Beginners Luck in 5-01?

[Murphyv]

Hi everyone, I have been a (silent) member 4 years now and have always enjoyed and appreciated the loads of information on the site. I did not grow up hunting and picked it up as a young adult a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. My grandfather passed along his well used Belgium Browning 30.06 however he was far too old to offer any guidance. Without a mentor I am glad there are folks on HBC who provide some form of guidance and advice to the newbies like myself.

I do not have any hunting secrets or tips to offer anyone being new to this however I am happy to pass along some fishing tips/guidance/advice/"honey holes" to those who may be looking to fish for salmon in the Capilano river or along the West Vancouver beach shore. What goes around comes around?

We were lucky enough to draw a shared Moose hunt in region 5-01, October 1-15th. As this is unfamiliar territory to our group, I thought I would reach out and see if anyone has information they would be comfortable sharing to a new hunter. Such as possible camp spots, typical weather, access, success, wolf numbers, or really any information/insight/advice I can get! It is a large area and I do not have a clue where to begin. Deka lake? Green Lake? Bridge lake? I am still working through the old threads regarding all these areas and often times daze off reading the non relevant side stories as they never disappoint.

I have done lots of research on the habitats of moose along with calling, sign etc to try and be as educated and prepared as possible. We have done some online scouting and were hoping to have made it up there in July for a scouting trip. With the recent fires, COVID, the heatwave and work travels, it has been far from an ideal summer to make the 6 hour drive. That being said I am hoping to sneak up there for a weekend in September provided the fires slow down to get a lay of the lands (or as much as possible in a weekend...). Young, new hunters who love to camp, have ATV's to get from camp to an area but loving getting into the thick and putting miles on the boots. Might bring the 14' aluminum to try out luck on some lake fishing over the 10-12 day trip.

Even without any shared info, I am just happy to finally introduce myself.

Happy Hunting!

[sabourin]

Hi Murphyv, You should reach out to Steven (SRUPP). He will definitely point you in the right direction. He's been a wealth of information for my upcoming moose hunt

[Murphyv]

Awesome I will do that thank you. Greatly appreciate, best of luck on your moose hunt!


Hi Murphyv, You should reach out to Steven (SRUPP). He will definitely point you in the right direction. He's been a wealth of information for my upcoming moose hunt

[sabourin]

Thanks, you as well!

[Bubbacanuck]

Hi everyone, I have been a (silent) member 4 years now and have always enjoyed and appreciated the loads of information on the site. I did not grow up hunting and picked it up as a young adult a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. My grandfather passed along his well used Belgium Browning 30.06 however he was far too old to offer any guidance. Without a mentor I am glad there are folks on HBC who provide some form of guidance and advice to the newbies like myself.

I do not have any hunting secrets or tips to offer anyone being new to this however I am happy to pass along some fishing tips/guidance/advice/"honey holes" to those who may be looking to fish for salmon in the Capilano river or along the West Vancouver beach shore. What goes around comes around?

We were lucky enough to draw a shared Moose hunt in region 5-01, October 1-15th. As this is unfamiliar territory to our group, I thought I would reach out and see if anyone has information they would be comfortable sharing to a new hunter. Such as possible camp spots, typical weather, access, success, wolf numbers, or really any information/insight/advice I can get! It is a large area and I do not have a clue where to begin. Deka lake? Green Lake? Bridge lake? I am still working through the old threads regarding all these areas and often times daze off reading the non relevant side stories as they never disappoint.

I have done lots of research on the habitats of moose along with calling, sign etc to try and be as educated and prepared as possible. We have done some online scouting and were hoping to have made it up there in July for a scouting trip. With the recent fires, COVID, the heatwave and work travels, it has been far from an ideal summer to make the 6 hour drive. That being said I am hoping to sneak up there for a weekend in September provided the fires slow down to get a lay of the lands (or as much as possible in a weekend...). Young, new hunters who love to camp, have ATV's to get from camp to an area but loving getting into the thick and putting miles on the boots. Might bring the 14' aluminum to try out luck on some lake fishing over the 10-12 day trip.

Even without any shared info, I am just happy to finally introduce myself.

Happy Hunting!

