5-13A Nov 1-15 Bull Moose

[bcd]

Two of my best friends and I drew this shared hunt - we are stoked! Planning on doing a canoe hunt in Nazko Provincial Park.

A few questions that came to mind so far:

-Weather. Looking at the Williams Lake historical forecast it sounds like freezing temps and a bit of snow?

-Water. The park website mentions some of the lake levels are too low to paddle through in late summer, do they come back up by then? Will any of them be starting to freeze over yet?

-Technique. From the threads I've read about late season, the rut is over and calling is not usually effective. Is the country open enough we can glass from the lakes, or would we be better off covering ground on foot looking for fresh sign (especially if there's snow) and targeting those areas at first/last light?

Unfortunately none of us are close enough to do any scouting, and we only have a few years of hunting under our belts. Any info would be very much appreciated - getting an animal or two on a unique hunt like this with the three of us together would be incredible!

Cheers, D

[northernguy]

The weather station at Puntzi Mt will give you a bit more accurate information. I hope this link to the WX site works:
http://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-42_metric_e.html

You can expect freezing temps and wet snow. Conditions can be quite wet and miserable so be prepared.

Water levels are at about their lowest at that time of year. They don't normally come up until spring unless there is a fair bit of rain...like a week's worth.

Yep, too late for calling but stalking trails and likely looking water sources and draws should be effective. That said, I have stopped a big Bull with a grunt just long enough to get a shot when it was long, long, after the rut. The country is pocked with swamps, meadows, and draws so glassing can be very effective.

It's not unusual for the Bulls to start to bunch together at that time of year so, if you see one, be patient...there may be more around. I don't know why they do this...maybe to compare notes on the "dates" they had that season :)?

Have fun!

[Foxtail]

Pm me and I can give you some dirt.

[Seth]

I can help you out as well. Pm me.

[Steelpulse]

No pm me haha, anyways I wouuldnt say no to calling but if there's potentially some snow i'd jump on tracking as soon as it snows cruise the area by car or foot in likely spots cut some tracks and go, find some trails and sit it out in the am's and late pm's swamps are my favourite

[Drillbit]

Canoeing the Nazko then? or the Blackwater?

Lots of beaver dams across the Nazko.

[bcd]

Thanks northernguy, the link works. Sounds like that's the time of year things can start to freeze up depending on the weather that year. Here's hoping for open water and a light dusting of snow!

For stalking trails would you keep following it until you find the animal, or try to get a sense of where they are and wait for them to move so you don't spook them away? I guess it would depend on the nature of the track, if it's one random one or multiple tracks between feeding and bedding..

Good to know that calling can still work, but sounds like it should be reserved for getting them to stop for a shot or if they refuse to move out of cover.

Anyone have any luck pushing them out of cover towards their hunting partner if you have multiple people? I'm worried about them being nocturnal as it will be right around the full moon when we are there.

It's the Nazko, within the park it's basically a chain of small lakes with short portages, until the north end where it turns in to the river. Or that's what the internet tells me anyway :) Has anyone here paddled this route?