Trail Camera positioning - Moose

[VFX_man]

Hi all,

Just picked up 4 more trail cameras [since they tend to change ownership too easily] that I plan on installing over Canada Day . . .

Question is: Pre-scouting for the Nov. LEH Moose hunt, so do summer camera positions remain valid? Will the Moose stay in their general summer feeding area, or are they roaming quite a bit more in the winter? Last year my camera caught part of a moose, just not it's head :(

My Region 3 zone is around the Thompson/Adams River area so assuming near small lakes and/or river bottoms would be good? But think the old "winter grazing" evidence of clipped small tree tops [that were above the snow] are covered with new growth already, but will keep my eyes open.

Cheers and Thanks, VFX

[Caribou_lou]

The areas I hunt will have moose down low year round. But I find larger bulls will move down from the high country. When the rut is on the bulls will be where ever the Cows are. Find the cows, small bull will be hanging around and big bulls will show up! Good luck. Do you put out any salt?

[two-feet]

In general, moose will feed on softer plants and aquatic vegitation in the summer and move to browsing willow in the fall. That is why a summer moose dung will look mose like a patty and in the winter it is always pellets. A cow with a new calf took a dump on my lawn about 2 hours ago and although still in pellets, the entire thing was soft enough to form a moose pie. So to answer your question, moose will tend to be in different areas in july and november. However, as mentioned, some areas will provide what they need year round.

[Sitkaspruce]

November moose will be in a different location than their summer range. Bulls will be finished the rut and trying to put on as much fat as they can before true winter sets in, so they will be in the thick stuff feeding and bedding in roughly the same spot.

Summer moose will feed on aquatic vegetation, grasses, sedges and some young willow, cottonwood and other deciduous shoots. Once the fall sets in, the aquatic veg dies and the deciduous will "harden off" and become much more woody. Moose will switch from their summer places to places where there is more willow and other deciduous vegetation to feed on during the winter.

I would look for river and creek bottoms or older cut blocks with lots of thick deciduous vegetation and do some scouting. Look for lots of browsed down veg (old stuff) with lots of new stuff shooting off the browsed branches. The old browsed stuff shows that the moose winter there and that they leave the new growth for late fall/winter feed. This is where you will find those late season bulls.

You can hang a trail camera there, but you might just find the odd one wandering through. Putting cameras in their summer range and halfway between the summer/winter areas will tell you there is moose around, but moose being moose, they will go where ever they feel like it and you can get 2000 pictures one week and 10 the next. I have never found cameras used strictly for moose to be that helpful.

Glassing, slow still hunting with glassing and fresh snow tracking have all been successful for me in late season hunts.

Good luck!!

Cheers

SS

[Brez]

I've had cameras 4 to 9 km apart and had the same animals (elk, moose, griz) on them at different parts of the season. What I can tell you is to use all of your cameras in diverse locations and then hunt the ones that have the most recent pics of the animals you want to target. One of my cameras last year had no elk on it to speak of so I did not go there for the first week. There were 3 nice bull elk there in 3 days while I sat home waiting to go elsewhere

[Steelpulse]

All great info, try finding a good swamp, a camera on a trail around a swamp is a great location, moose love a good swamp hence swamp donkey

[hunter1947]

In the area I have hunted my answer to you is yes bull moose will stay in the same area summer time on into late fall that you got pictures from your trail cam in the summer months.
I had bull moose that I caught on my trail cams in summer months then latter to see the same bulls in late fall.

[VFX_man]

Thanks for the guidance. Just stitched together a satelitte map for the area and compare it to my topo maps. Lots of promising marshy land to scout! Hoping a couple of the full time residents in the area [that I know] can give me some insight. I'm sure they would appreciate some moose meat :)

Cheers, VFX