Tetsa Outfiiter Recap

[smeegle]

My father and I recently returned from a DIY horse packer trip with Tetsa River Outfitters, it was a bucket list item for both of us and what at trip! Our dates with Beth and Doug were from Sep 29-Oct 8 so leaning into the peak rut, we were primarily targeting moose but also had elk tags and I decided to waste my island elk status for 3 years by pulling a cow elk LEH for the area. We departed the Island on the 26th staying over at my brother's place in Vancouver to break up the drive, in two days we made it to PG and Fort Nelson respectively where we stayed for a couple days as I had to have connectivity for work before very happily unplugging from any internet or cell phone availability for 10 days. We arrived at Tetsa in the afternoon on the 28th and got squared away at their Cabin before enjoying a lovely meal with their family. On the morning of the 29th Doug had all our gear weighed and sorted into the horse paniers and ready for the ride out. Doug, Beth, my father and myself departed mid morning with 4 horses and 2 mules in tow to the "Moose Camp" cabins where we would be residing for the next 9 days. (to be continued)



ps I find the photo app for this website frustrating and a waste of time to upload photos does this work for people or am I going to have to rely on the generosity of others to post photos from the trip as I continue the story?

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8506&stc=1
photo one getting ready with the 4 legged ATV's

[tigrr]

Good start. I use postimage.org to host my pictures. Then copy hotlink of pic and paste in thread.

[BCHunterFSJ]

Good start. I use postimage.org to host my pictures. Then copy hotlink of pic and paste in thread.

I use it too. Works well for me...

[smeegle]

Pt 2. Over the first 3 days we battled tough weather conditions weather wise with high wind, snow and low lying fog which resulted the animals hunkering down in the timber and us not seeing a single animal besides a couple small bulls that wandered through camp to have a lick a the horse salt lick, hiking the ridges and putting in 10 plus km a day without seeing anything was deflating but thats hunting at least the scenery was gorgeous. The lick has been in place for roughly 40 years and as such the wildlife has gotten used to making use of it. Over the 8 days we had 5 different bull moose come through camp and make use of the lick often many bulls end up being shot right at the lick. The sleeping quarter cabin was a simple yet comfortable set up with bunk beds, wood stove and area to hang and dry your gear out at days end. Beth and Doug also had their own cabin which is where the kitchen was and everyone enjoyed the lovely meals Beth cooked up at days end. On day 4 the weather broke and we immediately started seeing animals move including 4 nice Bull moose have their morning coffee briefing on where the cows were in my first 15 minutes of spotting. All were heading down into the timber in the direction of a natural spring salt lick with 2 of the bulls looking legal we decided to make a play and hiked into the salt lick quietly. I set up and Cow called and within 15 minutes I had a bull coming in calling. He showed himself and worked his way to within 20 yards of me and hung out for 5 minutes unfortunately he was a 8x7 with 2 on both brow palms (we are in a tri palm or ten point area) so he got to walk but it was a very cool experience. No further bulls that day for us so maybe the bigger bulls had already paired up with their respective ladies but it was an encouraging sign. Day 5 was a long day of hiking with more animals seen this time being all cows and calves which was encouraging along with 2 wolves going at 100 mph, and a large sow grizz and 2 cubs that were almost her size. Interestingly enough there was a bull moose roughly 300 m above them they had no clue was there due to the wind he took off and hid quickly in the timber. I thought it was my exceptional calling which made him run away but quickly figured it out as soon as the grizzlies showed up. We watched the cows for an hour or two but only one large bull for 3 seconds showed himself in the morning and I couldn't judge him from the distance. We ended up hiking into an adjacent ridge to where the cows were spotted to see if we could get closer and spot any bulls, it proved uneventful and we returned to our ridgeline spotters knob for the last several hours of the day. Within minutes of retuning to our spotters roost I spotted the same cow and calf in the morning along with the same large bull I couldn't identify. This time I had time and immediately knew he was a shooter. He was clearly 3 on one side and even had a unique drop tine off his left antler. It was 1630 hours when we spotted him and to get to them would have been 3 hours of hard walking in unfamiliar terrain. We decided to put them to bed and hopefully spot them tomorrow at first light and make a game plan if weather and wind was in our favour. We returned to camp with a clear goal and hopes of seeing the same bull for the next day!....To be continued.

My trusty ride.
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Our comfortable, dry home away from home.

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The kitchen and residence of our hosts.

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The location of where the bull was spotted before we hiked out in orange at the top of the basin.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8507&stc=1

[smeegle]

PT 3.

