area 3-40 leh moose hunt recomendations

[betteroffishing]

so aftr 6 year of nil i finally won one. i have from oct1-30 to harvest a mature bull from this area north of clearwater. with the limited scouting my hunting group has done since last season on this area { it is totally new to us nd we were going there regardless of the draw outcome } we have decided to camp somehere around the silence lake area. would any of the locals be able to advise on te road conditions, access to habitat , better lternatives to this area. NOT ASKING OU TO GIVE UP YOUR HONEY HOLES. just wondering if we are on the right track or not , as google earth and backroad mapbooks are our primary scouting tools tll we get there , and soetimes the info contained is faulty or easilly misinterpreted. thanks for your time , bof

[Jelvis]

Have you any restrictions on your very good LEH validation for the bull moose?
Like a certain zone in 3-40? Or is it for all of 3-40?
This is sought after in the any bull moose hunting in the LEH scheme of things.
You got it now do your best to fill it with a hunt to remember for all the right reasons.
If you can hunt all over then it's a wide open for you in 3-40.
Mature bull from Oct 1 til 30 would make anyone who knows about Clearwater area moose salivate while relishing the thought of scoring this hunt code. POW!
You got a goody. Now get back on that area thing is it all over the back 3-40 or in a zone?
Jel .. Then once clarified, we will build a hunt lol. The weather on the Oct 1st?
Hey it's not Alaska it's just north of Kamloops and just south of hunting heaven.
The ballz in your court, shoot from the lip.

[Jelvis]

Mu 3-40 -------------------> Clearwater- Blue River <-------------------
Bounded on the east by Wells Gray Park and on the west by Yellowhead Highway 5, this area is accessible mainly by Raft River logging roads. This area can be pretty good for moose, fair mule deer, black bear all over and the occasional big grizz no season 4 you lol.
Your going up the Raft to Silence Lake which is good. 2000 ft + not bad.
Talk about your plan?
Jp. Mu 3-40 .. North of Clearwater 4 Mr Big in the peak of rut .. Whaaaaaaaa.

[martyonthewater]

He drew for the bull only hunt oct1-31, all of reg. 3-40. We are now begining to talk amongsts our group about timing the hunt and where we will likely set up. We will be a group of 6 with a walltent and perhaps a camper or 2. Any helpfull advice is much appreciated. (hows the fishing on Silence)?

[Jelvis]

Maybe three pick ups or two to drive in and check some access from the main roads around Mu 3-40 and from the Highway 5 and up the Ckearwater river a short ways too.
Or just past Irvine on Hwy 5 one goes up the Mad River for a moose and one goes up another way from camp to look and scout and report in after, what we saw etc.
Go in from just past Irvine on the Mad river road, go up and come out at Avola through Cottonwoods Flats, and hit the Hwy 5, or do a reverse of this or both.
Or go up the Clearwater River to Moul Creek the boundary between Mu 3-40 and others.
And go up the Raft River where the big game hunting has been around for decades.
Salmon and other fish in the river at all times different sizes check regs.
From Silence camp one truck go up Stratton Creek fsr for instance and one another way.
With the moose rut in full swing you will see a bull, so sight those rifles in good.
I recommend hunt from October 1st to the 12th budda bing budda bang budda BOOM!

[martyonthewater]

Good info, thanks Jelly

[Jelvis]

One kicker this is ruff country to hunt on foot so I'd stick with road hunting on fsr's and spur roads looking for marshy ponds and swamps with spruce and the yellowy swamp grass and water with willow and aspen first.
Once you got a nice spot, get out early the next morning and go in quiet and do some looking listening and hunting by calling and getting some action with the local bulls.
The Mad River is where the people in the "Know!" Go for bull moose leh year after year
I'd go in at least once from Avola and go down the Mad River rubber neckin .....or come up from above Irvine on the Mad River fsr and see the mooseyness ..............
Jel .. (3-40 bullz) .. leh is Grrrr rate says Tony the Tigerrr ...................................lol
by4now

[betteroffishing]

thank you jell , some good info there. you say the region isnt known for its deer populations , im a bit confused as i expected the opposite , having seen the pics that dana and others have posted of deer around the clearwater area. { i think dana is from clearwater }

[Jelvis]

There are mule deer in there and you will see them too, along with black bears and moose. The tree types change at Little Fort just south of Clearwater into a moosier mix of vegi's towards Clearwater to Blue River but the big mule deer are there.
Moose have long gangly legs and can run through wind fall like a running back on Red Bull.
A mule deer likes the slopes of hills and lay up looking down.
A moose can lay in a marshy meadow with tall grass and hold still for a long time.
But when the rut is on, it's, "Show time!"
If you want to hunt both deer and moose then you are here in Mu 3-40. Drive all over and look early mornings and you will see big game. Moose and deer.
If you want big mule deer go up the Mt. McClennan fsr just go past the Raft River after coming out north from Clearwater on Hwy 5, just past the Raft River go left and turn up the Mt McClennan FSR for big mule bucks.
Don't burn your selves out driving fast everywhere but slow down and look deep into the edge as you can.
Jel in Mu 3-40 try the ones already mentioned 4 now, the Dennis Lake fsr up the Mad River
Is worth a try

[robertmcallan]

i got the same draw as you but last year and was successful but had to work to see a moose did alot of road hunting because did not know the area to well and i found wall tent and hunt around avola you should be able to find a moose or the raft river fsr around the 20 km mark. On are last day we ran into a guy saying that he just about hit the biggest moose he seen up their with his truck while driving to work in that area have fun though nice area to be in

[martyonthewater]

Thanks a lot guys. Is the fs campsite at silence pretty good, super busy, really as well treed as it appears on google maps? What can we expect in terms of snow if we were there in early oct. inches or feet ?

