Region 5 Moose Success!

[Gone_Fishin_]

Day 2 and only 15 minutes in we had our moose down...

Big shout out to Steven "Srupp" for sharing his years of knowledge with a new moose hunter, the information you shared was a tremendous help and once we put everything together the trip could not have gone any better.

On Sept 9-11 a friend and I made the drive up to 5-2 for a scouting trip to scope out some locations for my up coming draw. This was a huge help as it narrowed down locations for us and got us a huge head start for our planned hunt from Sept 23-Oct 3. We were able to pick 3 key locations that we would focus on when we came back up providing they still showed fresh sign come later Sept. On our last day of the scouting trip (Saturday 10th) we bumped a moose (not sure if it was a cow or bull) from an area we wanted to hunt. We decided to back out and come back in the evening to see if we could get a look or even better connect as my tag was now valid as of that day. While waiting it out that evening on the edge of a small swamp we heard some splashing around on the opposite end. Not wanting to go after it with light fading to dark within minutes we backed out again. Up bright and early into the same location, after confirming from tracks/trails that what we heard was a moose our spirits were high and we started feeling more confident about our trip coming up.

With work that Monday it was back to the truck and on the way home. Counting down the days like a kid waiting for Christmas...

Friday Sept 23rd my friend and I both managed to get out of work early and were on the highway by noon. After one more stop for fuel we were off the highway and headed towards our designated area. We arrived at our camping spot (Thx again Steven it was void of mud, lol) around 7:30pm and went to quick work on setting up the wall tent, wood stove and cots. After a nice dinner it was off to bed for an early start in the morning.

Up before first light and a quick breakfast shake we were ready to go. Rather than take the quad we opted to go for a walk as the first location we planned on hunting was only about 1.5kms from camp. As it was only day 1 we wanted to focus on finding our spots that we would hunt hard rather than driving all over the area. We wanted to make a plan, and stick to that plan.

Upon entering our first location we immediately saw fresh sign and the game trail we knew of was being heavily used. Not wanting to blow out the area we devised a plan, took note of the wind and hung a scent. We quickly got out of the area and moved onto spot #2 which was a few kms up some spur roads and down in elevation of our first area. Again upon entering the area we found more fresh sign, this though appeared to be a cow/calf combo walking side by side. Knowing there was moose in that location we made another plan and mapped out the area, spot #2 was now in the back pocket for Monday.

Around noon we decided to walk back to camp and finish setting everything up and if we had time make a drive in the evening to check spot #3. On our way back we ran into another HBC'er (forgot his username) and had a good chat. He was going onto day 6 without any luck at all. After some talk we found out he was sleeping in his truck box and using that as camp so he could move around locations easier. We offered him to come by our camp later on for some food and a beer if interested.

It took a little longer to set up than expected but we weren't worried as it was only day 1 so we still had plenty of time. Around dark our new friend Joel came by and we sat enjoying a few beverages and some food into the evening. Before heading to bed he asked if it was ok if he crashed in his truck at our camp as he planned on hunting a location nearby in the morning, of course not a problem for us.

Day 2 Sunday Sept 24....

[Gone_Fishin_]

Woke up to pouring down rain...

Up before first light to get the belly full and bags packed. We already had a plan and knew exactly where we were going to sit permitting the wind was still going in the right direction. We said good luck to our new friend Joel and heading out to spot #1.

We hid the quad about a km from our spot and started to make the quiet walk in. A quick check on the wind and we were good to go. Upon entering the edge of a small swamp we slowed it right down and listened for a few minutes, I didn't want to spook another moose like I did a few weeks prior in this location. Once we confirmed there was nothing moving or hanging out in the area we planned on sitting we ever so slowly made our way in to a small point where we could see in all directions and directly at the area we hung a scent.

Both of us got our chairs out, covered up nicely to keep warm and a few willows in front for cover we settled in for a what we thought, was a long long day of sitting and calling.

