DreaminBoutElk

Just hooked up a moose hunt in north west Saskatchewan on a private Indian reserve. This ia a rifle hunt in the dead of the rut. Anybody share any info on what to expect? Will Moose come roaring on to a call whe thier rutting hard? The outfitter says that he' s called right up face to face. How fun is that going to be???
I' d like to hear from any of you moose hunters or from anyone that' s ever hunted with Cree Nation Outfitters. They are supossedly known mostly for trophy deer.

Thanks!

stubblejumper

While saskatchewan does have fair moose numbers the population is not nearly as dense as in many other locations.As to moose reacting to the call they sometimes do come racing in but often sneak in or hold up and not come in at all.In any case I would not book a hunt without several references from hunters that actually hunted moose with these outfitters.

skeeter 7MM

The North west part of the province does have one of the best herds right now. I bow hunt in NW and we do very well in the call. When are you going? I usually hunt the first week of October. I have found the moose in the area to be very vocal, but they don' t usually scream in or even talk all the way. It really depends on mood, area and stage. Yes it is true they can give you a face to face, last fall one guy in our party arrowed a 46" at 10 yards, another 38" was taken at 14 yards...it surely is fun. However I must warn you last years tick situation put the population in an all time low, many rifle season were cancelled and the draw was cut in half for 2002. Some talk of possibly not allowing any moose hunting this fall 03, not sure if that effects the indian reservation hunts...just some facts.

Cyrus

Calling moose is almost a crap shoot. Sometimes they come on the run. You can hear them coming from a long way crashing bush, grunting like crazy. Other times it' s just a few quite grunts as the bull slowly moves towards the caller. Sometimes you don' t even hear a thing and are about to stand up to go somewhere else...and holy crap he was right behind you. For such big animals they can be silent in the woods.
The weather can often play a huge role. If it' s too warm, it can suck. A little bit of frost and look out, you could have some fast action.
That' s why I love hunting moose. It can be completely unpredictable. There is nothing like a bull moose coming to the call!

skeeter 7MM

Just an update from my first post, the tick investation and population drop was not as large as first feared in moose. There will be a season in 2003, but reduce times and tags will be in effect for most WMZ' s. Basically as it was in 2002. BTW, indian outfitters are not effected by any closure' s. Just thought I would pass that info on.

You should try and find out exactly what or were the reserve you' ll be hunting on is located. Cree Nations Outfitters are located on the Poundmaker Indian Reserve, which is located near a town called Battlefords (Near North Battleford, Sask.) This particular area is not in the hot spot of Moose Country, so I would assume you' ll be hunting North in the Meadow Lake/ Onion Lake/Loon Lake or Cold Lake areas.

DreaminBoutElk

Thanks for the info. The hunt I' m looking at is end of Sept through first week of Oct. Supposed to dead smack in the middle of the rut in this area. Skeeter..where can I get more info on the tick problem? Any websites that might have info?

skeeter 7MM

Dreaminboutelk, here is the serm (Saskatchewan Enviroment Resource Management) website: www.se.gov.sk.ca It has hunting guides & info, you can also do a search. I will look for more and pass them on.

If you can find out what WMZ your going to be hunting, the above website has the map for Sask. Wildlife Management Zones. I believe the Poundmaker indian reserve is located in WMZ 47, for a reference point.

I just checked the serm website and they have the July 19,2002 newsline:" Ticks force changes to Moose Season" , FYI. Try locating it under the search. That is the latest release. Info I provided was through our minutes form this month Wildlife Federation Meeting, the data was given by SERM.

Hope it helps.

Cyrus

Saskatchewan isn' t alone. Moose in the western part of Manitoba have been hammered by ticks the last couple of years and we are really starting to see a decline in the moose population.