Is the rut over or yet to start?????

[Cyrus]

Trying to fill our region 5 bull moose tag....landed a spike bull 1st day...but since then been seeing lots of single cows....so is the rut over?? Its been so stinking warm that I thought maybe it was on hold a bit.....whats your thoughts? Hunting my ass off and thinking that big guy is going to elude me....

[Sangstercraft]

What MU are you in? I just came back from 5-5, and the rut hadn't really begun in full yet.

[Cyrus]

5-1.....just wondering if i am wasting my breath calling......today was the 1st cold morning in a week....woke up to 15 degrees on Saturday and high wind...complete waste of time hunting......saw 3 single cows tonight.

[tomahawk]

The rut is not based on weather, it is triggered by the length of light and darkness in the day. However as you say cold or cooler weather can have its benefits on the intensity of the activities of the days you are afield. Mature breeding bulls are now starting to come out of the intense rutting activity they are in for about 2 weeks but still can be called if the conditions are right. The smaller bulls will be still thinking about rutting for a while yet.

[shawnwells]

i believe that too tomahawk...in Fort St John today (Oct 11)I saw a cow calf...no bull and a lone cow...no bull....so who knows....

[hillclimber]

where abouts are you in 5-1? send me a pm and i may be able to give you a hand

Stefan

[luckynuts]

Actually I think the rut started earlier for everything this year. I know I'm going get slagged but first week of Oct we usually see fresh and very smelly stink holes for bull moose all most all were completely dry this year except the ones deep in the heavy timbered bottoms, cows were all ready rounded up on the 30th. I was able to call in bull moose almost 2 weeks earlier than I normally do at work this year. My elk spots same thing though don't hunt them to much. One thing for sure you should still be able to call in a bull moose now I've had luck from 2nd week of September all the way to 1st week of November. Just my 2 cents keep at it it will pay off.

W.

[BromBones]

I've noticed a lot of the rutting action is happening at night with the warm weather. Often if I find a cow by herself in the evening, I'll sit in the area after it gets dark to see if I can hear any bulls coming out, and that's exactly what's been happening as of late in the area I'm hunting (7-13). Bulls have been holing up in the drainages around the lakes/swamps, and coming out at night for a piece of tail.

Had some good chances this weekend, but that nasty windstorm we had kind of buggered my plans - hunting those drainages in 80 km winds was pretty unsafe with all the trees tipping over, and the lakes were whipped up too much for a canoe.

[doubled]

We were in 5-12 from Oct 1-6th and the rut was going on BIG TIME when we were there. We called in six different bulls in four days.

[Ambush]

The "rut" happens at the same time of the year [region dependent] every year. Moose will breed when the cows are in estrous, not when the weather is right. And the cows come into heat at the same time of the year.
The amount of visual or audible evidence that you encounter can be affected by the weather.
They are there, but their response to your calls will be tempered. I mean, would you rather have sex on a beach, on a cold, rainy, blustery day? Or just do the same back at your comfy resort, or secluded, deep timber pond, if your a moose?
The rut takes a heavy physical toll on the bulls as it is, no sense dieing from heat exhaustion as well.