Moose Hunting Northern Alberta - Fort Mcmurrary

[BowBerta]

Hey Guys and Gals,

I was planning a moose hunt for Late September for the Fort Mcmurrary area, Does Sept 20-27th sounds like a good approximate time for the rut for you guys? I spent a few years working in the yukon and noticed the moose would rut around then.

Thanks,

Bow Berta

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by BowBerta

Hey Guys and Gals,

I was planning a moose hunt for Late September for the Fort Mcmurrary area, Does Sept 20-27th sounds like a good approximate time for the rut for you guys? I spent a few years working in the yukon and noticed the moose would rut around then.

Thanks,

Bow Berta

Yes, pretty good time. Right into the middle of October .
Cat

[fatboyz]

if you go 27th to Oct. 3 or 4 that would be a better time. Sept. 29th seems to always be when they turn on in Northern Alberta.

[Moo Snukkle]

If you know where you’re going and you know where the moose tend to congregate, those dates are just fine. If you don’t know the area and are hoping to blindly call one in, then 27-28th is when I’d start.

[35 whelen]

Originally Posted by fatboyz

if you go 27th to Oct. 3 or 4 that would be a better time. Sept. 29th seems to always be when they turn on in Northern Alberta.

Yes oct 4 has been a very good day for me

[Positrac]

I’d say the first week of October is the best with either week on each side of it being a close second.

Hunting pressure is the hardest the last week of September. Literally every trail or road has some form of vehicle on it within an hour of first light. Same for the local rivers. That pushes the animals away from easy to access areas so if you want to work for one it’s doable but be prepared to do some packing once an animal is down.

The problem with the Fort McMurray area is there is limited access with very few roads, millions of square miles of great moose habitat that is inaccessible, huge disposable income with the locals so lots of toys, a big population that grew up hunting moose back home so moose hunting is in their DNA, and a large indigenous population that target moose and get the easy ones close to accessible areas before most are allowed to pull a trigger.

There are definitely moose in the area so once a guy figures out what needs to be done to get one and puts the effort in filling the freezer on a regular basis can be done. But I’d venture most people eat their tag every year they get one and I know several locals that save up their points until they can pull a tag somewhere a long ways south or west of here.

[aragor764]

Originally Posted by Positrac

I’d say the first week of October is the best with either week on each side of it being a close second.

Hunting pressure is the hardest the last week of September. Literally every trail or road has some form of vehicle on it within an hour of first light. Same for the local rivers. That pushes the animals away from easy to access areas so if you want to work for one it’s doable but be prepared to do some packing once an animal is down.

The problem with the Fort McMurray area is there is limited access with very few roads, millions of square miles of great moose habitat that is inaccessible, huge disposable income with the locals so lots of toys, a big population that grew up hunting moose back home so moose hunting is in their DNA, and a large indigenous population that target moose and get the easy ones close to accessible areas before most are allowed to pull a trigger.

There are definitely moose in the area so once a guy figures out what needs to be done to get one and puts the effort in filling the freezer on a regular basis can be done. But I’d venture most people eat their tag every year they get one and I know several locals that save up their points until they can pull a tag somewhere a long ways south or west of here.

What he said

[Big Grey Wolf]

Positrac got it covered. Lots of boys from Island raised on moose meat, lots of $$$ and lots local 24/7 night hunters so limited moose under lot of pressure. I would not recommend Ft Mac unless you have a float plane or Positrac lends you his muskeg buggy he is building.

[BowBerta]

Thanks Guys, I think I will look into utilizing a float plane and possibly pushing the trip off a few days, like you say million of acres of great moose habitat that is hard to get too. I dont want to freeze my ass of sleeping in a tent, when it snows on me in early october! I guess It would make for good tracking.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Actually Ft Mac has some of the poorest moose habitat in the province. Moose do not like muskeg any more than us hunters. Best habitat is poplar/spruce ridges in North Western Alberta.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Actually Ft Mac has some of the poorest moose habitat in the province. Moose do not like muskeg any more than us hunters. Best habitat is poplar/spruce ridges in North Western Alberta.

totally agree, the ground up here for moose actually sucks compared to other parts of the Province!
I have an advantage of living up hhere foor many years, so know the area pretty well, but that does not guarantee an animal either

Cat

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Positrac

I’d say the first week of October is the best with either week on each side of it being a close second.

Hunting pressure is the hardest the last week of September. Literally every trail or road has some form of vehicle on it within an hour of first light. Same for the local rivers. That pushes the animals away from easy to access areas so if you want to work for one it’s doable but be prepared to do some packing once an animal is down.

The problem with the Fort McMurray area is there is limited access with very few roads, millions of square miles of great moose habitat that is inaccessible, huge disposable income with the locals so lots of toys, a big population that grew up hunting moose back home so moose hunting is in their DNA, and a large indigenous population that target moose and get the easy ones close to accessible areas before most are allowed to pull a trigger.

There are definitely moose in the area so once a guy figures out what needs to be done to get one and puts the effort in filling the freezer on a regular basis can be done. But I’d venture most people eat their tag every year they get one and I know several locals that save up their points until they can pull a tag somewhere a long ways south or west of here.

I lived in Fort McMurray for over 35 years, and after the first few years, I started hunting moose elsewhere. There are a few moose around, but I don't like fighting muskeg, and crowds, to find them.

[sns2]

I have shot a number of moose in the 90s in what are now Suncor mines. Travelling in across the River. 2 Argos, wall tents, material to build tree stands etc…. One helluva pile of work. Would honestly be one of the last areas I would look to now. Too much pressure. Too much gear required. Best of luck though. Last one I shot came in on a string. My pick would be first week of October. I wouldn’t even go on the 20th.

