Scouting for giant moose: When is the best time?

[Troy Sessions]

This topic is the most overlooked and biggest reason why folks are not successful in harvesting giant moose in the 60" plus range.

Very few people know this. The BEST TIME to scout for giant moose is after the hunting season closer... I’m not kidding...
Ask yourself why Fish and game and area biologists do all their moose counts in October or later. It's when all the moose have gathered up their harem and are rutting hard plus the leaves have fallen off the trees to see the moose better.

How did I find out about this? My mentor (pilot mentor) who I considered my second father since the 1990’s was a retired Fish and Game officer back in the 1940s-50s and 60s and later Alaska "Master Guide". Bucko, “who took me under his wing” was also instrumental in getting the very first SuperCub airplanes for Fish and Game and later chosen to be a speaker for Alaska and represent Alaska back in Washington DC.

The one phrase I have heard many times over the years is, “This area looks moosy”. It’s also the biggest reason why most people are not successful in harvesting giant bulls (over 60”). I have seen those kinds of areas myself and think the same thing. The fact of the matter is these areas are found in the summertime or early fall where the bulls will not be during the rut. However great for harvesting small meat bulls they are seldom good for the giants.
Seeing tracks, wallows, natural salt licks, and mushy moose droppings suggest where they are during the summer. When you find branches broken over or the bark is rubbed off five feet up on the surrounding trees indicates “rutting grounds” and suggest where the moose winter after the rut and this is what you are looking for.

After the hunting season, scouting is much different from “pre season' scouting, During this time I want to SEE THE GIANT BULLS and their harems. I’m not out there looking for signs anymore. All I care about is seeing the big bulls and figuring out how I can get in on them next fall. You can do this by getting high up the mountains climbing up bluffs or spending time in big trees overlooking new areas, glassing is the name of the game. It’s all about elevation and getting eyeballs on the targeted species. As simple as it sounds that's all you have to do. It’s spot and stalking except you have to wait until next year to stalk.

Once I have figured out logistics the next thing to do is keeping the pack job down to a minimum.
Just because you find a 70" bull weighing in around 1700 lbs high up on the mountain side doesn’t mean you should shoot him there. In fact, I’m here to desperately tell you NOT to shoot the bull in an area that could be impossible to pack out. This is when knowing how to call moose from miles away enticing hime to you comes into play. I will save that topic for another time.

I will share another secret for all of you to keep a mental note of. When you do find a giant bull /bulls with a large harem the likeliness of that bull being in that same spot next year is almost guaranteed. Most bulls rut within 1 mile in the same area year after year.
Big harems usually hold 3-5 other bulls “not seen” waiting back 300 plus yards in the bush until almost dark to sneak in and breed the cows while the biggest bull is preoccupied.
Long story short, all these cows and bulls were taught to rut in that location. The only time this isn’t true is when there has been a big fire in the area or when wolves or bears take over an area causing major winter kill.

For non-residents, elevation is still the name of the game and will lend itself helpful during your hunt.


This is the first time I have ever disclosed this information in public, Knowing this will most likely up Alaska’s 21% harvest success rate for DIY hunters.

I hope this helps you all on your next moose hunt.

Troy Sessions

 

[Scottf270]

That thing connected to the tire your sitting on helps with scouting also.

 

[Ecampbell25]

Troy, great article. I just moved up to Palmer and moose is on the hit list next year. Trying to find new hunting spots that has animals in them is like learning how to walk again. I appreciate the help.

 

[WalterH]

That thing connected to the tire your sitting on helps with scouting also.

I had the same thought. Next up, "How to Be A Better Sheep Hunter, Buy A Super Cub."

Snow on the ground is the primary factor that affects survey timing for moose.

Winter mortality needs to be considered as well. Not all those big old bulls hanging around in November and December are going to make it through winter. I agree that moose do tend to be creatures of habit and use the same general rutting areas from year to year.

At a moose camp we hunt out of we've killed 3-4 bulls out of the same bed in a patch of spruce below camp. The big bulls use the same bedding and feeding areas consistently.

 

[Troy Sessions]

Troy, great article. I just moved up to Palmer and moose is on the hit list next year. Trying to find new hunting spots that has animals in them is like learning how to walk again. I appreciate the help.

Thank you for your comment Ecampbell25 I’m glad my topic helped you.


This information helped me back in the day and continues to help me find truly special new places to hunt each year. Before I became a pilot I used jet-boats loaded with a canoe to get into those "hard to get into places". After watching my native friends I would climb to high ridges and bluffs after the hunting season was over and glass until dark every night looking across the valleys with a spotting scope for pods of moose keying in on the biggest bulls. Those "pods of moose" have several bulls in the background usually a few hundred yards away (often never seen) waiting until the last light before they get up and show themselves.





