What Does It Sound Like When a Bull Moose Answers Your Call?

It starts as a low grunt — almost more vibration than sound.

Then the branches start breaking.

You can hear the hooves hitting soft ground.

And then, through the spruce and birch at the edge of a cutover, a bull steps out at thirty yards with his rack silhouetted against the September sky.

That’s moose hunting during the rut in Northwestern Ontario. It’s the kind of experience that makes a hunter’s hands shake and their voice crack when they tell the story later at the fire pit.

The fall hunting season at Rousseau’s Landing, defined as the period from mid-August through the end of October that includes both the bear and moose programs, runs as two distinct but overlapping seasons from a single drive-to basecamp on Sandbar Lake near Ignace, Ontario.

How Do Two Hunting Seasons Overlap at One Camp?

This is one of the things that makes the fall schedule at Rousseau’s Landing unusual. Bear season and moose season don’t just happen at the same location — they flow into each other.

How the Fall Hunting Calendar Works

Month	What’s Happening
Mid-August	Bear season opens; evening hunts on pre-baited active stands
September	Bear season continues; archery moose season begins during the rut
Early October	Bear season closes; rifle moose season opens
End of October	Moose season winds down; camp closes (extended stays weather permitting)
Throughout Fall	Ruffed grouse and spruce grouse along logging roads — no extra booking needed

How our bear hunting program works →

How our moose hunting works →

Bear hunters get evening sits and morning fishing. Moose hunters manage their own schedule on a self-guided, housekeeping-style basis. Grouse hunters fill the gaps between both. And the camp stays alive with energy from August through the end of October.

What Made the 2020 Bear Season Notable?

The bears cooperated.

Bait sites showed consistent activity from the mid-August opener through September. The rhythm was familiar — warm late-summer evenings, long twilight hours, bears feeding aggressively to build fat reserves before winter.

Every hunter was on their own dedicated active stand. Guides maintained sites daily.

The multi-zone advantage across four Wildlife Management Units gave us the flexibility to adjust positioning as activity shifted through the season.

But the story of the 2020 bear season wasn’t just the harvest numbers.

It was the hunter from Wisconsin who’d been driving to Sandbar Lake every August for the better part of a decade, and the first-timer from southern Ontario who’d never sat a bear stand before and found herself holding her breath for two straight hours the first evening.

The experienced hunters and the newcomers all ate together at the fire pit afterward.

That’s how it works here.

Current bear hunt packages and rates →

What’s Different About Moose Hunting at This Camp?

Moose hunting at Rousseau’s Landing is a different kind of experience than the bear program. There are no pre-baited stands. No guide taking you to your site each evening. Moose hunts here are self-guided — your group controls the schedule, the strategy, and the pace.

For experienced moose hunters, this is exactly what they want:

1. Archery hunters arrive mid-September during the rut, when bulls are most responsive to calling
2. Rifle hunters take advantage of the October gun season, working logging roads and cutovers
3. Both formats benefit from the same multi-zone access
4. WMU 15A is recognized as one of Ontario’s highest moose density units

The terrain surrounding camp is classic boreal forest — spruce, jack pine, birch, and poplar interspersed with the network of logging roads and fresh cutovers that moose thrive in. It’s not uncommon to spot moose on the drive from camp to your hunting area each morning.

Why Is Grouse Hunting the Best Bonus Round in Northwestern Ontario?

We always encourage hunting guests to bring a shotgun and a small game license. The logging roads and forest edges around camp are home to strong populations of ruffed grouse and spruce grouse. No additional booking required.

For bear hunters with free mornings, it’s a welcome change of pace before the evening sit. For moose hunters between morning and evening sessions, it keeps the whole group active.

Where Do You Start Planning a Fall Hunt?

Whether you’re thinking about bear, moose, or both — the planning starts well before the season opens. Moose tags go through Ontario’s draw system, which means applications need to happen months in advance.

Common hunting questions answered →

Gratitude for the Land and the People

Every fall season reminds us how fortunate we are to operate in this landscape.

Sandbar Provincial Park protects the quiet and the quality of what we offer. The boreal forest that stretches in every direction from camp is home to an abundance of wildlife that we never take for granted. We respect these natural resources and encourage every guest to do the same.

We also want to thank the town of Ignace and the local businesses that support our guests during hunting season. From bait shops and grocery stores to the local butcher and health centre, check our Ignace weather and community page for those who makes a meaningful difference in the experience our guests have.

Looking Toward 2021

If you’re thinking about a moose hunt or bear hunt at Rousseau’s Landing, the planning starts now. For moose, we recommend applying for tags across all four WMUs accessible from camp. For bear hunts, our fall package includes cabin accommodations, pre-baited active stands, daily transportation, and tracking and retrieval assistance.

Whether you’ve hunted with us before or you’re considering your first trip, give us a call. We’ll help you choose the right dates, the right cabin, and the right strategy for your group.