tied the 2 boats together with poles like a catamaran. This made everything extremely stable and increased our carrying capacity a great deal. The river we were on was very large and slow, but had a couple of sets of rapids that had to be navigated.

I met a local guy that was soloeing a 12' aluminum boat with a 9.9 on it. He was an extremely experienced canoeist and I wouldn't reccomend it to just anyone. He had to pull the motor to navigate rapid and steer from the stern like a canoe. He said he wouldn't do it again; really dicey and scary. Imagine what happens when (not if) the aluminum boat sticks to a rock in a rapid and starts to come around.

Now all that said listen to CGN'er Takujualuk!!! He obviously has it down. After doing it like a regular canoe trip I am now in the market for a freighter like his Scott. They have a model called the Albany that will take a 9.9. I figure it would just barely do 2 guys and one mooose if you don't have too far to go up and down the river and you could make 2 trips. One trip for the moose and one for your gear. But the 21' or even a 24' would be a lot better. The guy with the 12' aluminum boat that I met went up river with two of his buddies - they had 5 cases of beer, gear and food for 10 days, extra gas AND his 12' aluminum boat, motor, etc in their boat and still had room! They were running a 40HP 4 stroke. Now that my friends is the way to go! What guys in the north do is wear waders and when they get to shallows they hop out and haul the boats over the rocks voyageur style. 21' boats don't portage very well. Another common practice in the north is to drop cans of fuel stabilized gas along the route in the winter by snowmobile.

Good luck and let us know how you make out!

I am now in the market for a used freighter!!! Hopefully find something good in fibreglass for next season. If not there are cheaper/older canvas covered canoes around.
 
Hey

18'6 Clipper MacKenzie - awesome boat and it would easily carry you, someone else, all of your gear for a week out in the bush and a sectioned moose.
Another boat to consider is the 18' Nova Craft Prospector - it's payload is comparable to the MacKenzie with the added bonus of being offered in Roylex. I've used the boat for a few six week trips in the artic and would not hesitate to use it as you have mentioned.
Both are rock solid and very stable.
 
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I think my old Grumman is rated at 860lbs. I know it has carried a lot more than that. Hunting from a canoe is something every hunter should do at least once. It's a totally different experience drifting along in complete silence alone.
I've never taken a moose with a canoe, but I have deer. Plan your gear with success in mind. Make sure you will have the capacity on the way out.
 
sherlockbonez said:
These are some impressive sized boats you guys are talking about. How does one portage an 18 footer?
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Same as you would a 16 footer, depending on weight. One of my boats is a 17.5' cedar strip Redbird that I built. We've had her on a few week+ long trips, although it isn't something I like to do as I'm so worried about scratches (or worse). I can carry it myself, or the wife and I tandem it. The only real difference is that with my 16ft boat, I can carry it, plus all my gear on one portage, cutting the walking distance down a third. I could probably manage the longer boat in the same fashion, but the length is just a bit tricky on steep hills or sharp turns, etc.
 
By canoe is the most interesting way to hunt moose IMHO. I've hunted moose a lot with a Coleman Scanoe - 16' square stern, powered by paddles or a 2 hp outboard. A minimum sized outfit. In calm waters, most canoes can handle a moose that is cut into manageable pieces. A moose cut into 8 pieces can be handled by a scanoe in one load, as long as you are not crossing big open water.
Remove the 4 legs, ribs in 2 slabs, and the loin and the neck section. Loin and neck can be deboned but I prefer to leave them bone-in for better meat quality. All 8 chunks should be bagged in plain cotton sacks, old style flour sacks or cotton sheets sewn to size work better than cheese cloth.
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that's two bulls in the photo.
Proper meat handling takes planning and preparation! Meat bags, a pack frame, tarp, and light rope for hanging are essential. Saws work better than hatchets, and are safer. I have many scars from shards of sharp moose bone that cut my knuckles and fingers to remind me, and so I avoid the use of hatchets for butchering moose now.
 
I've hunted moose by canoe for 35 years... it is an excellent and effective method. We often daytrip small rivers and creeks... or we base camp into remote locations using our 16' Scott Deep Duck boats (years back we used Coleman Scanoes)towing Mad River 16' canoes and then canoe out of base camp to do the hunting... I can get half a quartered bull into the canoe with two paddlers.... I have taken out a de-boned bull by myself in a 16' canoe.

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What about the Grumman canoes? Does anyone have much experience with them? I know they've been tried and tested wilderness boats for years, but they don't seem to have the same weight ratings as some of the newer companies/designs/materials.
 
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