This hunt started like many others: a half baked plan in the back of my brain that was turned into reality through planning, hard work and the help of good friends. After a fly-in for moose last year that landed us on a lake with a large party already set up I figured the only way to get away from people is to go completely non-motorized. This means getting to places that trucks, quads, boats and planes can't reach. Since I do not have horses this results in boot leather hitting the ground.
The planning stage of a hunt is always quite enjoyable for me, pouring over maps and google earth with a cold pint in hand during the long winter months. The LEH gods did not smile upon us this year so the plan was to head North to the GOS, always such a wonderful option to have. I have a friend with a cabin between Dease Lake and the Yukon border that allowed us to stay there. As much as I love camping rough in the bush it was just too good to pass up so a beautiful, well appointed cabin was home base for the trip.
We got going about 2pm in the afternoon from Smithers. The drive North from the Bulkley Valley is world class and it was a clear, sweet day. Once we hit Kitwanga we started to see bears, lots of bears. We must have seen 12-15 by the time it was getting dark and we pulled into Bell II. The great thing about staying at Bell II is... outdoor hot tub! Nice way to relax after a long drive. Up early the next morn, across the mighty Stikine, stop at Dease for fuel and then to the cabin at around 1pm. A quick shuffling of gear and off to the hunting grounds.....
We parked on the highway and hiked in. It was immediately sharp up and down hills, not high but steep and covered in blow down. What on Google earth shows just the slightest bit of texture is in reality a series of eskers, or glacial gravel ridges that we have to cut across at 90 degrees. We were so full of adrenaline for the first hunt of our trip that we motored through 1.5 km in what felt like no time. For the first while there was just older sign, but as we got further in towards some puddles I was aiming for the sign became fresher and more abundant. At one point I bent over to cross some blow down and when I looked up, there was a cow moose staring at me from about 30 yards away. I quickly chambered a round in case there was a bull near, but the cow just ran off and nothing else was around. We kept walking and spread out around a series of small lakes and I was designated caller. About a minute after my first call I see a cow sneaking off beside me in the swamp and I again get ready for the bull. But nothing showed. Several minutes later I see 2 more cows running off across the lake. The wind was good so it must have been my calling that spooked them, which did not make me more confident in my calling! But I was happy to be seeing animals and the day ended not long after. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2O...w?usp=drivesdk
Day 2 was hunting from canoes. Now me and my buddy RedMac are passionate canoe hunters, my other friend Mark not so much.We launched on a chilly, clear morning, me solo and the other guys together. The hunting was incredible as it usually is in a boat and the weather was perfect but we saw no moose. However, as I was paddling around I kept seeing schools of sizeable fish scatter out from under the canoe. Other friends have told me this is a great pike lake so after our morning hunt we did a little fishing.
We made a fire and cooked up some fish bush-craft style. As we were roasting them a spruce grouse landed in a tree so we killed and ate it, too. A very nice morning and some good eats. Nothing of interest was seen on that evening hunt.
The next day spirits were a bit lower. No action since the first hike had us a bit nervous and also it was raining. But RedMac gave a good pep talk and I set off solo for the day with 2 cookies and 2 landjaegers. I climbed a big esker and just followed it most of the day, dipping down off the ridge to check out various lakes and puddles. It rained all morning but I was having a great time in the northern forest that I love so much.
I hunted all day, hard. Walking and calling, or calling from a vantage. For the very last push of the day I went over a hill through an old burn toward a bigger sized lake and called there for a bit. I started walking out and decided to just call softly as I made my way through the blow down. Then I hear 4 deep, base drum type grunts. The deep, resonating power of these grunts will be remembered until I die.
I scan the tree line, knowing that those grunts came from a huge moose, and very close. I then catch movement down in a dip bellow me. Antlers, 40 yards off. I quietly slip off my big backpack and take a few steps over. from behind a big root wad all I can see is the vitals, and the tips of his antlers waving up and down. Up goes the rifle for a free hand shot, and down goes the bull in a heap. I climb up a log and see the moose struggling to his feet so I shoot again, he drops again. I walk forward and put a final one in the base of his skull. Now, I would have shot a spike-fork but was pretty happy with what I found.
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