Moose Hunting Question...

J

Justin Black

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Location
Grande Prairie, Alberta
This year I managed to secure a late season Bull Moose tag for WMU 524. Season begins on the 1rst of November and goes to the 30th.
Now I'm predominantly a Deer/Bear hunter, and this will be my first serious attempt to hunt Moose. I know the preffered time to hunt them in my area is late September into October, which I believe is the core period for the rut. But since my tag isn't legal till the following month, how should I go about locating my Bull?
Will calling still elicit a response? Do Cow Moose sometimes enter a second or maybe even third estrus?
What do post rut Bulls look for in November? What sort of cover and food sources should I be looking for?
Do Bulls move around alot at this time of year? If I locate a Bull will I likely find him in the same area the next day?

Any advice you give will be greatly appreciated.
 
I don't have any experience with Alberta moose, but I can tell you what I know about moose in central Ontario...

The rut begins roughly the 3rd week of Sept. By thanksgiving weekend, the peak is over, and bulls are starting to chum around with each other again. Our moose season is normally the 3rd week Oct. and I haven't found calling to be very effective. I've tried calling bedded bulls thanksgiving weekend and just had them raise their heads and look, then go back to sleep.

By deer season, the first two weeks of Nov, the bulls can be seen following cows again, so I believe a second estrus takes place, but I don't have any scientific facts to support my observations. I haven't tried calling during this period, since I'm pre-occupied with the deer hunt.

This applies to the Algonquin region of Ontario... farther north the rut probably begins earlier, and the open seasons for both moose and deer are much longer.

You may be able to adapt my observations to whatever latitude you're hunting in.
 
If you have water in your hunting area get out before sunrise and when the light starts you will see moose along the shore lines. Are you allowed to hunt out of a boat In Alberta?
 
That late in the season, the rut is over. The bulls have finished servicing ( lol ) the cows and are now are only interested in feeding to put on fat for the winter. Try spot and stock around ponds, bogs, or any open area's.
 
So water sources should be a focal point. Is this because of the water itself or due to the vegitation found growing in these wet areas? I ask because come November alot of the water in this area is frozen or freezing over, and as often as not we have several inches of snow on the ground.
 
Be prepared to put the miles on travelling...truck, atv, foot. Be in good feeding areas and you should do ok. Be in some cutblocks at first light, glass. Seen quite a few out last year in late season. WMU 524, thats down the CHIN Road isnt it?

Like I said, put the miles on. If snowing and you cut fresh tracks, might be worth the venture on foot for bit.
 
In November, especially later in the month, I would be focusing on food sources.

They will be looking to lay low to recover from the rut and put on the pounds before the harsh part of winter kicks in.

Scout south facing slopes that contain good amounts of young birch and poplar as well as willow and tag alders, close to heavy cover. When you find areas that look as though they have been cropped with a hedge trimmer, you're there.

These are also good areas to shed hunt.
 
Like everyone has said...food is key right now. Find some regenerating cutblocks that are a bit "out of the way," and some natural willowy openings. Maybe find out where some fires have recently gone through as well. Some wetlands and creeks draws tend to have good browse around them as well.

I would get on a quad and put on miles looking for a concentration of tracks/sign and then dial in from there.
 
Absolutely +1 on making miles. It's the only way we do it here in November. Don't know about 524 but up here the combination of flat swamp and towering trees doesn't exactly make for an ideal glassing situation. I know there are guys who will get on your case for "quad hunting" but believe me, when you've traveled 40 or 50 miles on a -25C day, you will feel you've earned any moose you're lucky enough to get. Cutblocks that were harvested about 3-7 years ago are prime because there's lots of willows but they're not so tall that the moose are invisible. When you go through a block and find a dead end and go back through where you didn't see anything, keep your head up. Sometimes you'll pass by them while they're snoozing and they'll be standing there watching you on the way back.

Also, one thing to watch for. If you see a bull and he's not spooked, take the time to look around near him. Seems like VERY often in Nov., they travel in pairs. You may very well notice dual sets of tracks on the cut lines or in blocks or wherever. My dad and I went out a few years ago. I killed a nice bull in the morning, we found another set of tracks near his. We hung him up and continued on our way. In the last of a series of blocks, Dad sees a bull and drops him (47" bull). Right beside him, about a 55" boy with the biggest paddles I've ever seen stands up and stares at us for all of 5 minutes before wandering off. We were fresh out of tags.
 
Cover lots of ground

We've hunted the late season now for about 10 years and for the past 5 south of GP. If you are in an area with cut blocks and oil roads cover as many as you can in the first day or two, looking for sign. We've found that they are quite concentrated and don't move much the later in the season it gets. If you get on a good area you may see many moose in a week. They will feed in the open during the day and the key will be to seeing them before they see or hear you. For the first few years we tried cutting a track and walking it down it worked a few times but now if we find a fresh track we just hang around for the day and he'll come out again. Be very careful of them travelling in twos when the lead starts flying because your follow up shot may be into the second animal.
 
I've heard some stories of some small bulls still chasing cows in early/mid November, with the big bull a few steps behind! I don't think calling would be a terrible idea, some bulls might still be curious.
 
I concentrate on knowing where they bed down, and hunt up wind towards it about 10 am, of course you can hunt longer downwind. Go slow stopping often, you can get quite close, I had one jump up about 20' away. You might get lucky and get one from the truck or the quad, but shooting them when you get them out of bed is more fun.
 
Thank you all for the great information you folks are sharing. My Moose season may still be two months away, but the adrenaline is already flowing.
So far my preparations are still very much in the early stages. Mostly I have been talking to our local foresters, trying to locate recent (2-3 year old) cutblocks with nearby water sources. Having some decent luck there.
Also I have begun lugging my pack frame loaded with towels and dumbells on my walks. Figured it would be the best way to simulate packing out deboned Moose meat. As well I am getting together some of my old knives and sharpening them up. Figure I need at least two for skinning/dressing, and two for de-boning. After all there is nothing more frustrating than working with dull knives. Also need to find the time to re-finish my snowshoes. Might not need them, but then again maybe I will.
Not sure what rifle I will be carrying on this hunt. Started off thinking I would carry my Marlin 336SS, but I also think it would be kinda neat to hunt my Moose with my Grandad's old .303. Grandpa has used that rifle to knock down more Moose than I ever will, and it sure would be special to take my first Moose with it.
 
Use Google Earth as a refernece to help you out. There is a version with the WMU boundaries marked also. Buy some survey maps of the area from suppliers.

My friend use to use his old 303 for years ...was a hand me down thru 3 generations. Worked great...he took alot of moose with it.

Good luck.
 
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