It's getting time to plan next falls hunting trip and with the significant decline in moose populations in the Prince George area,we're looking at other areas.Our 'go to' spot was the Swift River west of Watson lake but last trip there were half a dozen boats on the river so that's getting too crowded for me.We've Got quads and a 19' Grumman freighter canoe.I'm wondering about north east BC ,we like the 'any bull' areas of region 7 but we'll take what we can get...any thoughts?
Moose hunting in BC
- Thread starter ratherbefishin
- Start date
Grouse River
Expired Business Member
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
You definitely can't go wrong with NE BC, specifically Fort St John, Dawson Creek, Pink Mountain, and area. The last few years have saw a bit of a decline there as well but in general I still see lots of animals. If you can get some good contacts with a farmer between FSJ and Dawson Creek or north of FSJ you should be good to go. If you're looking to use your canoe, floating down the Peace River starting around Hudson's Hope or the Beaton River usually results in seeing a good amount of animals. Heading up Williston Lake from Hudson's Hope is another good option.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you would like more specifics.
Gerhard W.
Inside Sales
Guy I go to church with just retired as a forestry consultant,and they WARNED the provincial government over FIVE YEARS AGO when the extent of the beetle kill was making a severe impact on browse that the moose populations would suffer ,plus at the same time the wolf populations were increasing dramatically ....but the provincial government did NOTHING about a wolf cull,presumably for the political backlash....in the Yukon and Alaska they gave no such qualms,moose are an integral part of their sustenance lifestyle and the resdents demand their food source be protected if the wolf population starts cutting into it...we've got too many darn politically correct city folks dictating wildlife policy it seems
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I have to chuckle at comments like "It's crowded everywhere", no, it really isn't! 
You just can't be near a major center (4hrs of less from a town of a few thousand say). Even in those confines there is some exceptional moose hunting in BC.
For the day job I get to see a good deal of exceptional moose country, and moose. Have to hold back the smirk when I hear fellows, as recently as last shift, bemoaning the declines in the area. Turns out they never got off the rivers of roads more than a mile, as there are ridiculous numbers of moose out there in regions 6 and the 7s. I was flying in region six in the fall, and zero exaggeration saw dozens of trucks, quads, boats, and side by sides doing what looked like painfully mindless surveys whilst moose were all over on small ponds deep in the trees. Even saw moose at 4,000' in the subalpine, again I presume avoiding the surveyors.
In one day here (NE BC), very typical to see a half dozen to a dozen moose. 50" is a little guy, 60" is solid and spotted a couple times a season, no pipe dreams stuff but you are going to have to travel and do a good deal of leg work. Some young guys we pointed in the right direction took a >60" and a 50" in two days. I fully believe much of the easy hunting is in decline and it makes sense, not trying to call Bologna on that. Consider doing what the guys in Ontario do quite a bit, hire a floatplane. Call Urst at Northern Rockies lodge and take a trip people pay $30,000 to do for a few grand. Get a 60" bull and a grizzly too, those LEHs are a gimme. Fishing is ridiculous too.
BC is a hunting paradise, it's just largely inaccessible by easy means and you've gotta be willing to travel. I have some excellent spots I've shared with a couple CGN friends here for moose for 50"+, but I'm not going to spill them on here and ruin it.
Good luck in the search! Can't go wrong doing the northern Rockies thing.
You just can't be near a major center (4hrs of less from a town of a few thousand say). Even in those confines there is some exceptional moose hunting in BC. For the day job I get to see a good deal of exceptional moose country, and moose. Have to hold back the smirk when I hear fellows, as recently as last shift, bemoaning the declines in the area. Turns out they never got off the rivers of roads more than a mile, as there are ridiculous numbers of moose out there in regions 6 and the 7s. I was flying in region six in the fall, and zero exaggeration saw dozens of trucks, quads, boats, and side by sides doing what looked like painfully mindless surveys whilst moose were all over on small ponds deep in the trees. Even saw moose at 4,000' in the subalpine, again I presume avoiding the surveyors.
In one day here (NE BC), very typical to see a half dozen to a dozen moose. 50" is a little guy, 60" is solid and spotted a couple times a season, no pipe dreams stuff but you are going to have to travel and do a good deal of leg work. Some young guys we pointed in the right direction took a >60" and a 50" in two days. I fully believe much of the easy hunting is in decline and it makes sense, not trying to call Bologna on that. Consider doing what the guys in Ontario do quite a bit, hire a floatplane. Call Urst at Northern Rockies lodge and take a trip people pay $30,000 to do for a few grand. Get a 60" bull and a grizzly too, those LEHs are a gimme. Fishing is ridiculous too.
