LEH Bull Moose Success!!

[Taylor329]

Well, a perfect hunting season has come to a perfect end for me. 4 tags cut and 3 firsts, thousands of miles travelled, and a lifetime of memories. It started with a beautiful chocolate coloured spring black bear, continued in September with my first sheep/elk combo, and has rounded off with an LEH moose!

My dad, myself, and a buddy of ours left for Williams Lake on the friday of the thanksgiving long weekend after work. Arrived at 4:30AM, settled in and went over the maps for the following day, we were hunting 5-02 (I won’t give up the zone). I was lucky enough to have drawn the area where my dads old stomping grounds were (and his reliable moose spots when it was still GOS!), and although the area has changed vastly since he was last there, it produced for us just the same. We spent the first day cutting old windfall and clearing all the old trails, and scouting the old spots. My tag was good for any bull moose from wednesday the 15th till the end of October, and the other two guys had deer tags burning holes in their pockets.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/1218AB28-2CA3-4B2E-B754-9162BFCEB9DC_zpsfklqvspm.jpg

[Taylor329]

Over the weekend the three of us covered the majority of the zone, saw many does and 2 cows. No bucks, no bulls. Lots of tracks and scat were seen, fresh stuff everyday so we knew the animals were around and moving. The weather held out until Monday around 11:30, then it started pouring down. Dad and our friend had to go back to work for the week, so I stayed behind and they would come back the following weekend. The rain didn’t stop so I decided to go back into town and restock on water and other things. Visited some relatives of mine and had a thanksgiving leftover dinner, much better than the mountain house meal I would have had if I stayed in the bush!

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/9CD67F3F-ACB7-46F3-932E-C08B82610087_zpsjtwlqbqw.jpg

[Taylor329]

The next morning was blue sky and warm, it stayed like that for a couple of days. I was out in the morning and in my spots before the sun crested over the horizon, and didn’t head back to camp until it was necessary to use a headlamp. Over the course of the next 3 days I covered the entire zone, driving, hiking, glassing, whatever means necessary. I saw lots of fresh sign everyday, but only saw 1 doe the whole week. My dad and the friend came back up on thursday night, and in the morning my dad and I went to a spot I had visited everyday and seemed the most promising.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/0877EEEE-9C8B-4331-91EB-9FA82EC3080E_zpsg0o9afq5.jpg

[Taylor329]

My dad chose to go uphill and follow the tree line in hopes that he could push something my direction, and I stayed low sneaking along the road. While my dad was in the trees he spooked up a moose, which ran in the opposite direction of me, but it was to dark to discern cow or bull. For the next hour I gingerly made my way across the small clearing, no animals came my way. There is a second clearing separated from the first by a small strip of trees, I entered the second clearing and looked to my right. There is a small lake and marshy area surrounding it, with a meadow to the right of it.

I immediately thought “that black spot hasn’t been there the past few days, a look through the bino’s confirmed bull moose! He was feeding his way through the meadow towards the first clearing I had been in, I sprinted through the trees hoping to cut him off coming through the other side. The wind was howling and masking a lot of noise, and it was blowing a good direction, everything was falling into place. I got back into the first clearing and headed in the direction of the moose, after a quick stalk I was within 100 yards and he had no idea I existed.

[Taylor329]

He was standing perfectly broadside while I rested the gun on a tree, BOOM!! The first round of 7mm Rem Mag went a little high, and straight through his shoulder not exiting the other side. His shoulder bone was shattered, he hobbled ahead a few steps and stood quartering towards me. Another shot rang out and he slowly tipped over, expiring in the grassy meadow. Dad had caught up to me by now and the celebration began! We quickly got to work gutting him out and cooling him down, then we cut a trail from the road to where the moose lay, quartered him and loaded him into the truck. Back at camp we hung him, skinned him, and got him ready for the butcher, we were home by Saturday evening.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/3DED2FCD-715E-40DA-81D2-DCB0A77BFE38_zps0mbnsssi.jpg
http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/E5707D63-4D98-4B99-90D1-0EC900F82CFC_zpsreqwd0rp.jpg
http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/46361F8D-93E0-45B0-8B33-77AAA93DD17D_zpslkyd8yy0.jpg

[Taylor329]

This has been a hell of a year for me, first moose, sheep, and elk, all with dad at my side. It’s one for the books and it will be a hard season to beat for sure.

If you want to read the sheep/elk story:
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?110979-Tuchodi-Hunt-2014

If you want to read the spring bear story:
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?107489-Bear-Hunt-Success!!&p=1505027#post1505027

Last few pics from the moose trip.

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/F3A11C54-C3D9-42DA-91F8-1294D1AF9411_zpszmjwgykq.jpg
http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/22CE3E26-BC8F-4B16-A64B-F8C8FCD91C4F_zpscy8wzqyy.jpg
http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/AE71C276-8E5D-471D-8B7C-4E28888F4BC6_zpspma9oxvv.jpg

[Rhyno]

Hell of a season, congrats! Can't be too much room left in your freezer. Didn't recognize you from your sheep/elk thread without that epic beard:-D

[Buckmeister]

Nice story, and congrats!

[fearnodeer]

Good for you and even better to have your Dad with, Congrats.

[MOUNTAIN MAN - TOYOTA/ATV]

Great story. Nice to be with your Dad when hunting. Good work!

[Sleep Robber]

Truly a dream hunting season for both you and your Dad , here's wishing you more of the same in the years to come.

Thanks for the threads, they were all exiting to read.

[Sofa King]

Good for you and even better to have your Dad with, Congrats.

ditto.
enjoy and cherish those father/son hunts.
dad was my favourite hunting partner, and it's just not the same without him anymore.

[backyardhunter3006]

Great bull and nice job.

[guest]

Just a little bigger then a Stone ram eh ...... Congrats, ur dad is showing ya some great spots, in the end hard work pays off

congrats

[cpearen]

I remember reading your other posts this year. Awesome story aswell
Happy to hear you got your moose! But you've really gotta grow that beard back

[wrenchhead]

Congrats. Excellent story.

[markomoose]

Nice bull - lousy beard.Grow it back?

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Congrats!! He's the perfect eater bull!!

As mentioned, cherish these father/son trips and keep doing as many as possible.

SSS

[ydouask]

Thanks for the write-up, brought back many wonderful memories...... :-D.

[Boner]

Nice Bull! That's cool you get to hunt with your dad.

[Taylor329]

Congrats!! He's the perfect eater bull!!

As mentioned, cherish these father/son trips and keep doing as many as possible.

SSS
Perfect is exactly how I would describe it, young meat, and as a bonus it wasn't all rutted up or gamey smelling at all! Can't wait for those moose steaks.


I remember reading your other posts this year. Awesome story aswell
Happy to hear you got your moose! But you've really gotta grow that beard back


Nice bull - lousy beard.Grow it back?
It will come back slowly but surely, gotta trim a bit here and there for work, but it will make a comeback for next year!


I think my beard has gotten more attention than the animals by now!