Day 6: The next morning, we had dreams of clear skies and putting the stalk on the bull after easily spotting him from the spotter’s roost on the ridge and making a game plan. Unfortunately, mother nature had other plans and served us up a couple inches of the white fresh stuff with low lying fog and limited visibility. When we hiked to the ridge for first light, we could barely see a km and nothing was working using optics. The fog and clouds continued to roll in and out and there was no point in glassing. We waited roughly half and hour and decided our best option was to walk into the area we saw the bull and cow the previous day and hopefully not disturb them enough to push them out. Over the next three hours we slowly picked our way through the snow, willow and up the creek draws as quiet as possible finally coming up above to the right of where we last saw the bull and cows the previous evening. Within5 minutes of arriving we spotted the cow, calf and two young bulls roughly 200 yards away through the timber! After 10 minutes they clued into us and ran a short way off down the draw out of our site. We decided to let them be for the next half hour before picking our way through the timber slowly to an open willow patch on the slope which allowed for good visible site lines of the upper bowl and saddle. Glassing wasn’t an option with the fog and mist however you could still clearly pick up animals and movement with your eyes.
Our new vantage point waiting for the moose.


Withing 15 minutes of quietly sitting and watching I again saw the cow and calf and one immature bull I had seen an hour earlier feeding down the draw slowly there was also a bull grunting regularly behind us in the timber but eventually went quiet and never showed. I pulled out the spotting scope, and picked out the largest tree to hide behind and proceeded to watch them for the next 2 hours.


Can you spot the moose in the photo, they were 200-230 yards away?
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Hiding behind the biggest piece of cover I could find to watch the moose in hopes of Mr. big showing himself.
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After 3 plus hours of wind, snow, making tea, eating snacks, and small walks into the timber behind us to keep warm, my feet and hands were starting to get cold and I asked my father how much longer he wanted to stay. His reply was 1.5 hours which I didn’t know if I had in me. I decided to go for a slow walk in the timber to warm up and let my dad watch over the moose. Shortly after I walked around for 15 minutes my father quietly waved me over whispering that the big guy had showed and there were 2 other small bulls with him and to get set up for a shot. I quickly and quietly as possible set up my rifle and bipod on my backpack on a flat spot where I could see and shoot down without the willow obstructing my view. I ranged it to roughly 230 yards and then saw waiting at the spotting scope to verify again he was legal when he showed. I had my eye on the cow and an adjacent small bull. The small bull started to run off and down below on the hill the Mr. Big with the drop tine showed up pushing off the younger bull from his girlfriend. I verified in my spotting scope that he had a tri palm (I don’t rely on the 10 points because its too hard to tell in the heat of the moment). Mr Big stopped broadside on the hill quartering away looking back towards us, you could not ask for much better of a site picture and shooting profile. This was the first moose I would be shooting as to this point and I was nervous, I have hunted whitetail and island blacktails which are about the size of a hind quarter from Mr Big. I took a big breath and calmed myself before putting the crosshairs behind his shoulder (rifle is 200 yard zero) so for 230 yards I wasn’t going to adjust. I gently squeezed the trigger and heard the rifle bark. I thought it was a good hit which my father reiterated to me. I immediately re racked and attempt to gather another site picture as I am a firm believer in you keep shooting until the animal is down. The bull had moved behind a tree and was facing me all I saw was a left ear and horn so no shot, however within 3 second of the first shot the bull fell backwards on his but and you could hear him roll before a series of struggled death groans and breathing. After 2 minutes there was quiet…besides the 9 other moose that exploded from the surrounding timber 3-4 of which we had no idea were there. My father and I were confident the animal was down but we gathered our gear pulled out the thermos of tea and had another tea and snack to calm ourselves and give the animal time to expire if he hadn’t already. After 20 minutes we gathered our items and walked down the drainage and up the other side to where the moose were. After about 5 minutes of side hilling and looking back to where I shot for reference, I came across a site every hunter is relieved in seeing. A quick and clean kill with animal going down not far from he was hit. I rounded the corner of the timber opening and observed an extra brown tree.

The first time I laid eyes on the moose. Its hard to depict how much of a slope is here but he was wedged in between two trees otherwise he could have rolled a bit. A quick handshake and congratulations between my father and I before I cut my tag and we took some photos.
https://i.postimg.cc/x1dhr3Rt/PXL-20211006-215446296.jpg

[smeegle]

The other angle of the as they lay profile of the moose. You can see on his left antler the drop tine below the single brow tine.

