Moose tag distribution: punishment for being lucky

by Bill Eden

Last week we had the back woods almost to ourselves; this week you can hardly go anywhere without seeing a camper or tent set up on the side of the dirt trails. Seems like any place that is flat enough or is without a few trees has a person camped on it.

It is sure amazing how many people descend on our area when moose season opens. I would guess that our population more than doubles for this week. It almost looks like more people come here to hunt moose than to hunt deer, but I think that the weather has more to do with the numbers of people in the fields than the hunting.

There’s only a few times that I can recall a very cold moose hunt. There have been lots of times we have hunted in short-sleeved shirts, with our coats tied around our belt. Lots of times it has rained, but if snow comes, more than likely it will melt before the sun sets on the next day.

There are still some complaints about how moose tags are handed out. Some camps did okay in the draw, others were shut right out.

One guy I talked to told me there were nearly 40 guys in their camp and that out of all those names not one of the guys in the camp got an adult moose tag. Hard to say for sure just what happened, because another camp told me that one of their guys got a tag for a second choice. He wanted a bull and they gave him a cow instead.

One of the other camps ended up with more tags than they wanted — they applied as singles and most in the camp got an adult moose tag. They do not want or need six moose. This also puts those guys out of the draw for next year. So likely this camp will not have any tags next year.

If only there was some way that extra tags could be handed back into the Ministry of Natural Resources and be put back into the draw for those that never got one. That way, camps that have extra tags could hand them back in and those hunters could be put back into the pool for next year. The way it is now, those camps are being punished for being lucky.

The jury is still out on whether or not the lottery system is helping the overall moose herd. But what it has done is give the hunters in the field more time to sit back and watch the animals that they do not have tags for.

It is a thrill to have a big bull moose walk by you while you stand on your watch. It is better than any television program. Lots of times I have been amazed at just how close these animals will get to you before moving away. If you are hunting them, chances are real good that you will get off your first shot within seconds of seeing your intended target. Take your best shot as soon and quick as you can — you may not get another chance, or a better shot.

But if you haven’t got a tag, you get a chance to play. I, for one, have learned more from not having a tag. The pressure is off. You can be a spectator or you can get into a game of hide and seek. If you scare it away, that’s alright too. That way you do not have to clean the catch and spend the rest of the day trying to get the thing out of the bush.