Seasonal Conditions, Chess Boards And Moose Just Go Together

There is a saying that goes a little something like this. “…There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.” Candidly, we’d like to shed some light on coming prepared with the variables that are within your control. Picking the right gear and coming with an open mind and willing attitude will see you through even the toughest days on your hunt.

The mountains are ever changing, and we must learn to dress accordingly. In our latest Sunday evening Instagram and YouTube post, we shared a beautifully composed video around ‘Conditions: October Moose Hunt‘. Hunting the rut can be everything and anything but the ordinary, and that includes the weather patterns. Our team has carefully gone through some of their favourite and essential items for any hunt type, and being prepared for what weather you might encounter on a hunt with us. Like anything, you need to come with an open mind, and the right system for you just incase you get a flash of either weather pattern. Some mid-season hunts that are usually cooler can experience uncannily warmer days, while we’ve seen a mid-August sheep hunt turn into a winter wonderland. And sometimes, Ol’ Mother Nature comes to pay a visit and just never leaves.

If we could control the weather, it might just take all of the fun out of wondering what the day is going to hold next. But there is only one person who can ultimately tell you want you need, and that is yourself. Coming prepared to a hunt means that you have done your research, and understand what kind of conditions could be thrown your way. Each persons Basal Body temperature runs a little bit different, with everyone feeling the hot and cold at a varying level of tolerance. Where someone might be okay with a lower grade of insolation in a hiking boot, others might want to look at a ‘pac-boot‘ style where the insolation is of the highest rating. We have compiled a list of options through Outfitter Gear List, and enthusiastically encourage our clients to assess their gear needs, ask questions about works for our team, and then select items based on their intel. You can’t go wrong with a warm base layer, followed by a layer of insulation, or a fleece, a loft layer for trapping the heat, and then your water proof and wind breaking-outer most layer. Anything beyond that is up to your own needs and wants.

Attitude is everything. Most mornings aren’t going to sound like the setting from the movies. You aren’t always going to have a cool, crisp sunrise where the game reads their cue cards on pointe. Some mornings are going to working against you. Some days the horses might have fed off a bit further and the wrangler is gone longer than usual. Some days you might wake up to an all out blizzard where you can’t see twenty yards in front of your horse. Other days might start off beautiful, but find yourself mid afternoon camped under a spruce tree trying not to get your backside handed to you in a game of cards or chess.
But you have to remember that when the weather gets bad, the hunting gets good. And when the hunting gets good, and the animals are moving around a lot more from the cooler temperatures. Hunting is patience. And hunting is also gaging when to move and when to hold tight. You just never know what might come walking around that next meadow, and many a moose or caribou have been harvest by holding out and staying the course. Just remember, patience is king, and hunting requires a lot of it.

We have to make the most out of every situation when we are in the field, but if you come with the right mindset and gear to make yourself comfortable for any condition, you’ve already taken the first steps towards success. If you are planning to come hunting with us, or are scheduled in for one of our mid-September to mid-October moose hunts, we encourage you to reach out to our team with any questions you might have so that we can help you plan your gear accordingly.