BC is a hunting paradise, it's just largely inaccessible by easy means and you've gotta be willing to travel. I have some excellent spots I've shared with a couple CGN friends here for moose for 50"+, but I'm not going to spill them on here and ruin it.
Good luck in the search! Can't go wrong doing the northern Rockies thing.
Stupid amounts of wolves around and even more lower mainland road hunters come hunting season. haven't figured which less liked around here. Lots of buddy's log around here and there not seeing as much for moose as in previous years, yet wolves around in every other block their in.edited:misread your op
Last edited:
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
As we speak helicopters are over this area doing aerial culling, collared wolves are being used to locate packs, and all sorts of stuff that makes Miley Cyrus mad and sees her fly to BC to protest. If there's an impression BC is sitting back whilst other areas act, it couldn't be further from the truth. Just ask Facebook and Ricky Gervais, trust me BC is aggressively on it.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I was in Oregon the week before last, you want to talk a sad situation for Moose hunters. We have it so good here in BC it's stupid, even compared to Alberta. I don't think we have any basis to complain, we just need to be willing to travel a bit. A trip into the Muska-Ketchika, which National Geographic dubs the Serengeti of the North, will be more than just gathering your season's meat. Maybe I shouldn't push the idea so hard, as it's nice not seeing a soul for two weeks.
Trimmer 905
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
As long as Liberals keep getting elected,it will always be like that.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Do folks really not read the news...? Miley Cyrus meeting with native bands to oppose the cull? Ricky Gervais? Petitions to stop the culling...? Helicopters are shooting right now, it's not publicised due to the PR backlash, but it is going full swing on the government dime. Not a secret, just not splashed in the news either and that's the right way to do it.
I'm not saying I love the liberals, but the NDP is the only plausible alternative and they are decidedly more to Miley Cyrus' direction on wolves. What we really need is a rebound in trapping, it's becoming fashionable in the era of reality TV again so I sure hope it sees a big rebound. This all said anywhere in the North moose are still doing great and in greater supply than almost anywhere else on earth, you just gotta head out here. I've seen three so far today.
if find it funny when hunters who live in the interior complain about "lowermainland roadhunters" ruining their areas LOL
I live in the stix east of 100 mile house, I have maybe 8 neighboring properties and the rest is crown for miles. Almost everybody road hunts, be it in a truck/car/suv or on a quad or side by side. I'm talking about locals.
I often stop and talk to other hunters in the many places I hunt throughout the province. The 'where ya from" question comes up early and more often than not the "road hunter" I'm yakkin with is a local, takin a quick cruise after or before work ect. Same thing this past week when I harvested my LEH elk. We used my Yamaha grizzly to get around to cover lots of ground, both on access roads and trails. Once at our destinations , we left the quad behind and hoofed the game trails and slopes with rifle, binos, pack lunch and spotting scope in hand. There were no other camps in the entire vicinity, but there were road hunters from chetwynn doing laps all day. We heard no gunshots in the 3 days we were there, other than the one that took my Elk, from my hiding spot in the trees
so really, if the road hunters are hampering your hunting success..... not to be an offensive ass..... but yer doin it wrong. Get a few hundred or so yards of the path and the game changes significantly in your favour
Last edited:
as for the wolf culls, not sure if they did them where the Pine dumps into the Peace , but 2 years ago, wolf sign was rampant and we had numerous long range sighting of wolves, singles and groups. This year, we saw very little wolf sign and not a single one spotted while glassing the slopes and valley. Night time we could hear the usual racket from coyotes, but zero sounds of wolves.
the culls are going on, regardless of the miley cyrus's of the world. Thankfully my area in region 5 is not over run by wolves..... which has a down side as all my attempts to get sneaky and shoot one have failed due to not seeing much sign.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I'm with you on that sentiment, I probably can't describe what I saw in region 6's one week moose season from the air without it sounding like exaggeration. Literally dozens of road and boat hunters that week, and the moose sitting tight a couple miles away in the bush. When people think moose there are three top places in the world, BC is one, but you do have to put some time into it and get off the beaten path.
hate to make it look like I'm padding my post count but I've been thinking about this thread for the last 1/2 hour or so and I have more to add LOL
Up until 3 years ago I felt the same as the OP, different circumstances, but same basic thing. My area is all LEH and try as we might, my hunting crew of 4 and my wife, have not managed to pull a bull tag in region 5 and when we have, there is ridiculous amounts of hunters jammed into the MU's with LEH tags.
