Spuddge
08-25-2010, 07:01 PM
After much anticipation, excitement, emails, and phone calls the time finally arrived to depart for our annual moose hunt. We decided to leave a couple of days early to have a little time to set-up, scout and sit before the 4:00 a.m. alarms and groggy but exciting wake up rituals. Because of the very dry conditions we were pleased to find out that we were able to get into a lot of places we had never seen before! BC truly is a beautiful place. We nicknamed one of the spots Shangri-La, an appropriate title as we shortly found out.
The night of the 14th finally arrived and we hit the cots early, primed and pumped for what opening day might have in store for us.
Day 1: Having chosen our destinations previously, we shut our eyes and tried to get as much rest as possible. 4 a.m. came quickly and we eagerly prepared ourselves and headed to our spots of choice. I decided on the same spot where I had harvested moose for the last 2 years, my "honey-hole". The plan was simple, Jay would enter one end of the area and I would enter the other, we would glass, walk and meet in the middle, probably around a 2 kilometre walk. I made my way on the quad trail (all the while protecting my face from being bashed and gashed by the now very overgrown branches), to a spot that I thought would be a good starting point. I dismount the quad and start shedding a couple of layers to ready myself for the hike through the area. At this point it is still very dark and I decide there is no point in walking if I can’t see, so I started looking around while my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I can just make out a dark mass about 300 yards away but quickly dismiss it as a stump, I’ve been known to mistake stumps as moose on more than one occasion especially the ones that look like they have antlers! I continue to stand around impatiently waiting for the sky to brighten. It’s finally starting to get lighter so I decide to check out that "stump" again, but this time I’m pretty sure it moved, I’m starting to get very fidgety now wanting the sun to shed some light on the situation, where’s the light?!! I patiently wait another 10 minutes or so and am now sure that it’s a moose! Now I’m saying to myself, it’s most likely a cow, to spot a bull at first light on opening day is just way to good to be true! Now I know it’s a moose but don’t have enough light to identify it as a bull, plus it has it’s head down feeding. It’s getting lighter now and I think I get a glimpse of an antler, I start shaking at this point, is it really a bull…… already? I’m getting nervous now thinking it’s going to notice me and take off, damn it’s still too dark. Finally!!! The sky brightens and sure enough it’s a bull! At this point I’m still shaking trying to calm myself and make a well placed shot, normally I don’t start shaking until after, but I had about 20 minutes of anticipation, which felt like hours.
I line up the cross hairs just right, take a deep breath, let it out slowly and hold……………BOOM the 300 winmag lets out a mighty roar!! I lose sight of the bull because of the recoil and am frantically trying to get him back in the scope. I finally locate him and he’s now facing me just staring. Did I hit him? I keep a careful eye on him and he starts to wobble and over he goes. I still can’t believe it, opening day, first shooting light, a first for me!.
Me and my Moose
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/My_Moose1.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20214)
Trevor making quick work of one of the quarters
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/The_quarter.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20220)
Day 2 = uneventful but enjoyable.
Day 3: I still have a bear tag and sleeping in is just way too boring so it’s up at 4 a.m. and in the Rhino with Lorne. We head about a kilometre north of the area where I harvested my moose and park and start to walk. It’s a gorgeous morning, there is dew on everything and a low fog flowing through the area. I say to Lorne , wouldn’t it be awesome to see a big bull raise his head out of the fog? We didn’t …….yet! We continue walking whispering and glassing and Lorne spots a cow way up on a ridge, must have been 600 yards away, we decide if there’s a cow, maybe there’s a bull? When we get there the cow is gone. We continue slowly making our way along the path, Lorne glassing left and me glassing right. I think I see something in the fog and guess what? A bull raises his head out of the fog, I whisper LORNE! He doesn’t respond I whisper again LORNE!!! He finally looks at me and I point out towards the bull, the wind sweeps the fog aside and there at about 250 yards a beautiful bull moose staring us down. Lorne lines it up and the 30-06 does it’s job, one shaky tag cut and hand shake and it was field dressing time. Lorne’s first big game animal in BC! Wow 2 down in 3 days!!
Lorne and his moose
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Lornes_Moose.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20216)
Day 3= uneventful but enjoyable.
Day 4= uneventful but enjoyable.
Day 5= uneventful but enjoyable.
Day 6: I’m sleeping in today, but not for long! It’s around 6 a.m. I’m sound asleep dreaming hunting dreams and am awoken by the unmistakable sound of a Rhino coming towards camp at a speed only conducive to a successful hunt, a loud woo-hoo confirms my suspicion. Lorne says moose-down, get your butt out of bed and give us a hand, Jay tagged his moose in "Shangri-La". It was a young bull and the cow hung around Jay for awhile circling and grunting at him, I’ll try and get the film posted when I get it. It’s amazing how excited you can get for another’s success! So once again it’s off to do the messy but satisfying task of field dressing yet another bull. WOW 3 bulls in 6 days.
