11 yr old grandson's Bull Moose Hunt

[tomahawk]

I leaned towards my 11 yr old grandson Ryan and whispered "here he comes" , Ryan raised his left hand and showed me the uncontrollable shaking in his hand and leg, we chuckled quietly for a moment as he tried hard to stop it but this was raw excitement it is best , then we both turned our heads back towards the thick bush as the bull continued to advance.


2 bulls were responding to the call, the closest bull was raging and grunting, thundering through the old cut block towards us, the sound of brush crunching and water splashing off his hooves, stopping only to thrash a few trees and grunt a challenge to us. Ryan grabbed the Ruger American Compact 7mm 08 firmly and steadied his hold on the shooting stick.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160926_080040_zpscnnmije5.jpg



Suddenly there was no time to think anymore, we could see his antlers moving rapidly through the cut and into the willow laden drainage lining the skid trail we stood on.

more to come...............

[tomahawk]

Our journey had started the year before when I had promised my grandson a deer hunt to the Cariboo the fall of 2016. At 5 yrs old he started shooting a pellet rifle and quickly became a dead eye. By 9 yrs old I got him a Savage Rascal .22 open sights and the calmness and accuracy with shooting transferred over.


He was anxious to go hunting as soon as he could when he turned 10 yrs old. However he was playing rep hockey at 10 and his commitment was to the team for the 2015 hunting season. It was tough for me to make him hold to that, but its a life skill I wanted him to learn, when you have a commitment it needs to be upheld unless there is an emergency.



In the spring of this year we talked about the opportunity for him to go on a deer hunt this fall and he was very excited for the chance. As we do every year the LEH's were sent in but as we were in year 3 of reduced odds for moose, our hopes weren't high for success. Ryan and I planned on a Oct deer hunt, dates dependent on school days off once the school district shared their Pro D days.



Ryan has been longing to go on a big game hunt for 4 years, I quenched his thirst with a teaser when he was 8 and took him for 3 days into the mountains above Kamloops for 4 point mules, we saw lots of mules but none worthy of dropping. The highlite of that trip was when he experienced an unusual encounter with a small doe, we were walking past her as she fed in the opposite direction from us. My grandson was on her side of the skid trail and she studied him for a bit, then followed him from about 15 yds away for a good 70 yds as we still hunted, never taking her eyes off him, almost as if they were both small and young and that gave them a connection. I finally got a little nervous and spooked her off.



So this summer he didn't try out for the rep hockey team and we decided we would do a 5 to 7 day deer hunt in Oct and I would get him a 7MM 08 Ruger American Compact.

Low and behold we drew the lucky LEH card with a 2 bull moose shared hunt. So now the pressure was on to get a rifle a little sooner for him and try and get him his first moose. We finally found him a rifle and I got myself a new Leupold scope and we mounted my old Leupold on his 7mm 08. Several trips to the local range later he was shooting 2 inch groups at 100 yards and ready to go. He astounded the range officers and other shooters at how steady and calm he was and they all offered him best of luck on finding his moose. He remained confident that if I put the moose in front of him he would pick a spot and put him down. I searched moose pictures on the net and he told me where he would shoot and after several times practising shooting spots and angles, he was ready to go. I dragged a cot out of the hunting room, set it up on the front porch and he was ready to go. He was so excited that he got to use a cot in the outfitters tent alongside the rest of us adults.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160905_105939_zpsj1zu61pz.jpg



Dates to hunt were chosen specifically to take advantage of the rut and call in the bulls. Off we went leaving the Island Sept 23 on the 515 am ferry and had our camp set up good enough for the nights sleep and meal just as it turned dark on us.

Little did we know, but by now it was too late to change, when we realized we had set camp up within 100yds of where a grizzly had been seen twice in less then 12 hrs . No changing locations now we just had to be more aware of our surroundings when around camp and my grandson was not allowed to wander around checkin out the bush like he loves to do. He didn't like it but understood why and carried on. He was so excited for that first morning when he got to pack his rifle in the quest for bull moose.

more to come..............