This is where things got exciting real quick...

[Shikari300WSM]

Keeper coming. I'm stuck in England for a week and am dying to get back out into the bush to fill what is so far tag soup. This site is the next best thing to being out there

[Gone_Fishin_]

We settled in and got ready for the day, it was 6:45 now, a few minutes later than what I would have liked but hey we were in there and ready to go. My friend abandoned his small stool and started to nuzzle himself into the moss using his pack as a pillow as we were both expecting this to be a long morning/afternoon and evening.

6:50 am and I let out a perfect (in my mind) 3 part cow call using only my hands. First one medium, 2nd a little higher/longer and 3rd low and short. Set the timer for 15 minutes and try to cover myself from the relentless rain. I made sure my scope was clear, shooting sticks ready and put the gloves back on to stay warm...

[Gone_Fishin_]

7:10am... and I feel the vibrate from my timer saying she's time to make another call.

Almost immediately upon finishing my 2nd set of calls, again only using my hands and keeping it fairly quiet my friend thinks he heard something but wasn't sure if it was from his gum boots while trying to get comfortable.

5 seconds later and this was no gum boot. We hear a super low "grunt grunt grunt" both of us just look at each other with eyes wider than eggs and at the exact same time say "bull"

Now I was a few feet back from my friend and couldn't see through some tight low thicket to my right. Not trying to move much I looked through what I could and see a massive dark figure standing about 150 ish yards away. I look back at my friend and he has 2 fingers pointed in that direction as he quietly whispers "eyes on a bull" This guy was standing directly under our scent and had pegged us perfectly after that 2nd set of calls. He was now staring right at us and slowly working his way over.

As I try and get the shooting sticks ready I was having a hard time making out a clear shot through some thicket beside me. This whole time (about 45 seconds) the bull is grunting away and swaying his head gear back and forth in our direction. After a few more seconds I was able to get ready and once I looked up he had vanished...

My heart dropped... I thought I just missed an opportunity on a massive bull only 15 minutes into the day... what the heck...

[Gone_Fishin_]

I looked back at my buddy and said "hes gone"...

at the moment those words came out of my mouth we hear him again " grunt grunt grunt grunt grunt grunt " I look up and there he is coming right at us swaying his antlers back and forth non stop grunting.

I steady myself and get ready for a shot. With him standing face on slightly 1/4 away I didn't have much for a shot. I was going to wait for him to turn as I felt a big gust of wind come directly from behind us and up my neck. I knew I wasn't going to have long before he figured out we weren't a cow hiding in 5' tall bushes.

I went to line up and had the front left shoulder in view, worried that I would have to go through straight bone to enter the lungs with possibly hitting a bit far back I took aim of the shoulder, came forward another few inches and let her fly...

Thwapp!! direct hit. The bull staggered forward about 5 yards and did a faceplant into the swamp.. OMG I just shot a monster bull on day 2 only 15 minutes in. Chamber another round and look at buddy in shock of what just happened. We both look back and see the bull getting back up to his feet, I line up once more and put one dead center in the neck which drops him on the spot and no more movement.

Now one thing to mention about my friend. Brand new hunter, never been on a big game hunt before other than a Bear we got on our scouting trip and has never ever seen a moose in his life. The look on his face was priceless and I think he was shaking more than I was.

[Gone_Fishin_]

Day 2 and only 15 minutes into a 2nd set of calls and we had a giant bull down. After a couple high fives and big hug we were off to take a look at the moose we were so lucky to have gotten.

Now when I seen him coming I knew he wasn't small, there was some definite size to the rack he was packing, but words cannot describe what i put my hands on when we got to him. He was a beauty, mass, tines, width the whole nine. I could not have been happier... that is...

