Everytime I watch guy's hunting moose the moose crashes through stuff, or simply comes walking by.

Then he looks at the hunters and just waits to get shot, often he'll stare at them until they shoot him - well then he'll run.

What is up with that - I wish I could get deer and elk to do it.

Spot

You've seen moose right? In order for one moose to mate with another they'd have to have really bad eyesight.

Pretty sure the correct answer is "all of the above."

Stupid they are not. Get between a cow and calf sometime....

an elk or deer wont come in and stomp ur ass, but a moose will, thats why they stare you down, their just calculating the odds!

They are neither short sighted or stupid.

The videos of moose hunting that you have seen were taken in remote places, where they may have never seen a human, much less been hunted, certainly not hunted hard and relentlessly like in my hunting area, so they are not "stupid" merely unsophisticated. I've had moose spot me (or my movement, at any rate) at 500 yards. Their sense of smell is no less well developed than a white-tail deer's is, and their hearing is probably far superior.

Are you going to buy a 2 hour video where no one kills or maybe even sees anything? I think not.

During rut, however, they only have enough blood pressure to function either their brain or their cow prod, and they don't even get a choice- it's nature. Sound familiar boys???

I have killed about 20 bulls over the last 35 years, so I'm not exactly a novice, yet in 10 days of hunting this year, I saw only two bulls - neither long enough to determine their legality, much less drop a hammer on one. And I made a couple mistakes- one per bull is all one usually gets. I called in at least 10 of them, 4 of them at once by putting up our last tarp camp toward the end of hunting season, and into pre-rut. They got hammered hard in this area the last 3 years by fly-in hunters. This year, between the weather and having all the open-area frequenting bulls killed off, we were all alone back in there. There were plenty of airplanes, but they weren't spotting anything from the air except for one bull where no one would go after him without horses. Plenty of bulls were still there, all of them clinging to the brush during daylight hours, coming out to the edges only well after dark, and back into the brush an hour before daylight. We heard them - they were all around us.

A hard-hunted white-tail can't teach anything to a moose in the same kind of circumstances. Yes, I've called cows and bulls both in to within a few feet - the closest being a cow to about 15 feet, a yearling 'tweener to 17 measured feet, and the next year, that same bull came in and bedded down a measured 25 feet from me. That alone made my whole year! Haven't seen him since, so either he moved or the wolves/bears got him. But you won't catch a 50 or 60 incher doing that, unless crazy in rut. Then he's like as not gong to try to either fight you or screw you.

I've had them trail me, nose to ground, for 400 yards right into my stand site. I've bumped cows from their bed, and although not exactly aware of what was up (having not seen me) they drop their head to the ground to see where they are going, and ghost out of there without a sound through stuff so thick you couldn't get through it as quietly. Wide racked bulls may have a little more difficulty, but all you hear will be a slight "tic" as they bump something with antler. Spooked, they will sound like a 4X8 sheet of plywood going broadside on through the same stuff. I have watched from high vantage points as other hunters were shadowed unknowingly by moose for hundreds of yards- and had them do it to me also. I could hear them, on occaission.

They drop their head to run or go through thick stuff silently to see where they are going- they have a "cone" of vision, which means they have to move their heads up or down to see things close in front, or higher up.

You want to hunt a smart moose?

Go find your own- that place is mine!

When one is the biggest dude in the valley, there is little need to panic when something 1/20th your size shows up on the horizon. Ever tried to herd some bison around?

The dumb ungulates tend to be the ones which run in herds - like caribou to name one species- and they don't always act dumb. Moose are definitely not dumb, though they are big, and that, as 1Min pointed out, can affect their judgement. Still, if you haven't hunted them when they aren't laden with testosterone, you probably don't know how good their stuff works. As las pointed out, they see fine, they smell real well (not good), and the hear very, very well. Geese, OTOH, can be just plain stupid.

What las said...in spades! Good post!

Jeff

Nice post.

Wish TDL would drop by too. Would enjoy reading his take on this. He could enlighten more than a few here....

Even horny and in the rut, a bull answering a call from a hot cow will circle down wind to make sure that he's not being tricked. I've watched that more than once.

And if they're so dumb, and they regularly outsmart us hunters, where does that leave us? ? ? ? ?

I have a good friend who wants to moose hunt - he's somewhat got me interested in what it's about.

After that post now I'm a good bit more interested.

I think your right - I'm seeing remote area hunts where the moose are not used to people.

I haven't seen a camera man getting screwed by a moose so it must not have been during the rut.

