Rocksteadys Moose adventures..... [Archive]

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rocksteady

10-09-2009, 03:33 PM

So after I got my elk and my whitey and then tried to get the 17 year old in on an elk, no luck but got him a nice 4 by 4 Whitey, I have been doing some scouting for my moose LEH, Any Bull in 4-05...

Went out a couple times just for a recon drive, taking along the crossbow and .22, never saw any moose, but did plunk a couple of ditch chickens and a couple rabbits with a buddy and his 4 year old.....

Snowed the past few days up high, so went out yesterday, saw a bunch of muley does and some cow elk....Then when I was driving out, 4:30 in the afternoon come around the corner and here is this big Bugger of a moose standing in the middle of the road at 100 yards...Needless to say I did not get a shot with the x-bow, he just trotted down the road and off into the thick stuff......He would have been toast if it was rifle (Oct 15th start) as he dilly dallied long enough that I could of dumped him.....Big bull too...Probably 45" spread....Not big by Northern BC standards, but we have the Shiras (Wyoming) subspecies here....Quite a bit smaller....

More snow last night, went scouting again....No moose, up in close to 10 " of that white crap....Saw about 30 mulies does with 2 small (Spike) bucks and saw close to 50 elk.....One herd of around 20 had 4 bulls with them...2 spikes, one 4 point and one 5 point....Nice to see them....The 5 by was definitely the herd bull....Saw a few whiteys down lower, only one buck though...A little spike by 2...

Tomorrow is another day though....Gonna keep at it...

ELKOHOLICBC

10-09-2009, 03:40 PM

Good to hear rocksteady, sounds like you've had a great season so far.

Stone Sheep Steve

10-09-2009, 04:42 PM

With the pace you're on RS, I give you two days TOPS to fill your tag. Soon we'll be reading about "Rocksteady's Daily Grouse Journal":wink:. That'd be okay as we know you can't tag out :grin:.

Looking forward to tomorrow's update!

SSS

rocksteady

10-09-2009, 05:42 PM

SSS, I hope you are right:biggrin:....Been a long, long, long time since I have had moose for eatin.....Since about 1994 I have not drawn a moosey tag....

And in 1994 it was an "any bull" tag and I shot , you guessed it, a 2- point....:lol:

Where I was at this morning it was -12 Celcius, according to my truck thermometer....Little bit of a holy crap, when I got out to pee...

Stone Sheep Steve

10-09-2009, 06:37 PM

quackquackbang

10-09-2009, 07:00 PM

Good Luck tomorrow!

sawmill

10-10-2009, 06:18 AM

-12 this morning,just heading out with the wife for her first deer.LEH doe.And a last load of firewood.One way or another we will get something.I really hope it`s a deer,less work than sawing wood!

Brambles

10-10-2009, 06:29 AM

I'm not looking forward to spending 10 days in a little tent in -12.....sucky

Little Hawk

10-10-2009, 06:32 AM

Good scouting, great writing and a pleasure to read.
Good luck with your moose and keep the reports coming man!

rocksteady

10-10-2009, 08:13 PM

Took today off for a get-shat-done-around-home day....

Neighbor and one of the other guys with tags in the Shared hunt went out...Saw 2 bulls (1 - 7 point and 1 Single paddle big bull) and a cow and calf....Could not get close enough for bow/arrow, and had no luck trying to call them closer....

All 3 of us are heading out tomorrow....So wish us luck and hopefully I will have pictures and a story to post by the time I am home tomorrow night....

Also got a muley tag today, in case we see a piss-cutter of a buck.....Wife hates muley meat, but sometimes a wall hanger is too hard to pass up...

rocksteady

10-10-2009, 08:14 PM

[quote=Stone Sheep Steve;527546
Can you say.... "1500 tonnes of icewine"??:rolleyes:[/quote]

So you want to swap an elk steak for a bottle of that???

Stone Sheep Steve

10-11-2009, 03:54 AM

So you want to swap an elk steak for a bottle of that???
Sounds good...but since we don't get any freebees of icewine, that steak would cost me about $70:shock:. I love elk but not that much:wink:.

