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Thread: butchering a moose

  1. #1
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    butchering a moose

    Anyone butchering a moose or any big animal by yourself in grizzly country , do you do that
    or do you avoid grizzly country when hunting by yourself ? that's the problem i have ,
    Can't really avoid grizzly's when hunting moose !
    Last edited by gutpile; 07-13-2021 at 06:22 PM.

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  3. #2
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    Re: butchering a moose

    Friend on stand by with a loaded 45-70

  4. #3
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    Re: butchering a moose

    Remember by yourself !

  5. #4
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    Re: butchering a moose

    Just keep your gun loaded and take your time, breaks every 5 mins to check your surroundings constantly. Any way you slice it, not the best situation.
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  6. #5
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    Re: butchering a moose

    I have done I think two moose now on solo hunts in grizz country. Grizz were spotted every second day or so. Its definitely a new sense of awareness! One was above treeline so I had a pretty good view around me. It did take 5 days of packing meat to get it off the mountain! As I peeked over the ridge at my meat pile on the last day I spotted a wolf carrying off one of the last two bags of meat. I was already cursing having to carry meat and a wolf hide as I dropped prone into a shooting position. I grinned as I picked him up in the scope! It was a wolverine! I let him left him to be with his new found bounty. I thought it was strange that a wolf would have touched a game bag. The second was in the same area but in the timber of the valley bottom. I peed all around and took a crap just downwind as well before I started the knifework. I was fairly vocal as I parted that bull out. I was able to get half of that bull out the first day and all was well when I returned the next day to finish up. Oh, just remembered another one. I was done hunting for the evening and was riding my quad back to camp right at last light when I happened across a bull I just couldnt pass up! It wasnt really a hunt but I was able to use the quad to pull him right onto the road edge. I donned the headlamp, built a quick fire and got to it. A logger passed by shortly and stopped, told me I was nuts and dove in to help me part that bull out into manageable pieces. I was happy to have the help! It was about 2am when I finally relaxed in camp with a well deserved rum n coke. In short, keep yer wits about ya, leave all the stinky human scent you can and remember, them bears are more scared of you than we are of them!
    Last edited by swampthing; 07-13-2021 at 07:00 PM.

  7. #6
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    Re: butchering a moose

    Hmm make your weapon safe but instantly accessable!
    Clean and quarter the animal.
    Remove the edible portions 300 yards..separate from gutpile.
    Keep your head on a swivel.be aware.
    Place LOTS of flagging tape on around gutpile..so OTHERS don't stumble in on a feeding grizzly .
    Do the same for your game meat pile..or better yet hang em high.. put tape ALL around your meat so you can tell if the game meat has been hit.place game meat where you can see it for 100 yards..glass the game meat...intact ? Or scattered tape intact ?
    Just assume bears on gut pile and meat stash..
    On each trip SCAN WITH OPTICS..ensure no bear has claimed your moose.
    A 500 pound grizz is extremely quiet..keep looking around while cleaning the moose..stop rehydrate..look continue quartering bagging.a moment of caution versus a lifetime of grief or worse.
    Here in the Cariboo..Bears do not associate a rifle shot with a dinner bell..some places they seem to.
    Keeping the bagged meat hung high and located where you can see it clearly with optics from a distance.
    Srupp
    Hmm the caloric jackpot in fall over rides a bears disdain for humans..yes pee lots around game meat..leave a sweaty undershirt..however fall grizzlies NEED to put on the pounds..it over rides natural fear/ caution.
    If forced to work into the dark.. a fire closeby.
    Last edited by srupp; 07-13-2021 at 06:55 PM.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    4,368

    Re: butchering a moose

    I enjoy hunting alone sometimes have went solo when I could of had a partner. I just enjoy the solitude and have had far better success for elk hunting on my own. But I hear ya, sometime in Griz country it would be nice to have a partner, especially when an animal hits the ground.

    It would be easy to sit here on the couch and say you don't need to be concerned just put your head down and get the work done. But that would be complete BS. Its very risky by yourself and not something that I enjoy doing and to be honest, I have been pretty nervous and uncomfortable at times doing it.

    I've done 4 elk by myself. The only issue I've had was on my Roosevelt elk (not grizz country). I had a medium size black bear show up right after I got the first quarter off. Scared him off easily enough but he lingered and kept sneaking back in. Ended up putting the run on him 4 more times and he still remained within 75 yards of me the entire time. I would not of been that ballsy with a Griz for sure. In hind sight, would of been a great time to test my bear spray, but it was in my truck.

    The other 3 were in the East Koots in prime Grizzly country of which 2 were shot at last light. My bull last year was one of these. I shot him just before legal light ended and was about 4km from my truck down in a draw. It was hot as hell out and dressed him in the dark and spent half the night packing him up to the nearest road, then walked about 2.5 km out to get my truck.

    Before I started dressing him, I threw up my pack alarm about 60 meters downwind in a 100 meter U shape. I talk to myself constantly, sang a few songs and frequently pop up to look around and listen. Rifle was always at an arms reach. I carried each quarter about 100m upwind as they came off the carcass and before I started ferrying them out, put my alarm around the quarters I needed to come back for.
    Last edited by Ron.C; 07-13-2021 at 06:58 PM.

  9. #8
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    Re: butchering a moose

    Quote Originally Posted by gutpile View Post
    Remember by yourself !

    I have done a lot of solo hunting when I was younger, but not anymore, not in grizzly country anyway.
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  10. #9
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    Nov 2006
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    1,791

    Re: butchering a moose

    Quote Originally Posted by gutpile View Post
    Remember by yourself !
    Don’t leave it over night.

  11. #10
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    Re: butchering a moose

    Quote Originally Posted by srupp View Post
    Hmm make your weapon safe but instantly accessable!
    Clean and quarter the animal.
    Remove the edible portions 300 yards..separate from gutpile.
    Keep your head on a swivel.be aware.
    Place LOTS of flagging tape on around gutpile..so OTHERS don't stumble in on a feeding grizzly .
    Do the same for your game meat pile..or better yet hang em high.. put tape ALL around your meat so you can tell if the game meat has been hit.place game meat where you can see it for 100 yards..glass the game meat...intact ? Or scattered tape intact ?
    Just assume bears on gut pile and meat stash..
    On each trip SCAN WITH OPTICS..ensure no bear has claimed your moose.
    A 500 pound grizz is extremely quiet..keep looking around while cleaning the moose..stop rehydrate..look continue quartering bagging.a moment of caution versus a lifetime of grief or worse.
    Here in the Cariboo..Bears do not associate a rifle shot with a dinner bell..some places they seem to.
    Keeping the bagged meat hung high and located where you can see it clearly with optics from a distance.
    Srupp
    Hmm the caloric jackpot in fall over rides a bears disdain for humans..yes pee lots around game meat..leave a sweaty undershirt..however fall grizzlies NEED to put on the pounds..it over rides natural fear/ caution.
    If forced to work into the dark.. a fire closeby.
    I heard human pee and camp fires doesn't keep bears away !

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