[tomahawk]

Day 1 broke with a coffee and a quick bowl of cereal and away we went. It was raining steady, but its what we expect at this time of year. Rod went into his usual spot south of camp in the second growth that has a small creek meandering along its eastern edge and along its entire length and the main FSR running within a few hundred yards along the western side but he is completely hidden and unknown to the road hunters passing him by. My son Brock had researched extensively on Google earth and had a hidden creek system with swamps and meadows picked out to hunt north of camp off the main FSR.



Ryan and I started where I always have since 1981, walking 4 km off the east side of the FSR deep in the mixed old growth and over grown second growth. The area is way past prime moose feed but offers so much more for the animals that there probably is more moose there now then when I hunted it in its prime in the 80's and it was pretty much guaranteed at that time, well in fact it was a guarantee as we filled every one of many LEH's. The area is still ripe with moose and grizzly.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160926_092416_zps1zoyjdi6.jpg


I was so excited with the anticipation of a response from my first call of the year. The area we were in has a huge swamp at its north end and as we approached it, it didn't fail to impress once again. The last 200 yds before the swamp was riddled with busted, freshly rubbed, rut destroyed evergreens.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160926_092527_zpsbfqrpiak.jpg


That first day was uneventful, the rain was steady and relentless. Ryan being just 11 of course had high hopes and expectations that were only slightly fulfilled by the rubbed trees. Back to camp and a few beer and drink boxes before a fine meal and off to bed. Both Rod and Brock had seen some fresh sign but not much moose talk goin on. Camp was getting really muddy. Good old PG top soil.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160925_213646_zpspkmhd2ll.jpg


more to come..................

[tomahawk]

Day 2 broke with a full out egg, bacon, ham and hash browns meal rinsed down with some coffee. We all went back to the same spots to start the day. About 9 am we heard a distant shot but didn't expect much as there were many road hunters making tracks on the FSR. About 10am we hear a distant faint human voice but aren't really sure from where. Then a few mins later we hear the same sound only closer. So we gather our gear and put our packs on and head back towards camp. As we round a blind corner on the skid trail there's Rod walking towards us.



He had some good news. He had called as he walked through the area he hunts and turned a corner to follow the creek and there walkin straight at him is a bull, totally oblivious that he's walking right to Rod.

Rod stood on the trail and let him get to 10 yds while all the time looking right at Rod as he walked. Rod raised the 7mm and one shot later he was on the ground.

Rod new that I wanted to give Ryan any experience possible to do with hunting so nicely just made sure the bull was dead and then came and got us. We walked back to camp as Rod told us of the events of the hunt. it was now after 10am and quad use was legal again and before long we had the chainsaw buzzing and machete swinging cutting a path in to the bull.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/rodmoose3_zpsgktnh8wh.png


Ryan got to experience field dressing and dove right in up to his armpits, he had great interest in the internal organs and couldn't wait to cut out his favourite organ, the heart. He bagged the heart and we hooked the bull to the quads and drug it back on the newly cut trail to the FSR. Just as we got to the road my son Brock had seen the note left at camp and came to help us.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160925_150324_zps6ah5wjjk.jpg


We decided to get Brock to go back and hook the trailer to his truck and we winched the moose onto the trailer for the ride back to the camp. Game bags installed we lifted the meat high onto the shaded meat poll. The remainder of the day was relaxing at camp enjoying some hop flavoured water. Brock had tried another google earth area and brought us back pictures of what can only be described as Moose Heaven. He was pumped to go back at early light.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160926_151455_zpsoececrbo.jpg

So bull number 1 of 2 LEH draws was on the pole, now the hope was that we could find Ryan a bull to get an opportunity at.

more to come..................

[tomahawk]

Day 3 broke with oatmeal and raisins. Brock and Rod disappeared in there trucks and Ryan and I went back to my honey hole.

