Looking for a little advice/info on solo moose hunting in 7-28, 7-40 and 7-41

[moosinaround]

7-28, or 7-41, lots of road access there. You are allowed to use ATV's in those MU's too. An ATV will be a saving grace if you are going solo. Have a really good pack, and learn to bone the moose out. This will save literally and figuratively a ton of weight!! I'd do it during the rut, and you will have cooler temps, so the meat will cool while you are making multiple trips out! I like to hunt with my longer range 7 rem mag, or 338 win mag, and then go with my 444 marlin, as it is nicer to carry while packing out meat. A short shot gun would work too! It's an adventure, and it will test your gumption for sure, both physically and mentally, and it is worth it! If you get your LEH, PM me, I may be able to answer a few questions. Moosin

[Downwindtracker2]

If you are alone, have lots of rigging, even with a ATV. You are only dealing with 1/2 a ton. If someone comes by and gives you a hand, offer them a quarter. I've walked away from a selfish older couple, and would do it again.

[KBC]

Thanks for the replies so far. Seems a bit mixed. As far as bush experience goes I’ve been camping, hiking and spending time in the outdoors since I was 9 or 10 for almost 30 years now. I’m comfortable by myself, carry an inreach and have taken care of a vehicle break down in the bush on more than a few occasions. I could probably use a first aid refresher as it’s been awhile but in general I think I’m ok spending time alone in the woods.

Im sure I’ll mess something up while gutting and quartering but that’s part of the learning process. I have studied a lot about it but there is nothing like hands on experience. My main questions and concerns are really about access, safety and assuming you don’t mind hard work, is a solo moose hunt still too much.

Thanks for the the comments so far!

[bighornbob]

Thanks for the replies so far. Seems a bit mixed. As far as bush experience goes I’ve been camping, hiking and spending time in the outdoors since I was 9 or 10 for almost 30 years now. I’m comfortable by myself, carry an inreach and have taken care of a vehicle break down in the bush on more than a few occasions. I could probably use a first aid refresher as it’s been awhile but in general I think I’m ok spending time alone in the woods.

Im sure I’ll mess something up while gutting and quartering but that’s part of the learning process. I have studied a lot about it but there is nothing like hands on experience. My main questions and concerns are really about access, safety and assuming you don’t mind hard work, is a solo moose hunt still too much.

Thanks for the the comments so far!

i Hunt solo all the time and have killed and field dressed a ton. To give you an idea of what it takes , I shot a moose from the road and it dropped about 130m from the truck. Flat spot and easy walking to the truck.

Shot at 8:30am and was washing my hands at 1pm. Moose was skinned and quartered where it fell plus neck meat and ribs taken too.

So 4.5 hours in ideal conditions. Throw terrain, distance, weather, time of day, where the moose died etc etc and your time goes up two to 10 fold.

Only you know your abilities but I will let you judge if it’s doable and realistic.

Never been in those areas but good luck.

Bhb

[mike31154]

Myself & 2 buddies were successful on an LEH for moose last fall. Only 1 of us 3 had experience downing & preparing an animal the size of a bull. Myself & the bud that dropped the moose were the novices. I was on a motorbike, other 2 had ATVs. Dropped the moose about 30 meters from the FSR, in a partial cutblock with a good deal of deadfall & uncleared lumber. Downed at about 18:00. It was 03:00 in the morning by the time we had finished quartering, transporting, hanging & skinning the animal. We're reasonably fit, but no longer spring chickens & it took 3 of us to manhandle a rear quarter.

Colin, the youngest of us harvested the animal. He's a big strong fella. Not far from the road but the fallen logs made getting the quarters out tougher than it looks. The ATVs came in very handy but still had to clear some timber to get the carcass to the road. Rather than make multiple trips back to camp with the ATVs, I went back & brought my pickup in to transport the quarters in one go.

Personally, I would not attempt a moose solo. Deer yes. Having said that, during our trip we coincidentally met a friend of our experienced buddy, also a very experienced hunter. He was on a solo moose hunt in the adjacent MU on GOS bow hunt. Great guy, SAR (Search & Rescue Tech) in the Air Force. About as tough & experienced in the outdoors as they come & a few years younger than us. He had been on successful solo moose hunts before, as well as losing one after getting a single arrow into him. He was equipped with an ATV & one of the other accessories he mentioned that came in useful was a sheet of thick plastic material, sort of like crazy carpet. He said it was a great way to drag a quarter along the ground.

Best of luck to you.

[ACE]

Have taken two bulls solo . . . lots to consider here. Bob above took his in the morning under good conditions. A bull dropped late in the afternoon is a job that stretches into the night. Coming back to the kill site in the dark alone, after taking a load out, can be dangerous in bear country. You will need lots of rigging, and a hunting partner just makes the job faster and easier. You don't want to lose meat because you can't deal with the job in a quick manner.
My $0.02 worth would be to solo for Mule deer first . . . good luck to you what ever you decide to do.

[Rackmastr]

I should be clear on my response. The 'moose hunt' portion of the choice is the smallest decision. A person can hunt moose solo anytime, no problem. Its a learning experience and they are hard work, but its likely the smallest of my concerns when making a decision on a hunt like that.

My reservations are directed to the area, the remoteness, and the time I've spent in the area. Just wouldn't make me comfortable going solo but as I said, the moose is likely the smallest factor in the choice.

[mpotzold]

LT(LOVER 308 ) & I hunted in the 7-28, 7-38 region since'67 for moose.

Hunted alone in the area more than a few times & have been successful.

Lots of bears in the area so be prepared for an encounter when hunting & especially when field dressing & carrying out game. Have rifle handy & chambered. Flag the area(2 ft. high circle) of the kill site & approach site carefully when returning. Also listen to birds & rodents.

Nation River/Lakes 7-28 area was one of our favourite.
Lots of swampy areas from Nation to Manson Creek to check for fresh signs.
Best is right after a fresh snowfall.

Nowadays I would highly recommend a SPOT or equivalent.

[cameron0518]

Try moving up to rabbits instead of a moose. Coming from experience and 4 months of heavy training to get in shape to do it, a moose isn't an easy animal for one person. I even had help with a quad and it still took until 2am to finish up. I think it took about 8-10 hours from start to finish. Good luck on your possible adventure and even better luck needed to get a draw.

[cuervosail]

It's hunting. Sometimes it's tough. Society has become soft. Find some social media pages of guys who really put in the time and effort to be successful. Get some inspiration from them. They don't usually hunt from a truck or an ATV and you'll not likely find them shooting something close to a road in a cutblock. If you're successful, you'll be thinking of your efforts every time you cook up one of those moose steaks. It sounds like you are young and ambitious. Just do the work!