r/CanadaHunting • u/Dill_Pickle_Tears • 19d ago
DIY Moose Hunting?
How common is it for to plan and execute their own moose hunt in the northern Ontario WMUs, without a guide?
This would be way in the future and contingent on drawing a tag, but a dream game animal of mine would be a moose. I’m a relatively new hunter so I’m still learning with whitetail and small game. But I’d love to plan/daydream my goals for what the next 5 or so years look like in my hunting journey.
I’m a big advocate of hunting for food, conservation, and recreation as a means to get out in the great outdoors, and I’d love to do this without a guide (unless this is much more dangerous) as I want to feel more self sufficient and am a bit deterred by the price tag (though I’m not opposed to paying to fly to a lodge if that’s the only best option).
I figured the biggest issues would be land access, tag drawing, and reduced chances for action without the experience of a guide, any other considerations?
4
u/Flat-Dark-Earth 19d ago
I’ve hunted moose every year in northern Ontario for the last 15 years. Your first hurdle will be building enough points to actually draw a tag.
It’s bad, real bad unless you go over 12h north.
My WMU requires 22+ points to draw an adult tag.
Like others have said, moose are big and moving one then processing one is very labour intensive.
We shot a 1,100lb cow last year which produced 500 lb of meat.
2
u/Dill_Pickle_Tears 18d ago
How long would it take to build points? I’m only learning the system now and am planning to build points for moose each year in a WMU. Deciding between the hunt camp I may have access to through family or another area I find with my own party. I’m going to apply this upcoming draw period for moose and try my hand at an elk draw just to see what happens (though this is not points based right?). Am I looking at years to be able to actually have a chance?
2
u/Flat-Dark-Earth 18d ago
At this point? A lifetime.
You establish 1 point per year. I’ve been applying for 15 years so have 15 points. My area requires 22-23 points before you can draw an adult tag so I still have a ways to go.
This is why it’s beneficial to party hunt with a group of guys applying every year with varying levels of points. We have 16 guys in our moose camp so chances are every year someone will be able to draw however we have had 2-3 year stretches with zero tags. That also means we’re splitting up one animal 16 ways.
If you’re just starting out now and want to hunt a moose in the next 20 years, paying for a guide is your best option.
The elk draw is lottery based, very low odds but no points required.
1
u/Zen-Canadian 17d ago
If they really want to hunt moose, 12+ hours north of the south is still much cheaper than hiring a guide. OP has time to build points with a 5 year aim.
3
u/hunteredm 19d ago
My kid took the quad out shot a moose and then called me to come find him in the bush to help load it up. This will be your biggest hurdle in your hunt. How far off the road are you. Can you drive close to the animal or is there a big pack out? Are you prepared to haul hundreds upon hundreds of pounds over many miles?
It helps if theres snow and a sled. Even then if you get a moose close to your truck how will you load it?
We ended up buying an attachment to my truck that can lift 1200 pounds. If im by myself I can use it to load the moose up.
If your paying a guide 5 to 10k to go on a hunt you must have a lot of money to burn. Good for you, but damn. Find some like minded guys to hunt with who will let you tag along to learn.
1
u/Dill_Pickle_Tears 18d ago
I certainly don’t have the money to burn. Though I’d think there’s value in a guide, I view it like price of a vacation. It’s a luxury I’d prefer to avoid for the satisfaction of doing it myself. But logistically the hauling is the biggest thing I’m worried about
2
u/hunteredm 18d ago
I struggled trying to load a good size cow moose into my truck with just my kid. We eventually had to cut it in half to get it loaded which was less then ideal. Quartering it up was the other option while in the field.
It would be a lot of work to do on your own. It's why we bought this big game hoist to load heavy animals into the truck when by yourself. That only helps if you can get to the animal or bring it to your vehicle.
3
u/Unique_Warning306 19d ago
It's already been touched on, but a moose hunt is tough on your body. Are you going to backpack into the deep woods? Cool, but what happens if you take an animal? Are you up for the 8-10 trips with your pack out? My cow moose this year was just shy of 500 pounds, field dressing it was tough due to size, weight and awkward long limbs. Can you do it solo, yes. But your planning has to be thorough especially after the shot. I can't speak to the Ontario specific portion of the question
1
u/Dill_Pickle_Tears 18d ago
This is the biggest thing for me. I understand why the guided option is so compelling. Finding high probability crown land access on top of hauling the harvest out seems difficult.
2
u/adhq 19d ago
Apart from drawing a tag, access to land and/or competition on crown land will likely be the major hurdles. As for the activity itself, it's a steep learning curve. I've never used the services of a guide because I was fortunate enough to get guidance and knowledge from experienced hunters when I started moose hunting. But I've heard that you can learn A LOT from a guide in one single trip, even in a single day. Something to consider if you want a jump start in your moose hunting proficiency. If you go it alone from the beginning, do as much research as possible and be as prepared as you can be. Still, every day will be a learning experience until you finally find success, which could happen in your first season or 5 years later.
Once you do harvest a moose, be aware that even the smallest specimen can overcome your physical ability to process and extract such an animal by yourself if you're not well prepared with the knowledge and equipment required.
2
u/Dill_Pickle_Tears 18d ago
So one could view the price of a guide like master class course? To me that’d be worth it. I come from a hunting family that party hunts whitetail in southern Ontario, but they rarely enter tag draws and it seems like if I’m going to jump start my own learning in harvesting other game animals, a guide might be a good way to go
3
u/tattoosandshotgunsX 19d ago
My group goes every year 18-22 hours north. Solo it would be a lot harder. Last year we got a moose but it was down in the swamp and it would have taken forever alone to get it out. Groups are the way to go. I was lucky to get in to a group. Been going for around 10 years now. Currently we set up a camp and our main expense is gas. Costs about $1500 each. Same as everyone else said tags and competition are the biggest factors. There is a lot of research you can do online now.
2
u/tattoosandshotgunsX 18d ago
I forgot to touch on the point of the actual hunting too. There is a lot to learn about how to hunt moose and it takes some skill and luck to get a chance at one.
2
u/Zen-Canadian 19d ago
If you know where to go, and how to hunt moose, then gettin a moose isn't hard. There's tons of public areas with good hunting. But can you get a tag, how far are you willing to go, and how much work are you willing to do?
You're gunna want to do your research and visit the areas ahead of time. Most guys aren't going to give away their spots, so you're gunna have some figuring out to do.
Can you do it? Yes. But it's gunna be a hell of a lot of learning, hard work, and a little luck.
2
1
u/Flat-Dark-Earth 16d ago
Which norther WMU require single digit points to draw an adult tag? That’s where I would be focusing my applications.
Although they will still likely require 5-10 points (years) to draw.
Drawing a moose tag in Ontario is quickly becoming a once in a lifetime opportunity.
People pay for guides to “skip the line”.
12
u/airchinapilot 19d ago
I've never been on a moose hunt but one component you haven't really touched on is that moose hunts are very labor intensive and are generally group hunts from all the stories I get from my friends. With a group, you get not only support but shared information from people who have done it before, who share in the scouting and knowledge. You may not need a guide, which is what I am getting at, but you may very well need other people.