5-12 Moose hunt

[stinger]

Just got back and thought I should let you know the numbers from our hunt.
We hunted the top end of 5-12 off of the Kluskus FSR. We stayed in 6-1 and travelled to 7-11 and 7-12 for unicorns and 5-12 for a leh.
The following numbers are our observations but we spoke to other hunters in the area particularily 5-12 and they had the same observations
Moose. 0
Mule Deer. 31 no shooters
Black bear 23 including cubs
Grizzly 2
Grouse billions
There was no sign at all nothing had been browsing on the bushes no rubs nothing its like there is no moose at all. This was not just our experience but that of 7 other hunters besides us. Temps were very good most of the trip, minuses most nights low teens a few days but mostly under ten with plenty of hail snow rain wind everything to get animals moving. We stopped at Finger Lake and nothing was hanging there with three sets of hunters there. We did pass one group on the Kluskus just before the turnoff for Finger Lake and they were hauling a nice 4 point Muley out of the slash but thats it.
If you are planning your hunt up there obviously get a bear tag theres way to many bears in the area and lots of Muley's I was really surprised by how many. In full camo I had a Doe and fork walk to within 20 feet of me trying to figure out what I was, it was pretty cool. I had them around me for a good half an hour before I got tired of being a statue and of course the camera was in the truck.
Had a visit in camp from the CO's, good guys very professional did their job and left but I felt uncomfortable everytime I moved or reached for something they asked for their hand went to their sidearm. I suppose its their training and they had no idea what a nice guy they were speaking to but it made me very aware they were ready to tango should the need arise.
Good luck out there

[big game chaser]

Got a cabin out there haven't seen a moose in over a year and I travel them roads most weekends actually probably 2 years

[cascades]

Used to be great moose country 15 years ago, to bad it fell apart.

[Sander]

I go fishing a lot in 512 and I still see the odd moose but nothing like it was in the past. This year we have seen a lot of black bears with cubs so there doing good. We have all so seen more white tail and mule deer than we have in the past. Hope the moose population picks up.

[604ksmith]

Thanks for the info.

I was hunting 7-12 last weekend and saw the following:

Moose: 0 (but did see a fair bit of recent sign on some of the grown-in spur roads)
Deer: 0
Black Bear: 3
Grizzly: 1 (Little Bobtail Lake)
Wolf: 1
Grouse: 40-50

[wideopenthrottle]

last time I hunted in the finger/tatuk area in 08 I had a cow tag and felt very lucky to fill it because it was the only moose we saw all trip.....we ran into a guided hunter who said the lodge he was huinting out of had already pulled 75 moose out that year...it was the last time I went up there......when we used to go there, the moose were always down in the poplar groves by the lakes...any recently blown over poplars will be stripped of bark by the moose like a corn on the cob...that area was selectively logged for pine then some years later they came in and cleared it all off (I heard it was a shady deal how that went down).