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Hard work pays off, the smile says its all. Even though the hard work had only just begun…. 10x9 moose with a drop tine and lots of character. Not an old moose but for my first moose which measures at roughly 49 inches I am very proud of it and even more thankful I got to share this experience with my father.
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The animal was shot at 230 we sent a celebratory inreach message back to Doug and Beth at camp before getting to work, due to the time and distance away from camp we would have to come back in the morning to debone and retrieve with the horses. We had to do some engineering to move the bull a bit to gut, tying off the head and legs to nearby trees as well as fell some other ones. After we had opened him up we stripped down and hung our stinky underwear and shirts from the surround trees and made sure to relieve ourselves around the moose to hopefully scare away any bears or scavengers from claiming it overnight. We walked the 3 hours bag to camp tired, hungry, but happy.
Tired view of where we were in the backdrop and 40 more minutes back to camp.
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When we were 10 minutes out from camp we heard a bunch of yelling, swearing (Bears) and one gun shot. At this point we slowly made our way into camp and hoped that Doug hadn’t scared the bears in our direction. It ended up being two adolescent grizzlies one of which had been an issue a couple months before but they ran off in the opposite direction.

Day 7: We saddled the horses and were off with 4 horses in tow by 10 arriving at the site roughly around noon. We followed fresh grizz tracks all the way, presumably the bears and followed our blood trail all the way to the kill which was a bit nerve wracking. Upon arrival the horses were not that alarmed however I grabbed Doug’s 338 and yelling all the way went back to the kill site relieved to find the animal. There had clearly been a bear there since the gut bag was dragged and mostly devoured, a small bite in the hind quarter and off the ribs as well. The parachord had been broken of the trees too so whatever was pulling it was using force. Thankfully there was minimal issues and the bear(s) had disappeared either right before we got there or overnight. We set to work and began to skin out the animal which took some time and more engineering due to slope and rigamortis.
https://i.postimg.cc/6pGqhnv1/DSCF2786.jpg

[smeegle]

The drop sheet I packed proved useful in helping keep meat and knives clean from dirt, hair, and moss.

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Around 4-430 we heard more huffing and jaw popping quite close, #$#@#$ I thought, last thing I need is the sow with cubs or dominant boar in the valley whose tracks we had seen come in to claim the kill. After about 20 minutes of this I walked down to another clearing with rifle in hand where the sow and cubs took one look at me and ran away to the next valley (the good grizzly behavior I enjoy seeing). From then on, we speedily and nervously finished up deboning and packing the horse paniers. By 530 we had the moose deboned and packed up in the horses with roughly 430 pounds of the healthy organic protein I am excited to share with friends and family. We had to ensure we weighed out each box to matching weights for the horses because they are truly the star of the show. Take care of your gear and your animals and they will take care of you. We made it back to camp in roughly an hour, the horses weren’t messing around. This was the same day another legal bull was seen at the salt lick in camp. However one animal between my father and I was more then enough, I honestly don’t know what we would have done with another moose.
Mabel the mule carrying roughly 180 pounds of hind quarters with ease waiting for the rest of the crew to get secured and ready to go. It amazes me how much the mules can carry without a fuss.


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Day 8: This was the last day of our hunt and time to pack so we cleaned up packed the horses and slowly rode the 3 hours out back to the highway with all the horses and gear in tow. Once back, we helped put the gear in the tack shad and all of our gear in the truck and meat in the plugged-in freezer that was nice and cold. Doug and Beth had a butcher lined up in Fort St John for us the next day since we don’t have the space or tools to process a moose sized animal. Before we left, we made sure to get some warm cinnamon buns for the drive to Fort St John. It was a nice, warm, gooey, sugar induced treat! Over the next couple days, we butchered the animal and made the long drive back to Vancouver Island.

https://i.postimg.cc/1tSKS9Ss/PXL-20211008-181602351.jpg


Overall, it was a bucket list experience to share with my father, being successful was a nice bonus, area 7 is big beautiful country up there. Doug and Beth work very hard for you and clearly enjoy what they do and care for their animals. The food, the service, and the experience were all top notch. I would definitely recommend this to anyone seeking a DIY style experience.

[smeegle]

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The celebratory cinnamon bun for the drive to Fort St John while reflecting on the awesome experience.

[LBM]

Congrats on a great hunt and moose, very neat looking left side, and wow where do you get cinnamon buns like that.

[dakoda62]

Congrat's on the hunt. Aw​some story and pic's

[HappyJack]

Nice moose!! Congrats.

[IronNoggin]

Yet another fine return and example to what HBC should be all about!

VERY WELL DONE SIR!! https://www.tnof.ca/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/Pozitive.gif

Superb tale, excellent story & pictures, and freezers full of uber fine grits!
And you got to share all that with your Pa!!

