Back from the north

[Geo.338]

We have been back for about a week from our annual fall hunt to regions 6 and 7 for moose and Grizzly.After a little prodding I will share the story and Photos with you .

This hunt really started to come together when our group of three were all successful on Moose and two of us drew Grizzlies.
We like to hunt moose during the rut so we always go for the last week of Sept. through the first week of Oct. We rolled into camp on the 22nd of Sept. at about 9 am after driving 15 hours from Cache creek .We had just got the tent set up when the CO's stopped by for a visit .They had not seen many successful hunters and the weather had been very poor .Not much was moving.This had us a little concerned as we had been hearing horror stories about harsh winter kill and high wolf nubers.
After a little snooze we all went different ways for the evening hunt to see what was around .As I was heading back to camp on the quad I rounded a corner and right in the middle of the road in the fading light is a large moose !It just stands there until I put on the brakes and a little squeal sends it on its way .I could not see antlers and the tracks suggested it was a cow so I tried some calling in case there was a bull around but got no replies .
The next two or three days were pretty uneventful with only a few cow calf sight ings and then a few days without seeing anyting.So ,wit our trip almost half over and uncertainty playing in our minds we decided to take a spike camp 60 miles up the road into some different country to change things up a little .

We arrived at our new spot at around noon and within 10 minutes we have a big bull in our spotting scopes !

[bruin]

then what.....?

[Wildman]

he came home!

[Geo.338]

I hit the wrong button and messed up my thread .Stay tuned .

[Geo.338]

He is a couple of miles away .He is the first bull of the trip and we are excited.He is with cows and we are unable to call him down .
We return the next morning before light and we find a spot to glas and call from .We can see the whole valley bottom and a large burned area .Within minutes my partner spots abig bull with a bunch of cows .Closer to us this time ,we try to call .The bull starts looking in our direction but will not come .
About this time we spot headlight s on the road below us .The road is between the bull and us .Also about the same time a truck shows up right by our truck .We take our eyes off the moose for a couple of minutes to chat with these guys and are relieved to find that they are not hunting .
We are just about to go back to what we are doing when we hear a couple of shots from below us .Well. I guess the big bull decided to come after all .Right in front of the guys below us .We are a little disappointed to say the least .We see one other bull the rest of the day ,and a lone Grizzly bear .
The next day we see a couple of cows far away but no bulls .We also see the lone Grizzly.We watch it for awhile through our binos .It is a blondie brown with really dark brown legs .It looks like a nice bear . We are told by some guys in the area there is a sow with cubs around too .The next day one of the guys decides to take the truck and do some glassing and calling up the road so TJ and I will go the other way on foot .
So in the pre dawn we walk out of camp .Being that we are in Grizzly country I load my rifle .
As we start up the valley where we had the bull shot from under us I hear some noises .TJ says " I think I hear a moose " I say " That is no moose .That is a bear !".I am carrying a pair of waders for a creek crossing which I drop ,and start to back up at the same time readying my rifle .The bear is obviously pissed that we are in its space and is stomping and chomping and pacing .As I am watching this I realize it is the bear we have seen previously and it looks like a shooter .
When we first encountered the bear it was maybe 40 ' away but we have backed off to 40 -50 yds now.At first I wished to be anywhere but there as I was a little unnerved at the closeness of the encounter but was now having second thoughts .So as the bear opens itself up broadside standing there ,I have made my decision.At the shot the bear rolls and then gets back up melting into the willows .I am concerned but I know I have double lunged it and am confident in the outcome.After half an hour we start to approach the spot and within minutes I am standing beside my first Grizzly.
More to come stay tuned .

[sparkes3]

awwwwwwwwwwww man y u do dat?

[blueboy]

real nice bear ,congradulations

[Krico]

Congrats on the griz. Let's see/hear the rest...

[Geo.338]

OK here it is .Enjoy!

As we are finishing up the photo session and I am just starting to skin it our partner Joe calls on the radio "Bull Down " is the mesage .WE now have a BUNCH of work to do . So as Joe and TJ head off to get the moose and I am left to skin out the bear ,Spirits are high and we have seen a turnaround in our luck !

The next morning I am about to head off in the truck when I discover the E brake is frozen and the truck will not move .So as I am walking out of camp in the falling snow eating the pocket full of cookies that I have discovered ,I can hear noises coming from across the lake .It sounds like some moose carrying on over there .I make my way down to the lake shore and by the sounds of it I should be able to see something but the snow is falling harder now and I can barely see the other shore .
I give a cow call and within seconds I hear two large splooshes but I still cannot see anything . About half a minute later I see two moose round a point and they are swimming over to my side of the lake ,Only they are 400 yds from my position .One is obviously a large bull and the other one I am not so sure about even with my binos . I am kind of pinned down in that I cannot move without making alot of noise so I Slowly try to get closer.
The bulls on the other hand ,upon finding no cow swam back over to where they knew there was one .As I close the distance the larger bull retreats back into the timber with the smaller bull still visible on the shore.
It is now that I hear what sounds like another bull a few hundred yds down the lake .I continue cow calling and I can hear the bull that disappeared in the background .So with the small bull in my sights I continue to call .I am determined to come away with something here so if the small bull starts to leave I will take him.
All of a sudden I catch some movement and I can see the snow covered paddles of the larger bull coming out of the willows .At less than one hundred yds and a perfect broadside I put one into the lungs and then give another call .He stops ,but then starts to walk and just as I am about to shoot again I watch him lay down .He is across the lake so I must return to camp for the boat and some help to get this brute out !
My two partners are pumped and aren't sure weather to believe me or not as they did not hear me shoot .We put the boat in and brought the whole moose 1\4'd right into camp .
We had three LEH draws but we all agreed right then that two was good for us and that we would call it a hunt .So we Packed up our camp and drove the sixty miles back to the wall tent and wood stove of our main camp .We put our meat on poles and could now get to the task of fixing our broken trailer ,we broke a leaf on the way into camp .As we spend the day fixing the trailer and making a snowman I spot a cow across the meadow .......,With a BIG BULL right on her .I tell my buddies "There is the GIFT BULL " thats what we call a bull in our camp meadow .He is easily 50" .He is 400yds across the meadow so we cow call and he comes running right to about 80 yds from camp and as we get him in our viewfinders and snap some shots of him we have no problems watching this one walk away to fight another day .We were lucky to have seen him and it really was the icing on the cake .
I will put some more pics in the gallery of the moose as I can't get any more in here .

[Phil]

Great hunting story!!! Congratulations on all the success!

[WoodOx]

Yeah awesome hunt. I want to do something like that one of these years before I get too old...

[steepNdeep]

Right on - sounds like an AWESOME hunt!!! I've never hunted moose, but we're starting to plan a hunt to break in my pard's new jet boat... It's been slim pickin's for moose this year from most reports, but your story get's me pumped! Nice bear to boot... Congrats!

[Caveman]

That's a hell of a bear. Congrats!!!

[Mik]

Great Hunt, Congrats on the G-Bear and the Moose. How big was the Bear?
Man I don't know if i could let a 50" bull go...but good on ya.