What did you buy today?

[katiesmom]

Got a lot of my licenses/tags/draw entries for 2022 hunting season this morning. Bear tag. Turkey tag. Deer license and entry for antlerless draw. Also in for moose draw for the Fall hunt. Fingers crossed on the draws.....I should have enough points for a moose calf tag which is good for both gun and archery seasons, which is what I want. Planning on a week long back country camping moose archery hunt this year, along with the usual gun hunt week. Haven't drawn a doe tag in a few years, so hoping I get lucky this year finally.

It begins! Woohoo!

Not having any experience, what is the rationale behind hunting a Moose calf?

 

[tarafrost]

Not having any experience, what is the rationale behind hunting a Moose calf?

Hi Katie's Mom.....good question....

When hunting moose you have to enter a draw for which animal you want to hunt: Bull, Cow or Calf. Bull tags are hard to draw, and Cow isn't much easier. Calf tags are pretty easy to get. Up here in Ontario we now have a points system for the moose tag draw.....you gain a point for every year you didn't draw/buy a tag. If you draw and purchase a tag, your points go to zero and you start over again. To get a bull tag last year in the area that we hunt the minimum number of points was 22, 19 for a cow and only 9 for a calf. A cow tag is actually a moose antllerless tag.....good for cow or calf.

A decent sized calf can easily hit 350-400 lbs....almost double the size of even a larger deer. The meat tastes a lot like lean beef and so is quite prized and calves are usually a bit more tender than the older animals. Worth noting is that the winter mortality rate for yearling moose calves is close to 50%. The thinking is that hunting them doesn't affect the number that survive the winter that much.

It used to be, till last year, that if you bought a moose tag, you could hunt a calf and the ministry only had draws for adult animals, but that changed last year and now all moose tags are on a draw system. calves included.

A bull can easily top 1000 lbs and a cow, 800-900 lbs. Moose hunting is typically party hunting, since when an animal hits the ground the "real" work starts! Even a calf is tough to field dress and move around by yourself. So long as at least one of your gang has a valid tag, the whole group can hunt. Our preference is to have two tags.....one adult and one calf. That way you don't use an adult tag on a calf, and often you can get both since calves are typically always with a cow.

This year I only have 10 points accrued.....and have applied for a calf tag in the draw, since I should be pretty much guaranteed one with that many points. Another benefit of the calf tag is that it's good for the the archery season, 1st week of October, and the gun hunt too, 3rd week of October. Adult tags are specific to either bow or gun season....and since I want to do a backwoods camping archery hunt the first week and also the gun hunt with my usual hunt camp guys, a calf tag lets me do both. Though at least one of our gang that has more points will be applying for an adult tag in the draw for the gun hunt.

 

[Maverick1]

Hi Katie's Mom.....good question....

When hunting moose you have to enter a draw for which animal you want to hunt: Bull, Cow or Calf. Bull tags are hard to draw, and Cow isn't much easier. Calf tags are pretty easy to get. Up here in Ontario we now have a points system for the moose tag draw.....you gain a point for every year you didn't draw/buy a tag. If you draw and purchase a tag, your points go to zero and you start over again. To get a bull tag last year in the area that we hunt the minimum number of points was 22, 19 for a cow and only 9 for a calf. A cow tag is actually a moose antllerless tag.....good for cow or calf.

A decent sized calf can easily hit 350-400 lbs....almost double the size of even a larger deer. The meat tastes a lot like lean beef and so is quite prized and calves are usually a bit more tender than the older animals. Worth noting is that the winter mortality rate for yearling moose calves is close to 50%. The thinking is that hunting them doesn't affect the number that survive the winter that much.

It used to be, till last year, that if you bought a moose tag, you could hunt a calf and the ministry only had draws for adult animals, but that changed last year and now all moose tags are on a draw system. calves included.

A bull can easily top 1000 lbs and a cow, 800-900 lbs. Moose hunting is typically party hunting, since when an animal hits the ground the "real" work starts! Even a calf is tough to field dress and move around by yourself. So long as at least one of your gang has a valid tag, the whole group can hunt. Our preference is to have two tags.....one adult and one calf. That way you don't use an adult tag on a calf, and often you can get both since calves are typically always with a cow.

This year I only have 10 points accrued.....and have applied for a calf tag in the draw, since I should be pretty much guaranteed one with that many points. Another benefit of the calf tag is that it's good for the the archery season, 1st week of October, and the gun hunt too, 3rd week of October. Adult tags are specific to either bow or gun season....and since I want to do a backwoods camping archery hunt the first week and also the gun hunt with my usual hunt camp guys, a calf tag lets me do both. Though at least one of our gang that has more points will be applying for an adult tag in the draw for the gun hunt.