Until i realized i just shot this monster in the middle of a swamp about 650-700 yard walk from the closest place i would be able to get the quad too. Let the fun begin :)

[604redneck]

Day 2 and only 15 minutes into a 2nd set of calls and we had a giant bull down. After a couple high fives and big hug we were off to take a look at the moose we were so lucky to have gotten.

Now when I seen him coming I knew he wasn't small, there was some definite size to the rack he was packing, but words cannot describe what i put my hands on when we got to him. He was a beauty, mass, tines, width the whole nine. I could not have been happier... that is...

Until i realized i just shot this monster in the middle of a swamp about 650-700 yard walk from the closest place i would be able to get the quad too. Let the fun begin :)
That is always a fun time

[Gone_Fishin_]

Once my friend pulled his jaw back up from the ground after he seen how big a moose was his first question was "how are we going to get this guy outta here" which i laughed and said this is why we bought those frame packs buddy, lets get to work.

As we didnt think we would be into a moose that quick i had to make a quick rip back to camp for supplies. Frame packs, game bags, tarps, rope, comealong, machete, knives and sharpener and everything else needed for the day ahead.

After quickly realizing that there was no way we were going to comealong this guy to a dry spot we started at it in over a foot of water and pouring down rain. Now this is only my 2nd moose ever and the 1st we were able to get back to camp whole. I've butchered deer and bear in the field before so figure i would go the same route.

With a dry spot about 40' away we quickly set out a tarp and started cutting out 1/4's. Front leg, rear leg, onto the neck meat, back strap and then i split the belly, cut the diaphragm and got the heart and tenderloins out. Once at that point i started separating the ribs with a small hatchet from the spine. Once the 1 side was picked clean we flipped him over and did the opposite. I have to say it wasn't that bad at all, he came apart fairly easily and not a pc of meat was left behind. We also managed to keep basically everything void of swamp besides the bit of water that poured in and touched the inside of the opposite ribs when we were wrapping up the first side. I was impressed with how well we did with the situation we were in.

Once all parts were moved onto a tarp we took the head off and started to load the frame packs, wow is all i have to say. That was one of the hardest things i have ever done in my life. Not only did we carry him out pc by pc, but we did it through a swamp, blow downs and slightly uphill about 700 yards to the quad. Now the swamp i found was the easiest part, it was the water soaked moss just outside the swamp that sucked your boot in and made every step twice as hard. It was also looking at the quad only a 100 feet away but having to walk 300' around blowdowns and logs just to get to it.

Once we had everything packed out to another tarp it was time to load the quad. It took 4 trips each to get him out. 2 legs a pc, one trip trimmings and backstraps, 1 trip ribs, and 1 trip neck meat with the final being head and remaining gear. I will never forget the feeling of accomplishment once we hit that quad, it was an amazing trip and couldn't have done it without my good friend.

Once we got back to camp and just started to hang the meat our new friend Joel was just driving by, there was a few minutes left of light and he was going to boot up to another location for a look. Well once he seen the headlamps 100 feet behind camp with these giant red slabs hanging we heard him lock up the brakes and full tilt reverse back to us. Jumps out and all we hear is "you got to be **** kidding me". After a few more high fives he was happy that we got one but more worried about his tag as it was now day 7 for him.

[kennyj]

Congratulations! Sounds like the plan came together perfectly. Great story, looking forward to some photos.
kenny

[Shikari300WSM]

Pics?! Awesome story. Gotta love the post swamp moss

[Gone_Fishin_]

Day 2 in 15 minutes we had a bull down. When we finally finished that evening and got into the wall tent to get ready for bed i went to turn off my alarm for the next morning. When the app opened i seen my timer was still going from my last set of calls.