I did see Shocky draw in a moose by raking a canoe paddle in the brush and grunting. That was just plain weird.

Spot

Something must be working for the species. Their remains can be found along with the remants of mammoths and saber cats - albeit in a somewhat different form than today's moose. Elk also and bison. Not so sure about other deer forms.

Having chases mooses a bit, I'd have to say that Dogzapper's Law totally applies:

Part One of Dogzapper's Law states that mooses play and frolic in front of the hunter ONLY when the hunter has no moose tag in his pocket. The hunter will be tripping over mooses when he is hunting deer, elk and antelope.

Then, of course, with a moose tag in hand, mooses suddenly hightail it to the deepest, most nasty swamp.

Part Two of Dogzappers Law clearly states that mooses always die in water. No matter how you try, the bastards always make a mad dash and die about crotch-deep in water.

Been there and absolutely have done that ... too many times.

Steve

Having chased mooses a bit, I'd have to say that Dogzapper's Law totally applies:

Part One of Dogzapper's Law states that mooses play and frolic in front of the hunter ONLY when the hunter has no moose tag in his pocket. The hunter will be tripping over mooses when he is hunting deer, elk and antelope.

Then, of course, with a moose tag in hand, mooses suddenly hightail it to the deepest, most nasty swamp.

Part Two of Dogzappers Law clearly states that mooses always die in water. No matter how you try, the bastards always make a mad dash and die about crotch-deep in water.

Been there and absolutely have done that ... too many times. By the way, mooses are a whole lot smarter than me, but we already knew that.

Steve

I have been guiding for and hunting moose for over 15 years, and to me they are a damn smart animal. But during the rut, when most if not all the videoed hunts take place, bulls do become a bit crazy, not stupid, but crazy, bordering on Beligerent. After all they are the biggest animal in the area and even a mature grizz will think twice/three times before it goes forth into battle with a bull moose. They are damn tough animals.

Try to still hunt a moose in Sept or late Oct, when the rut is over. Good luck, as they live is some nasty, thick veg that allows them to escape using their long legs while we struggle to get over the blowdown and willow. There is a reason they have a huge nose, which I believe is better than the deers, and their ears are amazing. I have called in bulls from over a mile away, with my own voice, and they have come sraight to us, like on a string, grunting all the way. But then when they get close, silence, then all of a sudden there he is, 20 yards away, staring around looking for the cow. It always amazes me how an animal that will push 1500 lbs can sneek in and show up right in front of you, even when you are expecting him.

Crazy...Yes, Beligerent...yes, king of the valley....yup, but stupid and near sighted....not in a million years.

Cheers

SS

Good replies.

I've had moose charge me - while I stood in front of my truck, calling them - for fun.

They often have very little fear of mere 200lb simians. In the rut - bulls regularly show distain - and with calves, cows are often downright dangerous.

They can out-scent any white-tail alive, and out-hear any bear. As far as vision goes, they are a typical ungulate - if it ain't moving - they can't see it.

But never confuse intelligence (or lack of it) - with fear - or lack of that.

Trust me, Steve, that "your" law does not apply only and expressly to you...

...and that moose can read calenders and do know that the last day of the season is meant for teasing hunters as the time of relaxing is just around the corner. (A moose's strut at dusk is never more humbling than when the next daylight will shine upon a closed season.) ***Heh, heh, heh. But we have a winter season and no one expects those celubrious humans to be out at daybreak (on New Year's Day), eh?***

Friend Klikitarik,

Heck, I thought mooses were picking on me ... and me alone. A few years ago, Karen, my bride of 44 years was with me in central Alberta. Being THE MAN, I had tags for a moose and a whitetail and Lady K had a tag for a whitetail.

So who saw all of the mooses??? Karen, of course.

One day, I picked her up in the bush and her eyes were saucer-sized. A decent bull sensed her, but apparently did not see her still camoed form. He walked up within twenty feet of her and finally belched and walked away.

Meanwhile, I was working all of my moose magic and never saw a whisker.

Lady K saw prolly a dozen of the big black buggers during the hunt and I saw one.

He was not a survivor.

Steve

It is amazing how a big black beast like a moose can stay so well hidden in the bush when it wants too...


SS

Sam,

I've thought that many times. You stand looking at that huge black sucker on the ground and it seems impossible that it could hide ... anywere.

As you so correctly said, "AMAZING."

Steve

A few weeks ago a co-worker was 4-wheeling out from his Caribou Hills cabin when he encountered a 2X2 'tweener of about 45 inches on the trail. Said bull just stood there looking at him as he idled closer and closer, until stopping about 30 feet away.

