im looking to plan a moose hunt and i know theres still a long time till moose season but i wanted to start figuring out what i need and what it will cost. If anyone could send me some info to reliable or previously used sources it wold be appreciated
How to plan a moose hunt
- Thread starter fbeninati
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^^
An Argo is, in fact, the ideal moose hunting device. A quad is a second best.
My advice is to think about what you need to handle 700 to 1000 lbs of animal (sometimes even more) once it is dead a limp. Think about doing it in the ugliest place you can imagine in the area you will hunt. You need all THAT stuff.
I have often quoted my brother in law who, as we stood looking at a dead moose a long way from our transportation, "Nothing ruins a moose hunt quite as much as actually shooting one."
An Argo is, in fact, the ideal moose hunting device. A quad is a second best.
My advice is to think about what you need to handle 700 to 1000 lbs of animal (sometimes even more) once it is dead a limp. Think about doing it in the ugliest place you can imagine in the area you will hunt. You need all THAT stuff.
I have often quoted my brother in law who, as we stood looking at a dead moose a long way from our transportation, "Nothing ruins a moose hunt quite as much as actually shooting one."
Way too many variables to consider that you haven't mentioned.
These are just a few of the choices you need to decide before you can even
guess at how much it will cost you. By far, the greatest expense will be your camp setup and/or transportation, ATV and/or boat. If you need everything from scratch you will definitely need a large cash outlay in your first year.
Just as a starting point so you can get a rough idea. I used to go 20 hours away in a party of 6 and the gang had all the equipment we needed, took us a fair number of years to get to that point. For a 12 day hunt, gas, food and incidentals cost us $900 +/- $200 per person, per year.
- How many of you are going?
- Are you driving 3 hours away for a calf or to the Manitoba border?
- Are you planning on staying in a tent, a trailer or a motel?
- Will you hunt just off the road, deep in the bush or by boat?
- How long are you planning on staying?
These are just a few of the choices you need to decide before you can even
guess at how much it will cost you. By far, the greatest expense will be your camp setup and/or transportation, ATV and/or boat. If you need everything from scratch you will definitely need a large cash outlay in your first year.
Just as a starting point so you can get a rough idea. I used to go 20 hours away in a party of 6 and the gang had all the equipment we needed, took us a fair number of years to get to that point. For a 12 day hunt, gas, food and incidentals cost us $900 +/- $200 per person, per year.
about 4 real strong young guys is real helpful. A come-a-long is helpful otherwise.
a good knife, and axe, a bone saw
lots of good rope to hang quarters, a gallon of vinager and 1 LB of pepper and some cheese cloth game bags, J cloth to wash meat/wipe vinager on with
about a gallon of rum for me, and we're good to go
a good knife, and axe, a bone saw
lots of good rope to hang quarters, a gallon of vinager and 1 LB of pepper and some cheese cloth game bags, J cloth to wash meat/wipe vinager on with
about a gallon of rum for me, and we're good to go
moose
If you have never harvested a moose prior, you have an interesting time ahead. If you manage to knock one down, when you walk up to it, the first thought through your head will be "My God, what have I done and where do I start". All the gear in the world won't prepare you for that moment. Best done with an experienced moose hunter first couple of times, if at all possible.
Picking one of those brutes into managable pieces is a chore, not best done on one's own. Not impossible but an astonomical amount of hard, messy work. Can be quite intimidating for the novice.
Couple words of advice...
DO NOT shoot a moose in the water, not even ankle deep, ever!! Scare him out first if necessary. (unless you can get something with a winch to it)
DO NOT shoot your first moose at last light, or you are in for the worst night of your hunting career.
Now go forth and have fun slaying yon swamp donkey.
If you have never harvested a moose prior, you have an interesting time ahead. If you manage to knock one down, when you walk up to it, the first thought through your head will be "My God, what have I done and where do I start". All the gear in the world won't prepare you for that moment. Best done with an experienced moose hunter first couple of times, if at all possible.
Picking one of those brutes into managable pieces is a chore, not best done on one's own. Not impossible but an astonomical amount of hard, messy work. Can be quite intimidating for the novice.
Couple words of advice...
DO NOT shoot a moose in the water, not even ankle deep, ever!! Scare him out first if necessary. (unless you can get something with a winch to it)
DO NOT shoot your first moose at last light, or you are in for the worst night of your hunting career.
Now go forth and have fun slaying yon swamp donkey.
yorgi, hit the nail right on the head, but I must add......
If you did not buy a moose tag last year and enter the adult draw, you are #### out of luck to draw an adult tag this year (calf only). There are usually surplus adult tags available but they are a long way up north and in limited access areas. You might also be able to buy a tag from an outfitter, but expect to be bent over with the price.
If you did not buy a moose tag last year and enter the adult draw, you are #### out of luck to draw an adult tag this year (calf only). There are usually surplus adult tags available but they are a long way up north and in limited access areas. You might also be able to buy a tag from an outfitter, but expect to be bent over with the price.
^ this for sure.... now, I am more determined than most to ensure I track down my game and get some good eats.... I have hauled whitetails 500 yards back to camp... the first time you slay a moose and realise it weughts 6 times what you do you wil be humbled......
Try hunting through an outfitter first, they know the area and would likely have the equipment and help required to get your moose hanging at camp in case you have trouble. Picking up a few people that have hunted moose and got one would be a great help to a new group. The party is over when you drop one, until its hanging of course then its PARTY ON!
As was mentioned, where you hunt will change what you will need. Give us more info and maybe we can narrow things down for you.
For instance, if you'll be hunting alone you could consider a dedicated chainsaw to break the moose down. Or if you plan on packing one out research the gutless method.