18 hours 26 minutes from the time i called to the time we got into the wall tent. What a day i will never forget. Our trip wasn't over as we opted to stay and help our new friend find his moose which i will wait to see if he posts his story before i get into details. But i will say there was another swamp recovery and about 38 hours from the time i got up until the time i went to bed the next day. :)

We had several other hunters swing by our camp that week to chat and see the bull we got. Apparently we were the talk of the area as we ran into a few others who kept saying "so your the crazy young guys who hauled the big boy out of the bush on your backs"

Pictures to follow:

Again massive shout out to Steven "Srupp" and our new friend Joel who helped us clean the meat and get it bagged up. We had a great time with you throughout the week and look forward to possible future hunting trips.

I have to measure again as i want to be sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.

45.5" :)

Pics coming soon.

[Gone_Fishin_]

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14448776_1136256376453463_4268514495169781697_n.jp g?oh=7d82cd7330d044dcf9a3e3dbb527b93a&oe=586C063F

[Gone_Fishin_]

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14523220_1136256399786794_5426451932081684911_n.jp g?oh=cb0c41b92d3b4fe9d7a9071461f2386f&oe=58623695

[Gone_Fishin_]

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14495419_1136256419786792_6742462071121159059_n.jp g?oh=afd92293b0e4abf86fec2c7be1d70a5e&oe=58763B63
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14520417_1136256446453456_3136846657750698560_n.jp g?oh=9b5dbae4b727026321c59f16a97db12d&oe=58638079

[markt308]

Congratulations ! Looks like you had the trip of a lifetime

[Getbent]

Right on...great story
Thanks for sharing and a sweet bull man.

[Whonnock Boy]

Thanks for sharing the story. "It looks a little wet". ;)

[monasheemountainman]

nice moose! Looks like a typical moosey place to shoot one LOL!! good work

[Rattler]

Nice bull, great story! Yup that looks a tad soggy...lol

congrats and thanks for sharing.

[Red_Mist]

Congrats. Well done !

[Gone_Fishin_]

Thanks for the compliments everyone

Oh also if anyone is wondering:

30-06 Remington 700 CDL SF
165 grain Federal Trophy Copper

Recovered the bullet in the opposite side against the hide just behind the shoulder, looks like it retained at least 90%+ weight. Super impressed with the performance

[goatdancer]

There's only 2 sizes of moose - huge and god awful. Congratulations. You guys got it done. Good thing you're young. Us old guys would have had to take 30 trips each.

[Pangaea]

Wow! Great story and beauty moose! Thanks for taking the time to share. Made my afternoon!

[Glenny]

Great bull dare.

[nano]

Very nice bull, congrats to the both of you !

[SPILTZ]

Great story and thanks for sharing.

[kennyj]

Way to go!! Nice long tines on that guy.
kenny

[two-feet]

Nice moose buddy. Working for it makes it all the sweeter

[gcreek]

Good story, well done calling and looks like you did a great job of dressing it out.

Next time, believe in yourself and keep calling until he gets close to or on dry ground. I'm also a great fan of lung shots on moose and try not to hit big bones that only result in trim and pitch. Moose are not hard to kill nor do they go far with a well placed shot to the breathers. Have gotten 2 with my 22.250.

Well done!

[ydouask]

:smile: That's the kind of fun everyone should experience as frequently as possible, Congratulations !

[Sitkaspruce]

Congrats on the great moose!!

Thanks for sharing!!

Cheers

SS

[Sellis75]

Wow! Awesome moose! Hope my trip in 2 weeks plays out as well

[Knute]

Congrats, preparation and planning played a big part in that fella's demise.

Great work, nice bull. Is your buddy still vibrating? :)

[The Hermit]

So nice!!! Thanks for sharing. Great bull. He looks like twice as big a body as mine, and even that little guy was enough work! Congrats

[Tron]

Great bull! Great memories!

[mpotzold]

Well done!
Some mighty fine eatin' coming up!:smile:

Before freeze up the moose are where the water is!:-P

[HarryToolips]

Way to go nice bull!

[Goose T404]

Congratulations!
I have never hunted big game like this, but it is something I am trying to get into. I am hoping to get my first deer this month. Its been hard as I don't have any friends that hunt. I can tell you this, your story gave me the excitement chills. Good job!!

