Hunting moose each fall is a welcome change of pace from my normal hunting style. While I hunt solo a lot of the time, the sheer size of moose requires a team effort. Moose hunting brings with it a camp full of friends sharing a hunt and hoping to bring home an animal that will feed our families through the upcoming year.
Picking a Location
Because of some new regulation changes this year, most of the moose hunting in British Columbia is a lottery system, known as LEH. Unfortunately, our party did not draw a tag this year, which really limited the area where we could hunt. Luckily, there are over the counter units in the northern reaches of the province that still have General Open Seasons (GOS).
While there are units that still have GOS, much of the north of the province is almost entirely undeveloped and access can prove very challenging. This was a huge obstacle for us as our camp is very young and haven’t accumulated the boats and ATV’s that open up more remote hunting areas. We decided on an area that was open for any bull, but had limited access from the road. There were small swamps and wetlands scattered throughout the timber that we hoped would be busy during the rut. We decided to hunt September 23 – October 3 hoping to hit the start of the moose rut.
Equipment
In stark contrast to mountain goat hunting, moose hunting is often a gear intensive and industrial affair. This year was no different. A wall tent, stove, chest freezer, and generator all made its way into the bush with us. For a rifle, I wanted something compact to move easily through alder thickets, in a cartridge that hits with authority. The year prior I had a Hornady ELD-X fail to penetrate on a steeply quartering away shot. Because of this, I decided to bring my Sako Kodiak in 338 Winchester Magnum loaded with 210 grain Barnes TTSX. Another addition is shooting sticks which can prove invaluable shooting in wet country with no natural supports.
The Area
Upon arriving in the area, we initially struggled to find good hunting locations. Many of the access roads were no longer accessible by pickup, and those in good repair were actively being logged or mined. We did manage to find some small lakes and marshes that could be hiked into, but had little luck. Finally, we found a couple of promising networks that had small marshes within a kilometer or so from the road.
The Hunt
Much to our chagrin, after several long days of hunting and calling, we were not hearing nor seeing any moose. Other hunters we encountered reported similar stories. The weather was unseasonably warm and we postulated that could delay the rut. More concerningly, there was moose sign, but very little of it was fresh. It was strange, as it seemed that moose had been in the area several months prior, but for some reason had left.
As we continued to hunt we noticed that fresh predator scat was a common find. On the fourth day of the hunt we could hear a pack of wolves howling near are tent. Twice we found moose bones scattered through bedding sights, fresh enough that the birds and bugs hadn’t quite finished eating the marrow inside.
After 10 days of hunting hard and calling consistently, we still hadn’t seen nor heard a moose. We theorized that the moose had migrated down to the river system, but the water proved too swift and fast to hunt with waders. Other hunters continued to report similar challenges. In fact, the only gunshots we heard were our own when shooting the occasional grouse during the hunt. Discouraged, we headed home.
Return
I wasn’t satisfied with our hunt and still had questions about the area. I rearranged some plans and managed to scrape together 4 days from October 21 – 25 to go back. This time the weather was perfect, right at freezing. However, we still didn’t hear any moose responding to calls. The final nail in the coffin was on the evening of the 23 we had the first snow of the year. Excitedly, we spent the morning looking for tracks in the marshes, roadways, and even up near the tree-line. After countless kilometers, we didn’t find a single track from the night before. The moose were gone. Dejected, we headed home once more with nothing to show for our efforts except a few grouse.
Lessons Learned
I believe that the wolves in the area have had a profound effect on the moose population. Careful use of a wind-checker, disciplined multi-hour sits, and well camouflaged stands eliminate the common variables that give away hunters. With so many hours invested in seemingly ideal moose habitat and no moose encounters, it stands to reason that there simply aren’t moose there. Perhaps they have moved to the river to avoid the wolves, but even then there were no responses calling down to the water.
Every hunt has a lesson to teach for the future. This hunt told me to trust my gut when the sign during the first few days shows there aren’t many animals. Antler restrictions and the hassle of moving a large camp kept us focused on the area. In retrospect, we should have recognized what the sign was telling us and moved after a couple of silent days.
Closing Thoughts
In spite of the hard hunting, camp is still an enjoyable highlight of each year. Coming home empty handed is a tough pill to swallow, but staying focused on how to improve as a hunter will help when a similar scenario inevitably comes up sometime in the future. Hopefully some of those out there have had a more action filled fall hunt than we did, but the memories in camp are worth more than the meat regardless.