- Location
- Dah Soo,ON
800$ used Suzuki Quadrunner 4X4 with diff lock
old 8 foot overhead camper
lotsa cheese, oil sausage, beer, etc
A gun
A tag (preferably a bull, cow and calf)
Chainsaw, and bonesaw
100 feet of rope
Have fun.
old 8 foot overhead camper
lotsa cheese, oil sausage, beer, etc
A gun
A tag (preferably a bull, cow and calf)
Chainsaw, and bonesaw
100 feet of rope
Have fun.
Suka
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
We hunt on foot. The easiest way I know is to start at the top and simply break the moose down into smaller pieces. All you need is a good knife with about a 6" or bigger blade, a folding bonesaw and maybe a small axe. Packboard or cart is nice.
Far as hunting, look for small open marshy grass areas with red willows surrounded by big forest. Starting to plan now is the right first step.
Far as hunting, look for small open marshy grass areas with red willows surrounded by big forest. Starting to plan now is the right first step.
Some of the previous posters tend to only emphasize the tools and equipment needed for quartering a downed animal.
The truth is, when planning a moose hunt for newbies in Ontario these concerns should be of relatively secondary importance.
Pre-plan with regards to your hunting group first. Some people are all gung-ho about coming only to back out on the week before opener. Good luck with the tag in their name BTW...
Maynard was correct with the facts regarding the tag allocation. Will all your buddies be OK with spending a wad of cash to travel to Thunder Bay for a chance at a calf? Only way to know is to proceed and see who backs out on the last week because of "babysitting" or "work schedule"... If you do get a surplus tag, are you willing to travel along one main road shared by countless other hunting groups all in search of the same moose? Or, are you willing to beat the crowds and canoe/boat waterways (sometimes miles from your camp) to find a quiet spot?
These are all valid concerns and should be addressed in front of everyone in the group. In the past, I've witnessed numerous groups that were totally unprepared for hauling out a moose, not one of them lost the meat because of spoilage. By the end of the day they were dead-tired and/or had to ask for help from other groups but the quarters did find their way to the meat-pole.Maybe I'm just spoiled, but in all my years of moose hunting in Northern Ontario I've never experienced a situation where a hunter in need of assistance was ultimately denied it. Might need to ask more than one group for help but at the end someone does the right thing and assists.
The truth is, when planning a moose hunt for newbies in Ontario these concerns should be of relatively secondary importance.
Pre-plan with regards to your hunting group first. Some people are all gung-ho about coming only to back out on the week before opener. Good luck with the tag in their name BTW...
Maynard was correct with the facts regarding the tag allocation. Will all your buddies be OK with spending a wad of cash to travel to Thunder Bay for a chance at a calf? Only way to know is to proceed and see who backs out on the last week because of "babysitting" or "work schedule"... If you do get a surplus tag, are you willing to travel along one main road shared by countless other hunting groups all in search of the same moose? Or, are you willing to beat the crowds and canoe/boat waterways (sometimes miles from your camp) to find a quiet spot?
These are all valid concerns and should be addressed in front of everyone in the group. In the past, I've witnessed numerous groups that were totally unprepared for hauling out a moose, not one of them lost the meat because of spoilage. By the end of the day they were dead-tired and/or had to ask for help from other groups but the quarters did find their way to the meat-pole.Maybe I'm just spoiled, but in all my years of moose hunting in Northern Ontario I've never experienced a situation where a hunter in need of assistance was ultimately denied it. Might need to ask more than one group for help but at the end someone does the right thing and assists.
thanks for the help i really appreciate it,
Or group will consist of 4-8 people, we are all outdoors men and have our own gear and quads. We dont mind trekking through the bush, and i do have a canoe aswell.
We know its not going to be cheap and are ready to pay for the trip, also we dont have any problem camping out in the bush and would prob be driving out ourselves. Also i dont have a problem driving out farther to areas the have guaranteed tags either.
Im honestly looking to go on an amazing moose hunt this year and dont care if its far or what it cost (within reason lol) any help and advice would be greatly appreciated and if anyone is interested their more than welcome to join in
Here is one thing that we do when you start talking about moose hunting. We go to an estabished camp and stayed in cabins. Yup, we rough it with hot showers and electric heat, oven, microwave etc. So the Cabin cost X amount per person. Collect that money at your first meeting. This money is non-refundable unless you have a good reason like your own death. This will stop guys from backing out a couple weeks before.
Next meeting, elect a couple guys to look after groceries before you leave home and collect money again. Plan your meals ahead of time. We use groups of 2 guys to prepare the days meal each day. Everyone takes a turn. Crock pots work really well for this, throw it in the pot in the morning and come back to camp for a hot meal at the end of the day.
On the day you leave collect cash from everyone for fuel and have one guy in charge of it. This way everyone pays the same for fuel as a group. Then there is no #####ing because one guy filled up a truck that only cost $85 and the other guy in the same truck cost $105 at the next full up. It all come out of the same pot for the group.
If there is any gas money left over at the end of the trip, split it up between the truck owners for an oil change.
We drag up a freezer in the trailer and have our animal cut and wrapped up there.
Next meeting, elect a couple guys to look after groceries before you leave home and collect money again. Plan your meals ahead of time. We use groups of 2 guys to prepare the days meal each day. Everyone takes a turn. Crock pots work really well for this, throw it in the pot in the morning and come back to camp for a hot meal at the end of the day.
On the day you leave collect cash from everyone for fuel and have one guy in charge of it. This way everyone pays the same for fuel as a group. Then there is no #####ing because one guy filled up a truck that only cost $85 and the other guy in the same truck cost $105 at the next full up. It all come out of the same pot for the group.
If there is any gas money left over at the end of the trip, split it up between the truck owners for an oil change.
We drag up a freezer in the trailer and have our animal cut and wrapped up there.
