What do I need to know about Moose

[MITCHMO]

I only have one moose hunt under my belt but a big take away was that you shouldn’t try to sneak in close on a moose. Moving in close is possible when they think you are another moose. Every time we moved in on a moose or a group of moose, we would lightly call and make lots of noise while moving slow. I shot my bull at 13 steps.

 

[Festus]

As mentioned, the bulls can be very sexually aggressive. If you intend to take advantage of this weakness, have a clear avenue of retreat. I can speak from experience that a maze of 6 ft tall spruce regen, interlaced with blowdown 2 ft off the ground, is not where you want to meet an amorous bull....especially when he doesn't measure up to @Randy Hodges standards....

My limited experience - they are easy to call...
Had a love-sick bull really really want to introduce himself to my mare mule once on an elk hunt in Idaho. Thought it would be 'fun' to mimic some cow moose sounds that I've heard people do. My first close up with a moose. Too close. Molly wasn't having it. Things got western. Was a long walk back to camp.
Those things are bigger than you think - I have some very blurry pics to prove it, that my buddies still bring up every once in a while.
Not much help, sorry, but in my experience they will leave a lasting impression on ya. YMMV.

The only other thing I know is #keephammering

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Here's my advice:

1. Bring rope to tie off the legs, it makes quartering alone 10x easier. It's better to reset your lines from time to time than fight deadweight.
2. Bull moose are f'n huge, they're a lot of work and have a plan to pack it out. I've killed a few and have helped others kill theirs and every time I'm surprised how big they are. If you can't take an ATV or horses, take a small sled. I've packed out a bull moose by myself with one.
3. You don't have to be super quiet hunting moose, if you even remotely sound like one, they'll let you walk up to shooting distance.
4. Practice calling now, you don't need to be great at it but at the right time and with the right call it works really well. They don't rush in, they can come in quiet or come in slowly calling back at you.
5. Don't shoot them in water and preferably on hard ground. I've put 3 shots in a rutting bull moose and it died a few steps away from where it was hit with the first shot.
6. It's a very low density animal. Don't get discouraged when you don't find them, keep looking for sign and hunt hard. Water and willows is where I find them. Look for young aspens, willows, birch, etc, that's been nipped at the top.
7. Prederably have buddies who can help and a fridge full of cold beers for when you get home to celebrate.

Enjoy the hunt!

Most of the time, I've shot a bull and he ended up in the water. Not a big deal.


I always have a rope winch and a moose in deep water can be winched to shallower water where the bull
can be quartered while wearing waders.
One advantage is water will cool the carcass while quartering.

It usually takes me about 4 solo hours to break down a moose in water into game bags.
A mesh Rapala fillet glove in the non-cutting hand prevents cuts and at least 2 head lamps are always in my kill kit.

Always take the heart, if you do not like heart put it in the grind bag for 3 more pounds of burger meat.
The tongue is also worth taking.

When hunting in the uplands, since I was 15 years younger than my hunting partner,
while my partner butchered, I would pack a meat bag up to the ridgetop where the bags would be
cached overnight. If its a long pack, we would break the moose down to 60 pound bags to prevent back injury.
I know of 2 hunters that hurt their back trying to pack out an entire quarter long distances.
If I am hunting in the lowlands, our boats are usually fairly close and we can sled a whole quarter to the boat.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Most of the time, I've shot a bull and he ended up in the water. Not a big deal.
View attachment 222393
View attachment 222389View attachment 222390
I always have a rope winch and a moose in deep water can be winched to shallower water where the bull
can be quartered while wearing waders.
One advantage is water will cool the carcass while quartering.

It usually takes me about 4 solo hours to break down a moose in water into game bags.
A mesh Rapala fillet glove in the non-cutting hand prevents cuts and at least 2 head lamps are always in my kill kit.
View attachment 222395
Always take the heart, if you do not like heart put it in the grind bag for 3 more pounds of burger meat.
The tongue is also worth taking.