Good luck today!

SSS

rocksteady

10-11-2009, 05:23 PM

Well what a day it was, went up to a high basin with a couple of others that have the LEH tag with me and it was cold... -17 at 7000 Ft, we split up, I go South on the power line, one guy stays in the truck to glass the huge basin and the third goes North up the powerline...

I go SOuth no more than 500 metres, finding beds and tracks in the snow, jump a cow and calf....Of course as I am standing there looking at their beds, they are 20 yards downhill of me in the alder and bust out trotting...

After I get back to the truck the thrid guy calls us on teh radio, he was in on a cow, small bull and big bull, but no archery shot, so he is coming back down to meet us.....

We sit and have cofee and warm up, give the moose about an hour just to settle down and we drive to the summit. Park the truck, we split up, Rob and I go straigth across the powerline to the timber, while the other guy circles downwind about 200 metres or so, just in case the moose move that way.

Rob and I get in there maybe 300 yards into the timber, find the moose tracks and start hunting into the wind. We split up, I go uphill to the open alpine, he stays on this little ridge that the moose were following....I go probably close to a km in the timber and all of a sudden here is a bull standing there looking at me....We did the Mexican standoff thing for 5 minutes, before he turned and walked away...Too much alder !!! So I start following this guy, getting the occassional glimpse every now and again or a clear, broadside shot at 70 metres or more....

Little did I know that Rob had headed back to the road and met upp with J. and they were having lunch.....Meanwhile (I have no radio) I am playing cat and mouse with the moose, eventually I push them down, right smack dab into Rob...He thought he was gonna get run over by the cow...He took a shot at a small bull about 40 yards away.....We found hair, but no blood whatsoever....Trailed the moose for over a km and never found any blood......Recreating the shot, we think he may have had a deflection on a small balsam tree and it clipped the upper part of the mooses hump....

rocksteady

10-14-2009, 05:20 PM

Tomorrow is the big day, first day of rifle on our LEH hunt...We are gonna have a team meet tonight to discuss strategies etc.....

Had about 10 cm of snow last night and snowed off/on all day.....

Hopefully tomorrow we will have 2 big boys down and be eating moose......

Will update you when I get back tomorrow night...and yes there should be some pictures....

Just like a kid at X-Mas, not sure if I will sleep tonite:shock::shock:

Little Hawk

10-14-2009, 05:40 PM

Good luck RS!

May the Farce be with you!

rocksteady

10-15-2009, 10:49 PM

Quick up date .....2 moose down...

One at 8:00, one at 10:00, both home in the garage by 17:00 hours ....

Pictures and full report tomorrow....Little tired and wee bit ineb-ineb-half cut to do the story justice tonight...Will be definitely worth the wait..I promise...

porcupine

10-15-2009, 11:05 PM

Good stuff! Can't wait to see the pictures!

sawmill

10-16-2009, 05:17 AM

BOOYAH!!!! You are the man Rock,congrats!

sawmill

10-16-2009, 05:19 AM

P.S.can I hunt with you next year?:biggrin: I promise to do all the shitwork and I`m a hell of a good cook:smile:

J_T

10-16-2009, 05:29 AM

P.S.can I hunt with you next year?:biggrin: I promise to do all the shitwork and I`m a hell of a good cook:smile:I don't know if that's the right question Sawmill. After this year, you'd think he's going to have one real dry year next.

Congrats Rock. You are having a year to remember. Good work.

sawmill

10-16-2009, 05:43 AM

That`s true,he may have run out his string!

Little Hawk

10-16-2009, 06:20 AM

RS: What part of the EK are you in?

Buddy Ray and I are heading for 4-26 tonight; probably won't make it all the way there tonight.

Cheers,
Terry

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 08:37 AM

RS: What part of the EK are you in?

Buddy Ray and I are heading for 4-26 tonight; probably won't make it all the way there tonight.

