7-16 c

[tripleseven]

Hi All, I won a bull moose draw for 7-16 C, near Crooked River north of PG. I've never squeezed the trigger on a moose, and I'm really excited about getting out there. I was wondering if anyone would be so kind as to offer any information about the area. I went to school and worked in forestry in PG in the 90's but I don't remember anything about that area, and my moose hunting has been pretty limited.

Can you suggest areas that I might want to focus on? What is road access like?

The season is August 15th to September 30th, which will be odd hunting in 30 degree weather.
Do I absolutely need an ATV? I have a Dodge pick-up, and a zodiac boat. It seems to me that a moose shot in mid-august heat will spoil very quickly. It would be awful to have game go off because i couldn't retrieve it quickly enough.

Do you think there will be better hunting earlier or later (mid-august or late september)?

Many thanks, I'm counting down the days!

[Fred1]

Yeeeeeehaaaawwwwww!! Don't know 7-16, intimately but know the PG moose. Go later in your draw. The moose will be in the rut by Sept 10 - full blown by Sept 30! Find water - away from roads. Find the thickest shit imaginable - away from roads. Call your ass off! Call call call.... Did I say call? Take a boat... and a chain saw...and a rope... and some packs ;) If you have a Trapper Nelson, burn it... Don't give up on and area after a day or two. If its hot, they will still rut!! The "frosty nuts thing" is BS... They rut according to time of year... not temperature... If its hot, they will be active during the night, so your hunting is best done right at first light! Start calling in the dark. (Although 50% of the guided moose we shoot are mid day?!) Shoot straight! Shoot again! Keep the meat cool, shade, near/over/in water. Good Luck!!!

[markomoose]

YUP! Definately moose in that area!Do as Fred1 suggested go late in your draw.It's a large MU so moose could be anywhere?If it's warm you can get your kill to Hunnifords Meats located on the north end of PG off Cheif Lake Road. Good luck & Cheers Mark!

[moosinaround]

Tough hunt, got horseshoe implants yet?? Check out the horseshoe imporium on ogilvie st in PG! They specialize in the early LEH hunts in 7A. Water will be your friend. As your cruising around out there on yer quad, look or feel for the cooler areas you pass through! That's where I'd be if I was a critter wearing a fur coat!! Good hunting to you!! Moosin

[ACE]

Took a bull there last September ..... We were about 35 km in on the North Fraser FSR. A quad would help ..... Hunnifords is nice and close, and they do good cutting. As others have suggested, later in September would help you. We ran into a few G-bear in there. There is a variety of terrain in there .... good luck .....

[tripleseven]

Much appreciated gentlemen. So 7-16 is open to spike-fork bulls after September 10th. How much does hunting pressure change moose behavior vs the rut making them young dumb and full of .....testosterone? Would they be more visible before the 10th or does the rut trump hunting pressure?

I don't even have a proper frame pack yet (any suggestions?), but I do have a wall tent. Is it best to set up camp on a meadow/lake/clearcut that a bull might pop out of, or is it better to camp a couple hundred yards away from that same opening and walk there first thing in the morning?

Looks like I better start putting all the feelers out to my hunting buddies with strong backs. A solo moose hunt without a quad sounds like the sort of thing i could regret.

Cheers!

[Fred1]

Packs... huge topic... do a search here - Bull Packs, Mystery Ranch, Kifaru, some guys like that pretty Kuiu stuff etc... - Im a MR fan.. Have three...moving on... Camp away from where you want to hunt. Walk in and call as you go. Hunting pressure will always change animal behavior. (This is why I always "get off the beaten track"). They cannot ignore the rut, but don't expect them to be completely ******ed... Talking... just don't do it! Your voice carries in the forest like you cannot believe - whisper in close proximity to your partners ear. Call and listen... call- listen... Don't be afraid of the solo hunt, just be ready for the hard work after you pull the trigger. Have some kind of plan for the meat - everything will take you three times as long to gut, process and pack out by yourself - the heat is your enemy. (Geez if you are alone DO NOT shoot that critter in the water... DONT... trust me...) If you haven't or don't know how to bone out an animal get on the Youtube!! Don't be afraid to shoot a small one... ;)

[Eastbranch]

The crooked river is NOT in 7-16c. That unit is east of highway 97. The crooked river is in unit 7-24. 16c has a pretty low moose population. Get as far off the road as possible.

[Benthos]

Lots of moose, I've shot a few in there. Nice to have the early draw as calf season was cancelled in 7a, except that unit and 723. Will be a gong show oct 1st.