Finding these pods after the hunting season is over tells you two things, first it shows you what survived the previous hunt and more importantly where the rutting ground is for that group of moose. This little-known secret most people don't know about is that "big bulls" will rut within a few hundred yards of the same location year after year until they grow old or die of winter kill.


I have harvested many 60" and 70" bulls in the past 3 decades utilizing these techniques and eventually stopped counting and started helping others.





I see you live in Palmer, I have many guide buddies out of Anchorage all the way up to Talkeetna (several who are pilots). They have told me it’s been a long time (10 years) since they have seen a 60” bull in Matanuska-Susitna Valley drainage areas and plan on moving to new areas. My advice would be to travel into the interior of Alaska if you are interested in big bulls. If a good meat bull is what you desire then go visit a well-traveled marsh area and hang out.





I find it humorous that with all the “so-called experts” on rockslide, none of them even know about this or have even spoken about this knowledge.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask

 

[Ecampbell25]

Man well thank you so much. I really appreciate the help.

I’d really like to get a dandy but right now I’d like to put one in the freezer. Bc store bought meat is EXPENSIVE! I have till august 30th of 2024 to be a resident!

I also don’t have the resources to be flying around into the Alaskan range or the brooks range on a hope and a dream!

But hoping to one of these days once I get my feet wet with moose hunting.

I feel so blessed that I even will have the opportunity to get to moose hunt next season!

So I’d like to get proficient at hunting the road systems. I stopped drinking a few years ago and train hard so I can hunt easy! (I’ve only packed elk ) so I’m probably in for a surprise with a moose. But I’m not afraid!

Thanks for the help! I’ll keep ya posted!

God bless

 

[Ecampbell25]

thanks again.

 

[Troy Sessions]

That thing connected to the tire your sitting on helps with scouting also.

That thing connected to the tire your sitting on helps with scouting also.

Considering less than 1/10 of Alaska is inhabited by the road system utilizing a plane or boat is a must for getting into the field.

 

[Snowwolfe]

If I were looking for a trophy moose I would head back to the Koyukuk and head up the Huslia. Cruise the river in a canoe and hunt the last 10 days of the season. I seen plenty of giants come out of that area.
Of course, running roughly 500-600 miles on the rivers each way is not everyone’s cup of tea.

 

[ColeyG]

Considering less than 1/10 of Alaska is inhabited by the road system utilizing a plane or boat is a must for getting into the field.

Couldn't find any rivers or landing strips in the area, so I had to resort to other methods and means...

 

[johnnycake]

Road system moose on foot for all three of my bulls. All of them were 1-3.5 miles from the truck, back in the nasty stuff where no sane person would ever shoot a moose. It can definitely be done without anything but a road legal vehicle and a lack of brain cells, but it won't come easy.

 

[Ecampbell25]

Heck ya Johnny Cakes! Love it! Thanks for sharing. That’s freaking awesome!

 

[Ecampbell25]

I love to suffer

 

[AkRyan]

So let's just do something for the fun of it, imagine you don't have a plane.....I hunted very hard for my entire adult life and I finally got a big bull at the age of 35! I always use my feet and atv for hunting. This year I drew a awesome tag in South East Alaska and I had the opportunity to hunt with a pilot! I got a 63in bull within 4hrs of the first morning......if you want big moose get a plane or have pilot buddies. Not taking anything away from anyone but the wings are pretty much a cheat code for moose hunting.

 

[AkRyan]

 

[AkRyan]

All of these are over 60.

 

[Troy Sessions]

Man well thank you so much. I really appreciate the help.

I’d really like to get a dandy but right now I’d like to put one in the freezer. Bc store bought meat is EXPENSIVE! I have till august 30th of 2024 to be a resident!

I also don’t have the resources to be flying around into the Alaskan range or the brooks range on a hope and a dream!

But hoping to one of these days once I get my feet wet with moose hunting.

I feel so blessed that I even will have the opportunity to get to moose hunt next season!

So I’d like to get proficient at hunting the road systems. I stopped drinking a few years ago and train hard so I can hunt easy! (I’ve only packed elk ) so I’m probably in for a surprise with a moose. But I’m not afraid!

Thanks for the help! I’ll keep ya posted!

God bless

I had the same thought. Next up, "How to Be A Better Sheep Hunter, Buy A Super Cub."

Snow on the ground is the primary factor that affects survey timing for moose.

Winter mortality needs to be considered as well. Not all those big old bulls hanging around in November and December are going to make it through winter. I agree that moose do tend to be creatures of habit and use the same general rutting areas from year to year.

At a moose camp we hunt out of we've killed 3-4 bulls out of the same bed in a patch of spruce below camp. The big bulls use the same bedding and feeding areas consistently.

