General moose hunt questions for LEH in 502B

[Jc12]

Hi all,

We have a group moose draw for region 5-2 (502B) in the carboo for Oct 15-31. We are all new to moose hunting (but experienced deer hunters).

Couple questions.

• How imperative is it that we have an ATV? We are looking to rent if highly recommended.

• How should we plan to transport and store the meat if we are successful.. we can get up to two moose. This would obviously take up a significant amount of cooler space .. we have pickup trucks and a flatdeck trailer available.

We are trying to keep things simple but also not be underprepared.

The plan is to camp at or near Murphy/eagle lake and then go explore from there.

We are able bodied and used to packing meat (but this has always been deer..).

Looking for any general advice on the questions above. If you have any experience in the area and don’t mind sharing please feel free to PM me!


Thanks so much.

[kolofardos]

Go as early as you can, 15th ideally. Figure out what you need to cool the meat if it's warm. That would mean quartering and skinning right away, and having a plan to get to a meat cooler fast if daytime temperatures are higher than 4 or 5 degrees. If it's cooler than that you can hang in camp. Figure out what you'll need to hang and lift the quarters or whole moose. Two cable logging chokers between two trees connected to a snatch block going to down to gambrel works great. PM me for pictures of what I'm talking about. Protect the skinned portions with game bags. If you're in an area with sign, you should stay put and call. It's not imperative you have an ATV, but if you're hiking in the bush, always have a plan on how you're going get the moose out. Maybe I should meet you guys up there

[tinhorse]

I've hunted the cariboo for moose for many years now and never once had an ATV. Quarter and pack, shoot on road and load whole, pull out with 400m of good rope, or debone and pack out are the ways we've dealt with our critters. Warmest we got one was +18. Luckily at night it dropped to -3. Didn't leave it longer than a day and brought it out to a butcher. We did have a deer hung from day one on that trip, kept in the shade close to a little running creek that had cold water. I butchered it up after I got home (8 days) and it was perfect. The night temps. And shade kept it cool enough. Not sure how much longer I would have left it for though with the day time highs. Moose are much bigger obviously and take way longer to cool down so other arrangements may need to be made. Get meat away from bone and get opened up and skinned asap, or into a cooler. Watch a few videos on deboning before you go if you have never done it before. Pretty easy and doesn't take to long. Good luck

[Steeleco]

There's a pretty good butcher right on the side of Hwy 97 just north of 100 Mile that will cut your game, not sure if he or any other cutters will hang and not cut. I forget the name but I'm sure he's easy to find.

[Jc12]

Great appreciate the help!

looks like the only dates our group can make work would be around Oct 22-27.

would we still be calling that late in the season?

are we mostly looking for marsh lands or would they be travelling through the woods at this point?

thanks again!

[high horse Hal]

We agree with Tinhorse for the most part. They are where you find them so be ready, hope for the best plan for the worst
Only reason for a quad could be to split up the group to cover more ground, but that can be done on boots too

Some long heavy rope or cable and a couple of snatch blocks are mandatory imo, chances are you'll spot more near the road than ever stalking in on one

Depending on temps of course, but we've had whole skin-on bulls hanging in camp for 2 days, then the trip home and hang another day before getting around to skinning
One trip for four we had 2 bulls a cow and a mule deer loaded for the trip home, all whole and skin-on, with day temps above freezing and no frost at night
Skin-on is best for cleanlyness and transport if you have the flat deck

Skidding and hanging a whole moose is another adventure in itself.

[MOOSE MILK]

I called in a 64"er on my mother's birthday Oct 28.
MM

[moosinaround]

Last moose I shot was Oct 4, come to the call and was 638# dresses hanging!!

[skaha]

We called in 2 bulls at once first week of November…

[srupp]

hmm calling is still effective..when big guys get weary..the younger bulls get a chance..
tarp FLAT over meat pole..not tented..air flow is your friend...sun rain isnt..

use vinegar 1 gal to pail of clean water....lowers PH helps provide crust provides few more days of keeping meat safe.
put pallets on bed of truck then tarp..provides cool air..motor exhaust travels under box..=hot air
YUKON game bags work very well..
KC capling 22 inch fiberglass moose call...plus BUCK EXPERT SYNTHETIC moose urine...on tampons....lol seriously.
as close as possible to oct 15th date is preferred best results...trails and route of least resistance...
hard to fool a moose nose or hearing....
steven