All accurate! I cashed in my moose points a few years back to get an antlerless tag, mostly because drawing a bull tag takes soooo long, if at all. After drawing the tag I shot a huge cow moose with the bow, meat was great. I’m glad I cashed in my points, because it’s becoming much harder to even draw an antlerless moose tag now, too!

 

[DroptineKrazy]

Not having any experience, what is the rationale behind hunting a Moose calf?

I can answer that one. They're deeeeeeeeeelicious!

 

[katiesmom]

Hi Katie's Mom.....good question....

When hunting moose you have to enter a draw for which animal you want to hunt: Bull, Cow or Calf. Bull tags are hard to draw, and Cow isn't much easier. Calf tags are pretty easy to get. Up here in Ontario we now have a points system for the moose tag draw.....you gain a point for every year you didn't draw/buy a tag. If you draw and purchase a tag, your points go to zero and you start over again. To get a bull tag last year in the area that we hunt the minimum number of points was 22, 19 for a cow and only 9 for a calf. A cow tag is actually a moose antllerless tag.....good for cow or calf.

A decent sized calf can easily hit 350-400 lbs....almost double the size of even a larger deer. The meat tastes a lot like lean beef and so is quite prized and calves are usually a bit more tender than the older animals. Worth noting is that the winter mortality rate for yearling moose calves is close to 50%. The thinking is that hunting them doesn't affect the number that survive the winter that much.

It used to be, till last year, that if you bought a moose tag, you could hunt a calf and the ministry only had draws for adult animals, but that changed last year and now all moose tags are on a draw system. calves included.

A bull can easily top 1000 lbs and a cow, 800-900 lbs. Moose hunting is typically party hunting, since when an animal hits the ground the "real" work starts! Even a calf is tough to field dress and move around by yourself. So long as at least one of your gang has a valid tag, the whole group can hunt. Our preference is to have two tags.....one adult and one calf. That way you don't use an adult tag on a calf, and often you can get both since calves are typically always with a cow.

This year I only have 10 points accrued.....and have applied for a calf tag in the draw, since I should be pretty much guaranteed one with that many points. Another benefit of the calf tag is that it's good for the the archery season, 1st week of October, and the gun hunt too, 3rd week of October. Adult tags are specific to either bow or gun season....and since I want to do a backwoods camping archery hunt the first week and also the gun hunt with my usual hunt camp guys, a calf tag lets me do both. Though at least one of our gang that has more points will be applying for an adult tag in the draw for the gun hunt.

Thank you for the explanation. It makes sense. If the population is not affected by taking calves, then the population remains stable, I assume. Again thanks!!

 

[Topdog]

@DroptineKrazy have you ever won a Maine moose tag?

 

[DroptineKrazy]

@DroptineKrazy have you ever won a Maine moose tag?

I have but it was back in 1982. They reinstated the modern hunt in 1980 but it was limited to firearms only. In 1981 the hunt was repealed by voter referendum. It was reinstated again in 1982 and it was the first year that they allowed archery equipment. I shot my 610 lb. cow at the end of the first day and became the first person to legally take a moose in the state of Maine since the Indians did it back near the turn of the century. I have been on several hunts since then but haven't been drawn myself. My 7mm mag is my families go to moose gun though and has put down 6 moose over the years. We have never had to chase any of them.

 

[woodsdog2]

I have but it was back in 1982. They reinstated the modern hunt in 1980 but it was limited to firearms only. In 1981 the hunt was repealed by voter referendum. It was reinstated again in 1982 and it was the first year that they allowed archery equipment. I shot my 610 lb. cow at the end of the first day and became the first person to legally take a moose in the state of Maine since the Indians did it back near the turn of the century. I have been on several hunts since then but haven't been drawn myself. My 7mm mag is my families go to moose gun though and has put down 6 moose over the years. We have never had to chase any of them.

That's a totally cool accomplishment @DroptineKrazy !!! I don't think I've ever had Moose. How does it compare to whitetail or elk or black bear? I have had all of those.

 

[DroptineKrazy]

I prefer deer meat over moose but just like about anything else the younger ones are usually better eating. As far as flavor goes it's hard to describe to someone but it does have that deery taste to it.

 

[Topdog]

I have but it was back in 1982. They reinstated the modern hunt in 1980 but it was limited to firearms only. In 1981 the hunt was repealed by voter referendum. It was reinstated again in 1982 and it was the first year that they allowed archery equipment. I shot my 610 lb. cow at the end of the first day and became the first person to legally take a moose in the state of Maine since the Indians did it back near the turn of the century. I have been on several hunts since then but haven't been drawn myself. My 7mm mag is my families go to moose gun though and has put down 6 moose over the years. We have never had to chase any of them.

