Moose Hunting 101

Sheephunter,
I've cut bone before too and would say that it was because that was the way I was shown. I knew no other way. Now that I hear of a different way, I will have to seriously consider it! Change for the good is always welcome.
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Ya, I learned the bone in/guts out way as well and certainly wasn't bright enough to come up with the gutless method myself but I became a pretty quick student the first time I saw how easy it was. It really changed the way I hunted. I used to be afraid to get more than a few hundred yards from a road but now, I never think about it.........

I know it's made me a far more successful hunter. Even a big bull can be reduced to two loads for two guys...........
 
SheepHunter,

Don't worry, I won't take it as criticism. I'm really interested in what my options will be in the future.

I do my own butchering, and so if anything I agree that it shouldn't be to hard to get the backstrap , neck meat, and probably most of the flank deponed nicely. I went into this hunt considering some sort of dismembering/boning out the best option. I'll certainly still consider it, but this was ankle deep mud, and we were totally covered by the time we had the moose dragged up the bank. We couldn't get the moose further up the bank because it had a sharp lip to it. It was 'anything to protect the meat'.

But I'm sure I'll do plenty of boning out in the future whenever possible. Probably if I were organized enough I could keep it clean, and I'll certainly consider it in the future.

RG

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Help

Is anyone going to help chuck get his moose on the ground?

Everybody's so full of advice on how to hack it up and get it home, but nobody told him how to find one and shoot it.

A bit like putting the cart before the moose.
 
Well that was my first moose hunt, and though successful, it doesn't put me in a position to contribute any specific advice. But here is a general thought.

For us flexibility was the key. For example we practiced calling a lot before going, but with warm weather and being early in the season, our efforts on that front didn't get us very far. The first areas we planned on hunting had pressure from other hunters so we got away from that. Chuck - I guess the only advice for getting a moose on the ground would be to switch it up if necessary. But more than anything I'd say that your plan to get into an area that probably won't have any pressure is a good one to stick with for at least a few days.

RG

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I agree that a debone is the way to go. If it can be done (legal) that's what I do. I have organ bags (don't ask) that hold 70lbs 40 lbs and 20 lbs of, well, organs... or in my case DELICIOUS MEAT!!!!I an a canoe, I'd have it all boned out packed and bagged. I absolutely hate "bone in" in wild game, and if it's coll enough, and early enough in the day, I'll do a fair bit of fat trimming as well.
We used to gut everything, ... it was our tradition to have the liver for the boil up. Now we just poke around and cut off a slab and we're much cleaner for doing it that way.

Also, if you are gonna debone it, have someone who knows what they are at, or wait until it's nice and cool for hunting the moose. Last thing you want is learning to debone and gutless butcher (which can take a fair bit of time the first time) in 18 or 20 C weather.
 
MD said:
Is anyone going to help chuck get his moose on the ground?

Everybody's so full of advice on how to hack it up and get it home, but nobody told him how to find one and shoot it.

A bit like putting the cart before the moose.
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What can I say, I guess total strangers have complete confidence in my hunting abilities. My reputation strectches that far! LOL
 
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I used to live in Deep River and the areas in the ZEC's I fished in tend to be pretty steep around the lakes. I would hook up with someone who knows how to call and setup in areas where the moose would come out in relatively flat land. If you are planning on shooting from the canoe, the moose will likely be sliding downhill towards you. Again try and find a partner who can call.
 
For what its worth, when we drop one we build a quick tripod with available trees and a chainsaw. Then we suspend a chain hoist at the top and drag the moose out of the water and up into the air. Skin, gut and then chainsaw into quarters. Heck, we've even used a cordless sawsal to go through the breastbone and pelvis.

Not the process for everybody but it does the job for us.
 
Chuck said:
As for quartering, I've heard of people using a chainsaw with vegetable oil in place of bar oil. I'm sure it would be fast, anyone done it? Is it actually a good idea?
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Our camp has a chainsaw dedicated for just that task. We picked up a $99 special at Crappy Tire and filled it with vegetable oil. We've done 4 moose with it so far and it works wicked. Downside is that you need to remove the housing and covers to thoroughly clean out all the tissue and bone. It makes quick work of splitting a moose and is not nearly as messy using it as you might think.
 
I did 5 moose this year, my last (and biggest) was off a river. The way I got showed was the "4 chunks, hide-on" method. Don't bother with a chainsaw or bone-saw, just bring a regular hatchet and you're good to go. The experienced guides in camp could get a whole moose done in about 20 minutes.

Gut as normal (splitting the brisket). Make a cut from the third rib (counting from the gut up to the shoulder). Cut through the meat, all the way to the spine. Do this on both sides. Next take your hatchet and split the spine. Now your moose should be in two halves.

Next, take your hatchet/knife (you will need both) and wack the head off, just forward of the shoulders. Next take your knife/hatchet, and split/cut all the ribs on one side of the spine. Then wack the hooves off. Now you should have two "quarters", one section with a spine attatched.

Now move to the rear bits. Do the same. Split down the spine, as well as the pelvis. You should be left with two rear quarters.

Leave the hide on, as this way you can throw the meat into packboards, quads, trucks, whatever, without the meat getting dirty.

That being said, if you have to pack the meat any distance, you might want to de-bone. It takes more time, but again, if you have to hump it 2km by yourself through the bush, the less weight the better.
 
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