Simply doesn't get any better in my books!

Congrats!
Nog

[northof49]

Congrats!! thanks for sharing your hunt. Excellent write up and photos. Sounds like luck was on your side with those bears moving on so easily.

[Ride Red]

Awesome story smeegle. Love being in that country. Thanks for taking us along.

[northcoastfun]

Really enjoy the well documented adventure. Very successful on many levels . Thanks for sharing

[.330 Dakota]

Quick question, Do or can you hunt on the horses or are they parked while you walk

[Keta1969]

Good story and congrats on a fine moose.

[dakoda62]

Quick question, Do or can you hunt on the horses or are they parked while you walk
Parked. lol Doug doesn't condone cowboy antics lol

[tigrr]

That is what we live for, Adventures and you had an awesome one.

[twoSevenO]

Very cool story. Definitely on my bucket list as well ...
You did a good job showing just how much work moose are.

One question: are you completely on your own? I was under the impression they manage horses for you daily. Are the horses your responsibility once hunting starts and they just man the cabins?

Because I don't know the first thing to do or not do with horses

[Ron.C]

Congrats. great story and awesome pics.

Thanks for sharing!!!

[Sitkaspruce]

Awesome story, great bull and congrats to you and your dad for your successful bucket list trip!!

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers

SS

[Husky7mm]

That is awesome, thanks for sharing your story and very nice photos. A beautiful and well earned Mt. Moose.

[browningboy]

So a question, just my wife is getting into hunting, thought of booking a hunt for two elk next year? Would this be the place to introduce her to hunting or just do it at my cabin?
Might even invite another couple but how do you get a hold of these guys and would you recommend them?

[.330 Dakota]

[QUOTE=dakoda62;2289913]Parked. lol Doug doesn't condone cowboy antics lol[/QU

Hmm, not sure what cowboy antics are,,just thinking like a guided horseback hunt, you can get farther in and cover more ground while hunting

[REMINGTON JIM]

Awesome Moose - Great Adventure - Congrats - :wink: RJ

[wildcatter]

I would be interested to know how much a hunt like this cost.
Just the hunt with Tetsa, not any other expenses that normally added to any hunt.

[smeegle]

For the most part the horses are parked at the cabin unless Doug and Beth help saddle and lead the way for animal retrieval or leaving camp. As for someone just getting into hunting and doing this trip that I would be hesitant to recommend it for brand new hunters since then they wouldn't appreciate it as much and it is by no means a gimme hunt. We hiked 120 km in roughly 8 days . For easier introductions to hunting I would stay local and maybe do a shorter quicker trip where you don't have to plan as much. The best way to contact them for prices would be to contact Beth through Tetsa River Outfitters facebook, the prices change by the year and usually fill up fast depending on what you want. I booked my hunt 2 years in advance. I would definitely recommend Doug and Beth with Tetsa River but at the end of they day you have to be realistic with what you are going their for. They are a packer who will bring you into good areas and provide good advice, they won't guide you or hold your hand until you find success. The sweat equity and success is all based on your own effort and you are by no means guaranteed to fill the freezer.

[boxhitch]

great post for a great hunt, attago
looks like the timing was perfect, with no leaves and a fresh dusting of snow, it doesn't get better

Was elk really an option at that time or had they moved elsewhere?

[smeegle]

Elk apparently were in there in August but had moved on I had a cow leh draw just in case because you never know but we were primarily going for moose. I imagine if you were targeting elk you would want to be at their higher camp and go earlier in the year.

[FlyingHigh]

Great post! Exactly what this site needs more of.

[BCHunterFSJ]

Have to add my congratulations too. Great post and great bull!

[goatdancer]

Great write-up. Awesome adventure. Very nice moose. Congratulations.

[Arctic Lake]

Smeegle . Very good story of a good hunt in the wilderness ! This type of hunt is of interest to me for an elk !
Arctic Lake

[HuntNmemories]

Awesome adventure, I enjoyed your story. Thanks for sharing

[dbergen69]

Great write up

[Bubbacanuck]

Awesome story and photos! Thanks for taking the time to share

[bc7mm]

Congrats on a great moose, and thx for taking the time to share your story.

[jimzuk]

That’s an awesome bull. What a great memory for you and your father. Congrats and thanks for sharing

[nature girl]

Very nice moose, country and story. And a wonderfull experience to have with your father. Great memories. Thanks for posting.

[Greenfields]

Thank you
fantastic story

[375shooter]

It sounds like you had a great trip. Packing into the backcountry with a string of horses, then being fortunate enough to come out heavy - it just doesn't get any better than that! Congratulations on a fine moose!