That’s an awesome story thanks for sharing it!

 

[Weldabeast]

I bought my wife a heated vest from TideWe. Got 15% off. She started a new job and works outside by a river and gets some frigid winds coming down the river at her. Not fun in Maine in January. If she likes it I may get myself one.


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How about an update? Is the vest still holding up? U ever get 1 for urself.....

 

[DroptineKrazy]

How about an update? Is the vest still holding up? U ever get 1 for urself.....

I did as a matter of fact. We are both loving them. I also had a great experience with TideWe when I ordered a rangefinder from them. I ordered the wrong one and when I contacted them they said I could just keep the first one if I wanted to and they would send me the nicer model that I actually wanted in the first place for 20% off and free shipping. I'm giving the first one I got as a gift. Works for me.

 

[Weldabeast]

I have 1 of those rangefinders also and like it..... I've been reading about jackets lately....if the quality is decent than those tidewe clothes for sure seem like the best value. Still trying to decide if the 3 in 1 jacket or vest and use separate outside shell is the way to go


I'm looking for the shell. I have all the layering stuff already.... But with a coupon code that tidewe is hundo and it's hard to find a decent windproof outer for that much. It doesn't get clod here enough to justify spending lots of money on winter stuff....but 1 day last year I would have really like to have had the windproof and heater. Showed me how poor my cold weather layer system sux

 

[DroptineKrazy]

I have 1 of those rangefinders also and like it..... I've been reading about jackets lately....if the quality is decent than those tidewe clothes for sure seem like the best value. Still trying to decide if the 3 in 1 jacket or vest and use separate outside shell is the way to go

IDK. There's a big difference between your climate and mine lol. The quality and price are great so far anyways.

 

[Weldabeast]

30s with 90% humidity with a stiff wind will make anybody cold no matter where u from....my friend's daughter is engaged to a guy from somewhere in Wisconsin. When it's chilly here he gets cold just as much as us locals...but he already owns the right kinda clothes so he isn't bundled up as much as the rest of us....I've had this discussion with him multiple times now. In our none scientific, bonfire side, red eyed discussions humidity adds an addition 10-15 degree difference in "feels" like temp. So 40 in low humidity feels like 40 and 50 with real high humidity feels like 40.....science

 

[DroptineKrazy]

30s with 90% humidity with a stiff wind will make anybody cold no matter where u from....my friend's daughter is engaged to a guy from somewhere in Wisconsin. When it's chilly here he gets cold just as much as us locals...but he already owns the right kinda clothes so he isn't bundled up as much as the rest of us....I've had this discussion with him multiple times now. In our none scientific, bonfire side, red eyed discussions humidity adds an addition 10-15 degree difference in "feels" like temp. So 40 in low humidity feels like 40 and 50 with real high humidity feels like 40.....science

I thought you were talking about being cold? I went ice fishing once in January(When I was young, dumb and full of you know what) the temp. was 20 degrees below zero lol.

 

[Weldabeast]

Yeah yeah...I get it, I'm a wimp

Anyway...windproof outer shell from tidewe suspect but the heated stuff working good for u...after the holidays I give it a shot.

Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get to use before season over. Everyone sick at my house except me so I'm bed maid by default this weekend... Tomorrow my little 1s b-day so that's pushed back and eating up more hunting time...not looking good

 

[woodsdog2]

Yeah yeah...I get it, I'm a wimp

Anyway...windproof outer shell from tidewe suspect but the heated stuff working good for u...after the holidays I give it a shot.

Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get to use before season over. Everyone sick at my house except me so I'm bed maid by default this weekend... Tomorrow my little 1s b-day so that's pushed back and eating up more hunting time...not looking good

I hope your family gets better soon @Weldabeast we had that go through our house about a week or so ago!!

 

[DroptineKrazy]

I hope your family gets better soon @Weldabeast we had that go through our house about a week or so ago!!

Haha! Our whole family is just getting over it. Hung on longer than Cov*d and cost me most of my rutcation

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Bought some linen, beeswax and mineral oil. A short time later I had fix’n wax that can be used to:
- lube patches for muzzleloaders
- lube trad bow strings
- be used as a cut ointment
- be used as lip balm
- help with firestarting
- waterproof leather and canvas
- many other things not listed

Traditionally, they used deer tallow or bear grease for the fat/oil but mineral oil won’t go rancid. Swap the mineral oil for a natural fat and it’ll be 100% organic, if that’s your thing.


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