Diy drop camp moose hunt

[Chirogrow]

If you had 10 days in Alaska for a moose hunt from September 10th on and you're doing a diy drop camp hunt, would you start put and call and glass the entire time or hike around? I keep reading conflicting things!

 

[KJH]

Stay put 3-4 days at a time, then move. Last moose I shot was on day 4. It was standing in the EXACT spot I'd been calling from for 3 days when I got there on the morning of day 4. Much easier to get them to come to you than shoot one a long way from camp if the situation permits. Nothing wrong with glassing and hiking in some situations but my preference is to be patient and call from a place that gives you good visibility. It works for me.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

yep, like KJH says.

An interesting observation with my following behind groups in September is how many bulls i experience from the same camps previous hunters used. It varies on how many days each group spends at a camp and how many days passed before I get there, but the logic is they do the calling and move out too quickly...i come in and scoop 'em up a couple days later from the same camps without much waiting around. This has happened numerous times, so it gives credence to staying put and being patient, although sometimes it's hard to make yourself.

My money is on finding fresh sign and staying there breaking sticks until it returns, and they almost always do within 4 days.

Last pro tip...NEVER walk to find moose. If you can break sticks of any size, your odds of bringing one in are MUCH higher than pursuing one blind on foot. And call from where you want to shoot a bull, not walk to locate a decent spot because it's moosy and a mile from camp.

 

[Chirogrow]

Thanks for the input! Do you have any pro tips on call Imy sequences? I'll be hunting from Sept 10th-20th

 

[mcseal2]

I'm no expert, but I'll give what tips I can. If possible call from somewhere with good visibility. Right or wrong what we did was start out with some cow calls and then after 10 minutes or so rake brush. My buddy did most of the raking, I did most of the cow calling. He thought I sounded better. We would be 20-100 yards apart depending on the spot. We called locations multiple times on different days. We'd usually wait 25-30 minutes after finishing one calling sequence to start another. Always play the wind, I don't think you can beat their nose. Their ears are amazing too, keep any un-natural sounds to a minimum. It probably isn't always necessary but I figure on a hunt like that I want to stack the odds in my favor as much as I possibly can.

 

[VernAK]

Just because a bull doesn't respond to your call doesn't mean he isn't out there listening.
They just don't get excited about exercise in warm weather. Many times I've watched bulls
from a mile or two away and watched them listen to my call but they weren't about to
climb that hill with the warm sun shining on that winter coat. As the sun goes behind a mountain,
they often head to the call area.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

yep to what Vern said fo sho. If it's warm (>55 F) they don't move much during sunlight.

For calling, i suggest my new hunter groups stick to breaking dry wood to draw attention. This is highly effective for starters but it also prevents you from over doing the vocal calls (bull grunt or cow calls).

Once you hear a few bulls respond you'll have a better concept of how much of what call to replicate, and more importantly when to make those calls.

You can't over-break sticks and dry wood, and moose will investigate if they are within a couple miles earshot.

 

[Chirogrow]

I appreciate the insight!! So would you guys suggest calling from flat ground then hiking up a little knoll or hill to get a vantage point but still be within range or close enough to move in when they come in

 

[AKDoc]

You've gotten some good feedback from others.

Regarding your question above, my answer is no...just stay put when calling.

Moose have a super great sense of smell, and they're also pretty darn good at locating exactly where your calls originated. You'll be calling them to you. Try not to hike around...it just stinks-up the area. Be mindful of the wind...that's going to make or break you. Try to set-up where you can call and be concealed...and be mindful (repeated intentionally) of the wind while you are calling. They will come from any direction (except downwind), but they mostly (not always) like to eventually circle to get downwind from where they determine the calls are originating. Once they wind you it's game over, and they will spook. That said, when the wind is right, I've shot them as close as ten yards, and they have snuck-up behind me several times. It is absolutely amazing how quiet they can be...and other times they are grunting all the way in to you.

Don't be hesitant to call from camp. I've called moose right into my camp quite a few times, and I've come to the conclusion that sometimes the combination of hearing the branches I'm breaking or my calling and then seeing the tents gives them the notion that the tents are moose...at least at distance sometimes.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but think of moose calling this way: Pick a spot closest to your transportation and which is where YOU want to butcher, dismember and transport that bull...and call from there! Trust me. A very large majority of the bulls we have shot in 22 years have been less than a 300 feet from our tent. A surprising number of our bulls have been shot FROM the tent.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I speak from experience. On almost every moose hunt I will see a bull I would kill....and it's in a great spot near my camp. This sometimes happens while I am somewhere in the distance and wishing I was IN camp.

 

[VernAK]

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but think of moose calling this way: Pick a spot closest to your transportation and which is where YOU want to butcher, dismember and transport that bull...and call from there! Trust me. A very large majority of the bulls we have shot in 22 years have been less than a 300 feet from our tent. A surprising number of our bulls have been shot FROM the tent.

Larry and Kevin are giving you benefit of years of experience! When bulls get the rut urge they will often wander in search of that mate. Stay in a good location for a few days and often a bull will show himself close to camp. Larry's comment regarding "closest to transportation" is
foremost in my mind as a 60"+ bull is my goal but a 50"+ bull by the airstrip is a damned fine trophy. I've bagged quite a few moose over 50+ years but I often help young people with their first one and like Larry says I try to call them out to a good butchering spot....it makes life much easier.

My camp is on the back side of a ridge and before dark, I call from the other side of the ridge that overlooks a large valley. Next morning I can usually spot a bull down in that valley. The challenge is getting that bull close to me.

 

[PMcGee]

We called this bull in pretty close to camp.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Kevin Dill]

My dead bull (antler visible) on left side of image. Another bull showed up immediately after the kill. All happened within 200 yards of camp.

Next bull a year later at 250 yards or maybe less.

A few years ago we had an enormous bull walk in to camp after sundown. He answered a cow bawl made from the sleeping bag. We could hear him grunting and popping sticks as he came in. Ended up with us on one side of the tent and the bull on the other at maybe 12 yards in the flashlight. Never forget that one!