Bow season bulls for dad and I. (From the ground blind). ;)

[decker9]

Well, all started, sept 30th. I was sitting in my ground blind (warm comfy couch) sipping coffee, enjoying some wild tv in my pj's, playing with the daughter teaching her how to say buck and bull. It was about 1 in the afternoon, my daughters screaming buck buck buck as she points to the mounts on the wall, so I Start saying, bull bull bull, changing it up a little....... Right at that time I figured, speaking of bull, I better look up and out the bay window knowing my dad (argyle) has a moose tag in his pocket and a cross bow (bow season opens on oct 1). Hmmm, yup!, there's a moose on my lakeshore, a quick look threw the spotting scope shows that the bulls in bad shape. His front knee was all torn up, almost looked like a bad shot maybe. A good bull to take before he becomes wolf food. A quick call to dad, "well, if he's out there in the morning let me know" dad says. I watched him for the afternoon and he didn't move much.
The next morning he was no where to be seen, from my ground blind, so I carried on with my day. I had to work my first night shift this evening, so I was just about to go for a power nap, (1pm), what the heck, better look once more...... What ya know, there he is! A quick call to dad and dad's in the boat headed across the lake.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/F07DE08F-24FF-4731-AE43-3A68BE7A72EA_zpsojkmvbnu.png (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/F07DE08F-24FF-4731-AE43-3A68BE7A72EA_zpsojkmvbnu.png.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/01705B76-ED54-4494-83D1-AF6A1166D891_zps7ofwv2hw.png (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/01705B76-ED54-4494-83D1-AF6A1166D891_zps7ofwv2hw.png.html)

(The one photo is blurry, but you can see the white on the bulls knee)
I seen the bull bed in the weeds, I told dad, he's in the second bay from the beaver bay, bedded under the 4th cottonwood on the down lake end ..... "gotter!" dad says. So much for sleep, I watched the whole thing from my ground blind threw the spotting scope. He boated across, beached a couple hundred yards down wind of the bull, a nice easy slow stock, bingo! Even better, the moose run into the lake and expired. Dad roped him to the boat and towed him home, pick'd him up the loader, hanging in the cooler by dinner time, way to go dad!!

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/2DB1D343-5D31-4140-9D63-77443838292D_zpsk8hdzeyj.png (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/2DB1D343-5D31-4140-9D63-77443838292D_zpsk8hdzeyj.png.html)

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/914EC035-1C51-42BC-AE8C-58A89DB42AF7_zps0oxqcopr.png (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/914EC035-1C51-42BC-AE8C-58A89DB42AF7_zps0oxqcopr.png.html)

[decker9]

Well, iv never hunted with a bow before, but figured with dad's cross bow, hmmm, giver a try? What the heck eh. Getting inside 50 yards this time of year is usually not to hard. Oct 5th I finish my last night shift, run into town and grabbed a tag. The 6th I was lazy, still tired from the night shifts, so figured I'd hunt from the couch for the day with no luck. The morning of the 7th I figured I'd head to our moose lick up on the trap line, usually a guarantied moose. Got in there about a hour before daylight. I could hear 2 moose as they stomped they'r way threw the bush, sounded like about 200 yards out, but was hard to tell. I let a couple light cow calls with no answer. I called it a morning at about 10 o'clock thinking I'd come back for an evening hunt. 5 pm that evening found me sitting above the lick again. There wasn't much action, twiddling my thumbs getting impatient, when I get a txt, it's my girlfriend, sending me a pic of this nice bull on our lake shore, in the exact same spot dad took his a few days prior, damn! To late now to make a move, so I stuck it out till dark and went home.


The next morning I launch the canoe and paddle across the lake and am sitting on the shore an hour before daylight. I could hear 2 moose as the walk and feed in the water, about 100-150 yards away, I couldn't see them yet, but could hear them. About 15 minutes go by when all of a sudden they bolt into the bush. Soon as they left the water I never herd another sound, it's amazing how sneaky them big donkeys can be!! It was a calm morning, my guess is they caught my stink. 9 am rolls around and I'm craving my morning coffee , within 20 minutes I was back in my ground blind (on the couch) sippin coffee. I had to work the next morning, so I gave my self a 3pm deadline, if he's out there by 3 I'll make a move, if after 3, I'll go for photos instead.