When hunting in the uplands, since I was 15 years younger than my hunting partner,
while my partner butchered, I would pack a meat bag up to the ridgetop where the bags would be
cached overnight. If its a long pack, we would break the moose down to 60 pound bags to prevent back injury.
I know of 2 hunters that hurt their back trying to pack out an entire quarter long distances.
If I am hunting in the lowlands, our boats are usually fairly close and we can sled a whole quarter to the boat.
View attachment 222396

Curious why you would leave the leg on if cutting into quarters with bone in? What did you use to cut through the back? Or perhaps remove tenderloins and fillet backstraps away from vertebrate enough to cut off ribs? I was fortunate to be able to retrieve all of mine whole. The first one I actually dragged unassisted to a closed road and then a couple hundred yards to my truck. But he was just a spooner. The rest of them required assistance from ATV or snow machine. That's harder than it sounds!

 

[BAKPAKR]

The rest of them required assistance from ATV or snow machine. That's harder than it sounds!

@OntarioHunter, if it was harder than it sounds, you didn’t use the proper “assistance.”

 

[Salmonchaser]

Don’t shoot them in water.
Don’t shoot them in water.
Don’t shoot them in water.

Yep, and just in case you missed it. Don’t shoot them in the water.

 

[Nameless Range]

I shot a pretty nice moose in southwest Montana a few years back, and I feel like it was chiefly luck, but one insight I have is this:

I spent the better part of 14 days scouting over the summer - backpacking, driving, hiking, glassing. I saw basically nothing. Opening morning I saw more than half a dozen. I went back to the gut pile to see what was left a week later and I saw a couple from the road then. I don't know where moose are most of the year, but don't get down if you aren't seeing them outside of the rut. They come outta the woodwork in September.

Excited for ya!

 

[JohnCushman]

This is all really good information. I appreciate it too.

 

[OntarioHunter]

The problem with dragging one out is horns and nose get caught on stuff. Pull the head up onto back of ATV and the machine can flip over backwards. A snow machine just gets bogged down. Be careful throwing a noose around the nose. Client brought in a spectacular head for me to euro. He dragged it out with a noose around the nose and broke all the bones. He settled for a cap mount (thankfully!). I wonder if tying the head onto a sled and pulling it with ATV would work better? I had some very large conveyor belting from grain elevators that I used to pull out my last bull with a snow machine. I drilled holes along the edges and laced him inside head and all. Worked okay.

Edit: Also, if thinking about a shoulder mount, keep rope off the nose. Not a lot of hair there and if any gets ripped off the taxidermist will have a chore fixing it.

 

[Addicting]

Also be prepared to shoot standing, a trigger stick or cross poles like on a safari would be handy.

I never though about it and figured I would just use a tree. Pine trees and willows didn’t mix well and I had to shoot free hand. I don’t like shooting free hand.

 

[sacountry]

I had a buddy shoot his bull two years ago hunting the back roads around Tally. To his credit, when driving, he'd stop people headed the other direction and ask them if they've seen any moose. One such driver turned her car around and took him right to where she had just seen a bull. 250 yard take out. I know road hunting isn't super sporting, but some districts call for it while others do not. If road hunting don't be afraid to talk to folks.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I had a buddy shoot his bull two years hunting the back roads around Tally. To his credit, when driving, he'd stop people headed the other direction and ask them if they've seen any moose. One such driver turned her car around and took him right to where she had just seen a bull. 250 yard take out. I know road hunting isn't super sporting, but some districts call for it while others do not. If road hunting don't be afraid to talk to folks.

I shot my 1977 spooner in the Tally Lake district. Dad and I did the same thing. Must have run into a couple dozen folks out grouse hunting who had just seen monster bulls up the road. By the time we got there nothing left but tracks. They are constantly on the move during the rut.

 

[Cheesehead]

I shot a pretty nice moose in southwest Montana a few years back, and I feel like it was chiefly luck, but one insight I have is this:

I spent the better part of 14 days scouting over the summer - backpacking, driving, hiking, glassing. I saw basically nothing. Opening morning I saw more than half a dozen. I went back to the gut pile to see what was left a week later and I saw a couple from the road then. I don't know where moose are most of the year, but don't get down if you aren't seeing them outside of the rut. They come outta the woodwork in September.

