Welcome to the Ogoki Frontier. Thank you for choosing us for your wilderness hunt. The following pages contain information intended to increase your chances for success.
It is important that you prepare yourself mentally to appreciate the whole moose hunting experience.
Moose survive by staying hidden but in the fall, during the rut, they are less cautious and that is our advantage. These are free range animals meaning this is not a game farm and this is a real hunt.
I mentioned the whole experience , that is to say there is a lot more to moose hunting than just pulling the trigger. September and October in Ontario's Northland is a wonderful time of year. The scent of the air, the colours of autumn and you witness all of the other creatures who call this home.
No phones.. No internet.. No texting.
Welcome to the real world. Welcome to the Ogoki Frontier.
Good Luck
Paul Boucher
How to Contact Us
email: vacation@ogokifrontier.com
fishing@ogokifrontier.com
Telephone: toll free 800.454.7644
Armstrong base: 807.583.2698
Armstrong fax: 807.583.1538
Winter fax: 807.683.3592
Mailing address: (new)
478 Lakeshore Drive
Shuniah, Ontario
P7A 0R1
or
Armstrong base : General Delivery
Armstrong, Ontario
P0T 1A0
Safety First
It is Ogoki Frontier's objective to provide a safe and worry free hunting vacation. With the exception of Grayson lake (Satellite telephone), we provide Motorola 2 way fm radios at the camps. These radios are there for your use, whether it is calling in for weather updates, sport scores, hunt planning or an emergency, they are there - just in case.
We will monitor the radios till 10pm (Eastern) each evening.
Wear `blaze orange'. It's the law.
Think twice about wearing Chest or hip waders in a moving boat, or worse still .. a canoe. Always wear a life jacket.
Always carry a butane lighter and compass when in the wilderness. You just never know when you might need to build a fire.
If lost - stay put - or if you are near a stream, follow the water down. (More on this later)
Always carry a compass and know how to use it.
For example: If you go into the bush heading WEST then you must come out heading EAST. Look for landmarks such as lakes, swamps etc. but better still, stay out of the bush. More on that later.
The new generation GPS units are great but even they have their limitations. Their reliability can be compromised under heavy forest canopy. The best idea is to have both a compass and GPS.
Moose hunting is a team sport. Be sure you have 2 way radios for communications, be it safety or otherwise.
Party Hunting
For some this a foreign concept but here it is in a nutshell. Ontario law allows for all members of the same party to hunt moose and individuals are allowed to harvest a moose even though the adult validation is in another members name in the group and after that persons' tag has been used, that person is still able to continue hunting moose with the group. As for harvesting calves, you need only to have a moose license and no special validation tag is necessary.
It is important however, to note your Wildlife Management. For everywhere except Mojikit Channel, the WMU is 16c. For our Mojikit hunters you will hunt either 17 or 16c . We will supply a special map to help you identify the boundaries.
The Weather
September/October is the time of year when the moist cool northern air masses begin to descend on the Ontario Northland. This presents the hunter with a real mixed bag of weather. Snow, rain, drizzle, and beautiful summer like weather. The recent years have seen mostly summer like weather during the hunt but don't count on it. It's the weather. Know what I mean!
Betting on the average, look for daytime highs of (45 - 65 F) or (7 - 15 C) and lows of (25 - 45 F) or (-4 - +6C). You count on rain so be prepared. Second week hunters can count on snow. NO snow shoes needed!!
How to Hunt the Mighty Moose
Generally speaking, there are three methods used to hunt the Canadian Northwest Moose.
1. The Ambush (coming to the call)
2. Going `on stand' not to be interpreted as a tree stand.
3. Traveling
Coming to the call
As I said earlier, moose hunting is a team sport that requires the team to work together. Such is the motivator behind setting up the ambush.
Here's how it works. Calling out a bull moose is very exciting stuff and when perfectly executed is the most satisfying kill of all. It requires a caller (with the wind in his face) calling from somewhere behind or away from his point man (men). This forces the moose to cross the path of one of the hunters on point, so:
1. The caller is downwind of the area being covered.
2. Other hunters (point men) are positioned to intercept the moose as it come to the call.
3. It is important for the hunters on point to position themselves and have a clear shot of a reasonable distance. Plus 75 yrds.
4. Select an area that includes the following. Beaver ponds (or beaver house) ... river bends ... a narrowing of rivers or small lakes.
5. Only the very aggressive bulls will come directly to the call. Mostly the bull will always try to get downwind of the caller to be sure there is no danger. In doing so, he will cross in front of a point shooter. The extremely important thing here is that everyone must be downwind of the animal. No exceptions. If the moose winds you, you'll never see it.