Cheers,
Terry

In beautiful down town Cranbrook.....Heart of the Rockies...and a Hunters Haven....

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 08:38 AM

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/100_0604.jpg

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 08:52 AM

Okay, I think I am sober enough to give a clear recreation of how it all went down....

Yesterday morning was first day of rifle for LEH Any Bull in 4-05, 4 of us drew, so we could take 2 bulls....

We decided to divide and conquer, 2 guys up one drainage, 2 up the other, with radio contact of course, as there is no cell coverage, but we had to esure that all knew what was down etc...

I picked up my neighbour at 05:30 testerday, hit the old coffee to go place and we were up at the same spot where I chased the bull with my bow last week...So we are sitting up at the "viewpoint", a great spot to sit and glass a huge basin for mooses...We were there by 06:30 or so, it was drizzling rain, the wind was howling and it was dark...Right where we parked, in the melting snow (10" or so) were bull tracks going down the powerline spur, which we backed in to...

So we sat and BS'ed, drank coffee, smoked cigars and waited for daylight...Got out a couple times for a pee, Rob did some cow calling, no response....Back in teh truck, another ten minutes, same routine...Still drizzling, fog rolling over the summit, obscuring the top 1/3 of the basin...

So, finally at about 08:00 we said well let's go....The plan WAS that I would walk down the powerline spur (same spot I bumped the cow/calf last week) and Rob would walk the main road down parallel to me, until the tracks ran out or left the line type thing. We had CObra radios, so no biggie....

We stepped out of the truck, put on all of our gear, loadded the rifles and started to walk....NOT A WORD OF A LIE, I got 3 STEPS behind my truck and here is a bull moose standing in the middle of the spur road at about 120 yards !!!!!!!! I turned around to Rob, getting his attention saying "Big FRIGGIN Moose, right there"...Rob beeteled back to me, about 10 steps and there was a little rise in the road so I could not lay down to shoot....I eventually found a rest and the bull was still standing there looking at me straight on...Put the crosshairs right in the middle of the chest and touched of a 180 grain boat-tail handload out of my 06....

THe bull basically jumped straight up in the air with all four feet and then turned broadside, wobbling away, so I knew I smacked him hard....Couple more rounds in the broadside angle, finally he just laid down....RIGHT ON THE ROAD.....

Woo-Friggin -Hoo!!!!! My first moose since 1994 and a good bull....

Gutted him out, used the winch to drag him down the road to a large cutbacnk where the 2 roads joined, backed the truck under the bank and rolled the bad boy in WHOLE...All done by say, 09:0 at teh latest.....Snow was absolutely greasy snot, with the drizzling rain, I had to chain up to back the truck up on a flat road....Once chained though, mr. Moose came along very nice....

To be continued

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 08:58 AM

So, before we got my bull loaded I called our partners on the radio, could not get them but did get a message realyed though I believe a Loader operator at a logging site.....If he is a member on here, thanks again....

Now what to do????

We had coffee and then we went for about a 2 1/2 hour hike folowing more bull tracks to get Rob one.....Weather got ugly up top, wind, fog, drizzle in high elevation Spruce Balsam and brush and blowdown....

Got back to the truck, met up with 2 guys on quads, who said they bumped into our partners, who had also shot a bull, below the road (damn..) and they needed our help....I guess our partners talked to someone on the logging channel who said they would relay the message but it did not happen.....

Rob and I bettle over to the other 2, they have a bit smaller bull down, about 300 yards downhill from a road, in the old forest fire from 2003....Burned wood, blowdown brush YUK !!!!

However teh 4 of us made short work of quartering the bull and pack boarding it up to the trucks....

All in all a GREAT Day for the 4 of us....

Will post an update as far as weight once I get back from the butcher...Also have to go get the head CI'd....