Ryan now was doubting it was going to produce and asked me why we didn't got to Rod's spot? a lot of common sense discussion insued and I don't think he bought my reasoning but he accepted it and we went quiet and listened for responses to my calls. Well the hours slowly went by without a sniff and by 11am we were on our way back to camp.



We all met at camp and over a lunch we decided a plan for the afternoon. Ryan clearly needed a change so Uncle Brock took him to his area and Rod and I cut a trail into another huge meadow area where moose liked to be.

Before we all knew it we were in camp for the night discussing the days action. Ryan was very excited because him and Brock had heard a bull responding to Brocks calls, he had renewed faith in the process. Another great meal of moose heart, onions and bacon, washed down with some barley soup and it was off to bed.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/14555905_10157447550070307_1556278823_n_zpsuhdtvvz c.jpg

more to come..............

[srupp]

Amazing a compliment. .Congrads!
And one of THE BEST examples of looking after the meat.well done great example.
Cheers
Srupp

[hoochie]

awesome story. Way to go!

[tomahawk]

Day 4 broke with cereal for breakfast washed down with some good well perked black coffee.

Ryan wanted to know if we could try a new spot and I told him we need to go back cause the bull that made the rubs hadn't been there for a few days and this might be the one. He agreed, although I don't know how strongly, and away we went the 4 kms into the honey hole on the skid trail. As always we slowed down the last 500 yds to make sure we were quiet.



Once at our spot we quietly set our stools out and got the shooting stick positioned to the right height. I looked at my watch and told him we would wait 10 mins incase we got winded or heard. No words were exchanged during the 10 min wait and I signalled Ryan that I was about to make a cow call. Waugh, Wauuuuuuuuuugh, wauuuuugh, Waugh.



Instantly we hear a very distant bull respond with 4 consecutive grunts. We looked at each other with excitement flowing through our veins. It was especially satisfying to me because I finally had some reaction to justify us coming there each morning. I cow call again but he is not revved up like a lone bull would be and chooses to respond only one time and he hasn't got any closer. We wait 5 mins but still no response from him, I quietly tell Ryan that we'll wait 10 mins and then do a bull call.

If he's with a cow he'll want to guard her and respond instantly. 10 minutes go by and I bull call and he goes off like a firecracker, grunting rapidly and busting a tree up with his antlers but he is still a long ways away.



Just as we start to whisper about what we heard and I begin to tell Ryan what I'm going to do next we hear a loud crunching like that of a partially rotten tree or stump. Its 90 degrees from where the distant bull had been. Wow, I bend over and whisper to Ryan "we have a another bull comin in, get ready I'm going to grunt again"


Waugh flows off my tongue and the distant bull starts responding loudly and frequently which drives the closer bull's blood racing and we hear him grunting really loudly and hear him quickly stomping through the old cut.


I leaned towards my 11 yr old grandson Ryan and whispered "here he comes" , he raised his left hand and showed me the uncontrollable shaking in his hand and leg, we chuckled quietly for a moment, then both turned our heads back towards the thick bush as the bull continued to advance.


This was the closer of 2 bulls responding to the call, he was raging and grunting, thundering through the old cut block towards us, the sound of brush crunching and water splashing off his hooves, stopping only to thrash a few trees and grunt his challenge to our presence. Ryan grabbed the Ruger American Compact 7mm 08 firmly and steadied his hold on the shooting stick. Suddenly there was no time to think anymore, we could see his antlers moving rapidly through the cut and into the willow laden drainage lining the skid trail we were on.



As luck would have it he stopped just before he entered the trail, still in the lower drainage, his body and vitals well hidden behind the brush, small alders and short second growth. He was facing straight west, unaware we were there hidden 11 yards off his right side. All we could see was the top half of his head and antlers. The look in Ryan's eyes was priceless.



The bulls eyes stared straight ahead, only twitching lightly as he searched the landscape trying to find the bull that had challenged him. Suddenly he started slowly forward and we thought here's our chance but 3 steps later he was stopped again, his vitals still hidden. I felt so proud of Ryan, with the bull only 11 yards away, I was unable to give him advice but he held steady and quiet waiting for his chance. This was the first moose he had ever been close to and he was full of excitement yet remained focused on the task.