6. This next point also is important for hunters on stand without being involved in ambushes. When on point or stand, try to stay hidden. Crouch by the tree line or perhaps stand inside the tree line. Do not stand out in the clear or walk back and forth especially if you suspect there is an animal nearby. Moose have great eyesight. They may be colour blind and may not recognize what you are but they will know you are there. Like I said earlier, moose survive by being very cautious and because of that, it is highly unlikely they will come into the open.
Stand hunting
This is the simplest of the hunting techniques. Special attention should be paid to the above point number six and make your presence as quiet as possible.
1. Selecting an area to go on stand also coincides with much of the ambush points. A narrowing of the lake or river. A ridge or draw. An area that favours a certain path or crossing which we refer as a `pinch point'.
In all cases it is imperative that the wind be in your face from the area you are covering .
2. Traveling to and from your area should be done as quietly as possible and the use of an outboard motor limited as much as possible. (See moose tips)
Traveling
Traveling is akin to road hunting. The only difference is that it is done by boat. Can it be just that simple? Well, not really. It all comes down to how much disturbance will you cause?
Certain bodies of water are large enough to allow motorized cruising such as Mojikit Channel/Ogoki Reservoir and Whiteclay Lake. To a lesser extent Grayson Lake. Other lakes however, favor canoes or paddle powered boats. I kid you not. The quieter you are the better your chances. Remember the wind and it carries more than just your cent. It carry's your noise/ sound as well.
Because you have no competition from other hunters (excepting possibly Mojikit), take your time. From the moment you leave camp you are hunting.
A constant vigil on the shoreline is a must. Moose appear and disappear without warning and at any time. I like to refer to them as ghosts. Now you see them and now you don't.
The moose does not like a lot of noise. Its primary defense is to stay hidden and out of harm's way. If there are large waves crashing on shore the moose will be in a sheltered part of the shoreline or a back bay. You will not see a moose standing in big waves.
With moose you can expect the unexpected. Generally speaking the first three hours of the morning and the last three hours in the evening are your high percentage times for success.
Moose Hunting Tips
1. Moose travel and feed downwind or side wind. Do not forget this fact!!!
2. Moose will always run downwind when frightened.
3. Moose are very curious. If you shoot and miss, wait. You'll probably get a second chance.
4. Moose are very unpredictable but they tend to move before and during major weather disturbances.
5. If the weather is really miserable, that's the best time to be hunting.
6. If the wind is howling and entire trees are moving, take the day off.
7. Moose have a very keen sense of smell, good eyesight and exceptional hearing.
8. When a moose is feeding under water, it can't hear. This is a good time to take your shot. Swimming moose are not legal targets, so be sure it is standing on the lake bottom.
9. If you see a cow and calf, shoot the calf first. The cow will stick around.
10. Never talk or shout over the sound of an outboard motor.
11. A moose when spotted from a boat will not normally move until there is a change in the engine pitch. This is not an absolute. It should be noted at this point that it is not legal (OR SAFE ) to carry a loaded rifle in the boat. Canoes and boats without motors are legal.
12. Moose consider small lakes and rivers about the same when crossing from one side to the other. In other words, expect them to cross anywhere.
13. Moose live around rivers and lakes until freeze up.
14. Moose feed on water lilies, cabbage weeds, pencil weed roots, tag alder buds, poplar shoots, mountain ash (the bush with the red berries) balsam fir, broadleaves, and so on. Moose is the Indian word for twig eater.
15. Moose are nocturnal and mostly feed at night.
16. During the rut, bulls do not feed.
17. Still quiet mornings are the best times to see moose standing on the shore.
18. Beaver dams and houses tend to share the same territory as moose.
19. Moose will normally cross where the distance between cover is the shortest.
Moose do's and don'ts
Do's
1. Wear blaze orange. Moose are colour blind
2. Be very very very very quiet. Any sharp noises like paddles hitting the side of an aluminum boat .. Loud laughter .. Yelling .. Doors slamming .. Even a toilet seat dropping could rob you of your chance.
3. Stay out of the bush! Sure, you can investigate for sign but do not crash from point A to B thinking you will chase something out or catch a moose laying down. That's not going to happen. What will happen is a guaranteed unsuccessful hunt.
4. Wear quiet clothing
5. Always carry a compass and know how to use it.
6. No hero shots. After you identify the animals sex, shoot for the largest part of the body.
7. If you see a moose and need to get closer, move slowly - stay downwind. Remember the wind must be in your face or from that general direction. There's a good chance you'll get that perfect shot.
8. If you see a moose and the wind is at your back, you will have the time it takes for your scent to travel, to make your shot.
Don'ts
1. Don't give up. It's never over til it's over.
Care of the Meat
Most first time hunters are awed by the size of this animal. When you arrive for your hunt we will discuss the importance of proper field dressing techniques and how to and what to - do with your animal.
In Closing
If you are successful, you will be required to purchase an export permit. We will direct you to where you can obtain this and give you a few pointers on the animal preparation.
Above all, be a safe hunter and respect the wilderness.