Just like clock work, 1 pm rolls around, and so does a bull, but a diffrent one, a bit smaller, but I'm ok with that, and once again, in the exact same spot dad took his, and where the bull came out the night before. Made a quick phone call, "hey dad, you wanna be my paddler? My moose is out there!" Needless to say, within 5 minutes we were in the canoe making our stock, (parents live 4 mins away). From my blind to the moose was roughly 800-1km, we closed the distance to 100 yards, I quietly put my paddle down and grabbed the x bow. The bull sees us, but could care less. 50 yards, dad says anytime, but the moose is still chomping at weeds not really giving us the time of day, 40 yards..... 30 yards..... Shoot dad says..... I'm in my glory!! Man wer close, I'm loving it, finger on the trigger, moose broadside at 30 yards, dad makes a final stroke with the paddle, I couldent hear a thing,only the sound of the canoe on water , it was dead calm. We slowly coasted in, we hit 20 yards, and could have got closer even, but the moose would have been able to jump right in our canoe cause the water was so shallow, it was a toss up, 20 yards, shoot or keep coasting? I felt the trigger on my finger and slowly squeezed, booooootwaaaangggggg!!! Never herd such a horrible racket, the x bow vibrated so bad that I missed seeing the arrow hit, and dad dident see either. The bull let out a few big coughs, and fluid started pouring out the other side of him, but not blood....... Right away my junk hit my throat, my initial thought was stomach fluid. The shot felt good, but I was worried not seeing any blood poor out of him, just clear liquid. The bull bolted into the bush, looking un fazed. We gave him a half hour , and started our tracking. The moose sign was unbelievable. Tracks going everywhere all over, tracking was proving to be difficult. The whole time we only found a few specks of blood, which made me feel even worse. We got about 120 yards from the lake, I was more watching for a moose instead of sign at this point in time. I come around a patch of devils club, an antler! Even better yet, it's on the ground! I fully expected him to jump up and start running, thinking my shot must have been bad from the lack of blood. But I was wrong, 100% wrong. The arrow passed threw both lungs and he bled out internally. Man! You never seen such a happy camper as I was, first, my worst fear never came true, and I just scored my first bow kill, and most important of all, the freezers full for the winter.


Now, how we gonna get him out? He was about 120-150 yards off the lake. It was pushing 4pm, we would be packing in the dark. Dad had a great idea, well, we have a dock and a side x side and a power saw, a bro inlaw and two nephews, the plan was made. The rest went off without a hitch.


I'd have to say , what'a bow season! One bull on opening day, and one on closing day. Dad's second bow moose (his first over 20 years ago) and my first. Both moose could have took a second arrow if we had a compound instead if a x bow , a must for next season !!

The recovery.

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/Mobile%20Uploads/E595ED28-A115-49D7-A80F-2817ADF53C4B_zpsf87piuwn.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/Mobile%20Uploads/E595ED28-A115-49D7-A80F-2817ADF53C4B_zpsf87piuwn.jpg.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/E7949DF0-79B0-49AA-B6AF-92CE2E8B9D34_zpsepgxpwuy.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/E7949DF0-79B0-49AA-B6AF-92CE2E8B9D34_zpsepgxpwuy.jpg.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/65BE50E9-8562-413A-8DE6-B4893A6DD082_zpsujtbgxsn.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/65BE50E9-8562-413A-8DE6-B4893A6DD082_zpsujtbgxsn.jpg.html)

great helpers!!
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/72733D32-F27C-45C7-BD7A-D1342061CE1F_zpsrchcigfp.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/72733D32-F27C-45C7-BD7A-D1342061CE1F_zpsrchcigfp.jpg.html)

[decker9]

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/A382005A-9DD6-43E5-B6E0-D58A0A394064_zpsoczumc6x.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/A382005A-9DD6-43E5-B6E0-D58A0A394064_zpsoczumc6x.jpg.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/Mobile%20Uploads/2BFA1D06-8A19-4DB5-ADB6-02A6BCCF1DB2_zpsj2t7cnhy.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2BFA1D06-8A19-4DB5-ADB6-02A6BCCF1DB2_zpsj2t7cnhy.jpg.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/Mobile%20Uploads/7BC2A819-A8DB-4E5D-9DEA-163C25122754_zpspf6a8ako.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/Mobile%20Uploads/7BC2A819-A8DB-4E5D-9DEA-163C25122754_zpspf6a8ako.jpg.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/Mobile%20Uploads/88F48EF5-DC13-417E-8BAD-61D50CD4F0DE_zps8yzeex60.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/Mobile%20Uploads/88F48EF5-DC13-417E-8BAD-61D50CD4F0DE_zps8yzeex60.jpg.html)

[decker9]

