wild guide: late season moose
FIND THE BACHELOR GROUPS
For much of the year, moose are solitary,
quiet, reclusive, and despite their size and
stature they are readily absorbed by any
available cover. Find them out in the open
and they stick out like a sore thumb. As
cows go into estrus, bulls are sometimes
seen tending them. Then, as the rut winds
down and cooler temperatures settle in,
they move less. Cows and calves can still be
seen in and around their territorial haunts,
but bulls will commonly unite to form
small bachelor herds in the post rut. As this
occurs, hunting late season bull moose can
feel like an all-or-none type of a hunt.
Thinking back to another early
November hunt several years ago, I
remember visiting a spot I’d scoured
heavily with a bow in September and
October. In the archery season, it was
common to encounter between three
and six moose each morning. On that
particular rifle hunt however, it really
was an all-or-none situation. As I still-
hunted my way down a familiar cutline,
I heard the unmistakable snap of a large
branch. I quickly sat down. No sooner had
I readied my rifle on my knee when I saw
a typical late season scene unfold before
my eyes. Fifty metres ahead, a young bull
stepped on to the cutline, followed by a
second, then a third, and finally a fourth
bull. Something had spooked them and
circumstance brought us together. As any
opportunistic moose hunter would do, I
took careful aim and dropped the biggest
one of the group. Over 30 years of hunting
moose I’ve learned that scenarios like this
are common during late season hunts.
FOCUS ON PRIME FOOD SOURCES
Some ungulates, like elk and whitetails,
will travel considerable distances to get
to rutting areas. In other words, some will
actually live most of the year in one area,
then travel to focus their attention on
what are commonly referred to as rutting
corridors. I’ve seen it on many occasions.
Moose, on the other hand, while they can
indeed move considerable distances to
seek out hot cows during the rut, generally
monitor a more localized territory. In turn,
both bulls and cows are typically found in
similar places during the late season as
they might during the peak of the rut.
Key moose-holding habitat in boreal forest
areas will include prime browse. Likewise,
moose in agricultural areas will often hone
in on easy-to-access nutrient-rich feed like
alfalfa, oat fields, or even hay land. Taking up
residence in big or small timber, moose are
like other ungulates in that as the weather
gets cold and day-to-day life becomes more
challenging, priorities shift to conserving
energy, eating and sleeping. Both activities
are geared toward survival. Bottom line,
keep your eyes open. In the deep boreal
forest and foothills, look for heavily browsed
willow and aspen saplings. Low lying willow
bluffs in clearings offer a prime food source.
Find these areas near good bedding cover,
and you’re probably on to something. In the
parkland and even grassland regions, pay
particular attention to green feed like alfalfa
fields near blocks of timber.
THERMAL COVER IS GOLD
Along with a desire to hang out near good
food sources, as the weather turns cold
and less forgiving, sleep and protection
from the elements become top priorities.
Locating excellent moose habitat and then
determining where the best thermal cover
is, near a good food source, will almost
always serve you well. Thermal cover can
best be described as any older growth
timber like spruce, tamarack, or pine stands.
While moose will move to browse on tender
saplings in exposed areas, they will typically
take advantage of the bigger cover for
protection from the wind, rain, and snow.
With the exception of south-facing tree
lines, slopes, and clearings most exposed
to the sunlight, when the weather is harsh,
moose will commonly take refuge in the
heart of thermal cover near their best food
source.
DON’T DISMISS VOCALIZATIONS
Believe it or not, moose do make sounds
long after the first estrus. On another late
November and early December hunt, I saw
over 30 cows and a dozen bulls. Whenever
possible, I experimented with cow calls and
even bull grunts. On several occasions, bulls
approached to investigate my moaning.
Even though bull grunts were far less
effective in the post rut, the cow calls worked
great. Like most hunting, if one strategy isn’t
producing, think outside the box and try
something different. Calling can, and does
work from time to time, even in the late
season.
Areas with a mix of thermal cover and low-lying browse serve
as ideal late season moose haunts. Find the cover and the
food and you’ll find the moose.