PM me. I know of a bull moose there. I had a cow and calf on my cam last year that I am pretty sure he fathered but who knows. I have a cabin on Deka lake, so I'm up there a couple times a year. I will share a location for you to check out. Hopefully it will be good karma for my upcoming archery elk hunt in a few weeks haha

[Mudsey]

Check out Doman Rd

[srupp]

Hmm local knowlege..HOWEVER massive fires in this area..surrounding area..
Please send me a ph number in PM and I will add what I can..lol 5 calls today mostly from sheep hunters..
Congrads on the draw..avail yourself of the kind offers presented already.
Cheers
Srupp

[ElliotMoose]

Know the area well.. I find the peak rut to be Oct 5-15 so definitely try to be there for as much of that time period as possible. Also it can either be -10 or +20 that time of year so do your homework before hand for meat cutters/ coolers in the area so you aren’t left stranded if you get something down and it heats up. Lots of rec sites to camp. The population is a fraction of what it once was but there is still a few donkeys in there

[srthomas75]

you probably know this but keep in mind the off limit times for atv riding.

[KBC]

My family has some property on one of the lakes close to Bridge lake. This spring when I was out bear hunting was the first year in awhile I saw less wolf sign and more signs the predators were on the decline in the area. Every year for the last little while I had been seeing more and more wolf sign and less of everything else.
I saw a cow and week or two old calf moose and another year old moose, several deer, a family of geese and a big bear I couldn’t quite get out in the open before he winded me.

Good luck, I wish I’d drawn that tag.

[srupp]

Hmm Sept 26..Oct 20..rut in cariboo..last year it was full swing early..even hot out..when is the best time to hunt moose..when you have a tag..
Congrads
Steven

[TimberPig]

you probably know this but keep in mind the off limit times for atv riding.

There is no ATV time of use restrictions in 5-01.

[wos]

Unfortunately 501 is a shadow of its former glory for moose right now. I helped my dad on his hunt a couple years ago and it was a grind. He did get his moose but nothing like the years passed.

[albravo2]

I met a guy at the range yesterday that won this draw and suggested he check the forum for some advice but he had heard that first time posters asking for advice usually get a rough ride on here.

I think this post is an excellent way of asking for help without asking for honey-holes and I'm happy to see some great advice already posted.

Wish I could help but I don't know that area at all.

PM if you want to chat general moose hunting.

[Gun Dog]

You need to overlay the Elephant Hill fire with 5-01 to see what's burnt. The fire almost reached the south shore of Sheridan Lake.

There is currently an area restriction due to the Sparks Lake fire. It expires October 15.

The last couple of years were unusually hot in October (20C). Have a butcher or cooler lined up before you go.

OTOH, in 2018 we received a foot of snow October 2nd. That was a good year for hunting.

[wallz]

99 Mile grocery in 100 Mile House, has a cooler that I used last year for my moose. Only to 4:30 Pm tho, or if a butcher is around. They are set up to hang the meat from the side/back entry and load right off your truck. I think it was $25 a day is what I paid. It was very hot last year early Oct.

Sorry not much help for info on the area, as I did not hunt 5-01.

[Murphyv]

Thank You! I will send you a PM and we can connect whenever works best for you, greatly appreciated!


Hmm local knowlege..HOWEVER massive fires in this area..surrounding area..
Please send me a ph number in PM and I will add what I can..lol 5 calls today mostly from sheep hunters..
Congrads on the draw..avail yourself of the kind offers presented already.
Cheers
Srupp

[Murphyv]

Good call. We will be sure to have a cooler lined up in case we are successful. It looks like 100 mile may be the closest for the south side of region 5-1.

Thanks!


Know the area well.. I find the peak rut to be Oct 5-15 so definitely try to be there for as much of that time period as possible. Also it can either be -10 or +20 that time of year so do your homework before hand for meat cutters/ coolers in the area so you aren’t left stranded if you get something down and it heats up. Lots of rec sites to camp. The population is a fraction of what it once was but there is still a few donkeys in there

[Murphyv]

Thanks for the info. Glad to hear the predators may be on the decline. I have heard the whitetail are making a larger presence in some parts of the region making the mulies move around? I will most definitely have a bear tag in the pocket as well!


My family has some property on one of the lakes close to Bridge lake. This spring when I was out bear hunting was the first year in awhile I saw less wolf sign and more signs the predators were on the decline in the area. Every year for the last little while I had been seeing more and more wolf sign and less of everything else.
I saw a cow and week or two old calf moose and another year old moose, several deer, a family of geese and a big bear I couldn’t quite get out in the open before he winded me.