"Well, are you gonna move out of the way, or what"? the bull was asked.

The bull casually reached off to the side a bit and hooked a wrist sized tree with his antlers, and with a quick twist, snapped it cleanly off. Then stared down the guy on the machine.

"I'm guessing not!"

He put the machine in reverse and found another way around.

Some informative posts. Las has it pretty well nailed, along with Dogzapper's laws of moose.

I've had one called bull within easy touching distance on a road, yet have seen others ghost through thick stuff without a sound, slipping around a hunter like a whitetail.

One example: last Fall in early Sept. I was boogying down a highway and came on a bull moose feeding on the right of way. He was an odd one with a big body and heavy, deep forked antlers like a big fork horn mule deer on steroids, no trace of palms. He was legal shooting size, just needed to be 400 meters off the highway to be legal to shoot. Hmmm... I kind of wanted him but not real bad since I didn't have enough time to work on him.

I drove back up the highway 250 yards to a cutline running downhill on the vast marshy slope of brush and spruce, and hustled an honest 400 meters down it to a clearing 50 yards wide, where I started calling. Because I was a little ambivalent about shooting him I didn't hide as well as I should have, and when the sun popped out it lit up my uncamoed face. I was used to young bulls barging in like dummies and counted on it. A squirrel tipped me that he was coming, and I got a glimpse of his ear flick and his head turn at 70 yards through a hole in the trees. He would stand silently for minutes at a time but squirrels and a rare snap of twig let me follow his movement as he tiptoed in a semi circle around me to the downwind side, when all went silent.

The ground looked like a cattle feedlot of moose tracks. In hindsight, I think that he was interested in my cow sounds, but was nervous about running into a bigger bull, hence the secretive approach.

This yarn to say that you can't count on moose stupidity, poor eyesight nor lack of caution.

I drove on down the road, sort of glad that I wasn't sweating in mud and blood, and would get home and to work at a decent hour.

I had shot a cow one time and was standing with rifle in hand beside a novice I was hunting with. A bull came out of the bush twenty five feet behind me ran past so close I felt wind from him and ran past into the bush thirty feet away. I had not heard him, and was so thrown by the shock of the close call I did not get a shot off at him. Two steps ito the bush he disappeared and only the odd click on the antler let us hear him. Not one of my prouder moments
Randy

A hard hunted moose could teach most big whitetail bucks a few tricks. Or teach elk for that matter. We have all three at our SK bush camp, and I find moose in the late season by FAR the most challenging. I have killed a bull elk 12 out of the last 14 seasons. Whitetail bucks every season. But my success rate while tracking bull moose one-on-one in the snow is about one season in five. We don't have the density of moose that some other areas have, and our moose get hunted hard. It does make a difference. I've watched a wary bull moose disappear absolutely silently through dry scrub willow from 50 yards away. I doubt a deer could have managed it.

From my very unscientific observations, I'd guess a moose can sense a hunter by smell or sound at twice as far as a deer can. They have such good hearing and sense of smell that they don't need to trust their eyes as much as some other critters. Kinda like bears that way. Humans are so biased towards our sense of sight that we tend to think of animals that aren't visually dependant as "stupid" - when they just don't instantly react to what they see. For an instant reaction, just give a moose your scent or let a twig scrape against your pantleg.

I aspire to track a moose in snow to its daytime bed and shoot it "in the nest" before it is aware of me. That to me is the ultimate in bushcraft. I've never done it, but I have killed several elk and deer that way.

People who don't grow up hunting moose constantly call them ugly, stupid or worse. Kinda reflects back on the people calling them names I think. I love moose and think they are graceful and extremely well adapted to where they live. Long may they continue to evade most hunters.

Lot of good thoughts there. I think we tend to downplay the quarry that others pursue, when we don't. I have no idea how many times I have been close to one or more moose and had them stay still and hidden, only to discover later that they were or had been very near by.

