Gateholio
11-11-2007, 09:22 PM
So my buddy Chad calls me up and says "I've got a moose LEH, and not much time. Come help me get a moose tomorrow"
So I say sure, and the next day we meet at 6AM and head out in his truck.I ask Chad if he is going to try for a big one. "I dont' have much time this year. First moose with antlers I see is going to get it!" Okay, this is a meat hunt, that's clear!!
We get to the moose area and start glassing some steep slopes, that has produced moose before. Sure enough 30 minutes into it, we spot 2 bulls, a average size one and a real big one, 50+ inches, with huge wide paddles....
We hike along an overgrown skidder road, until we can see the bulls. I range them and ask Chad how he feels about a 720 yard shot. He drops to one knee and stats pumping rounds at the moose, reloads and keeps firing again.
Okay, just kidding.:cool:
We sneak up the skidder track a bit more. The bulls are moving in and out of thick slide alder, up a steep ridge above us.
We sit back and keep glassing, trying to pick out where they are moving to. We move posiitons a few times, and discuss some strategies to get the moose.
At one point I scurry down the road a bit, and pick up the big moose in my binos. He is in a narrow opening between the alders, 372 yards away. It's not going to get better than that unless we try to stalk up the hill, and we are concerned it migth be too noisy, and scare the bulls away.
I run back, grab Chad. We move back, then move a little closer, and get a good rest. The moose has dissappeared again. We sit for abotu 40 minutes then decide it's time to get off the pot, it's 1PM and we are running out of time.
Chad goes to sneak up the slide alders, I stay behind to back up if need be. We dont' want a wounded bull escaping up the ridge, or it's going to be a long night...
20 minutes later, I can see one mooses nose and side of antler. I glass for Chad. In full camo, not a hope in hell I see him. 10 minutes pass and I see the moose move, turn his head, looking upwards. he gets to his feet, then BOOM! BOOM!
All hell breaks loose. Chad has shot the smaller bull, and the big one comes to investigate...He runs over nd starts pawing the ground in front of Chad!! He yells and raises his rifle, the bull is bug eyed and snorting, and right pissed off!! Eventually he turns to go, and zig zags down the hill, straight towards me. Awesome moose, with snow white legs. Probably an older fellow.
I hike back, get the quad, and arrive back to find Chad standing at the bottom, wiht a big grin. We grab our packboards, and hike up the mountain.
A few pics, and we get to work, skinning it out and removing sections. We get loaded up with out 100 lb packs just as we start to lose light, and stagger through the slide alders and shintangle. Damn nice to get to the quad, and even nicer when we get back to the truck, which contains the beer!!
We conscript Chads father and his cousin the next day, and when we get there I finishing boning out the meat while they get the neck meat and remove the antlers.
We load up wiht even heavier packs, but the 4 of us get it done in one trip.:biggrin:
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/chad_moose.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/moose10.jpg
So I say sure, and the next day we meet at 6AM and head out in his truck.I ask Chad if he is going to try for a big one. "I dont' have much time this year. First moose with antlers I see is going to get it!" Okay, this is a meat hunt, that's clear!!
We get to the moose area and start glassing some steep slopes, that has produced moose before. Sure enough 30 minutes into it, we spot 2 bulls, a average size one and a real big one, 50+ inches, with huge wide paddles....
We hike along an overgrown skidder road, until we can see the bulls. I range them and ask Chad how he feels about a 720 yard shot. He drops to one knee and stats pumping rounds at the moose, reloads and keeps firing again.
Okay, just kidding.:cool:
We sneak up the skidder track a bit more. The bulls are moving in and out of thick slide alder, up a steep ridge above us.
We sit back and keep glassing, trying to pick out where they are moving to. We move posiitons a few times, and discuss some strategies to get the moose.
At one point I scurry down the road a bit, and pick up the big moose in my binos. He is in a narrow opening between the alders, 372 yards away. It's not going to get better than that unless we try to stalk up the hill, and we are concerned it migth be too noisy, and scare the bulls away.
I run back, grab Chad. We move back, then move a little closer, and get a good rest. The moose has dissappeared again. We sit for abotu 40 minutes then decide it's time to get off the pot, it's 1PM and we are running out of time.
Chad goes to sneak up the slide alders, I stay behind to back up if need be. We dont' want a wounded bull escaping up the ridge, or it's going to be a long night...
20 minutes later, I can see one mooses nose and side of antler. I glass for Chad. In full camo, not a hope in hell I see him. 10 minutes pass and I see the moose move, turn his head, looking upwards. he gets to his feet, then BOOM! BOOM!
All hell breaks loose. Chad has shot the smaller bull, and the big one comes to investigate...He runs over nd starts pawing the ground in front of Chad!! He yells and raises his rifle, the bull is bug eyed and snorting, and right pissed off!! Eventually he turns to go, and zig zags down the hill, straight towards me. Awesome moose, with snow white legs. Probably an older fellow.
I hike back, get the quad, and arrive back to find Chad standing at the bottom, wiht a big grin. We grab our packboards, and hike up the mountain.
A few pics, and we get to work, skinning it out and removing sections. We get loaded up with out 100 lb packs just as we start to lose light, and stagger through the slide alders and shintangle. Damn nice to get to the quad, and even nicer when we get back to the truck, which contains the beer!!
We conscript Chads father and his cousin the next day, and when we get there I finishing boning out the meat while they get the neck meat and remove the antlers.
We load up wiht even heavier packs, but the 4 of us get it done in one trip.:biggrin:
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/chad_moose.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/moose10.jpg