Unfortunately the wind shifted suddenly as it always does in this place and he bolted back to the cut he had come in on and barked loudly at us. No grunt now, it had changed to a loud bark of fear or warning.

He continued slowly moving and barking at us for several minutes. We knew that the swamp was just in front of him in the direction he was moving so we turned around and faced the small window of vision that we had. Chances were slim he would show himself there but it was all we had for hope now.


Just as Ryan got set the bull walked out of the bush and walked across the trail and as he entered the bush on the opposite side I grunted and we could only see the knee to hoof of his left rear leg. The opening was less then 8 ft wide where he was crossing. The good thing was that he was stopped by the call. I quietly told Ryan to get ready.


Waugh, and the bull spun out of the bush onto the trail facing us at a slight quartering away with a branch hiding part of his lower chest. I whispered "right below the nose", a few seconds went by and "BOOM" the 150 grain bullet was on its way.

The bull bolted into the bush and we could hear him for a few seconds and then silence. A few high fives and some wtf just happened talk, and we decided to wait for 30 mins before we went looking to see if he was hit.

While waiting I asked how steady he was and if he felt confident. Ryan didn't hesitate or need to think ........ " I'm pretty confident of my shot Papa" . Another high five and some big smiles. Then he says " but I didn't aim where you told me" . For a moment my heart sunk as I wondered where did he aim?


Ryan ......."you told me to think about where the bullet would exit when they aren't broadside". I agreed and said so where did you aim? I aimed for his right front shoulder so it would pass through the center of the lungs". I was overwhelmed with pride that through all the excitement prior to the shot he had come through so calmly.



We waited the 30 mins and with both of us being color blind, couldn't find any blood so started a grid search.

Before we knew it we rounded a tall brush and there he was piled up. After a lot of excitement, cheers and hugs we sat and admired this fine moose that would feed the family.

Then Ryan checked the shoulder and there right where he had said he aimed was the "entry" hole. Unreal I thought to myself.

We were unable to position him to field dress so went back to camp to get Brock and Rod. As we entered the camp we saw the 2 of them on the lawn chairs enjoying a beer.

Ryan wanted to surprise them so he stayed cool and I asked how they had done and after telling us about there morning briefly, they said how did it go for us.

Ryan walked towards them and said " It was a long day ....... AND I SHOT A MOOSE!!!!!" Brock and Rod jumped out of there chairs and were so excited for him, it was a special moment to be able to see the excitement they all shared.


We had to winch and double pull with the quads to get the moose back to camp and rebuild a stump bridge over a deep deactivation on the skid road. The moose was quartered and wrapped and hung for the night to cool. The excitement and retrieval had tired us out but we managed a lot of Caesars and Whiskeys and off to bed.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160927_103818_zpsx91yahxx.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160927_103844_zpsstqubpnj.jpg

[Bugle M In]

Awesome Job!!!

[hawk-i]

Awesome, thanks for sharing. :)

[RackStar]

Very good read. Congrats

[two-feet]

Great job on getting the young fella a great moose, you seem like one hell of a mentor

[Nimrod]

Nice work Ryan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome pretty much sums it up.

[ElliotMoose]

Wow, awesome share!! The look on his face says it all. Some fine table fare right there

[black mountain]

Excellent read . thanks

[Spy]

Awesome write up, great pics what a hunt for all of you, how proud you must be. :-) Thank you so much for sharing your hunt with us, I really enjoyed it. Once again big congrats. :-)

[Vladimir Poutine]

Absolutely outstanding. No matter what he does for the rest of his life he will remember this.

[Big Lew]

Fantastic read! Great job of bringing us along on such a special hunt!
Congratulations all around, and especially to Ryan.