We simply got tired of this and have moved on. We do still put the draws locally for my wife , but now I put in for draws in 6 or 7.
Also, 4 years ago I became long distance friends with a fellow CGN'er after building a rifle for him. He invited me to meet him on a moose hunting trip, right next to an indian reserve and small town. Incredibly enough, we have harvested our moose , no LEH required, every year for the past 3 years. We don't care about trophy rack size, it's all about quality table fare for us, though who doesn't dream of that monster bull hehehehe
And on that note, my hunting partner and I , for the past couple or so years, have been planning a trip for the August early hunts. Seems the guys I do know that harvest Big bulls are heading up in those early hunts. We have also learned that you have to be prepared to deal with an animal in August so it doesn't spoil or get claimed by a grizzly. I don't know if we will be ready this season, my partner needs a new quad and I'm not done building my bear proof camper trailer/meat hauler/cooler. So I think accumulating the right gear and equipment/vehicles to be able to truly take advantage of what BC has to offer...... without a plane LOL..... does take some planning and logistics that most hunters can't afford to do.
If we just wanted to do it once, hiring an outfitter is probably a good idea financially hehehe. We plan to do it year after year as long as we are able so spent the money on gear/equipment instead hehehe
Up until 3 years ago I felt the same as the OP, different circumstances, but same basic thing. My area is all LEH and try as we might, my hunting crew of 4 and my wife, have not managed to pull a bull tag in region 5 and when we have, there is ridiculous amounts of hunters jammed into the MU's with LEH tags.
We simply got tired of this and have moved on. We do still put the draws locally for my wife , but now I put in for draws in 6 or 7.
Also, 4 years ago I became long distance friends with a fellow CGN'er after building a rifle for him. He invited me to meet him on a moose hunting trip, right next to an indian reserve and small town. Incredibly enough, we have harvested our moose , no LEH required, every year for the past 3 years. We don't care about trophy rack size, it's all about quality table fare for us, though who doesn't dream of that monster bull hehehehe
And on that note, my hunting partner and I , for the past couple or so years, have been planning a trip for the August early hunts. Seems the guys I do know that harvest Big bulls are heading up in those early hunts. We have also learned that you have to be prepared to deal with an animal in August so it doesn't spoil or get claimed by a grizzly. I don't know if we will be ready this season, my partner needs a new quad and I'm not done building my bear proof camper trailer/meat hauler/cooler. So I think accumulating the right gear and equipment/vehicles to be able to truly take advantage of what BC has to offer...... without a plane LOL..... does take some planning and logistics that most hunters can't afford to do.
If we just wanted to do it once, hiring an outfitter is probably a good idea financially hehehe. We plan to do it year after year as long as we are able so spent the money on gear/equipment instead hehehe
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
That's pretty much the case in every province. If you expect to drive your truck and camper half a mile off the highway and set up camp, you won't see much. The best areas are only accessible by air or a difficult path.
Then again, for many it's an issue of finances and the camaraderie of spending a week with friends that's more important than actually bagging a moose, and I can't begrudge them on that either.
My buddies have been extremely fortunate over the last 20 years and got LEH draws in 6-08 and 6-09. I've been on three of their trips and while hiking through thick brush and deadfall and everything else to reach an isolated little lake or puddle, every time I have wondered "what the f**k are we gonna do if buddy shoots one in here?"
In the end the moose have been shot near deactivated or "shoulda been" deactivated skid trails or older logging roads and sometimes extracted by stretcher or quad or even backpack but as age advances, our stomachs get bigger and knees and backs weaker so going too far off the road is a questionable effort.
Using a canoe is helpful. Last year we noticed a slow running river from one lake to the next and bucked a trail from an old road down to it and launched a canoe. Didn't actually get a moose there, but there was sure a lot of sign. Another time we launched the canoe at a lake on a busy logging road and portaged over to a second more isolated lake behind it.
Anyway. Getting "back of beyond" is a great idea, but what about retrieval options?
In the end the moose have been shot near deactivated or "shoulda been" deactivated skid trails or older logging roads and sometimes extracted by stretcher or quad or even backpack but as age advances, our stomachs get bigger and knees and backs weaker so going too far off the road is a questionable effort.
Using a canoe is helpful. Last year we noticed a slow running river from one lake to the next and bucked a trail from an old road down to it and launched a canoe. Didn't actually get a moose there, but there was sure a lot of sign. Another time we launched the canoe at a lake on a busy logging road and portaged over to a second more isolated lake behind it.
Anyway. Getting "back of beyond" is a great idea, but what about retrieval options?