[last light]

Congrats on a nice bull! Thanks for sharing your story and pics.

[Arctic Lake]

What a great story ! You fellas did it right for sure ! Prepared and a positive outcome , way to go, and a nice looking bull !
Arctic Lake

[BCHunterFSJ]

That's a BIG bodied moose!
Enjoyed the story and the pics.

[jingles]

Great story, congratulations on a fine animal!

[andrewscag]

Great bull man! Well done!

[Gone_Fishin_]

Great bull man! Well done!

Thanks bud !

Been meaning to call you but with 2.5 days of butchering and getting gear ready for my next trip just haven't had the time. We def need to touch base again, was glad to help you out with the area. Must have been good karma which helped me get my big guy outta there.

Thanks everyone for the compliments, it was definitely a trip I will never forget. I can still close my eyes and see/hear him rocking back and forth grunting away. Was an experience of a life time.

[last light]

Just curious what kind of pack you guys were using in the pic there? Looks like a nice pack for hauling out quarters with. Make/model? Thanks in advance for any info!

[northof49]

Nicely done....gotta set up on higher ground for the next one.

[Gone_Fishin_]

Just curious what kind of pack you guys were using in the pic there? Looks like a nice pack for hauling out quarters with. Make/model? Thanks in advance for any info!


ALPZ OutdoorZ Commander + Pack Bag

Wicked pack for the price, bought it mainly for the frame and hauling meat but so far am impressed with the bag attachment as well. Super comfortable and carried those 1/4's without trouble. The adjustable straps on the side are a huge help to pull the 1/4 to whichever side of the bag to spread out the weight.

[tomahawk]

Right on, thanks for including us in your adventure

[Brambles]

The meat always tastes better when you get some sweat on it, nice job.

[Philcott]

I love the pic of you behind the big body. Classic picture.

Also the picture of you carrying the leg reminds me of a few fly in hunts up north.

[Fireball129]

Congrats, and thanks for the story.

[SaintSix]

Nice bull!

[last light]

ALPZ OutdoorZ Commander + Pack Bag

Wicked pack for the price, bought it mainly for the frame and hauling meat but so far am impressed with the bag attachment as well. Super comfortable and carried those 1/4's without trouble. The adjustable straps on the side are a huge help to pull the 1/4 to whichever side of the bag to spread out the weight.

Thanks for the quick response! Does look very handy for sure. Will definitely be looking into one that's for certain. Thanks again!

[bcsteve]

Congrats and awesome story!

[nature girl]

Nice moose nothing like a little hard work to make you to enjoy it more. Congradulations.

[grizzly550]

Nice work! Good looking animal.

[M.Dean]

Your right, you'll see and hear that big bloody bull grunt'in and shak'in his huge head back and forth for a long long time! And you'll love it! Congrats to you and your hunt'in buddy's, and thanks for taking the time for a great story and fantastic pic's!

[kaptin]

Congrats and awesome job on recounting the tale. I can't wait till I can try for a moose.

[boxhitch]

Good story of a great hunt, you guys had it dialed right.
Being patient and comfortable and warm enough to wait things out long enough is a huge factor......

[srupp]

Hmm just home from our adventure hunt..seen your success..CONGRADULATIONS..well done..awesome moose..I enjoy helping hunters..and it's stories like yours that keep me wanting to continue.enjoy the fine dining.

Srupp

Steven

[HarryToolips]

ALPZ OutdoorZ Commander + Pack Bag

Wicked pack for the price, bought it mainly for the frame and hauling meat but so far am impressed with the bag attachment as well. Super comfortable and carried those 1/4's without trouble. The adjustable straps on the side are a huge help to pull the 1/4 to whichever side of the bag to spread out the weight.
X2 on the Alps Commander pack, did the job on a bear for me, 3 mile carry out, worked well..