[M.Dean]

One of the best moose story's yet Ryan!!! I can see you on future hunt's, sitt'in around the campfire in the evening's, and your giving way older guys tip's about moose hunting you've learned from "Papa"!!! Congrats's to all of you guys on a very successful moose hunting adventure!

[Thunderstix]

That story made my day!

[BCrams]

One of the best stories on HBC this year. Great adventure.

[IronNoggin]

Most Excellent!
Not two, but THREE Thumbs Up! http://bigshotsbc.ca/images/smilies/Pozitive.gif http://bigshotsbc.ca/images/smilies/Pozitive.gif http://bigshotsbc.ca/images/smilies/Pozitive.gif

A very sincere Congratulations to Young Gun Ryan!!
And a solid tip of the hat to his mentor Grandpappy!

Very Well Done Sirs!! :mrgreen:

And Many Thanks for sharing!!

Cheers,
Nog

[Hank Hunter]

Excellent story and pics. Congrats to young Ryan and big thumbs up to Papa

[tomla1]

This just made my day!!!

[rocksteady]

I love hearing hunting stories on here from the seasoned vets, like srupp and hunter1947, but the newbie and junior hunter stories have a real soft special spot in my cold black heart..

way to go Ryan and Tomahawk

[meat hunter]

Great story telling, thanks

[RiverOtter]

Outstanding! Don't get any better than that. Truly great write up as well, thanks for sharing.

[Zedbra]

What a great story to share - thank you. I look forward to taking my little ones out one day.

[quadrakid]

You are the best Grampa in the world. As for Ryan,great shooting,what a great moose.

[Knute]

What an excellent read. Congrats and kudos to young Ryan for keeping his cool and taking the shot he reasoned to be best in the situation.

Great mentoring Papa, well done!

[Shikari300WSM]

Great story. Awesome to see some detailed write ups on hunts - really feels like we are there with ya! Congrats!

[gcreek]

Great story, looking forward to when my grandsons are old enough to hunt.

[Rattler]

That is simply awesome. Great to see such a happy young hunter.

Thanks for sharing.

[Chiron]

Great story, I'm looking forward to when my son joins our moose hunts. He recently turned 10 and is doing his CORE course tomorrow!

[tomahawk]

Awesome write up, great pics what a hunt for all of you, how proud you must be. :-) Thank you so much for sharing your hunt with us, I really enjoyed it. Once again big congrats. :-)

Thanks, I cant express how proud I am of this little man. His whole life he has exhibited maturity beyond his years and dealt with adversity and some sad family issues in his life and still he shines through no matter what is put in front of him. He's been my fishin partner for 3 years, he reels the fish in and calls me when its time to get the net. 46 lb Hali and 31 lb Tyee are is best 2 fish so far.

[dabber]

Awesome story. Doesn't get any better than that. My grandfather is the one that got me interested in hunting and I'm sure glad he did. Thanks for sharing.

[tomahawk]

One of the best moose story's yet Ryan!!! I can see you on future hunt's, sitt'in around the campfire in the evening's, and your giving way older guys tip's about moose hunting you've learned from "Papa"!!! Congrats's to all of you guys on a very successful moose hunting adventure!

hahaha its like you know his personality. He is a very confident kid and will do anything and take on any challenge. He will definetly be giving advice and tips. When I hear him talking to other hunters I hear almost word for word what I have taught him haha

[Fallkniven]

Outstanding!

[Sitkaspruce]

Wow, great story and an even better bull!!!!

Congrats to Ryan for his first of many!!!

Thanks Tomahawk for sharing your grandsons story!!

Cheers

SS

[nature girl]

Tell Ryan way to go. Nothing like getting a moose with the family and to feed the family to. How many 11 year old kids can say " I am putting moose meat on the table this year".
That was a great story thank you for taking the time for us all to read the great story and awesome pictures to.