Good luck, I wish I’d drawn that tag.

[Murphyv]

I am grateful for all the info I have gotten from members on here in less than 24 hours. I have seen the first time posters asking for honey holes in regions without an introduction or having done any research so this seemed like a better approach.

Will send you a PM!


I met a guy at the range yesterday that won this draw and suggested he check the forum for some advice but he had heard that first time posters asking for advice usually get a rough ride on here.

I think this post is an excellent way of asking for help without asking for honey-holes and I'm happy to see some great advice already posted.

Wish I could help but I don't know that area at all.

PM if you want to chat general moose hunting.

[Murphyv]

I was looking into places in 100 Mile, I will be sure to reach out to 99 Grocery.

Appreciate the info and glad to hear you were successful last season!


99 Mile grocery in 100 Mile House, has a cooler that I used last year for my moose. Only to 4:30 Pm tho, or if a butcher is around. They are set up to hang the meat from the side/back entry and load right off your truck. I think it was $25 a day is what I paid. It was very hot last year early Oct.

Sorry not much help for info on the area, as I did not hunt 5-01.

[chris]

We have had lots of fires this summer. I wouldn't be surprised if has gotten them moving around more than usual. I dont have any secret moose spots and in fact apply for areas away from here, but they are around. Had a pretty decent bear in the yard on the weekend and there always seems to be a few of them around so you might have luck with them too.

[CR CRUISER]

We have a shared hunt in 5-1 from October 15 to the 30th. Let me know how you made out. Thanks.

[Murphyv]

Thank you to everyone for all the advice/tips and info. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of comments and PM's I received from all you fine folks!

We will hunt hard and be sure to post pictures in the event we are successful.

[Murphyv]

We hunted hard for 12 days straight putting miles on the boots and quad and were not successful in harvesting a moose. Hunted mostly around the Deka/Needa/Bowers.

Weather was very warm (up tp 18 degrees a couple days), with a light dusting of snow on our last day of the hunt (Oct 11th). We spoke to other groups in the area who also had no luck calling in any bulls. A great grandmother dropped a bull that was crossing the road! The moose are there, lots of fresh sign and tracks however it seemed as though the rut may have not fully started yet?

Roughly 6 cows seen over the trip, one bear harvested and tons of grouse. Saw a handful of whitetail and only one mule doe. All in all, we learned lots and still had a great time out in the woods.

Hope to hear some success stories from others who had the draw later in the season.

Thanks again for all the advice!

[wideopenthrottle]

glad to hear you got a bear to go with some chickens...a moose would have been nice though....sounds like a great trip all round though

[Bubbacanuck]

We hunted hard for 12 days straight putting miles on the boots and quad and were not successful in harvesting a moose. Hunted mostly around the Deka/Needa/Bowers.

Weather was very warm (up tp 18 degrees a couple days), with a light dusting of snow on our last day of the hunt (Oct 11th). We spoke to other groups in the area who also had no luck calling in any bulls. A great grandmother dropped a bull that was crossing the road! The moose are there, lots of fresh sign and tracks however it seemed as though the rut may have not fully started yet?

Roughly 6 cows seen over the trip, one bear harvested and tons of grouse. Saw a handful of whitetail and only one mule doe. All in all, we learned lots and still had a great time out in the woods.

Hope to hear some success stories from others who had the draw later in the season.

Thanks again for all the advice!

Too bad you didn't get your moose but I am happy you saw some success with finding critters. I am sure the fires up there this year didn't help a ton either. Hopefully the tips I gave didn't lead you down the wrong path lol ;)

[Gun Dog]

I saw 2 dead moose while there (first week of October). One was shot, ran into a marsh and was being recovered. It was only a couple of km to the road where the trucks were. At least they had an ATV. The second was shot and abandoned. It was a 2-point and also ran into a marsh. I followed the ravens so it had been a few days already. I couldn't see it from the trail and had to do a little bushwhacking.

The weather was great -- around zero at night, 10-12C during the day and almost no rain.

[Hunterguy]

Not your fault not getting a moose in that area. Heavey rut started on the 14th through till the 18th. Little late for some reason.