Ontario Moose

[Bunt]

Just curious if anyone is familiar with WMU 22 and WMU 19, I have an opportunity to bow hunt for a cow moose in either of those units and I would like to concentrate my efforts in and area where the density is the greatest? I would like to christen the Micro I bought last year.

[Hunt it]

19 boarders Lake Nipigon I believe. Big water but I know a bunch of guys that have done very well renting boats and hunting east shore of Nipigon. 22 is mostly outfitter/tourist area and many of access roads are locked off until Dec when locals get access to hunt. Prior to that outfitter traffic only. Not for all of area but a good portion. Did you pick up one of surplus tags? If so, I'm curious as to why you did not go 21a as they had surplus Bull tags for first time I've ever seen this year. Calling bulls much easier. To be honest with you, odds on archery cow is tough. I've bow hunted moose for 25+yrs and only ever had one chance at a cow. We are calling of course. Your best be will be travelling waterways in a canoe or boat and trying to slide up on one. Kayak good option if by yourself.

[Bunt]

Bull tags were gone by the time I got through so I chose a cow. Do cows respond to calling? Have you tried a tree stand?

[Hunt it]

My archery group has arrowed all 29 bulls in recent years out of tree stands. But hunting cows is a whole different game. You can either hunt by chance, hear them and chase them or float rivers or lakes and catch them feeding. I'm afraid sitting in a tree stand waiting for a cow to walk past you'd die of old age first!

[Bunt]

Thanks for your input.

[galamb]

I hunted up in 22 before the Moose lotteries and imagine it has changed a great deal since then.

Until the last couple of years when the tags went down the tubes we typically applied for and pulled a cow tag. As has been noted it's a different kind of hunt.

With bulls you can call and ambush. With cows the hunt is more suited to tracking them down which generally involves finding fresh tracks and following them if you are not familiar enough with the area you are hunting that you can sit and cut them off on a common trail or trail to a favoured watering hole etc.

We have since moved our hunting up to WMU 25 (been going up there for 40 years but have hunted moose there regularly since the lottery system came in) - cows were always the easy tags to get there so that's what we tend to hunt - and we have got many over the years. It's just a more "interactive hunt" and less suited to bows.

Our season there starts on the 17th of September and this year we pulled a Bull and a Cow - but we will be hauling the rifles up. Archery bull is great if you have established stands and are either using a guide or have a well scouted, pre-set-up location - cows, not so much. Odds go way way down if you can't track them down. There is no easy way to "make them come to you"...

[munch]

We have had cows answer our calls before but never come in . The one fellow I now hunt with came from another group and says one fellow in there camp could call cows in every year while trying to call Bulls , must have been the tone of his calling . I have only ever seen one cow on the hoof while hunting in about 30 years other than before or after legal shooting hours coming or leaving camp