[tomahawk]

Thanks for all the positive comments, Ryan, Rod, Brock and I had a great time and were glad to share it with you all. Ryan also took his Savage Rascal .22 LR open sights out of his scabbard and brought back a grouse and rabbit with 2 cartridges. Rod and I have been fishin and hunting since dirt was discovered and Brock joined us 7 yrs ago and now Ryan fills our team.
He figured out this set up
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160928_153138_zpsu1auhe6i.jpg

Sittin down to a great meal of hare provided by Ryan when he spotted it on a quad ride and ran after it when I ran in the bush
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160928_191828_zpsvmttuyks.jpg

Skinning the rabbit
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160928_160046_zpsluodrzoz.jpg

[Funeral Of Hearts]

Great write up. Congrats on the moose

[180grainer]

Yup, that's pretty awesome........

[barry1974w]

Awesome....just awesome

[f350ps]

Thanks Tomahawk for sharing with us and a HUGE congrats to Ryan, way to listen to Pops advice! Tomahawk, extremely well written recount, thanks for taking us along! K

[srupp]

Hmm all the kids spending 8 hours a day texting or gaming or TV. .this young man is shooting moose..baby sitting adults..lol covered in mud skinning supper..doesn't get better than that..he sure must have amazing role models.!
Thank you for sharing today's new hunter..
Steven

[Rob Chipman]

Nice work! Great story!

[Xbow]

Great Job to the both of you!!!!!!!!

[Keta1969]

Great story and awesome job Ryan. Looking forward to getting the oldest granddaughter out in a couple of years.

[Whonnock Boy]

Ok, no time to read tonight but, based on the comments, I am looking forward to it. Cheers!

[HarryToolips]

Great job on gettin him hooked grandpa congrats!

[Blainer]

Absolutely Fantastic share!! Congratulations!!

[LeverActionJunkie]

Tom thank you so much for taking the time to do such a wonderful job sharing such a great story with us. Reading that truly made my day, it sure was t looking good up till reading that. Give Ryan a big hug and a pat on the back. Lots to be proud of there. Congratulations.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I simply can't stop smiling! That was an epic tale of mentorship, passion, perseverance, pride and everything else that is great about hunting!!

Congrats to ALL of you!
Ryan is a great kid and you are one awesome Papa!!

SSS

[clte]

I swear more hunters need to write books... awesome my friend!!!!

[Downwind]

What a fantastic story. Congrats to the young hunter. A heck of a way to start his hunting career. And good on you for giving him the opportunity to join in at an early age. No matter what else he shoots in his life this hunt will be forever burned into his memory. Thanks for sharing Tomahawk

[ydouask]

Great job Ryan. You are fortunate indeed to have such a wonderful Grandpa. Well done Tomahawk. ;)

[Fosey]

Great story. Good effort, thanks.

[MB_Boy]

I simply can't stop smiling! That was an epic tale of mentorship, passion, perseverance, pride and everything else that is great about hunting!!

Congrats to ALL of you!
Ryan is a great kid and you are one awesome Papa!!

SSS

Agreed!!!! Kind of took me back to my first moose with my Dad. Thanks for sharing tomahawk! 8)

[kgs]

What a great story Tomahawk your grandson is one lucky little guy to have a grandfather like you. I am so looking forward to experiencing hunting with my granddaughter when she is old enough. Right now we bird hunt as she is only 7 but in a few years that will change.

[Saskhunter]

That is a great story, what a great grandpa you are. I wish I could shake your hand. You sir..... Are a stud!!!!!
congrats Ryan on making a great shot, your starting out to be a great hunter, good job buddy!!!

[markathome]

What a great way to start my day! Great story and what an example of mentor-ship. I would love to be the fly on that wall on Ryan's first day back to school, there's going to be some saucer eyes!