Excited for ya!

View attachment 222406

Great photo. Given the quality of your input here on HT, I’m unsurprised.

 

[HSi-ESi]

Definitely chat with folks when you are out driving on roads, before and after the season opens. I learned a ton of info from a few folks that I met - and everyone is always helpful when it's a moose tag.

I would chat with some taxidermist's - especially those around the area - as they get info from folk's that were successful when they bring the work into the shop.

Enjoy the tag - try not to stress - at some point in the season you'll be into moose.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Curious why you would leave the leg on if cutting into quarters with bone in? What did you use to cut through the back? Or perhaps remove tenderloins and fillet backstraps away from vertebrate enough to cut off ribs? I was fortunate to be able to retrieve all of mine whole. The first one I actually dragged unassisted to a closed road and then a couple hundred yards to my truck. But he was just a spooner. The rest of them required assistance from ATV or snow machine. That's harder than it sounds!

I take the lower leg off back at camp as the lower leg outside a meat bag makes it easier to grip in the field.
I use brush loppers to quickly cut the rib slab after removing the backstraps.
One other tip, don't underestimate how much strength the meat pole needs to have...at least 500 pounds capacity.

 

[Akcabin]

I've had some drop in water. My buddy Rambo n me were out for a month in a back slew of the Big Su river. I spotted a nice bull the night before. Up at daylight, cought him crossing a large braid of water. Rambo waited until the bull got up the 6' sluffed off edge. Before the bull got into the bush he busted it with his 375. It heaved over backwards n feel into the water. I was running the boat n got over bank. Followed the game trail along the river to the bull standing in 4' of water.
I through a rope around his antlers n Rambo took another shot through the heart. The big bull must have been in shock n bled out inside. I took a finish shot.
Rambos grew up in a butcher family. He skinned the bull in the rivers current. We got the meat up on the bank, into the river boat back to the landing. Hanging that night. We headed out for the last couple days. We went back to the landing the next day and we had a message from beautiful wife. Moose was turning. We got home n sure enough. In just 2 days this meat was green. And all was lost.
Learned to process meat that gets wet fast. Figured that all the bacteria in the river water full of dead salmon carcasses washed down along the bones infecting the meat.
My suggestion is if they are exposed to river water especially with salmon, process it. If you can get a dry crust on the outside of the meat is great.
If I skid with a winch or atv I cut in half at the 2nd to last rib bone.
Use the boneless method to process usually. Every moose is different. Was a day when I could break one down in a couple hours.
Mostly bring several knives or know how to sharpen in the field. I will easily go through 5-6 knives. For me having a couple different kinds knives for different jobs. Helps keep me with a proper sharpened knife.
After enough moose you kinda get used to it. I have no problem going out alone and prefer it.
Because it hasn't been brought up. Having fun, this is a great hunt that will keep your family fed, great sights. Get to know the vegetation in your area. Moose do not eat alders. Stick with the willow, thickets

 

[Sask hunter]

The problem with dragging one out is horns and nose get caught on stuff. Pull the head up onto back of ATV and the machine can flip over backwards. A snow machine just gets bogged down. Be careful throwing a noose around the nose. Client brought in a spectacular head for me to euro. He dragged it out with a noose around the nose and broke all the bones. He settled for a cap mount (thankfully!). I wonder if tying the head onto a sled and pulling it with ATV would work better? I had some very large conveyor belting from grain elevators that I used to pull out my last bull with a snow machine. I drilled holes along the edges and laced him inside head and all. Worked okay.

Edit: Also, if thinking about a shoulder mount, keep rope off the nose. Not a lot of hair there and if any gets ripped off the taxidermist will have a chore fixing it.

Tub trailer is the way to go for getting them out. Dragging works and I have done it several times but drag too far and you’ll wear through the hide into the meat

 

[Khunter]

They run for water after the shot…that presents challenges.

 

[MTGomer]

It doesn’t matter how good and fatal your shot was, if you’re near water and it’s still on its feet, keep shooting.

 

[shrapnel]

Big ones look like this…