Drew a Moose License!!!!

[NoWiser]

Tom, I got your email and it looks great! Thanks a ton! I'll shoot you an email back as soon as I get a chance. The people from this site have been so helpful, I can't believe it!

Whether I get an animal or not, I'll be sure to post the story and pictures this fall.

Right now I'm concentrating my efforts on talking to any and all fishing guides, DNR employees, Forest Service workers, outfitters, and any other names I can get my hands on to pick their brains. Every call I make I seem to get a little more information. People have been really helpful, and I've been trying to contact 2 or 3 each day.

I have a feeling its still going to take a good dose of luck to cross paths with a bull in October, but hopefully with enough research I'll tip the odds in my favor.

[TooTallTom]

It sounds like you're putting in lots of work now, and I think that's a good thing. It helps in the "no regrets" department, and in the "avoiding the last-minute scramble" department as well.

[123fish]

I work with a guy who was drawn for zone 77. He was wondering about ATV use there. Anybody have knowledge on what's legal and what isn't?

[Archerysniper]

I work with a guy who was drawn for zone 77. He was wondering about ATV use there. Anybody have knowledge on what's legal and what isn't?

That was the area we killed ours in and they will go over it in the mandatory orientation. The state forests are good for wheelers and the national forests are a no go on most trails. However I can put a dot on the map and get your guy from work in a really good area in a state forest, it was nice being able to drive a wheeler within 40 yards of the bull.

[123fish]

Thanks for the response Archerysniper. I bet this guy would be all over taking up your offer. I know for a fact he would like to get anywhere near as close as you did on retrieving a bull that they might shoot. I'll talk to him today. I know they do bear hunt up in that area so I think they have some knowledge of the lay of the land.

[123fish]

Archerysniper I've got a guy that would like to contact you. Do you have a way for that to happen?

[Archerysniper]

Archerysniper I've got a guy that would like to contact you. Do you have a way for that to happen?

Sorry for the delay been doing some fishing, [email protected] I will gladly help him out.

[123fish]

Thanks for the reply Archerysniper. I'll get him your e-mail address and he can take it from there.

[Hibbing]

My partner and I were also lucky enough to draw a permit. We''l be in zone 80. Anyone haver any advice on this area?

Jeff

[NoWiser]

Hi all,

I've been working out of town most of the summer, without access to a computer so I haven't had any updates.

After many, many, many phone calls, and lots of internet scouting I realized two things about my zone. 1st, the odds of getting a moose were going to be lower than most other zones, and second, I was going to have to work my butt off if I wanted to improve those odds. I selected a lake and over Labor Day weekend went there with my dad and my hunting partner to do some scouting. The route we took included about 15 miles of paddling and 13 or 14 portages ranging from 20 rods to 189 rods. Fighting a moderate wind it took us 7 hours to get to our lake going in, and with a tailwind took us 6 hours to get back. We did take about 15 minutes on each trip to eat a granola bar and rest after the longest portage. It was rough.

The first couple areas that we scouted we found very little moose sign. Basically a few piles of droppings. Discouraged, my partner and I decided to check out a small swamp the second afternoon while my dad fished. We found solid tracks in the mud all around the swamp, and tons of moose sign in the higher ground surrounding the swamp where they were feeding on younger growth trees and bushes. We also found this:

We scouted a couple more similar swamps and found a lot of moose sign at those as well, although not as much as around the first one. We left camp on a cold, windy morning, but pumped to come back up in a month to hunt, for the full two weeks, if necessary.

Fast forward to last night. I found out that the Pagami Creek Fire got out of control from someone I was talking to and looked it up on my phone. As of now, every single entry point into my zone is closed. It is literally impossible to get anywhere to hunt. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut and laid awake all last night unable to get a minute of sleep. A call to the wildlife office in Grand Marais confirmed my fears. All the entry points are closed, and, although a lot can change in two weeks, it is not looking good. Whether or not we can access the zone for our once in a lifetime hunt is up to the Forest Service. All I can do now is cross my fingers and pray for about 6 inches of rain to fall. From the fellow I talked to at the DNR office, it sounds like State Statute will not allow us to postpone our hunt until next fall. The best they can do, if the hunt can't happen, is to refund our money and let us into the lottery again next year.

Talk about terrible luck. Finally, after years of applying I get drawn for a tag and now it looks like I'm SOL. We'll see....

[jerkbait]

Ouch!! I was thinking about that with the fire roaring away if the moose hunters would be locked out. Sucks! At least you can still get back in the lottery and not lose all chances of moose hunting in MN.

[TooTallTom]

That is not good news. Could you add a couple of days and come in from a more-distant entry point? Probably not... I'm pretty bummed out for you guys. At least it sounds like you're not completely SOL if you can't hunt this year.

How are things looking from a map/ satellite image standpoint? Let me know if you'd like anything different or in more detail.

Best of luck.

[Sorgy]

NoWiser,

Bummer on the bad luck. What entry points are there for zone 64? Hopefully you will get the much needed rain.

Later

Steve

[NoWiser]

Too Tall,

As of now I'm looking great for the satellite images and maps you sent me. I seriously doubt, even if they open some entry points back up, that I'll be able to hunt the area that we scouted. The burned area is too close, and actually went through our route to get to our spot. A wind from the wrong direction could easily burn down the area we scouted within a day or two. My main back up area, which I would access from a different entry point, is also covered by your maps, so I'm good to go there. As of right now though, all entry points are closed in the area so I'm out of luck. I think in about a week or so I should have a better grasp of what is going on, and will get in touch with you then, if I need to.