6616

10-16-2009, 09:36 AM

Way to go Mike, your having yourself a very good season...!
I'll be in your neck of the woods next Wednesday for an ERP meeting.

brotherjack

10-16-2009, 09:39 AM

Wow, man, that's awesome!!! It sounds like you're probably out of freezer space by now -- if you want a place to store some of that meat, I still got lots of room in mine. ;)

Flingin' Sticks

10-16-2009, 09:40 AM

Very nice...pass some of that Mojo up here so I can get my bull tomorrow morning...

stroh72

10-16-2009, 09:49 AM

Wow using your truck as a blind... brilliant! Its all about being in the right place at the right time. You obviously did all your homework. Congratulations.

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 10:41 AM

450 + pounds at the butcher, was too big to fully clear off the floor to get a full free-hanging weight, plus we pulled out teh tenderloins last night:shock::shock:

The loins are presently marinating in a creation/concoction that my wife has built....I willl give a full report on the taste probably Sunday morning....

6616 - I have not been invited to teh meeting, but if you wanna grab a coffe before or after just PM me...

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 10:48 AM

Oh yeah, forgot to mention "THE BET"...

The night before rifle season, the wife was in the kitchen, I was watching the tube....I told her to pick a number between 30 and 40....She said 36...

I said okay, make you a deal, if I get a bull and he is over 36" outside spread, I will shave off the goatee (I have not trimmed it or anything since about July....and she hates it...) if its under 36", I get to keep it til X-Mas....

Anyways we put all the numbers on a piece of paper and both initialed it...Contract !!!

Get the bull home last night, first thing she does is ask the neighbour to get a tape measure....No matter how many times or who measured it...36 1/4" outside spread......AGHHHHHHH!!!!!!:mad::mad:

So I am skinning the moose, wife goes in the house, comes back out with a pair of scissors, grabs me by the chin hairs, SNIP, SNIP....

Oh well, not the first time in my life I have been foiled by a 1/4"......

Interestingly enough though, my chin hair blended in quite nicely with the moose hide.....Hopefully he is younger and more tender than me...:shock::shock:

budismyhorse

10-16-2009, 10:53 AM

congrats RS!

I'll have to swing over the 7 steps to your garage and have a look....

Maybe then you can tell my why you shoot boattails...HAHA!

Stone Sheep Steve

10-16-2009, 12:05 PM

There's only one word to describe you, RS.......EFFICIENT!!!!

Looking forward to reading your daily grouse journal:tongue:.

Congrats!!

SSS

PGK

10-16-2009, 12:34 PM

So, does that count as four hunter days spent hunting moose, or two? :lol: Nice work, moose in the snow, fun times!

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 12:35 PM

Hey, still got an LEH for Mountain Goat up the Bull River....:shock:

Doing some planning on that one already....:twisted:

I can't take much credit on this besides shooting the moose...The other guys with the tags did thier homework BIG TIME....They scouted, knew where the moose would be at which time etc etc....If it wasn't for them, may not have been this successfull.....

Elk is my forte, moose is fairly new territory, for me...

killman

10-16-2009, 12:36 PM

Congrats on the Moose RS.

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 04:39 PM

P.S.can I hunt with you next year?:biggrin: I promise to do all the shitwork and I`m a hell of a good cook:smile:

Absolutely Joe....From what I have seen and heard about you, I think we would get along just fine for huntin....

I don't eat 3 meals a day, just one monstrous dinner, so your job would only be 1/3 of normal..:smile::smile: But I do love my coffee in the A.M.:-P

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 04:43 PM

Thanks for all of the congrats folks....It has been a kick-ass season for me....

The 2 moose day was just the icing on the cake....Gonna be nice to have moose for a change in meat, you know what they say "Man can not live by elk alone"......Oh wait, that was bread....:shock:

sawmill

10-16-2009, 04:47 PM

Absolutely Joe....From what I have seen and heard about you, I think we would get along just fine for huntin....

I don't eat 3 meals a day, just one monstrous dinner, so your job would only be 1/3 of normal..:smile::smile: But I do love my coffee in the A.M.:-P
ALRIGHTY THEN!:biggrin:I make awesome coffe,the trick is to include a big bucks tarsal gland,then every time you pee you cover your scent.Just don`t pee on me.