[greybark]

Certainly one of the classic posts on here . Congratulations Tomahawk and Ryan for such a great read !
Cheers

[tomahawk]

Hmm all the kids spending 8 hours a day texting or gaming or TV. .this young man is shooting moose..baby sitting adults..lol covered in mud skinning supper..doesn't get better than that..he sure must have amazing role models.!
Thank you for sharing today's new hunter..
Steven

Thanks for the kind words towards our little man. I agree with the E world comments that so many children are caught up in today. Slowly the interest in outdoor activities as a part of everyday life seems to be eroding. My daughter would not allow Ryan any electronic games until he was 8 yrs old and he's a natural athlete so he played ball, hockey and lacrosse since 5 yrs old and we fish and camp during the summer and hunt in the fall so he has had a lot of exposure to the outdoors. His love for hunting has been strong since he was very young, always wanting to help clean and cut and skin animals. He does pick up games and plays them but more so when he's tired and needs a rest or when its too dark to be outside.

[sillybear]

Best story ever! Congrats to you and Ryan.
I still say the best day of my hunting career has yet to come. When my grandkids get their first animal, will be that day.
My oldest grandson is 4 1/2, so grandpa has a while to wait. I am very envious. WELL Done!
sillybear

[kennyj]

Awesome story, and fantastic bull for Ryan!!! Way to go guys. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
kenny

[tomahawk]

Tom thank you so much for taking the time to do such a wonderful job sharing such a great story with us. Reading that truly made my day, it sure was t looking good up till reading that. Give Ryan a big hug and a pat on the back. Lots to be proud of there. Congratulations.

Your welcome, thanks for the nice comments and I hope your having a much better day today!!

[RadHimself]

Your grandson is going to fondly remember that trip for the rest of his life.

Congrats

passing it on to the next gen

[j270wsm]

Awesome story. Congratulations to Ryan and grandpa. I love reading stories of first time hunters being successful. HBC needs more stories like this.

[Arctic Lake]

Did I already reply to this thread ? If I did oh well it deserves more !

Tomahawk your good man ! Your grandson is lucky to have such a great mentor ! Ryan way to go ! Keep up the good hunting !

Arctic Lake

[mtnmannbc]

Great job!!!!

[smallfry14]

Friggin awesome post! Awesome mentor, that kid will remember this for the rest of his life.

[Seeadler]

Good stuff there.

[bearvalley]

Great story Tomahawk. Every kid should have a grandad like you!!!

[scoutlt1]

Can't say much more than has already been said!!

Great story and pics. Congrats to all of you, and you are an awesome grandpa! :)

[tomahawk]

I always like to reflect on the success's and the area's for improvements from our bigger trips hunting.
Lessons learned from this trip:

1) persistence pays off in low vision area's like this where you know there is moose, even when there not answering the calls, go back and keep at it.

2) our outfitters tent has done me well for over 30 yrs of hunting through rain, snow, winds, fire breathing wood stoves. Its now time to get a new one with 5 ft walls and a front porch.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/SAM_2634_zps974d942d.jpg

3) we've had 6 bull moose LEH shared draws in the last 7 years, persistence again pays off, if you don't play the game you cant win the draws. Approx 2800 lbs of dressed meat.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20161006_120509_zpsrra0ixuz.jpg

4) 12 hunting days over 3 separate hunts or an average of 1 moose harvested for each 2 days hunted. The area Ive hunted now for 35 yrs as of this year is still rich with moose despite the less then prime feed.

5) Nothing better then sharing this experience with my son and grandson and long time friend and partner.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160928_132718_zpsih0xefmt.jpg

[ncurrie]

Congrats to you and your grandson! He will never forget this hunt ever

[HarryToolips]

That's a hell of a lot of moose meat..nice wall tent, how long does it take to set it up?

[Backwoods]

Right on!! Awesome storey and great photos, good to see a young guy getting in there!! Should be a full freezer

[wideopenthrottle]

great story and way to gitter done Ryan

[AlexPdHJ]

Fantastic story and great result :)

[Tim Tam Slam]

Great read! Must have been so rewarding! Thanks for sharing!

[6 K]

love it !
Awesome job,
Congrats

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

well done ! nice to see such a good job on bringing out the meat

[Elkhound]

very cool. Congrats to all. What did Ryan get while you old guys enjoyed your "Caesars and Whiskeys and off to bed."

