2022 Moose Hunting Report
2022 was a great year, bouncing back from the Covid shutdown and getting back full swing into the outfitting we love. Our crew was eager and ready. A very busy 2022 fishing season segued into finishing up 2022 with our classic moose hunts. Nothing epitomizes a Northern hunt like stalking the largest member of the deer family and we have world-class opportunities. Check out this photo of 2022 hunter Luke Wasson with his 53″ bull.Our staff said Luke was an excellent hunter and this was a well-deserved trophy! Our subspecies, the Western Canada moose (Alces alces andersoni) are some of the largest of the species. Our area definitely features the very largest of the Westerns and we have taken over three dozen with spreads 60”or better, the largest a 66” brute. Several have made B & C. We have not hit 70” yet, may never, but if a true Western Canadian moose can hit 70”, it would be here. We have seen destroyed tree limbs 10’ above the ground, only wondering what gigantic bull was responsible .
The 2022 season was really like two totally different hunts. We started on Sept. 18 and the conditions for the week were very warm and extremely windy. A terrible combination for moose hunting and it definitely impacted us. Our guides worked hard on some of our best lakes but the animals were not moving at all and not responding to the call. The first week, we hosted 12 hunters, took four moose with two others turned down. Others were seen but the hunters unable to get clean opportunities.
The second week was an entirely different tale. The weather turned colder towards the end of the first week and the wind began to drop. We experienced a couple of frosts, snow flurries and the calm cold mornings and evenings that every moose hunter prays for. Ideal for moose hunting and the animals began to move and respond to calls. By the end of the second week, 7 hunters had 6 moose down and others were seen. The last hunter was on a great lake with excellent sign and where several moose were seen the week before but the timing just did not work out right for an opportunity. The spreads ranged from 53”-43” and almost all were beautiful trophies. A couple of really nice bears were taken as well.
Not our best year ever but I salute our guides and crew for working hard and making the difference. We have more of our hunters individual stories to share soon. We are eagerly looking forward to the 2023 season!