In our part of the world, there are two ways to hunt moose in winter. Either you can use a dog team and plan to go for several days, or you can use a snowmachine to get where they are. These days the latter mode is usual. A number of years ago, in the dead of winter with its short periods between dawn and dusk, we had run up river looking for tracks crossing it. We passed a small group of large spruce trees just yards from the river, but no sign of tracks. Further upriver we climbed out to get a bit of height for more visibility. We got up on the sides to hunt down into small tributaries which drain into the river. Getting around the upper reaches of these drainages which we couldn't cross took us around many miles before we came to a lookout above the earlier bunch of spruce trees. There, on a beaver pond just adjacent to the spruce was a lone bull standing in the open. His tracks went into and left that stand of spruce. He'd been there for several days and heard and probably watched us pass by. I did a similar thing a couple of years ago, but then it involved very sparse willows. Tracks went in and I couldn't see the animals which had made them so I was looking for tracks going up the sides of the river. Early morning light made it somewhat difficult to see tracks but I was pretty sure there weren't any. I couldn't figure out where they had gotten out. After three slow passes, the animals, three or four of them, had finally tired of hearing, smelling, and perhaps seeing me. They stood up 45 yards or so from me. It's happened other times as well. I figure animals which are smart enough to know when they aren't sensed by less sensually gifted (think dumber) animals like us, probably deserve some respect.


And for all the names I even find myself using for the moose in jest, but with great respect, I do admire a well crafted moose mount far more than I do the skinny antlered deer mounts. I find moose antlers far more varied and interesting than most deer.

In the Spring of '92 or '93, I was sitting in an old rickety kitchen chair behind a spruce deadfall about 100 yds outside the border of Algonquin Park waiting for a bear to show at my bait. 'Twas about 6pm. The Park is off limits for hunters who aren't aboriginal, and is loaded with big game like moose, bear and wolf. I was legal.

The bait was situated diagonally across a recent logging road and on the fringe of a mile-long swamp. I was dressed in camo with a face mask. The deadfall served as my ground blind. A good bear was alternately visiting the bait I was tending and one at the other end of the swamp. One day, the one bait was hit and the next, the other. The outfitter didn't let me see the bear's schedule so I had to remain alert.

About 6:20pm I sighted a very black specimen of wildlife moving in my direction out of the Park. Actually, it was cutting diagonally across my line of vision from right to left. My first thought: "A huge black bear!" Then, I gave my head a shake and realized that if it was a bear it must be a very tall one as I was seeing his back line above the trees! I never saw it's head.
Of course, it was a moose. Never heard anything either, but immediately to my left was a moose trail so I figured I had better pay special attention to that detail. The glimpse of the moose was fleeting. Never heard a sound for 10 minutes. There was a lake to my left, below me which I could catch glimpses of through the soft wood forest. So I figured the moose was moving in that direction. After another 10 minutes I thought I heard the faintest snap of a twig immediately to my left but still in the direction of the lake. Absolute silence for the next 10 to 15 minutes.

Then, out of nowhere, and without any physical reason whatsoever, I had an awareness that I was being watched and should turn around in my seat to see what was behind me... YOU'VE HAD THAT EXPERIENCE IF YOU'VE DONE MUCH HUNTING... Yes, you've guessed it... there, not 20 yds away was a fully mature bull with huge head gear in velvet staring at me with head held low. I stood up, raised my rifle with both hands in a pushing-away from my body motion that signified "Get out of here moose". In fact, in a clear, steady, unemotional but firm voice I said just that. The bull swung around like a big farm horse and silently trotted directly away for 25 yds up the side of a ridge. Then stopped and turned to look back at me. I raised my rifle again, and this time pointed it at him - with no intention of pulling the trigger, but he didn't know that - and he went up over the top of that ridge crashing through trees and smashing them over as he went, letting me know that he resented having a rifle pointed in his direction! I wonder how he knew it was a weapon, after all he's so dumb?

Another animal that has perhaps outlived the "dumb" designation is the mule deer.

When hunted hard, they smart up fast.

In the fall of 1980 I went deer hunting on the Front Range just west of Ft Collins, CO. I got into my chosen saddle an hour before daylight and let the roady dimrods down below drive a mountain-sides worth of deer past me. 30 or so minutes after daylight, I had a 4x4 buck down, having seen more than 30 mule deer, including several bucks I had no chance at, come by me ahead of the "hunters". IIRC, my shot was the first of the morning.

At any rate, I dragged my buck, after gutting, down the mountain side to the road, maybe a half-mile and 1500 feet lower, on a couple inches of snow, then headed back up for my pack, then off to the south about a mile to collect my pickup to drive it around to the deer.

Before I got back up to my kill site, I was passing a deadfall when a shiny eyeball caught my attention. I had just barely enough presence of mind not to react. Despite the fact that I desperately needed to stop for a breather, I kept climbing for another 50 yards or so.

Another buck about the size of mine had crawled in under that deadfall spruce or pine, and was just laying there. I passed within 20 feet of him, and the only motion was a rotating eyeball.

I figured that was one "stupid muley" buck that deserved to live!