Jay and his moose
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Jay_s_Moose.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20215)
Here are the 3 Racks
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/The_Racks.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20221)
The night of the 14th finally arrived and we hit the cots early, primed and pumped for what opening day might have in store for us.
Day 1: Having chosen our destinations previously, we shut our eyes and tried to get as much rest as possible. 4 a.m. came quickly and we eagerly prepared ourselves and headed to our spots of choice. I decided on the same spot where I had harvested moose for the last 2 years, my "honey-hole". The plan was simple, Jay would enter one end of the area and I would enter the other, we would glass, walk and meet in the middle, probably around a 2 kilometre walk. I made my way on the quad trail (all the while protecting my face from being bashed and gashed by the now very overgrown branches), to a spot that I thought would be a good starting point. I dismount the quad and start shedding a couple of layers to ready myself for the hike through the area. At this point it is still very dark and I decide there is no point in walking if I can’t see, so I started looking around while my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I can just make out a dark mass about 300 yards away but quickly dismiss it as a stump, I’ve been known to mistake stumps as moose on more than one occasion especially the ones that look like they have antlers! I continue to stand around impatiently waiting for the sky to brighten. It’s finally starting to get lighter so I decide to check out that "stump" again, but this time I’m pretty sure it moved, I’m starting to get very fidgety now wanting the sun to shed some light on the situation, where’s the light?!! I patiently wait another 10 minutes or so and am now sure that it’s a moose! Now I’m saying to myself, it’s most likely a cow, to spot a bull at first light on opening day is just way to good to be true! Now I know it’s a moose but don’t have enough light to identify it as a bull, plus it has it’s head down feeding. It’s getting lighter now and I think I get a glimpse of an antler, I start shaking at this point, is it really a bull…… already? I’m getting nervous now thinking it’s going to notice me and take off, damn it’s still too dark. Finally!!! The sky brightens and sure enough it’s a bull! At this point I’m still shaking trying to calm myself and make a well placed shot, normally I don’t start shaking until after, but I had about 20 minutes of anticipation, which felt like hours.
I line up the cross hairs just right, take a deep breath, let it out slowly and hold……………BOOM the 300 winmag lets out a mighty roar!! I lose sight of the bull because of the recoil and am frantically trying to get him back in the scope. I finally locate him and he’s now facing me just staring. Did I hit him? I keep a careful eye on him and he starts to wobble and over he goes. I still can’t believe it, opening day, first shooting light, a first for me!.
Me and my Moose
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/My_Moose1.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20214)
Trevor making quick work of one of the quarters
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/The_quarter.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20220)
Day 2 = uneventful but enjoyable.
Day 3: I still have a bear tag and sleeping in is just way too boring so it’s up at 4 a.m. and in the Rhino with Lorne. We head about a kilometre north of the area where I harvested my moose and park and start to walk. It’s a gorgeous morning, there is dew on everything and a low fog flowing through the area. I say to Lorne , wouldn’t it be awesome to see a big bull raise his head out of the fog? We didn’t …….yet! We continue walking whispering and glassing and Lorne spots a cow way up on a ridge, must have been 600 yards away, we decide if there’s a cow, maybe there’s a bull? When we get there the cow is gone. We continue slowly making our way along the path, Lorne glassing left and me glassing right. I think I see something in the fog and guess what? A bull raises his head out of the fog, I whisper LORNE! He doesn’t respond I whisper again LORNE!!! He finally looks at me and I point out towards the bull, the wind sweeps the fog aside and there at about 250 yards a beautiful bull moose staring us down. Lorne lines it up and the 30-06 does it’s job, one shaky tag cut and hand shake and it was field dressing time. Lorne’s first big game animal in BC! Wow 2 down in 3 days!!
Lorne and his moose
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Lornes_Moose.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20216)
Day 3= uneventful but enjoyable.
Day 4= uneventful but enjoyable.
Day 5= uneventful but enjoyable.
Day 6: I’m sleeping in today, but not for long! It’s around 6 a.m. I’m sound asleep dreaming hunting dreams and am awoken by the unmistakable sound of a Rhino coming towards camp at a speed only conducive to a successful hunt, a loud woo-hoo confirms my suspicion. Lorne says moose-down, get your butt out of bed and give us a hand, Jay tagged his moose in "Shangri-La". It was a young bull and the cow hung around Jay for awhile circling and grunting at him, I’ll try and get the film posted when I get it. It’s amazing how excited you can get for another’s success! So once again it’s off to do the messy but satisfying task of field dressing yet another bull. WOW 3 bulls in 6 days.
Jay and his moose
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Jay_s_Moose.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20215)
Here are the 3 Racks
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/The_Racks.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20221)