Tron
10-18-2007, 11:42 PM
Just got back from my first moose hunt. We spent 7 days in 7-28 by Finger lake west of Mackenzie. The ride up was uneventful but saw lots of moose racks coming back.
Set up camp on Monday and still had time for an evening hunt so we went to the south end of Finger lake for a scouting trip. As we approached the lake we passed through 3 draws. We saw a lot of fresh tracks coming and going from the draws but no creatures. We continued on to lake and had a look around. Very beautiful lake and lots of fish jumping. We only got a chance to throw a line in once but no luck as we came here for moose. As we left the lake and passed through the draws we spotted a cow and calf but they were gone in a flash. Guess they didn't like the quads. We went back to camp and got set for the morning.
Day 2
We went back to the south end of the lake to see if we could come across the cow/calf and maybe a bull but no such luck so we decided to got to the west side of the lake and familiarize our selves with that area. We were very surprised at how little we saw other creatures and sign of other creatures and not a lot of fresh moose tracks. As we got to the west side of finger lake we were in a approx 10yr old clear cut. As you get to the lake there is a over grown road that parallels the lake off to the left. We creped along this road and spooked another cow/calf at the very end of the road. I learned many time this trip that you should always got to the very end of the
road. We decided to leave the bikes and have a good look around. We had a look around were the cow/calf had been and figured they had been there a while. There was beds and trampled brush everywhere also lots of willows that had just been nibbled on. We also came across a patch of older rubs (maybe 1 month) but nothing fresh. We decided since I had the LEH bull draw that my partner would go back and try for the calf we spooked as calf season opened the next morning. We covered a lot more ground and only came across 2 more cows at the
south end of the lake looking for the first cow/calf.
Day 3
The next morning before first light I was hunting the draws at the south end of the lake to find my bull but to no avail. 4 road hunters came in 1 hour after first light so I went else were.
My partner had no luck on getting the calf that morning but as he was walking up the hill to his bike a the bull had stood in his path just briefly and then disappeared into the 10yr old stand. He decided to have a better look around and found a really fresh rub at the mature timber tree line. He decided to have a look around the area and come back to the lake in the evening.
I met up with My partner at the west side of the lake at about 4:30pm. Just as I was walking down the overgrow road he came out of the stand and told me I just missed the action. I still had no idea he had come across a bull. He had creped down the road and could hear the cow calling the bull about every 3 to 5 min. The wind that night was not in our favour and they sniffed out my partner. He managed to get a pretty good look though. All 3 were together. Cow/calf and about 30 to 40 yards away the bull. He told me I missed the action by 3mins $#$@. He figured the bull to be a 3x5.
He took me to were he had found the fresh rub and trail they were using. There is pic of rub.
That night we tried to come up with a game plan to take so I could take that bull. We figured since they had been spooked 3 time for the cow calf and 2 times for the bull that we would give them a day and cover so other ground we had not seen yet.
Day 4
We spent most of the day north of the lake up the 7000rd but found no fresh tracks of any kind. After that both of us were itching to get back to the bull he had seen so we decided to go back that evening.
As we were going there both of us were worried that the wind would give us up again. We stopped and discussed what we were going to do. My partner would cow call off to my side and from behind and I would be ready to take the shot as we crept down the road.
We parked the bikes at the top of the hill and walked down to the over grown road cursing the wind the whole way. Just as we turned onto the road the wind stopped. I was dead still and silent. We creped down the road giving cow calls every 3-5mins mimicking the cow calls he had heard the day before. After 2 or 3 cow calls the bull responded and called back. About 10 soft grunts which he repeated 30sec to a min apart. Then we heard a crack to our left and about 15yrds into the stand we could see the yellowish socks of the bull and cows legs walking parrelled to the road. Down on 1 knee and we waited with hearts pounding. They walked past us and 40yrds down the road the bull stepped out broad side. Crack and he went down and landed 10ft from were I shot him. The cow stormed out, looked at the bull, looked at me, took 2 steps towards me and realized she should not be there and took off faster than a shot.
I had my bull and he was on the road. Couldn’t ask for anything better. Hr turn out to be a 3x6. My partner went back to camp to get the trailer for the quad while I gutted using the light from my quad. Everything went good and we took him back to camp and hung and
skinned him to cool. The next day we spent 7hrs cleaning, removing the blood shot meat from the shoulder I had hit. We quartered and removed the ribs and back straps and tenderloins. We also deboned the neck.
We hunted hard for the next 3 days looking for a calf but never saw another moose and with population low we decided to pack up early and headed home.
In total we came across 7 moose and all within the first 3 days. Nice country but not a lot of animals. We expected to see a bear, wolf or something crossing a clear cut but there was nothing. My partner spoke to a grader operator up there and he had said that they had an 8ft snow pack and it was everything he could do to keep the roads clean. He also said the wolves were running the moose down the roads, some times taking 2 at time. Wolf packs of 25 or more. So winter kill, wolves and ticks has defiantly effected the population. A lot of other people left there skunked and we count our selves very lucky. All in all for my first moose it was great and im hooked. Thanks to my partner and the other players that made it all possible.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/MooseHuntOct2007-Rubfrommybull09429.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/MooseHuntOct200709443.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/MooseHuntOct200709436.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/MooseHuntOct200709433.jpg
Set up camp on Monday and still had time for an evening hunt so we went to the south end of Finger lake for a scouting trip. As we approached the lake we passed through 3 draws. We saw a lot of fresh tracks coming and going from the draws but no creatures. We continued on to lake and had a look around. Very beautiful lake and lots of fish jumping. We only got a chance to throw a line in once but no luck as we came here for moose. As we left the lake and passed through the draws we spotted a cow and calf but they were gone in a flash. Guess they didn't like the quads. We went back to camp and got set for the morning.