BlacktailStalker

10-16-2009, 04:48 PM

You gonna run out of bullets anytime soon ??? :lol:
Wicked season so far :cool:

rocksteady

10-16-2009, 06:10 PM

[quote=rocksteady;531034]

The loins are presently marinating in a creation/concoction that my wife has built....I willl give a full report on the taste probably Sunday morning....

quote]

I could not wait til tomorrow night...Wife cooked some up for supper tonight...ABSOLUTELY delicious...Tender, no gamey taste...:smile::smile::smile:

Ambush

10-16-2009, 08:05 PM

Pretty soon you're going to be shooting critters from your bedroom window, with your pillow as a rest.

Do you just buy a tag, then hold it up in the bush, while the appropriate animal surrenders?

RS's daily moose Journal. "Went moose hunting this morning [yawn], came home with one".

Congrats on an awsome season, so far.http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif

PGK

10-16-2009, 08:17 PM

Pretty soon you're going to be shooting critters from your bedroom window, with your pillow as a rest.
Do you just buy a tag, then hold it up in the bush, while the appropriate animal surrenders?

RS's daily moose Journal. "Went moose hunting this morning [yawn], came home with one".

Congrats on an awsome season, so far.http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif

You guys ought to hunt together. The damn moose would probably butcher himself for ya!

1899

10-16-2009, 08:30 PM

I'm not looking forward to spending 10 days in a little tent in -12.....sucky

Little did you know....

Congrats on a fine season RS.

6616

10-16-2009, 08:38 PM

ELKOHOLICBC

10-16-2009, 09:24 PM

All I have to say is you really know how to make a hunter jealous there RS. Congrats on an awesome Moose and again on an awesome season. You can't stop now, you know we want to hear about a goat being shot now to.

rocksteady

10-18-2009, 01:13 PM

Wow, man, that's awesome!!! It sounds like you're probably out of freezer space by now -- if you want a place to store some of that meat, I still got lots of room in mine. ;)

Actually it will make the freezer look decent...

Last year I got my elk plus 2 whiteys and by May we were down to about 20 lbs of burger and a roast and maybe 2 packs of steak/cutlets...

This year, we put 2 whole whiteys in the freezer, I split my elk 3 ways (with the 2 guys who took time off work to help me cause it was so hot I did not want it to spoil) and now the moose will be in halfers with my neighbour/LEH partner/moose guide....The other 2 moose hunters are gonna split their 50/50 as well....

hunter1947

10-18-2009, 03:21 PM

I just read your post Mike ,you put down some fine animals this year ,it couldn't have happened to a better person then that of you ,way to go buddy ,one day we just have to meet one and the other.

Again congratulations on a fine season of hunting http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon6.gif http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif.

rocksteady

10-18-2009, 06:46 PM

hunter1947

10-19-2009, 05:18 AM

Thanks Wayne, we have to get you one of those satellite hook ups for your computer so that you can give us a daily update..:biggrin::biggrin:

Been a hell of a season, now I just got to try for a goat, then maybe a late season whitey with my bow:biggrin::biggrin: Byt then it should be ice fishing season for ling:o:o

Your a real on the go person all the time ,you are a real true hunter and you should be proud of your accomplishments over your hunting carrier http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif.

BCrams

10-19-2009, 09:15 AM

A good season for you RS! You should be well set with a full freezer until next year!!

Bird hunting now?

rocksteady

10-19-2009, 10:08 AM

Bird hunting now?

Nope...Still have a Mountain Goat draw, an uncut Muley tag (Will only shoot a wall hanger) or will wait til December 1 to bow hunt flat-top whiteys...If I get bored....

BCrams

10-19-2009, 10:11 AM

Nope...Still have a Mountain Goat draw, an uncut Muley tag (Will only shoot a wall hanger) ...

Look forward to reading your hunts on the goat / mule deer!

Brambles

10-19-2009, 10:18 AM

Wicked moose hunt RS, congrats. I love hunting moose.