17 and once in a life time

luckyhunter · May 7, 2003

LAST EDITED ON May-08-03 AT 00:07AM (MST)[p]hi i am 17 years old and i drew a moose tag for 2003 and i have just one question i dont know when moose rut i would like to know when it usally starts? when there in the prime of the rut? and when it usally would end? thank you so much!

gutpile · May 7, 2003

Jason...where are you hunting? I think the rut varies on location. I've killed more moose between Sept 16-18, but hunted south central AK rivers. Moose bump pee-pee's the last week of Sept & it's pretty much done by mid Oct. Young bulls stay stupid until Nov...generally going without.
Tell me more.

3006enfield · May 9, 2003

IF your hunting Shiras moose, the rut in Idaho usually kicks into gear about the 3rd week of September and will go until the 2nd week of October with some heifers coming into heat randomly in October.

What state and unit did you draw?

3006 Enfield

luckyhunter · May 9, 2003

I draw a utah tag for unit 906

YELUM · May 16, 2003

Congrats to ya luckyhunter. My wife drew last year in 905. You'll want to find your bull and put him down before the rut because they do a lot of moving during the rut. Scouting is the key to success. Find a good bull and keep track of him as often as possible. Hopefully he won't get spooked by elk hunters. The season is shut down during the rut peak for muzzle loaders. They are rubbing off their velvet the first week of Sep. Good luck.
Yulum

gutpile · May 16, 2003

Lucky,
Yelum is right about movement...your bull will stay within a 25 acre area all summer...concentrating on becomming a butterball not a romeo. He won't care about the girls until late Aug. You will find your bull where the food & water are. Look for cowpies, not moose pellets. Moose poop like cows in the spring & summer. Once their velvet starts itching in late Aug, bull moose forget to eat, and travel miles looking for single girls and/or a harem. The only moose that don't move much are the big boys...no need to travel miles if you have 8 cows trying to get in between your loins. Just like with their 2 legged preditors, big horn(s), the girls will not leave you alone.
4 months until moose season,
Gutpile