[Jelvis]

Prepare for some snow or rain or dry at 2000 feet but heading up those fsr's even if it's wet, have good aggressive tread on your tires, carry tire chains and have a come a long with chain or big rope along lol. Have a good sharp shovel or two, a rope for pulling the truck if needs be, lol.
You will prolly see more snow at the Coquihalla Summit on the way up,lol.
Who knows what the weather can do, some years pretty dang good, then a cold snap out of nowhere.
You should be just fine, but, "Be prepared!" Like the Boy Scouts are.
It's a beautiful situation your in all the way, this is a good LEH code you won here.
This isn't a maybe we'll go, it's c'mon guys and gals we got some moose hunting to do.
Jp .. Lordy lordy I gotta leh in 3-40 any bull moose! Let's be ready for this one.
We're going in, let's plan it together. Imagine near the famous "Hole in the Wall."

[CTmoose]

nothin left in that region, wolves did a number there, hunt kamloops, big deer!

[Jelvis]

Head up the McCorvie Lakes Fsr. Just past Birch Island stay on Hwy 5, then turn north onto McCorvie Lakes fsr, into Divide Creek and Hole in the Wall on the Martin Blackberg.
Or come up on the Raft/Martin to same area. Check map and fsr's for recent conditions
Bahig BaHucks around 1500 meters if yah like or down lower by the valley.
Try and cover some area and see what is going on. Learn and live.
Jp..pw .. Perfect Warrior .. Don't try to break my wings .. don't mess with my dreams
Jelly Bean

[betteroffishing]

anyone else with knowledge to share ?? what is the hole in the wall ?? is it a lake , an extremely deep pool in a river , a gravel extraction pit ?? just curriouse.

[martyonthewater]

its a divide in the 'wall' of mountains lining the north side of the hwy just past clearwater.

[Jelvis]

Some ole timers told me jelly been, about the hole in the wall.
He said, jelly I like you cuz you took me back in my life to a time I was at the hole in the wall, where the old timers crossed paths. Jel you mentioned it in your thread about MU 3-40 Has it still got it. And I was into my old life again jel.
He told me but if you think I'm telling the world about the actual Hole in the Wall you got a Hole in the Head lol.
Look at your Back roader maps and see Hole in the Wall fsr
From Silence Lake go up the Raft Ritchie fsr, up to 4500 foot plateaus out of this world. Meadows, ponds grasses and feed with water a good combo.
1500 metres and a lil lol.
Or out of Silence the West Raft FSR and your eyes open wide as you ride up. check reg's
regularly and follow all guide lines as much as humanly possi bell ding dong lol.
or keep going north on the Raft River FSR and meet up with the Hole in the Wall FSR about ten k, then make a choice and go.
Hey The Raft-Kowalski is just b4 you hit the junction from Raft fsr and HoleintheWallfsr access from Raft fsr only a k or so from junction.
This should keep you busier than a one legged soccer player.
Jp More Gun Mu 3-40 c'mon shorty

[dana]

Jelly, got One word for ya, ALDER. You can figure out how that word applies to your post. Have fun bustin through that stuff. :)

[Jelvis]

Alder means bears friend a mine. We talk in the hole in the wall cafe, having fried eggs easy over and hot coffee and flap jacks with real syrup and three bacon strips sizzlin.
With toast and real butter and those little see through thin plastic containers with pea nut butter and honey all you could eat.
Don't forget there was a guiding service in that Hole in the Wall way back in the late sixties for big game.
So there is game and it is a great MU. Why do the co's put in for any bull 3-40?
Jel .. Cuz they know how good the moose hunting is, why are there black bear every where? They eat moose calves. Why do Clearwatarians go for leh? Boom tahr it izz.
Dana is the man of the 3-40 clan, he's forgotten more than the average bear knows.
steve knows 3-40 and the hole in the wall history .. to us it's a mystery .. to learn

[dana]

Have you eaten at the Hole in the Wall cafe recently Jelly?

[Jelvis]

I heard the Hole in the Wall Cafe was burnt crisper than the toast I had there long ago, burned to the ground.
Now it's called a Hole in the Ground. What next?
I like the Mad myself, now there's a place to go down or up or up and down on the fsr
I hope ol Sally and Sara the waitresses back then got the insurance money they had comin 2 em.
I love that whole Mu 3-40 but I'm Mad about the Mad River makes shiver my quiver
Jelly Roll

[SUAFOYT]

Hate to break it to you but the Stratton Ck road is deactivated from each end so no go through there. You should really go to some of these places rather than silly non rhyming sentences you come up with.

[Jelvis]

Thanks sue yah, what year was that Stratton Creek deactivated?
It would be where I want to go up the old road a ways with my rifle and a little sharp hatchet with my dog Molly. Find where the moose and deer cross the old Stratton Creek road as close to the main road as possible maybe pair a lil.
Always nice to see those de-activations taking place means they were worried about a route to short cut or an alternative they wanted to grow in.
De-activation does not mean it's closed to moose and deer hunting but that it is no longer maintained for use.
So thanks a gain but don't be striking out lol, cuz I'll sue yah for it, lol.
Jelvis up walking the Stratton Creek road deactivation for moose, deer and grouse.
Molly Hatchet