My experience has been the same. I've killed and eaten bulls in all phases of pre, during, and post rut, and for whatever reason, it doesn't seem like their meat is affected as much by hormones and diet as compared to other critters. Caribou and goats are the worst.
That having been said, regarding moose, you have to take great care to keep the meat away from the hide when butchering because they are nasty bastards on the outside. Piss, mud and muck covered. I will admit, watching a big old rutting, stinking bull drink cow piss by the gallon doesn't make me hungry.
Years ago, my brother Danny perfected this bone-in blade venison roast recipe while working with a moose shoulder. I’ve since used it for everything from whitetail to black bear. As you’ll see, it proves that there’s no need to grind all your big game shoulders into burger meat. Handled properly...
www.themeateater.com
This receipe has been pretty popular for all manner of wild game roasts at our place for a while now. Work just fine for boneless meat.