Once home, drug him to the swing set , in the truck, in the cooler by bed time.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/Mobile%20Uploads/8EC9AFF4-475D-43B3-9277-BC96284F21C0_zpslxujzsgg.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/Mobile%20Uploads/8EC9AFF4-475D-43B3-9277-BC96284F21C0_zpslxujzsgg.jpg.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/Mobile%20Uploads/CCC0C8CF-F8F5-43DE-978B-7B60127DE465_zpswhwkdbnd.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/Mobile%20Uploads/CCC0C8CF-F8F5-43DE-978B-7B60127DE465_zpswhwkdbnd.jpg.html)


used the loader for dad's bull

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/A6EFD332-7EBE-465E-B644-85538B82535C_zpsyaaib8qc.png (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/A6EFD332-7EBE-465E-B644-85538B82535C_zpsyaaib8qc.png.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/Mobile%20Uploads/BF62FF66-B0E2-461C-B5EC-A3F8664A0898_zpsk3ag0az9.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/Mobile%20Uploads/BF62FF66-B0E2-461C-B5EC-A3F8664A0898_zpsk3ag0az9.jpg.html)

[decker9]

Best part of all, my lil girl watched the whole thing threw dad's binos, and got to help on her first harvest! Hopefully next season she will be by my side , instead of in the cozy ground blind ;)

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/6103E2B7-F02F-4A34-8540-36DD291E546C_zpskbxfse9f.jpg (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/6103E2B7-F02F-4A34-8540-36DD291E546C_zpskbxfse9f.jpg.html)
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/CFFFA992-5D5D-4132-9B35-451F3F710A88_zpses9g7nrh.png (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/CFFFA992-5D5D-4132-9B35-451F3F710A88_zpses9g7nrh.png.html)


thanks for looking. Cheers!

[325]

Wow, you live in paradise!

[russm]

I sure do wish I could hunt from my couch! I guess I could bu theirs not much of a season for crackheads lol. Good job.

[coach]

Awesome story and pictures. Nice to be so well equipped for the recovery. Congratulations and thanks for posting.

[Knute]

Wow, you live in paradise!

X2^^

Great pictorial recount of a family effort in two bull recoveries, way to go!

[decker9]

Thanks guys. It's a good feeling having the freezers full, at little cost. I almost forgot the money shots lol.
Dad and his bull
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/0A2BC202-B90A-427B-9171-A1BACF6CC7FE_zpsvtt7ywol.png (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/0A2BC202-B90A-427B-9171-A1BACF6CC7FE_zpsvtt7ywol.png.html)

me with mine
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w411/decker1122/3C734402-CE18-406B-A866-54F502678194_zps3nsp2yhz.png (http://s1074.photobucket.com/user/decker1122/media/3C734402-CE18-406B-A866-54F502678194_zps3nsp2yhz.png.html)

[rifleman]

thats a lot of meat. good job. quite the raft you have... good to see everyone wearing life jackets... safety first..

[kilometers]

Not goin to lie slightly jealous here!!

[DawsonCreedmoor]

Right on Ed!

I'd like to hunt from your ground blind.

[hunter1947]

Nice bull you got your story and pictures are as good as it gets on HBC congrats to everyone on this hunt..

[martyonthewater]

Great pics and an awesome story. Thanks for sharing. Congrats to both of you and enjoy the view this winter with a full belly.

[Blainer]

Absolutely Fantastic!!
Great accomplishment

[kennyj]

Wow!! Do you live in a cool place or what?? Nice moose.
kenny

[decker9]

Thanks all, it's definitely got it's advantages living on a lake. That piece of shoreline has provided for the family since the 50's/60's when grandad setup home here, and now the fourth generation is on the rise :)

[todbartell]

Bartell approved!

[ace76]

Two bulls arrowed, that's awesome D9. No shortage of meat there. I have called many bulls (moose + elk) for people into easy bow range but never one for myself , with a bow that is (only rifle because I was to lazy to carry both rifle and bow).

[Wrayzer]

Great stuff! Sounds like an awesome spot for the homestead.

[boxhitch]

You have the equipment dialed in for sure . Love the motor barge , just missing a capstan.

[300H&H]

Congratulations....what's with all the deleted/moved pictures ?

[decker9]

I just noticed that to 300, I cleaned up my photobucket yesterday , I guess when I delete out if my bucket it deletes my posted photos as well? Crap !

[Piperdown]

Hey Decker awesome story and pics. Where in 6-04 are you located we have 80 acres just off Ootsa Lake in East Ootsa always in for a beer and a good hunting story

[Salty]

Nice! reminds me of putting along dragging a fly on one of the zillion lakes out there by Burns lk a few years ago watching a cow and calf for about half an hour. Was thinking... yeah I could live around here this does not suck. lol

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Cool story and pics!!!! Congrats to you and your Dad!!!

Interesting full-bodied recovery. One for the memory banks!! Have not seen anything like it!!

If you're ever in a time-crunch again, remember, it probably would have taken less than half the time with two backpacks and a couple knives....but it's not near as cool!:mrgreen:


Great place you live!!

SSS