Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Moose

What about the antlers? Those look just about the sized rack that haunts my dreams.

OK, so it looks like the armament is okay. The gear depends on the location, if I think cold and rainy I probably won't go wrong.

Most of the rest of the stuff the guide will be handling.

Let's talk location: I've had one suggestion (and a very good one) re: Alaska. I know that's the best spot for really big moose.
I've been previously pointed at Newfoundland and Russia. What do y'all think?

I became a moose hunter in my late 40's and actually learned the craft a bit in my 50's. Now at 57 I am a pretty confident moose guy. A big freighter canoe with a motor is the classic way I like to hunt. The canoe allows you to get were moose live and transport them back with a minimum of fuss. I would go one of three places.... Newfoundland, Yukon or Alaska.
In Yukon book with an outfitter who specializes in river hunts, I have never used an outfitter so I am not much good there but the Duelings are a pretty good and honest clan up here so I wouldn't be afraid to use Dueling outfitters.

As for gear, if outfitted you wont need much. I take binoculars and leave the spotter at home. 30-06 or 35 Whelen are both good but I'd prefer the 35. Non stainless is fine if you bring a good river case and some cleaning supplies. A come-along is a must. Hip waders or even chest highs are a must. I have used ankle fits but actually prefer waterproof breathable waders with neoprene foot and wader boots. Can wear these all day without discomfort. If self guided a saw or axe is important for processing.

If you can afford it go guided the first time. I think you can self guide possibly in Alaska but it is a big learning curve and someone to show the ropes is a good idea. Dealing with 1000+ pounds of animal is a bit intimidating until you learn how to break them down. If you use gutless skinning on deer you can handle a moose since it is just scaled up. If you don't use the gutless method and are not sure how to zip of the front and back legs I would hate to learn on a moose. Some outfitters might use heavy machinery or a group of lads so they might not teach you gutless skinning/processing but I'd ask that question up front since it is so handy to know.

Some good advice. If I were going now at my age I would be sure to invite along a couple of younger buddy's especially my two sons. Would make the trip so much more enjoyable. I like hunting solo or just me and the outfitter fine but the heavy lifting is a given and the camaraderie is priceless.

Having butchered a pretty fair pile of them over the years, I find hanging them to be a huge advantage, especially in keeping them clean.

My bull from a couple weeks ago was priceless... my son and two buddies did almost all of the cutting and 100% of the packing. The only moose I carried was bloodstains on my Simms waders.

While you can't learn everything from a book. One book is a freaking incredible asset when learning how to hunt moose. The Moose Book by Samuel Merrill. It is old but it is incredibly good.

I've done 20 plus moose. All on the ground. It ain't pretty...so I can't argue with Art. Sounds like hanging is a good way to go. Can you get a wrecker to it? . I actually know a couple times that has been done- just not by me. Trees, a saw, some binding, and a Come-along sounds good. Who gets to pack the stuff??

Best moose kill for me was a 50 foot pack to the boat. Longest ( a yearling) was 5 miles, 3.5 of it on an access road, most of the rest on a pre-cut game trail.. Too cheap to spring for a float plane for such a little one!

Pre-rut is the way to go if you want to eat the thing. I'l tell you how I know this. Twice. Once at the beginning (Sept 29). and once post (Nov 2).
The latter was out of rut, but the rut wasn't quite out of him yet. Made edible chilli and spaghetti, just. Spicy sausage would have worked too.

Anything before Sept 25 should be good. Sept 20-25 you are tossing the dice. After that, chances favor it will be rutty tasting. Tastes like piss + adreniline. and it is in the blood, which of course is throughout the meat. Eskimos tell me if you hang it for 10-14 days at 32-40 degrees this flavor dissipates, unlike with stink-bull caribou. I haven't tested it myself, but I am doubtful. They tell white guys lots of things.... such as - "it's in the fat"....

Bulls will come to calls (raking, bull grunts) anytime after about Sept 1, mostly checking out the competition. Late in the month, they will start coming to cow calls.

so will cows- keep in mind the best bait for a moose is another moose. They are very social, in and out of season- but they do like their personal space usually.

Me- I'm gonna try for a November/December cow this year, but I'll take a bull if offered- but only after November 15. Unfortunately????, I'll be in Cabo over Thanksgiving. Wife and her friggin vacations!!!! Weather and light will be my restrictions for weekend hunts, but on the other hand, driving the snow machine and sled up to it, or as close as I can get, if I get one, isn't such a bad deal.

Good binos, ankle fit waders and clothes that are comfy when damp (good synthetic or wool). Come-along is handy when you start skinning on the ground to position them and then help flip them when ready for the other side. Outfitter should have this stuff though, Id focus on glass and clothing. Should be all set with your current rifles.

Ive only hunted them in AK, but if your on a budget I imagine NF would be much cheaper. Regardless, I'd make it a combo hunt and get a bear tag. Fall Moose usually means berry season, berries mean bears.

One I killed was during a winter hunt, that ACE hardware sled paid for itself 100 times over! The other one was in the early fall, both tasted good and kept me fed for a long time. I dont place moose meat on the same level as blacktail, sheep or goat though.

Found it! It's free download.

https://archive.org/details/moosebookfactsa01merrgoog

We drive swamp buggies to the moose, pick them up by the antlers, and unzip the guts. Lift them a bit and drive away from the guts. Then we load them up and drive back to camp to skin, quarter, bag, and hang. No sore backs from bending over. No sore backs from picking the pieces up from ground level.

Wuss. But a smart wuss....

I don't mean this as a criticism of any of y'all. However, I find it fascinating that most of this thread has been about the process of what to do after the shot, and very little of what to do before. As a comparison, I spent quite some time answering questions about whitetail deer. Yes, there were the occasional questions about how to process a carcass, but folks were more interested in how to find them, where to shoot them, and such. This thread leads me to believe the adventure starts once the moose is down.

Truer words were never spoken.
If you were doing a DIY hunt I'd have offered a few more tips but when booking a guide you're going to hunt according to his style and you'll need the equipment he tells you to bring. As far as choosing the place goes I agree with Newfoundland on the cheap (nothing cheap about it though) or Alaska if you want to shell out the money for the ultimate adventure. Most important things I can tell you to bring are knee high rubber boots, a rifle (cartridge isn't terribly important especially if you're calling during the rut), and two sharp knives if you're doing the field dressing.

Don't hunt in the rut if you want good meat. (Already advised that).

Shoot the bull where he lives. And not in water when you do, if you can help it.

Take good rain gear - skip the so-called "breathable" stuff if the weather will be at all harsh or if busting through heavy vegetation.

Sleep warm (preferably dry as well), eat enough calories, take care of your feet.

How's that?

Well, the WORK starts when the moose is down, unless you do it Art's way, but that's part of the adventure. For real fun, do it solo (half a dozen times for me so far.)

Betting I have you beat in the self-flagellation category as well as the YGBSM category. On several occasions years ago I shot small bulls that I boned and packed in a single trip... in the 200# pack range and some for more than a mile or three... I also packed multiple bulls ridiculous distances when guiding... up to 10 miles to retrieve a bull with lots of help.