So as fortune would have it, I managed to draw a tag for moose this year. Good friend of mine had the same draw last year, and graciously offered to host me out at his cabin on a beautiful lake that shall remain nameless!!
We got things started the last couple days of september, quite hopeful the rut would be in full swing.Plan was a combination of hiking in to swamps to call, or anchoring up in some nice little bays on the lake to call. we were on cows each of the first 4 days, several times we sat on a cow for hours in the morning and evening with no bulls seen or heard.
First bull of the trip was spotted from the cabin while we were having lunch, real nice looking bull wandering the far shoreline....mad scramble to find rifles, packs and get in the boat. By the time we got there he was into the timber so we dropped the hook and let things quiet down for a bit before calling. Spent the last 3 hours of light on him with no luck.
So thus far we had not seen or heard ANY sign of rut activity at all.....then, overnight it all changed.....
My buddies daughter and son in law were there looking for a spike fork, they headed out on land for day 5, we headed out by boat, turns out they ran into 3 cows, and 2 nice bulls fighting in the middle of the road, 2 minutes from the cabin that morning. We discussed plans at lunch and went up to have a look at the tracks. Given the direction they took off and our knowledge of the area from the previous 4 days....we had a pretty good idea where they were going so a plan to hike in to the spot for the evening was made. Well....you know what they say about the best laid plans.....after a 45 minute hike in to the spot we wanted....we bumped into another hunter sitting on the edge of the swamp.....dang....getting late....only a couple hours of light left. PLAN B!!!!....we boogey back to the cabin as fast as my old fat arse can move and pile into the boat with about an hour of daylight left and head towards a bay that had shown good sign on the shore. Well we didn't get far...rounded the first point and theres 3 cows and a bull on the shore probably 800 yds away. luckily there was another point probably 1/2 a km farther on, so we just kept going until we were around the corner and out of sight before beaching.
i started making my way back down the shoreline and when i can see the whole shoreline....the moose are all gone. I find a nice boulder and hunker down before letting out my sexiest cow call. almost immediately a bull lights up, grunting continously as he walks, unfortunately hes going away from us farther into the thick timber. BUT, then a second bull lights up and hes also grunting non stop...but this ones working his way towards me. Just then a cow comes out onto the open shoreline....rangefinder up...400yds even....dial up the CDS on my 280 AI to 400 and wait. she follows the shore for about 100 yds towards me then heads back in....but im not even looking at her, i've got a good solid rest and my rifle trained on the spot she first stepped out....and right on cue, he steps out right in her tracks and obliges me with a broadside shot
........BOOM.....168 LRX is on its way.....buddy behind say "YEP, HIT!!!.....hit him again", Now I'll admit here that I definately got a little 'rammy" and rushed the second shot....no bueno. Buddy is now urging me on, "ANCHOR him before he gets into the bush!!!" OK....mental kick in the ass for pullin a rookie move rushing my follow up.....I settle on my boulder, get a dead solid hold on the base of his neck......1/2 breath out, hold......squeeze.....BOOM!!! when I re-aquire my sight picture the bull is gone and buddy is smiling...."that one crumpled him!!!"
Turns out the follow up shots were unnecessary, the 168 LRX punched right through and made a nice mess of his lungs!
This guy is the perfect bull for me....just old enough to have reached his full body size potential, but still "young"!!
And for the true trophy photo.....some of the good groceries!!!
Chris
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