SS's 2018 season

[avadad]

Sweet bull!

[Knute]

Thanks for a great share, some awesome animals on the ground, outstanding fishing trip, what a season!

Excellent photos really help in telling the story.

[downsouth204]

Right on, and you can always step outside and have a fire on a sunny warm day!

[RJHunter]

Great write up, sounds like an awsome season. Congrats!

[Husky7mm]

Wow! What a bull! Thanks for sharing. The fishing look amazing too! A great yr so far.

[Arctic Lake]

Nice bull Sitka . Taken in what looks like great moose country ! Great pic taken !
Arctic Lake

[IronNoggin]

Excellent report & pictures as usual Ken!
Not too often you see one with FOUR on a front palm!
Well Done all round Buddy!

Cheers!
Nog

[Sitkaspruce]

Thanks all for the comments!!

As we stood there looking at the bull, we knew we had a lot of work a head of us....and we needed help!! Bull was a 10x11 with 5x6 on the fronts including double drops.





We snapped a bazzilion pictures and rolled up our sleeves...Jeff gave me a hand on the gutless until I got the front off, then he had to start the hike back to the quad and drive 20 k to get cell service for help...and his cell was dead so he had to borrow mine!

While he off getting the strong backs and week minds, I started the process. He was a huge bull and was awkward moving around. While Jeff was gone, I managed to get everything off except one front shoulder, neck and back strap....I just could not get him rolled over for the other front shoulder.

One side done



Since I was in prime Grizzly country and have had run ins before with them, I was on hyper alert. I sang, yelled Hey bear and whistled a lot....looking over my shoulder and my loaded gun within a couple steps at all times.

After a few hours, I could hear the help coming. They had managed to find an old cut line that got the quads within leg burning distance. Once the boys arrived, we snapped a few more picts and started the packing process to the gas powered help.



Soon the last bag was off to the quads and all that was left was the head and antlers. I hunt by the "code" that the last to come out is the antlers and have lived by that most of my life. It was my turn, as the oldest and the successful hunter, to bring them out...….

[Sitkaspruce]

The pack out was fun....packing out 120 lbs or more (just a guess) of bone over blow down and brush was a challenge for this guy with bad knees!!





It took us an hour to get the two loaded machines down to the road and the truck, then back up for a second load and repeat. Finally we had all the moose in the truck and were enjoying a cold one....or two!! A 30 min ride home and some more cold ones were enjoyed while we got dinner going! Once we were cleaned up and settled down, the Kill Bottle came out.....Gibsons 18 year old Venerable….

The next day we were back at it for our last day, with again a couple bulls giving us some action, but too big or too small. I have a love hate relationship with the 2/3/10 rule. I dislike it because you have to count before you can squeeze the trigger and there is always the question in the back of your mind when ever you do squeeze the trigger....did it have the right amount of points....and I love it because I can hunt every year and not wait for a draw. There is a bit of a movement up here from some of the locals and out of towners to have the season put on LEH. I am totally against it because LEH has never increased the moose population and reduces hunter opportunity to get out and hunt moose. Habitat, Pred control, poaching, unregulated hunting, trains and vehicles and ticks kill more moose than hunters do, yet we still blame us as the reason for moose numbers being down. End of my rant!! LOL

Took a few pictures after it was all hung and cooled down







Any guess on spread???

[LBM]

Congrats on a absolute dream bull.