Moose rut dates

Thunder head

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 13, 2017
Messages
135
Location
Georgia
I am looking into a DIY moose float trip for 2019. Does the moose rut occur at the same time Statewide? What dates would you Alaska guys recommend as prime time?
 

carter33

WKR
Joined
Apr 12, 2017
Messages
473
Location
Fairbanks
I am doing my third DIY moose hunt this next season and am currently living in Alaska. I am choosing to go between the 10th and the 20th for my next hunt which is a fly out float.

My previous two hunts have been in more accessible areas so I chose to hunt the opening which in most places is the 1st though it does differ in some GMUs. On these hunts I don't believe the bulls were in full rut yet hence the reason I am going later this year.

I would think that the further north you go the earlier they would be in rut but that is just my theory. Maybe someone with more experience can answer that for both of us?
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2018
Messages
13
Location
Alaska
My experience is that the rut is brought on by daylight. Cooler weather and they do move more but as less light hits the retina the moose get closer to the rut. There 3 stages to the rut that I hunt by. First is the pre rut beginning around the 10th -12th. I have called bulls in and had them come to the call but still cautiously. By the 17th their running around pretty serious looking for cows and starting to show good aggression. I’ve killed bulls on the 17th at least 7 times on the Yukon River. After the 17th the herd bulls usually have their cows starting to round up and this goes into the end of the month. The first week of October is when the breeding is on and it’s tough to pull the bulls away from the cows unless your in their safety zone. Then they get ticked off at you.

When planning a hunt I make sure I’m in prime time areas by the 15h.

I’ve taken the last couple of years off moose hunting for my sons football and have focused on my photography of moose during the rut and by Sept 25th I’m only calling in satellite bulls unless I’m close to the herd bull

That’s been my experience from Wasilla to Coldfoot.

I have seen some really aggressive moose north of the Brooks range by September 10th and they weren’t really smart either that far north but up to Coldfoot I haven’t seen a changein behavior with gun or camera.
 

VernAK

WKR
Joined
Dec 24, 2012
Messages
2,008
Location
Delta Jct, Alaska
My experience is that the rut is brought on by daylight. Cooler weather and they do move more but as less light hits the retina the moose get closer to the rut. There 3 stages to the rut that I hunt by. First is the pre rut beginning around the 10th -12th. I have called bulls in and had them come to the call but still cautiously. By the 17th their running around pretty serious looking for cows and starting to show good aggression. I’ve killed bulls on the 17th at least 7 times on the Yukon River. After the 17th the herd bulls usually have their cows starting to round up and this goes into the end of the month. The first week of October is when the breeding is on and it’s tough to pull the bulls away from the cows unless your in their safety zone. Then they get ticked off at you.

When planning a hunt I make sure I’m in prime time areas by the 15h.

I’ve taken the last couple of years off moose hunting for my sons football and have focused on my photography of moose during the rut and by Sept 25th I’m only calling in satellite bulls unless I’m close to the herd bull

That’s been my experience from Wasilla to Coldfoot.

I have seen some really aggressive moose north of the Brooks range by September 10th and they weren’t really smart either that far north but up to Coldfoot I haven’t seen a changein behavior with gun or camera.

I agree with Ultra Mag.....that timing is about right. The other factor is weather.....too warm and they don't respond to calls readily.
 

KJH

WKR
Joined
May 10, 2016
Messages
547
I like after September 15th so you don't have to contend with warm / semi-warm weather. Seem to be open to calling after that.
 
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
7,390
Location
Chugiak, Alaska
I've hunted in several different parts of the state and they all seem to vary a little, although weather may also have something to do with that. That being said, it's been my experience that mid to third week of Sept. is generally the peak of the rut.
 
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
35
Location
Wasilla, Alaska
I only moose hunt hard the last 10 days of the season. Like others have said, it depends on where you are hunting. Up north the rut kicks off a little earlier. Sometimes down by me, they aren't even in full rut until after the season closes.

I like to sit and call, and others I know like to call and move around. The fastest I've had a bull come in to calling is about 30 minutes. The longest has been 6-7 hours. Usually if I don't hear anything after 4 hours I'm up and moving to a new spot. I use an old shed to rake with, and once in a while use my bull magnet if I want to try and get my calls out there a bit. If you're floating, you will probably run into them along the river, and might not even need to call that much.
 
Top