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Actually Ft Mac has some of the poorest moose habitat in the province. Moose do not like muskeg any more than us hunters. Best habitat is poplar/spruce ridges in North Western Alberta.

It’s true you can’t go far up here without running into a pile of Muskeg and I’d agree that’s not likely where you’ll find moose. But there is still a ton of great moose habitat from here all the way to the Saskatchewan border. It’s just inaccessible without the right equipment and a lot of work. Take a small plane up and you don’t need to go far to see there are tons of small lakes or meandering creeks with good solid ground around them. I’ve spent a lot of days in a Argo but you need to pack in for a few days because they are so slow and hard on the body that you just can’t get back far enough and back out in one day. There are much easier and more enjoyable places to hunt a Moose in the province. I’ve been fortunate to have been in on 7 bulls in the last 6 years so while that’s a good record that would lead people to believe the hunting must be great I’d be the first to admit that while we have put a bunch of effort in actually getting an animal has come down to luck in a lot of cases and we are not selective at all in what we take. The first legal bull gets shot because that will likely be the only one you see that season.

[aragor764]

All good tips on here, I got lucky in 2021 in wmu 530 but not many signs and lots of pressure, everyone and their mother has a sxs up here!

[Big Grey Wolf]

Positrac, agree east of McMurray, best moose areas. However when I lived/worked their for for 6 years had a few run ins with "Keepers of the Land" that thought they should Keep all the moose for themselves.

[Moo Snukkle]

I’ve never had a bad experience with locals and moose. The buffalo is a different story tho. The Ron lake herd has been shut down to outsiders.
Have also taken notice that you can’t get drawn in 531 Every year with a priority 0 like you used to. I also wouldn’t waste my time hunting within 70 k of McKay or CNRL.

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by aragor764

All good tips on here, I got lucky in 2021 in wmu 530 but not many signs and lots of pressure, everyone and their mother has a sxs up here!

SXS’s and jet boats. There’s one in every second driveway up here.

That was my point with my previous comments. The easy to access areas get pounded real hard and what moose that don’t get shot get pushed out. You also can’t go anywhere without seeing Wolf sign. I shot 2 Wolves myself last season and 2 the previous season. I think that’s why I’ve found calling to be more productive in other areas. I actually in 10 years up here haven’t heard a cow call yet that wasn’t another hunter.

The idea of flying into a small lake and being dropped off for a weeks’ hunting would be a good plan though as long as a guy had a small inflatable.

[DEAD ON]

Hunting anywhere around fort Mac is a bummer so much industry and chaos on the go year round. I wouldn't waste time or money coming up here. I live up here so am expected to lie lol but that's true. Flying in would be the way to go but the cost is gonna be heavy.

[BC7stw]

Originally Posted by 35 whelen

Yes oct 4 has been a very good day for me

Yup, 4th gets my vote as well, we called in three bulls on the 4th last fall and filled two tags. Crazy action, and a lot of meat processing. 2nd to 5th has always been very good to us over the years. Not sure about Ft. Mac area, but the moose rut seems to be really hot starting the last couple days of sept for a week or so.

Earliest I’ve ever called a bull out was the 9th of sept, the latest was the 8th of oct. I generally don’t bother calling until about the 20th, OK success with smaller bulls before this but my success with the big guys seems better the closer I get to October 1st.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

totally agree, the ground up here for moose actually sucks compared to other parts of the Province!
I have an advantage of living up hhere foor many years, so know the area pretty well, but that does not guarantee an animal either

Cat

Those are all cut lines down there, most only passable after freeze up.




Grizz

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by DEAD ON

Hunting anywhere around fort Mac is a bummer so much industry and chaos on the go year round. I wouldn't waste time or money coming up here. I live up here so am expected to lie lol but that's true. Flying in would be the way to go but the cost is gonna be heavy.

I’ve posted up a story or two each year for the last 6 years with a dead bull moose in it on here. We’ve been very lucky but with living here I spend a lot of time out in the bush so many hours/days have gone into each bull. But, luck has been the biggest factor. As a result of these stories I’ve posted I’ve had a lot of PM’s over the years after guys have pulled draws and planned trips up here looking for a bull. I’ve shared some info but I’ve also warned every member that has contacted me that my results could give a guy the idea it’s an easy hunt when in fact it’s probably one of the hardest spots in the province to actually harvest a bull. Guys still come and put their time in but all except one have gone home without a bull and most don’t even end up seeing a moose. The one guy that got a bull…was all packed up after a week of not seeing anything and shot one a km from his camp on the way out if I remember right. So he was very lucky.

I’m moving the family down south (Edmonton area) this year so we there’s a good chance my days of hunting up this way are done. With friends and family still up here I might make it up for a trip every now and then but with there being so many better areas in between we will probably meet somewhere else.

[aragor764]

Sad to see you go Positrac! Good luck down there.

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by aragor764

Sad to see you go Positrac! Good luck down there.

Thanks. It’s all good. We’ve really enjoyed our time in Fort McMurray. I have absolutely nothing but great things to say about the city and the last 9 years we’ve been here.

My son is finishing up 1st year Engineering at Keyano and will be in the UofA in the fall and my daughter is a couple years behind him. I moved positions within the same company 5 years ago so that I could do a fly in/out job and we could move down south when it was University time for the kids so they could stay home and still go to school. Now’s the time.

I’ve hunted a pile around here and know the area pretty good. I also go on a few trips a year in other parts of the province. My wife lets me have days off from the 25th of August to the end of November to hunt and I make the most of those days off. Living in a place that’s way more central will be nice and I’m looking forward to exploring some new areas because exploring is really where it’s at. That’s probably why I’m not shy to share information on good spots. It’s come back to bite me in the arse more than once but when areas get too busy I just look for new ones.