7-24 LEH Fall hunt

[BigBlaze]

Any advice for hunting moose in 7-24 around Merton or fisher lake? This is the first time our small group has ventured past 5-2 or 3-30. Any advice would be much appreciated

[The Dawg]

To be honest, I believe it's been sh!t kicked in the last few years

I used to see a lot of moose there, and I spent a ton of time there this year, and didn't see many at all.

The boundary is a 10 minute drive from my house, and I don't even bother putting in there.

[emerson]

It's a busy place. I never understood folks who travel
hundreds of klicks to camp a few minutes from my house.
Try to get to the back lonely end of some road to
cut down on the traffic and put yourself on scene first
and last light

[Boner]

Me too.

10 minutes from home, and I can't be bothered anymore. Access is too good, and where I always used to walk in, people camp right on the road and claim the whole area for themselves. No time restrictions,quad hunters galore, they can have it, all the best of luck to them.

Starting to find lots of garbage this past fall, the 3 times I did go into 7-24. Definitely out of town hunters as it was camping garbage. Even an abandoned camper that someone destroyed, looks like by running it over.

[BigBlaze]

The reason we travel so far is for the supposed abundance of moose. We hear loads of stories every year and see more than just a few pictures of bull moose coming out of that area. Well not specificly that area but way up country near Prince George. Our group only takes ten days off every year to go for our fall hunt. Being from the lower mainland means we can't always slip away for a weekend or go after work to fill our tags. Simply put, there aren't any moose near Langley bc. If you were in our situation and wanted to try hunting region 7, where would you shoot for? Is 7-16 a better choice?

[Brett]

well if 5 is open at all this year, i would consider it as it is only LEH, you wont have to deal with all the "other" hunters... If that doesn't fit the bill, I would think East of town is a better choice... lots of area between here and McBride with lots of moose cause it's still pretty thick in there, that's where I would recommend. 24 is huge, there are moose, not a lot, but there are massive amounts of traffic

[Brett]

if you have 10 days off, go to Tumbler area and hunt Moose and Elk open season...don't wast your $6

[ianwuzhere]

ive experienced lots of the similar things in 7-24. The area is big as well as across the highway in 7-16 is that theres a calf moose opening starting Oct1 that runs all month- tho not sure if they will have it this year or not?
- lots of areas to go.
- If i were to tell a friend where to go, id say 7-10 or 7-12 cuz u got a chance at deer as well.

[Sitkaspruce]

Although numbers are down, moose are where you find them, they are there, it just you need to HUNT for them, they don't just stand around. A lot of the area has grown up and lots has been nuked due to the aggressive beetle salvage, but there is still moose there. Same for a lot of 7A.

Why are you interested in 7-24??

Cheers

SS

[genockous]

I would say 7-24 is ur best bet

[BigBlaze]

we arent hard set on 7-24. we had our get together last night to brainstorm new ideas and new locations because we havent had a moose in the freezer for 4 seasons now, and we are starting to get hungry. we figured we would push further north. region five was played out for us. leh was kind and gave us the draws, but all we saw were bear and wolves. speaking with the locals revealed what we had expected, wolves had devastated the area and pushed the moose north. region 3-30 was way to busy. too many hunters lot enough ground. what little moose we saw weren't open. hence why i posted. we figured further north couldnt hurt and we may learn a fair bit more. one of us is curious about the tumbler area. wheres that?

[Boner]

The reason we travel so far is for the supposed abundance of moose. We hear loads of stories every year and see more than just a few pictures of bull moose coming out of that area. Well not specificly that area but way up country near Prince George.

Way up country near Prince George could mean the whole northern half of the province according to some people, yes there are moose in 7-24. Give it a try, those of us that have hunted it for years are telling you the numbers are down, but yes there still are moose there.

By Tumbler, you mean Tumbler Ridge, geographically it's very close to Prince George, like 120 kms away, but it's a 4 hour drive from here. And yes there are moose there too.

[junkyard_g]

7-8 thru to 7-15 would all give you better mixed bag hunts. tons of access and options in those areas. real busy though. east and northeast of PG = less pressure but less access. worked all around pg in the bush for several years, still do. can give you better help if u get drawn.

[BigBlaze]

i do appreciate all the advice. we are considering all the info posted and will probably be posting more questions in the coming weeks and months. plenty of food for thought. east and north east sound very plausible but then again so does tumbler ridge. ill bring up all the info next weekend at the weekly confab

[Gr8 white hunter]

We went there last year first time and took home two ,a calf and a immature best meat ever.

[nap]

7-24 has high odds, As others have stated the population is down but they are there. Good luck with your draw, and let us know if your hunt is a go,a few of the HBC Pg chapter might stop in your camp for an refrshment.

[BCrams]

Moose numbers may be down from what it has been, however the population is still very healthy and there isn't a huge cause for concern.

7-24 is a great unit as are most around PG. Tough area to get the draw but your odds of success are quite high if you're willing to do a little bit of work to hunt. The south end of 7-24 is only 10-15 minutes from town hence if you get the draw you're better off headed up further away from PG into the Merton / Weedon area and up west side of Carp Lake park or even hunt the park itself with a boat / canoe. Otherwise you will end up hunting alongside the PG hunters that whip out for quick evening hunts after work and on weekends.

East of PG is real good but if you're a road hunter or one that rides a quad, you may be in for a hunt that might tell you "there's no moose in the country" when to the contrary is false. The habitat is fantastic and the cuts are growing in so if you're into hunting on foot and calling or via water ways (lake, river, swamps) you will do quite well.

Focus on finding areas of mixed timber or spruce dominant forests (avoid the pine areas) and you will find moose. I have noticed moose to change their behaviour / habitat with all the beetle logging over the last few years and even areas where I was highly successful on moose have quieted down. Its not that moose aren't around, they just moved to more favourable areas to inhabit nearby. Classic case would be 7-10 - while there's moose down the southern half, the upper half closer to PG is more favourable to moose and you will likely have more success hunting closer to PG than say down the southern half or the Tako where a huge amount of beetle logging has occurred.

[Boner]

Bingo, that was well said. 7-24 is a big area, and for sure the farther you go, the less you will see the quick hunters. I would not recommend the Salmon FSR for that reason, too busy.

[moosinaround]

7-24 is the place! Dont let these nay sayers dampen your spirits. I'd put in for 7-24 just for the reasons stated, it is a big MU, there are no quad restrictions, and there are lots of moose. It lends itself to many hunting styles, spot and stalk, swamps to call in, and it is relatively close to civilization and meat cutters. Really if you stay relatively mobile, if an area gets congested, move!!! I have taken a few moose, and bears out of 7-24, and "IF" I was to hunt in 7-24, I would head north, like past the 80's on the 200rd. Newer logging, and farther away from the weekend warriors that have a couple hours to kill on a Saturday! PM me for details if you get your LEH. Like I said, 7-24 is your best bet IMO!! Moosin