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Outdoor Corner: Hunting calf moose in November
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Moose calves were plentiful again this year with twins commonly being spotted. These two sauntered into my yard one recent winter with their mother (not pictured) and browsed on some tree branches that I had trimmed in the yard. Indeed, a pair of twins visited my garden this fall during the hunting season and browsed all of the beet tops being careful all the while that they didn’t step on adjacent plants.
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Gene Plihal
for Smoky River Express
Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 523 is one hunting zone in which moose calf hunting is legal assuming one has been successful in the draw for this species. The hunt runs from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30. Lucienne managed to draw a moose calf license so we set out each weekend to find her quarry.
I have some qualms about hunting moose calves to start with. They’re beautiful animals. However, I am informed by biologists in the know that a certain number of calves need to be harvested each year to ensure habitat is sufficient to sustain the balance of them. Too many moose means starvation in January and February. And, evidently moose calves are least likely to survive the gauntlet of winter and wolves especially if the cow has two calves (twins) which makes it twice as difficult to defend her calves against a wolf pack. Makes sense I guess and it does more than assuage one’s conscience in the pursuit of this animal. At any rate, moose calf meat is wonderful meat and I have passed up a moose bull tag for years in hopes of being drawn for a calf. Moose calf burger particularly is ambrosia and I have used it in lasagna, chile, goulash, and any dish calling for burger (University of Alaska research). I have even used the meat in recipes that I have served to squeamish relatives who maintain that they “loated” moose meat only to be invited to prepare another meal the following night by these same people.
Finding a moose calf is not difficult. I would venture to guess that I’ve seen at least 25 this fall. More twins than I can remember in recent years also. However; finding one that is on legal land, during legal hours, for the person who is legally entitled to harvest one is a different matter. I accompanied Lucienne, maybe even guided her, for several weekends when she was off work.
You guessed it, not a moose calf in sight. Come Monday morning when Lucienne went back to work, there they were, in herds on some occasions. Until the weekend of the 21 and 22 of November, I was beginning to think my recipes were going to have beef in them this coming year.
Friday, Nov. 20th, Lucienne had a day off so we did our typical hunts. We found a set of twins but both were in circumstances that were dangerous or questionable shots, so she passed both. In the case of one of the sets of twins, they were alone, no cow. One can only guess what her fate was. I had seen a cow that was dead along the highway so perhaps she (the cow) was hit by a vehicle and the calves survived. At any rate, since these moose calf orphans are in WMU 523 and are fairly big, I have hopes they’ll survive the winter on their own.
So, into our third weekend of hunting this calf, we finally found one (actually two) that was in legal territory, during legal hours (8:20 a.m.), and in a safe spot to hunt. I positioned Lucienne where I thought these calves would come out of the bush, and sure as clockwork, they did. Lucienne did a great shot at about 130 yards after her gun initially jammed. A second gun had clouded telescopic sights, so I managed to fix her first gun in time for her to take the shot.
We skinned out her animal after we tagged it and hung the meat in the garage for a week’s ageing. We check the temperature daily to make sure it doesn’t freeze or get too warm. Her animal was large for a calf and probably will bone out over 125 pounds of pure meat.
One recipe that I will share with you for moose meat is not mine but Lucienne’s.
Take a package of moose meat that isn’t cut up and put it on a plate with paper towels in the fridge to wick off the blood. Do this the night before you plan to use the meat. In the morning, slice the moose meat across the grain in very thin slices (maximum 5 mm).
The meat should still be partly frozen so this makes slicing accurate, thin slices easier. Place the sliced meat back on the plate with fresh paper towels underneath to absorb the balance of the blood from the meat and place back in the fridge to thaw out completely for the evening cooking.
Place a couple tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Slice onions and place the sliced moose meat and onions in the butter for frying.
Particularly in the case of moose calf meat, but also young bull meat, this is incomparable. The secret, I think, is in the thin slicing and quick frying. I’ve also used moose in stews with sumptuous results.
Calf moose hunting doesn’t involve any special strategy since it is probably one of the easiest game animals to harvest if one can find them. Special caution must be taken to ensure that the animal hunted is a calf.
According to one biologist, moose calves gain approximately five pounds a day in late Oct. and Nov. Because insects aren’t bothering them and feed is prime then. That is why calves will seem almost as large as adult moose in some cases this time of the year.
You must also retain the head of the animal once you harvest it to prove you have a calf hanging in your garage. Lucienne’s calf had little protrusions indicating antlers were about to appear.
Finally, calves tend to follow very closely to adult moose in the vicinity. Extra care must be taken to ensure an errant bullet doesn’t inadvertently strike adjacent mature animals.
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