tomahawk
10-07-2009, 09:24 PM
Just got home from our moose LEH, I had been lucky enough to draw 2 bull moose shared hunt with my son, bro and buddy. My bro and I headed up first to set up camp and cut access to the old logged area that we had expected to hunt. This old area has produced 26 LEH bull moose kills for us since 1981. After setting up camp and loading our cutting gear on the quads we had high hopes of making good progress in cutting the old trails back into this area which is several KM's from any vehicle or quad access. However it didn't take us long for us to realize that the old area is beyond hunting anymore, it is just too heavy with under growth, this was a sad realization for me especiallly but after a few hrs of feeling bad about it we decided to find something new. So we jumped into the truck and headed back for camp. As we rounded the first curve in the main road this bull was standing on the road and didn't want to get off as he was rut crazed, so my bro helped make up his mind for him and one well placed shot later he was dead in his tracks. The first ever moose taken on a road in over 40 yrs of hunting for me. Easy to clean and retrieve but lacking in challenge or excitement. I'll take a bush kill any day!!
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09002-1-1.jpg
We got it back to camp and the rain started so we strung a tarp and skinned and quartered it and then hit the warmth of the tent for some r&r and a few brews.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09008-1.jpg
Next day my son and buddy arrived and we told them that we had to try different area's to hunt. For the next several days we explored the surrounding terrain with the help of aerial photos I have from 1984 we found some great swamps and meadows hidden in the bush away from vehicle traffic. We decided to concentrate on these hidden gems for our success. We found rut beds
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09041-1.jpg
and despite the FULL MOON
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09050-1.jpg
we had close to 30 bulls answering and coming our way in the 7 days we hunted. We had them fighting close by with crashing antlers and huge loud grunting wars and some that just let out one grunt and never were heard again. The second day we had the meat hanging in camp we noticed that the hides and head were gone, then the next day some of the meat was torn at and the trees the meat hung from were scared with 1\4 " deep slashes. We set up a sting and found a wolverine was the culprit. It was full grown and about 50 lbs or more and not willing to share what it believed was its meat cash. He did get the back straps of one hind and several lbs of various other cuts.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09037-1.jpg
So we took the meat into a cooler and proceeded to continue hunting. On day 6 my buddy called in and tagged this 2 point which dropped in the middle of the swamp.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09023-1.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09024-1.jpg
He went out into the water with a rope in his hand and I held the other end, when he found out that the moose was floating and not stuck on the bottom he lassoed the antlers and I winched it with the quad up the banks and loaded it on the quads for removal to camp.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09031-1.jpg
We got it skinned and into the cooler before the wolverine could get any part of this guy. That gave us about 800 lbs of dressed meat and ended our hunt despite still having an LEH for another big bull. No sense taking more than we can use in the coming year, especially if we score on my buddies Bison LEH in Nov.
Great hunt, good meat and best of all awesome company with good companionship and lots of laughs. Lots of steaks, roasts and burger!!
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09002-1-1.jpg
We got it back to camp and the rain started so we strung a tarp and skinned and quartered it and then hit the warmth of the tent for some r&r and a few brews.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09008-1.jpg
Next day my son and buddy arrived and we told them that we had to try different area's to hunt. For the next several days we explored the surrounding terrain with the help of aerial photos I have from 1984 we found some great swamps and meadows hidden in the bush away from vehicle traffic. We decided to concentrate on these hidden gems for our success. We found rut beds
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09041-1.jpg
and despite the FULL MOON
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09050-1.jpg
we had close to 30 bulls answering and coming our way in the 7 days we hunted. We had them fighting close by with crashing antlers and huge loud grunting wars and some that just let out one grunt and never were heard again. The second day we had the meat hanging in camp we noticed that the hides and head were gone, then the next day some of the meat was torn at and the trees the meat hung from were scared with 1\4 " deep slashes. We set up a sting and found a wolverine was the culprit. It was full grown and about 50 lbs or more and not willing to share what it believed was its meat cash. He did get the back straps of one hind and several lbs of various other cuts.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09037-1.jpg
So we took the meat into a cooler and proceeded to continue hunting. On day 6 my buddy called in and tagged this 2 point which dropped in the middle of the swamp.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09023-1.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09024-1.jpg
He went out into the water with a rope in his hand and I held the other end, when he found out that the moose was floating and not stuck on the bottom he lassoed the antlers and I winched it with the quad up the banks and loaded it on the quads for removal to camp.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Moose09031-1.jpg
We got it skinned and into the cooler before the wolverine could get any part of this guy. That gave us about 800 lbs of dressed meat and ended our hunt despite still having an LEH for another big bull. No sense taking more than we can use in the coming year, especially if we score on my buddies Bison LEH in Nov.
Great hunt, good meat and best of all awesome company with good companionship and lots of laughs. Lots of steaks, roasts and burger!!