Scouting for giant moose: When is the best time?

[Troy Sessions]

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.

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

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I've got to say you take the cake when it comes to persistence. Big congrats on getting the job done on two wheels. A nice meat bull and a full freezer will certainly get you through the winter.

 

[Michigander1479]

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

Troy, thanks for this insight as an average joe like myself wouldn’t have known this by not having a mentor. I’m doing a moose hunt from my jet boat this year. This is a first for me and my buddy and this is a new area for both of us so there is a lot of unknowns. I’m hoping we can just get far enough off the Yukon River on this smaller tributary to not be in a crowded area. Hope you have a blessed 2024 and happy hunting. Thanks again for your insight!

Ken

 

[Troy Sessions]

Troy, thanks for this insight as an average joe like myself wouldn’t have known this by not having a mentor. I’m doing a moose hunt from my jet boat this year. This is a first for me and my buddy and this is a new area for both of us so there is a lot of unknowns. I’m hoping we can just get far enough off the Yukon River on this smaller tributary to not be in a crowded area. Hope you have a blessed 2024 and happy hunting. Thanks again for your insight!

Ken

Ken,
Thank you for reaching out.
For starters, having a jetboat offers the hunter a level of safety over drop-off hunts from transporters who are basically taxi cab drivers in the ski and usually haveing "NO" hunting skills themselves.

The name of the game for giant moose is to go further than anyone else, that said it can be accomplished several different ways.

For starters gather information (not from or on rokslide) but from locals who know about the Yukon River it's tributaries where giant bulls have been seen and harvested. The Yukon has many secrets and there are people who are very knowledgeable on that river.
Next, gauge your jetboat's capabilities (Hrs of fuel burn, reliability) and decide just how far you are willing to go. As a former "jet boat" hunter myself, moose hunting with my Fantom Sport Jon early in my 20s, I can say the more fuel you bring the more weight ( in fuel ) you have to carry.

The Yukon offers some of the BEST moose hunting for giant bulls across the state however there is an inherent problem. Most of the river is surrounded by Native land not allowing hunting access and there can be a lot of traffic in certain areas.

Once you get past the issues above and find a place to access make sure you bring a canoe or inflatable "kayake Raft - motor combo" to get you into the next leg of your journey.
Once you are on location be on the lookout for a big "old man tree" overlooking meadows, slews, and open areas of interest that are easy to get to from camp. I usually camp at the base of one of these giant old man trees on most of my hunts, especially when hunting low-lying areas. Being able to climb up that tree and look around is a game changer and is one of the techniques used on every one of my hunts (elevation is key).

I LOVE finding "beaver dam-infested" slews to pull my canoe or rafts over the dams to get even further away from the main river. Utilizing this technique will ensure two things, you will know you are the only hunters in that upper hunting area because you are camped on that slew and second, the more dams you pull over gets you that much further into where the GIant moose are located.

Very Important; Pull up Google Earth AND onxmaps to go over this location in advance and BE SURE you are in a legal hunting area. Once you have done this spend many hours going over those regions or several regions looking for slews off the main river. Look for the longest slew you can find (often leading to a small lake) with the most beaver dams and keep a lookout for areas to portage your canoe or raft into another lake. This will get you further away from the main river and into a much better "untouched" country.

Once on location spend some days finding several "old man trees" to climb up and overlook the lakes and slews surrounding the area. Doing this will give you confidence when times are slow because YOU WILL SEE moose (cows & bulls) even when they are not responding to your calls.
Once you see a giant bull DO NOT go after it, take time to try and call it to you and watch its reaction to your calls or lack of reaction, this will tell you if he is rutting or not ready yet. If the rut hasn't kicked in yet then there are other techniques to use not mentioned here.

Remember, that bull moose did hear you it's only a matter of time before he comes in. Keep in mind, you picked this particular slew for a reason, if that slew can get you closer to where the bull is then utilizing the canoe or raft is a very stealthy way to get closer to the NEXT OLD MAN TREE TO CLIMB. It is possible to shoot a moose from the top of the tree just like the natives do, although I prefer to call them closer and from the ground. I utilize the trees or bluffs to find the giant bulls and not waste time on smaller 55-59-inch bulls.

I have many "free" videos that can be found that I have filmed showcasing these techniques being used with 100% success.


Good luck this year on your hunt and feel free to DM me

TROY SESSIONS

 

[cumminsbassguy]

Persistence pays dividends and not giving up... 2022, my first moose hunt. No wheeler or boat just my chevrolegs and I was out every day for 20 out of the 25 days that had passed. Wether it was for 5 hours prior tork or 2 hours on a weekend then get blown off the mountain. Had one bull slip by me and get shot by the other guys on day 3. tracked a bull two miles through the alder and willows ( that's a lesson learned for future use) on day 10. Finally its towards the tail end of season and not another soul in sight and sure enough there's a small bull right along the trail 2 miles away.. All in all, what you get out of a hunt is what you put in. Troy, I absolutely love your videos, they were a staple in learning the ropes