moose hunters

[Monsterdeer]

The moose rut. Had ppl tell me that it hasn't started, n is like 15 day late. Just wandering what everyone else is thinking, n finding. I've seen bull n cows together, just not the big boys. Also if anyone has advise on a spike bull I'm all ears. Lol.

[Jagermeister]

Just so you won't feel ignored.
The moose rut started early this year and it ended quickly, last day of the rut was Sept. 26th. This was due to the reduction in cow numbers by the early season harvest as there were less cows to breed. The bulls returned to the mountain top swamps to sate their appetites until driven to lower elevations forced by snowfall.

[Vladimir Poutine]

This question just goes on and on. The one constant that is most important according to every article I've ever read, and by those that do the science is length of daylight hours. That is what ultimately puts the cows into estrus, which in turn makes them receptive to the males. There is a very good chance that most bulls will be ready before that occurs so that will be the variable as to whether they will respond to calls etc. To suggest that the last day of rut was a certain date is old wives' tales or campfire gossip. I encountered a cow bull pair on Sept 23 where the bull was still checking for the ok to do the deed. She wasn't allowing it. We then ran into another pair in the first week of October and same thing. This isn't an exact activity. We are fairly certain that the activity lasts mostly for about 2 weeks or so, hence the closure in some areas for a 2 week period. Then there is what's called a secondary rut period. Don't know much about that. other than it's supposedly got something to do with cows that weren't bred during the main rut.

Don't get too wound up on specific dates. Trial and error and a learning curve. You could ask 100 people here about this and get 200 answers.

[Sofa King]

lack of cows? in my little area, ive seen probably nine different moose, only two were bulls, one spiker that was with a cow, and one decent size guy that was alone, but not far from where the cows were hanging.

[Sofa King]

lack of daylight hours, colder temps, it all pretty much goes hand in hand. hard to say its one and not the other. i like the one theory i read on here, that its the gestation period. do the math, and thats when theyll breed, so its timed for the young to be born in the spring.

[Machinist]

We were on LEH in area 6 , Started hunting on Sept 15 and hunted until Sept 20 , filled three LEH, Tags and all three Bulls were called in they were fully in the rut at the time we were there.

[Jagermeister]

We were on LEH in area 6 , Started hunting on Sept 15 and hunted until Sept 20 , filled three LEH, Tags and all three Bulls were called in they were fully in the rut at the time we were there.
Your time line is good. Cows not quite ready, but the bulls are eager and full of anticipation. Once a bull is with cow, he is not all that ready to forsake her on the whim of a call.

[40incher]

The big old bulls are, by and large, done and have headed to the thick stuff to feed heavily before winter. That's not to say they will not react to cow call on a minus 5 morning.

Unbred cows will be coming into heat around the 24th of October and the younger bulls will be reacting to cow calling, especially if we can get some freezing conditions in the AM.

Get out there on a frosty morning and cow call. We have seen bulls in full rut on November 15 as well, when the odd cow is still looking for action.

[MB_Boy]

. Also if anyone has advise on a spike bull I'm all ears. Lol.

Given it's your first post I don't think you're going to hear too much as to where one has been seen. :wink:


But.....here's some advice. Keep looking and IF you happen to find a spike/fork bull.....shoot it dead, as anyone WITH a tag and NO LEH would do. :wink: It's common practice. :tongue:

[markomoose]

I called in my first bull last saturday eve on a big swamp.He come off the hill into the willows and started thrashing.I don't normally call as I'm shitty at it but getting better.Nice 8x8 with a drop tine out front.My partner and I had this guy on a string for 20 minutes before he booked it.Was pissed cause I left my camera on quad 2km back.Oh well was one of my moose career highlights.Oh yeah no tag/immys only.Even sweeter when you can share the experience with a good friend.

[M.Dean]

I think animals go into "Rut" dam near the same time each year, despite the weather. How do the know when to bred, it's the amount of light each day which enters there eyes then there brain, triggering them to start the rut. When the days are long, 6 or 7 hours of dark and the rest light, they don't bred, when the days get down to 12 and 12 they start to think about it, and in the fall, like now, they go screw there brains out! If there was any Moose in MU 3-27 they'd be rutt'in about now, but there ain't any so don't drive up here! I use a plastic coffee can, the big red one, poked a hole in the bottom and ran a leather shoe lace through it, I wet the lace and start call'in, and there rutt'in for sure! Not up here tho!!!

[russm86]

Vlad and M Dean are on par with everything else I have read and heard, that it is most dependent on the length of the days. I know here in region 3 I kept running into bulls with cows, and they were all over them, the last or second to last week of Sept. Since then I have only seen individual cows or the odd lone bull.

[11hunt11]

I was in the Quesnel area Oct 1st to 7th and the Moose were really rutting then.

[Monsterdeer]

Thanks everybody

[Frango]

In 9 days of hunting this year we saw 18 cows, 8 bulls and 3 calf moose. The bulls did respond to our calls and the cows where moaning. This was the 2nd of Oct to the 11th in 7B so that should tell you that the rut was on. I could have shot a tri who came in to our cow calls but made the decision not to shoot .In hindsight this was a mistake as we came home empty. Made my wife happy though she told me she was sick of moose..How is that possible???

[billjc33]

Seriously did someone say the moose rut ended on Sept 26th? haha. The rut peaks from Sept 25 - Oct 5 every single year. This doesnt mean they are not rutting before and after but that's the peak. Doesn't matter what the moon is doing or what the weather is like its the same every year. We called in bulls from Sept 21st to Oct 5th this year and I know people called some out last Sunday

[Jagermeister]

Seriously did someone say the moose rut ended on Sept 26th? haha. The rut peaks from Sept 25 - Oct 5 every single year. This doesnt mean they are not rutting before and after but that's the peak. Doesn't matter what the moon is doing or what the weather is like its the same every year.
Post #2. I guess I should have used a tongue in cheek smilie for the slow ones.

[curt]

very well written and bang on from what I have heard from a few bio's the reality is length of day light gets it going if it wasn't something as constant as that calves would be born all over the map and survival would be much tougher for the later calves the second part of Vladimir's response is also correct cows not bred will go into heat roughly 28 days later for a second rut and possibly 28 days again for a third.
This question just goes on and on. The one constant that is most important according to every article I've ever read, and by those that do the science is length of daylight hours. That is what ultimately puts the cows into estrus, which in turn makes them receptive to the males. There is a very good chance that most bulls will be ready before that occurs so that will be the variable as to whether they will respond to calls etc. To suggest that the last day of rut was a certain date is old wives' tales or campfire gossip. I encountered a cow bull pair on Sept 23 where the bull was still checking for the ok to do the deed. She wasn't allowing it. We then ran into another pair in the first week of October and same thing. This isn't an exact activity. We are fairly certain that the activity lasts mostly for about 2 weeks or so, hence the closure in some areas for a 2 week period. Then there is what's called a secondary rut period. Don't know much about that. other than it's supposedly got something to do with cows that weren't bred during the main rut.

Don't get too wound up on specific dates. Trial and error and a learning curve. You could ask 100 people here about this and get 200 answers.

[billjc33]

Post #2. I guess I should have used a tongue in cheek smilie for the slow ones.

HAHA my bad

[Caribou_lou]

They Rut the same time every year. When its warm I find they get it done quietly. When its cold the moose are more active and you see/hear then more. It was not 15 days Late. Otherwise they would be rutting hard now!