Moose Hunt

Moose hunt - Preseason planning for a moose hunt may be the most important part of your hunt. Unless you live in the area where you will be hunting, an extensive amount of pre-planning is required to make your moose hunt successful and, most importantly, enjoyable.

In years past, locating a moose was as easy as driving the roads and scouting clear-cuts. As the issuance of moose permits have increased over the years, traffic on the network of access roads has increased greatly. Moose have become warier and are less likely to be found standing in the clearings for the opportunistic hunter. In addition, the quantity of roadside clear cuts with 5-15 year old growth has decreased. This has resulted in limited fields of view for roadside moose hunters.

Hunting moose off the beaten path is one method for avoiding crowds and increasing the odds in your favor. To hunt moose in this fashion is not much different from hunting whitetailed deer or elk. Many of the same techniques apply; with one exception of course - you may find yourself with an animal on the ground that can weigh between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds. To conduct a traditional hunt successfully, you will need to plan your hunt carefully. In all likelihood, you will not be able to drive up to where the animal falls. The proper equipment will be needed with you to field butcher your animal, pack it out, and transport it.

Most moose hunting occurs within the timberlands of various states and is somewhat remote. Make sure to bring along the necessary maps of your hunting area and extra fuel and spare tires for your vehicles and trailers.

It is important to take the time prior to your hunt to scout your hunting area and find those areas moose frequent in search of food, water and bedding. Hunting areas to look for include 5-15 year old clear cuts. These are favorite spots for browsing moose. In the fall they are sometimes found in areas where poplars grow. Also look for high terrain where big bulls can often be found during the warmer parts of the day. Somewhat older, over-grown clear cuts still offer good food and bedding areas for moose.

After the rut, bulls may still be on the move looking for cows. If you put enough time in scouting a week before the moose hunt, your chance of success will improve. Don’t forget that moose do not like the heat of the day and will likely be on the move in the late afternoon and early morning.