The reason I became a pilot was for my love of Dall Sheep Hunting, funny you should mention that.
I soon realized from my mentors it takes around 10 years of training and hundreds and hundreds of hours learning the art of wilderness flying to become efficient enough to stay alive and hunt for Sheep.
You have got to love hunting to justify the astronomical expense of owning a plane not to mention all the training involved to get licensed.
For instance, I have multi-thousands of hours of flight time. My airplane burns 7-10 gallons per hour and the cost per gallon is now $7-10 dollars a gallon, go figure.
Now add $150,000.00 airplane and $10,000.00 per year for mandatory annual inspections and you have a good idea of what the benefits and costs are of utilizing an airplane.

Once you have accomplished everything above the fulfillment one gets from flying is life-changing and worth every penny. Having the ability to fly "ALL OF ALASKA" and explore all those hidden beautiful valleys, lakes, and rivers where you don't see another human for a hundred miles in all directions... Priceless... I wish all that for you guys someday...

 

[akcabin]

Moose surveys are done later because of snow on the ground and less leaves on trees. The Matanuska and Susitna river valleys have had some hard winters and lots of wolves n bear. Habitat loss, edible food sources are a huge issue. Alders do not feed moose. Hopefully we will have a couple years of rebound and build the population back.
I tell folks to find edible food sources used in the fall such as birch forest near water. I'm fortunate in having a remote cabin we can fly out to and do not encounter other hunters. But after last year, with the wolves n bears along with the deep snow. Calf survival rates have had a rough time. But Mother Nature has a way and hopefully we will start seeing more large moose around. Actually we had a 50 + come through the yard yesterday. And as stated. Moose don't travel too far from from away from where they traditionally travel during their migrating between areas. They will rebound.
For me, the hunt is also important. I really enjoy harvesting moose and consider it icing on the cake. And have always had a good experience hunting even if I don't connect.
I always tell folks interested in coming to ak to hunt moose to always purchase a wolf and bear harvest tickets.

 

[Troy Sessions]

So let's just do something for the fun of it, imagine you don't have a plane.....I hunted very hard for my entire adult life and I finally got a big bull at the age of 35! I always use my feet and atv for hunting. This year I drew a awesome tag in South East Alaska and I had the opportunity to hunt with a pilot! I got a 63in bull within 4hrs of the first morning......if you want big moose get a plane or have pilot buddies. Not taking anything away from anyone but the wings are pretty much a cheat code for moose hunting.

AkRyan, I choose my hunting areas OVER 100 plus miles from any town, most local pilots won't fly over 100 miles to go moose hunting, I know this because all my friends won't fly that far. I fly further than anyone else will go just to get where the giants are AND know I have hunting grounds to myself. When I find a spectacular hunting area I'm the only person hunting that location, I have bear tromp through camp while I'm' in my tent and I don't think for a second "Could that be a person" or hear another moose call far off in the distance and wonder if that could be a person mimicking a moose, I know it's a real moose calling, this is because of the distance flown and the effort I have made to separate myself from people.

The bottom line, is whether you are using ATV, boat, or plane, go further than anyone else, period... Throw in a blow-up raft or tow a canoe somehow, It only gets better because it offers more "untouched" country to explore.
I have used chainsaw winches before to pull my boat out of the river and winch it through the woods to a small lake 100 yards from the river, nobody does this and I was the only one on that lake... Go farther than anyone else, while limiting your pack job to less than a mile back to your transportation...
Congrats on your 63" bull!

I hope this helps all of you

 

[AkRyan]

AkRyan, I choose my hunting areas OVER 100 plus miles from any town, most local pilots won't fly over 100 miles to go moose hunting, I know this because all my friends won't fly that far. I fly further than anyone else will go just to get where the giants are AND know I have hunting grounds to myself. When I find a spectacular hunting area I'm the only person hunting that location, I have bear tromp through camp while I'm' in my tent and I don't think for a second "Could that be a person" or hear another moose call far off in the distance and wonder if that could be a person mimicking a moose, I know it's a real moose calling, this is because of the distance flown and the effort I have made to separate myself from people.

The bottom line, is whether you are using ATV, boat, or plane, go further than anyone else, period... Throw in a blow-up raft or tow a canoe somehow, It only gets better because it offers more "untouched" country to explore.
I have used chainsaw winches before to pull my boat out of the river and winch it through the woods to a small lake 100 yards from the river, nobody does this and I was the only one on that lake... Go farther than anyone else, while limiting your pack job to less than a mile back to your transportation...
Congrats on your 63" bull!

I hope this helps all of you

I agree 100% with this! Where I was is definitely farther than most people are willing to go and I had to put a freezer/generator in the bed of my truck to keep the meat safe.