I asked the obvious question "what if I just sneak in?" and he (DNR Manager) said that if they (the Forest Service) caught me, it would not be good. He said that they did put in a special request to the Forest Service to let the moose hunters in, but that he doubted it would go through.

Sorgy, the entry points are basically Lake One, Kawishiwi Lake, Brant Lake, Seagull Lake, Saganaga Lake, and Moose Lake. Tough paddles and portages from pretty much all of them, though.

If everyone could please do a rain dance for me, it would be much appreciated!

Jim

[Sorgy]

NoWiser,

I looked up your zone earlier. I have been into Malberg and the Kawisawi River North of Malberg many times. The long portage from Polly North is a a little tough but getting a moose across it would be a tough one.

I am hoping for rain myself up that way. Wishing you the best of luck to get your hunt in.

Steve

[nonteepical]

that sucks, but think of this, the hunting in that permit area will be better in the next 5 years or so with all the new growth.

[mrklean]

sorry to hear that for something once in a lifetime to that kills

[certified jumbo]

i hope you get rain. i'll keep my fingers crossed. from what i've heard, this is likely the last season we will have in MN until the moose herd comes around, if it will at all.

[Surface Tension]

I remember your thread in the Duluth/BWCAW forum where I had replied.

That was a while ago so I don't remember the routes I looked at but all is not lost and you have 2 weeks.

It is very possible that an entry point will open but it might not be the one your hopping for.

My advice is keep studying the maps for alternate routes and areas to hunt.

Also your spot might be within the area burnt but it could be untouched.

Keep us updated and I wish you luck.

[Farmboy1]

Man that stinks. I would be checking all my options to see if there is any other route that I could get in at. That is really tough to swallow. After we went to the orientation last weekend, I doubt you would get a draw in the next 3 years and I don't think it will be around after that.

I drew a tag in zone 36 (west and north of where you are) and we did the same thing on Labor Day. We plan to spend the entire 2 weeks hunting the areas we had scouted, and due to the 8 miles in the BWCA we are, we hope to not see another human the entire time.

Good luck and let us know how it progresses. I don't think they know the full extent of the burn now, so hope that your area was spared.

[Bear55]

Terrible news, I hope things turn around for you NoWiser.

[Kim1212]

The latest updates I've heard about the fire indicate they don't expect the fire to be out until we get a significant snowfall, and that the only entry points that'll remain open until next spring are the far north Gunflint and N and W of Ely. Sucks I hope somehow the weather does a turn around so you can get to your spot, though many of the areas the fire has ravaged have been burned to the rock. It's a shame the fire got to the point that it did before they decided it was worth fighting. There is currently a full fire ban in the entire Superior Nat. Forest and the BWCA with the exception of gas camp stoves, and even with that 16 fires were reported in the area in the past 2 days.

[lichen fox]

Here's an excert from the Outdoor News...

"The largest fire in 80 years in Minnesota threatens to shut down once-in-a-lifetime moose hunts for potentially 31 groups in that area, according to the DNR, which has yet to determine how it will handle the situation.

Steve Merchant, DNR wildlife programs manager in St. Paul, said letters recently were sent to 31 moose-hunting parties that could be affected by the Pagami Creek fire - not necessarily because their areas have been burned, but because the fire has caused the closing of several access sites. He said the agency on Monday, Sept. 26, would decide a course of action, depending on accessability to a number of permit areas. It's possible hunters unable to hunt moose could be refunded, or be allowed to hunt next year, instead.

"We're mulling what to do," Merchant said. "It's an unfortunate situation for (affected moose hunters). That's why we want to do what we can for them."

Once the department makes a decision (which will be determined by fire activity and access closures and openings in the next few days), hunters will be contacted, and will be allowed to decide what they'll do by Sept. 30. The season opens Oct. 1.

Tom Rusch, DNR area wildlife manager in Tower, said the area burned included 80 percent in moose-hunting zone 20, 15 percent in zone 24, and about 5 percent in zone 23. However, access closures could affect zones 23, 24, 25, 26, 61, 62, 63, and 64, he added.

"The key for all of these is access," Rusch said.

[NoWiser]

Well, one week later and the only area of our zone that is open is a 1 or 2 square mile area on the very northern tip of our zone. The hunters to the east of us in zones 61, 62, and 63 lucked out as they opened up most of that area last week, or at least enough of the zones to hunt. For some reason they are not allowing anyone into the zone 64 area, even though some of the entry points are 20 or more miles from where the fire was. One theory a DNR official gave me is that the forest service wants to keep people off the bigger lakes in case they need to dip water from them with the planes. That was just a guess though, as he couldn't see any other reason they wouldn't let us in there.

We have until 4:30 on Friday (the day before the season) afternoon to decide whether to keep the license and hope something opens up during the season, or re enter the lottery next year. The Outdoor News article was wrong when they said that they may let us hunt next year instead. If we can't hunt this year, its back into the lottery we go...

Still hoping they will open up some more territory next week for us zone 64 hunters....

[Farmboy1]

That stinks Nowise. My crew was talking about this last night, and how unfair it would be to throw you back into the draw next year. I don't think this hunt will be available in 3 years and that does not help your odds of a draw.

Hope it works out for you and they will open a zone. I can't help but think the moose will be pushed outside the burn area and the population density might be really nice.