Boundary Waters Planning

I posted on the Fishing side, but figured I would post here also.

Well we finally pulled out our once in a lifetime Moose Hunt in zone 36 of the Boundary Waters. We are planning on using either the Little Sioux River or the Moose River Access Points. I would prefer a hard trip in and an easy out if possible hoping to be carrying a large load. We need to travel north into Hustler, Oyster, Agnes, and Horse Lakes until we find good hunting.

Any good/bad for either of these points? Anything else we should know?

We are in need of a partial outfitting for the trip because I do not have the cash to spring for all the good gear and being we are living off our backs for 2 weeks, lighter is better. Any good outfitters in the area that you could recommend?

Can a guy get permits now with the shutdown? I need to have them in ASAP.

Thanks,

I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to get permits until after the shutdown has run its course. We had to attend a moose clinic, which was incredibly helpful and will give you some more great information for the hunt. Attend the soonest one possible.

We looked into applying for the Kawishiwi River area, and looked at some of your entry points, but in the end started applying near Isabella. I wasn’t on the tag, but had a great time helping/videoing…….got drawn 1st year they applied! Of course, that means we weren’t properly prepared.

We never tagged out, but talked with enough folks up there, including a few that just recovered their own moose, to know that it’s a multiple-person job no matter what the terrain/situation. Esp. if you put one down in the water, you’re going to need a winch/come-along device of some type to get him out, moose don’t float.

I like the idea of going with an outfitter for some nicer/lighter gear. Some of those longer kevlar canoes are rated for hauling quite a bit of weight. At the same time, I think the premium here will be the number of strong backs you can recruit. Esp. if the weather is hot, it’s a race no matter what. Cutting and hauling to a trailhead would exhaust the average party of 3-4 people and take nearly a full day depending on how deep you shoot it. Add to that the canoe packing/travel, along with the distance you’d need to go from there to get the meat cool, and it’s a process.

One of the groups we talked to had friends camping/fishing on a neighboring lake that they rounded up for help after the shot. Depending on how heavy your own gear is, you’ll need a minimum of two touring canoes, 3 or more would be better so you don’t have to load to the gills and worry about stability so much on the way out.

You’re going to have a blast, and it sounds like you’re really doing your homework. Congrats on the tag, and good luck out there.

Joel

What about the Moose license? If you haven’t bought it yet, and if this stupid shut down continues??????? Also, not sure, but will you even need a boundry waters permit that late in the year? And, being that the state runs the mandatory Moose orientations, will they even hold those?

Good Luck to you!

I had all my information and money into the state before the shutdown. They validate the license at the orientation in September so I hope everything is handled before then.

I have tried to do the online registration for permits and every zone and every day is booked for permits into the BWCA. I hope that is part of the shutdown. If not, I guess we are going with or without a permit.

Make your #1 priority after the shot (after high fives, and pics) to get the cape off the animal. Almost anyone that has ever said they dont like moose is certain to have eaten a poorly dressed one. Have a good plan also to keep your game bags from getting wet also but do not seal them up for long periods of time as it takes days rather than hours for the meat to cool depending how you quarter. Flies, etc can be issues also. Its going to be a ton of work but its an amazing hunt~

Congrats on the lottery!
The BWCA is Minnesota’s wilderness, just remember to treat it that way and prepare properly. If there is one thing I have learned in the last few years its the importance of preparation for any big hunt. I’ve spent many nights up there and there are a lot of beautiful areas!
Your canoe will be key, and as mentioned earlier cape quickly as they are massive animals and begin to cool the meat asap, if you are successful! Dry rain gear is essential, along with a good tent. Enjoy and best of luck!

Awesome, congrats!! Unfortunately I hunted a much different area so my info probably won’t help much. However, here is what I learned on my trip in 07.

Food:
We cooked with the little portable burner that would boil water in 1 minute, can’t remember the name for sure… Jet Boil?? We ate a lot of
Ramen noodles, dry pastas(just add water). We ate way more than anticipated. Working that hard makes a kid hungry. Plan for snack bars and probably one more meal day than you think.

Water:
We had 5 gallon collapsible water jug. We filled it each day prior to going hunting. Put in the purifying pill and leave for the day. We also had a portable filter for using while hunting if need be. I packed two nalgene bottles each morning. One with some sort of flavored water and one with just water.

Clothes:
Get water proof bags for everything. It was just our luck, we hunted in monsoon like conditions for 4 days. The 3rd day the only thing I had dry was a pair of socks. Putting on wet clothes in the dark to go hunting is very demotivating.

Tent:
Our tent leaked. One night I woke up to a river running through the tent. Luckily my sleeping mat kept me off the ground. Get a good tent! We also used a cheap blue tarp as a lean-to. Lots of rope. Never seem to have enough rope on trips like this.

Food Storage:
Get a bear bag for your food. Hang it a little ways from camp. I like a more open area to see what is going on. Get a handy little throwing bag. You put a small rock in it and toss it up over the trees. Dick’s had them the last time I was there. They work great for running ropes for the lean-to also.

Tools:
two good hatchets
two good skinning knives
bone saw
fillet knife(works good for caping the head)
two giant coolers(leave at the truck)
meat sacks
rope
good flash lights. Cutting a moose up in the dark would stink.
Army duffle bags(use to carry meat out)
head lamps
spare batteries

If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.

Best of luck buddy!!