Moose Rut

[idcwby]

When does the moose rut usually take place in Idaho? I thought it was the end of September, but the biologist I talked to this morning said early September.

Thanks
idcwby

 

[BAKPAKR]

I think it is more like the end of September to the middle of October. I had a tag on the Lochsa in Idaho and saw no rutting activity the week following Labor Day. I went back at the end of September/beginning of October and the rut was starting. Bulls were also rutting pretty good when I was on my dad’s hunt one year during the same time period.

 

[idcwby]

That’s what I was thinking. That is when I’ve heard them when elk hunting the rut. My fiance has a tag in my the Lolo area this year, so trying to get a game plan together.

Thanks
idcwby

 

[Tim McCoy]

Hunted them twice in WY. On the first hunt the rut was going well in the third week of Sept in NW WY. On the second hunt the rut was going well in very early Oct in SW WY.

 

[KHSRanger23]

I think timing of the moose rut depends some on weather and location, so it can vary each season. It's seems the further north you are the rut starts in mid/late September and starts later in October the further south you are like Utah. Even if your fiance's tag dates end up not being on the peak of the rut, calling can still be an effective way to locate bulls or cows. Best of luck to you and your fiance hope this hunt of of a lifetime is fun and successful.

 

[sneakypete]

Weather is a big factor in the moose rut, I would think in Idaho most likely mid to late September to mid October!

 

[idcwby]

If the weather is warm do they still rut, but don’t move as much or mainly at night? Do bulls cover a lot of country when looking for cows?

Thanks
idcwby

 

[sneakypete]

Bulls in the rut usually don't eat and are on the move looking for little love! A bull my son took in northern BC came in from somewhere 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile. The guide even called him off three cows! Caution moose hunting is very addictive, I'm thinking of a third hunt.

 

[idcwby]

What about calls, any certain brand better? Would this mainly be a cow calling deal?

Thanks,
idcwby

 

[Tim McCoy]

What about calls, any certain brand better? Would this mainly be a cow calling deal?

Thanks,
idcwby

I made a call I was shown on an AK moose hunt. You can use most any opened metal can, I used a gallon coffee can, gives good loud calls. I tried other sized cans, all worked, but the gallon one sounded best to my uneducated ear. Punch a small hole in the center of the bottom, take a string about 24-30” long, thread it through with a knot tied on the end inside the can. Moisten the string outside the can, grab it with thumb and fore finger near the bottom of the can and pull away. Makes one hell of a loud long cow call.

I’d point that thing at the targeted location, give it 2-3 pulls and wait. 2-3 more after a bit. When we saw black blobs in timber, I used it to call the Moose out to see what they were. Looks goofy as all get out, worked great. I saved the plastic top and would put the string inside and close the lid. Not good for backpacking or long hikes, but just fine for poking around near roads/trails etc.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I did not think of using calls on my first moose hunt. I just wandered around the woods. Later In Montana, I actually carried a coffee can with a string in my pack in early October and I had a bull respond. On subsequent hunts in New Hampshire and Idaho, I used commercial reed type calls. On the Idaho hunt, I ran in to a guy who was using his voice and he sounded great. I wound up getting in on the bull I shot that year using my voice. I drew a Maine tag the next year. I bought some moose hunting videos and practiced calling with my voice in preparation for that hunt. I wound up having a bull come in like he was on a string at daylight opening morning. In Wyoming last year, my brother and I used our voices. I cannot say for sure that we called the bull in that I got as we had walked about a hundred yards up the drainage from where my brother had last called. However, the bull was coming right towards us when I did see him about five minutes later.

So, my recommendation is to try learning to call with your voice and use one of the other methods as a back up.

 

[KHSRanger23]

Using just your hands is a effective and easy way to call moose. Lots of good videos and tutorials on youtube and others sites that give good instruction and guidance on how to do it. You can learn both cow and bull calls and can use both to help you on the hunt. I would definitely practice before the season starts. There are calls that you can buy, I have never bought or tried any of those, but i would imagine they will work. I never thought to try and build my own call like some of the others guys that posted on this thread, which is pretty ingenious and I bet fun and challenging as well.

What ever calling method you end up using ensure that your in a position to be able to take the shot if a moose responds. The first time I tried calling, I was pretty skeptical and didn't thing that anything would respond. Boy was I wrong, I had a 40 plus inch bull come running in from over 500 yards, he came in so fast that me and my brother were scrambling to try and get set up and ended up scaring him away. My 5 day hunt was in Utah in late October with hot weather, we ended up seeing 40 moose, 5 of which were bulls. Calling brought in 4 of the bulls and 15 cows, just wasn't able to get the shot I wanted on the bigger bulls and ended up taking a 5 year old bull on the last day that came into to me calling at less the 200 yards. I did find that calling around water be it a pond, creek, river or lake seemed to help me when calling in moose. Calling in a bull moose to me is even more exciting then having a bugling bull elk coming into your call. I am eagerly waiting when I can draw in Wyoming, Idaho or other states I am applying for moose in. I think that with a little bit of practice you can be effective at calling moose during your upcoming hunt, just don't be afraid to try it or use more the one method of calling.

 

[idcwby]

Thanks the information everyone. Now hopefully the snow is gone enough to get in there and look at the country.

idcwby

 

[WY ME]

I've been on 8 Shiras moose hunts in WY and would say the last week of Sep and first week of Oct would be your best bet. I killed my best moose about Sep 13 but I wouldn't recommend hunting that early for a number of reasons.