Day 2
We went back to the south end of the lake to see if we could come across the cow/calf and maybe a bull but no such luck so we decided to got to the west side of the lake and familiarize our selves with that area. We were very surprised at how little we saw other creatures and sign of other creatures and not a lot of fresh moose tracks. As we got to the west side of finger lake we were in a approx 10yr old clear cut. As you get to the lake there is a over grown road that parallels the lake off to the left. We creped along this road and spooked another cow/calf at the very end of the road. I learned many time this trip that you should always got to the very end of the
road. We decided to leave the bikes and have a good look around. We had a look around were the cow/calf had been and figured they had been there a while. There was beds and trampled brush everywhere also lots of willows that had just been nibbled on. We also came across a patch of older rubs (maybe 1 month) but nothing fresh. We decided since I had the LEH bull draw that my partner would go back and try for the calf we spooked as calf season opened the next morning. We covered a lot more ground and only came across 2 more cows at the
south end of the lake looking for the first cow/calf.
Day 3
The next morning before first light I was hunting the draws at the south end of the lake to find my bull but to no avail. 4 road hunters came in 1 hour after first light so I went else were.
My partner had no luck on getting the calf that morning but as he was walking up the hill to his bike a the bull had stood in his path just briefly and then disappeared into the 10yr old stand. He decided to have a better look around and found a really fresh rub at the mature timber tree line. He decided to have a look around the area and come back to the lake in the evening.
I met up with My partner at the west side of the lake at about 4:30pm. Just as I was walking down the overgrow road he came out of the stand and told me I just missed the action. I still had no idea he had come across a bull. He had creped down the road and could hear the cow calling the bull about every 3 to 5 min. The wind that night was not in our favour and they sniffed out my partner. He managed to get a pretty good look though. All 3 were together. Cow/calf and about 30 to 40 yards away the bull. He told me I missed the action by 3mins $#$@. He figured the bull to be a 3x5.
He took me to were he had found the fresh rub and trail they were using. There is pic of rub.
That night we tried to come up with a game plan to take so I could take that bull. We figured since they had been spooked 3 time for the cow calf and 2 times for the bull that we would give them a day and cover so other ground we had not seen yet.
Day 4
We spent most of the day north of the lake up the 7000rd but found no fresh tracks of any kind. After that both of us were itching to get back to the bull he had seen so we decided to go back that evening.
As we were going there both of us were worried that the wind would give us up again. We stopped and discussed what we were going to do. My partner would cow call off to my side and from behind and I would be ready to take the shot as we crept down the road.
We parked the bikes at the top of the hill and walked down to the over grown road cursing the wind the whole way. Just as we turned onto the road the wind stopped. I was dead still and silent. We creped down the road giving cow calls every 3-5mins mimicking the cow calls he had heard the day before. After 2 or 3 cow calls the bull responded and called back. About 10 soft grunts which he repeated 30sec to a min apart. Then we heard a crack to our left and about 15yrds into the stand we could see the yellowish socks of the bull and cows legs walking parrelled to the road. Down on 1 knee and we waited with hearts pounding. They walked past us and 40yrds down the road the bull stepped out broad side. Crack and he went down and landed 10ft from were I shot him. The cow stormed out, looked at the bull, looked at me, took 2 steps towards me and realized she should not be there and took off faster than a shot.
I had my bull and he was on the road. Couldn’t ask for anything better. Hr turn out to be a 3x6. My partner went back to camp to get the trailer for the quad while I gutted using the light from my quad. Everything went good and we took him back to camp and hung and
skinned him to cool. The next day we spent 7hrs cleaning, removing the blood shot meat from the shoulder I had hit. We quartered and removed the ribs and back straps and tenderloins. We also deboned the neck.
We hunted hard for the next 3 days looking for a calf but never saw another moose and with population low we decided to pack up early and headed home.
In total we came across 7 moose and all within the first 3 days. Nice country but not a lot of animals. We expected to see a bear, wolf or something crossing a clear cut but there was nothing. My partner spoke to a grader operator up there and he had said that they had an 8ft snow pack and it was everything he could do to keep the roads clean. He also said the wolves were running the moose down the roads, some times taking 2 at time. Wolf packs of 25 or more. So winter kill, wolves and ticks has defiantly effected the population. A lot of other people left there skunked and we count our selves very lucky. All in all for my first moose it was great and im hooked. Thanks to my partner and the other players that made it all possible.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/MooseHuntOct2007-Rubfrommybull09429.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/MooseHuntOct200709443.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/MooseHuntOct200709436.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/MooseHuntOct200709433.jpg