[avadad]

Great story! Congrats to all!

[tomahawk]

What a great way to start my day! Great story and what an example of mentor-ship. I would love to be the fly on that wall on Ryan's first day back to school, there's going to be some saucer eyes!

Thanks for the kind words, he is feeling like a rock star right now, lots of kudo's from the hunting community and friends and family. He's turned more then a few heads when they hear he shot it without my assistance.

[tomahawk]

Best story ever! Congrats to you and Ryan.
I still say the best day of my hunting career has yet to come. When my grandkids get their first animal, will be that day.
My oldest grandson is 4 1/2, so grandpa has a while to wait. I am very envious. WELL Done!
sillybear

SB thank you. It was an amazing day full of pride, excitement that's impossible to describe and a Papa's love. I look forward to reading about your grandson's hunt in a half dozen or so years from now.

[tomahawk]

What a great story Tomahawk your grandson is one lucky little guy to have a grandfather like you. I am so looking forward to experiencing hunting with my granddaughter when she is old enough. Right now we bird hunt as she is only 7 but in a few years that will change.

kgs, its as good as it gets let me tell you. Ryan and I are very close and this is a better feeling then I can describe. I started Ryan off with birds too.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/SAM_1708_zpsccff5ff7.jpg

[tomahawk]

That's a hell of a lot of moose meat..nice wall tent, how long does it take to set it up?

Thanks, it'll keep us fed for sometime for sure. It takes us about 2 hrs to set up, worse part is the tarps. The frame I welded 30 some years ago, its been through some severe storms and holds steady. Tents feeling some of its edge so looking to get a new one for next season.

[tomahawk]

very cool. Congrats to all. What did Ryan get while you old guys enjoyed your "Caesars and Whiskeys and off to bed."

haha, before we left I took him grocery shopping and told him he could pick whatever drink he wanted to bring. He chose the mini cans of sprite and ginger ale. Pop is not something that he gets daily so it was a "special" drink for him. When we went back to retrieve his moose from the bush with all the gear and quads etc he brought 4 along to celebrate haha

[Pangaea]

I saved this thread for a couple of days to read with my morning coffee, as I sensed it would be a gooder. It did not disappoint! My wife just asked why I've had such a goofy grin for the past hour...

Congrats to Ryan for his perserverence and success! You must be one proud grandpa! What a treat to be able to share experiences like this with someone who (by the sounds of it) is well on his way to becoming a mentor himself.

[CBH]

Excellent story and experience for you and your grandson!! thanks for taking the time to share with us and for being such a great role model to your grandson.

I can only imagine how hooked on hunting he is now!

[albravo2]

Best thread in years!!

What an awesome story. Congratulations to Ryan, and to Tomahawk. Those memories will never, ever fade. Well done!

[Phil]

Wow! Congrats to you both!

[Linksman313]

Congratulations on your first moose (and papa) great story and pics, thanks for sharing I will make sure my young-un reads this post!!

[todbartell]

this is one of the best stories I've ever gotten a chance to read on HBC. Great job to all, this is what it's all about

[deer nut]

Excellent story and way to go on how you're mentoring this young lad! Congratulations!!!

[Iron.Bender]

Great story and photos thanks for sharing. Congratulations

[ZENYO]

Great Story... Tanks for sharing! Congrats to Ryan!

[cpwrestler]

Great story and one that, over time, will only grow in importance for both you and him... That's what it's all about!

[tomahawk]

I'm humbled by the outpour of positive comments about this hunt. Thanks to you all for reading and experiencing a little of this wonderful moment in our family's history. Having my son and grandson there is something Ive always dreamed of and to have it finally happen this year is a dream come true for me. We've had many fishing trips where we are together but this is the first hunting adventure.

I want to share this picture of Ryan, to me it shows the love he has for his first hunt and the animal he harvested as well as his desire to learn more then just shooting the animal. We are currently working on mounting his antlers and a picture to a plaque.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/20160927_182400_zpsp5qisghs.jpg