Kalum
09-22-2010, 06:11 PM
First hunting post, hope you enjoy the story:-D
We headed up Tattoga way for a quick 4 day trip this past weekend and set up camp on a nice little lake. Weather was clear and crisp which gave some great hiking and calling. Tough getting out of the sleeping bag in the morning but knew the moose would be moving early. Saturday we went up high but didn’t find much in the way of fresh sign. In the evening we paddled the lake, scouting for a likely spot for the morning hunt. Found a great little side swamp and called for an hour to no avail. Sunday morning we hauled our ass’s out of bed, chipped some water out of the jug for coffee (dumb bunny left it out over night) and jumped in the canoe. Went back to the side swamp and started cow calling. Tough to hear the call back’s though as the fish were splashing and the roar of the duck wings as they came in for a landing had me pretty twitchy. Glassing the lake I saw some movement- and whispered “Moose,,, Bull,,, HOLY BIG @*!*&’n Bull,,, letsgoletsgoletsgo!!!” we went low back to the canoe and paddled like mad for the other side in half crouch. He went back into the trees but I could see his paddles as we got to shore. Found a rest and made the check to make sure we were good to go and just as I went to pull the trigger he turned and showed me his rump. I gave a low bull call and he turned broad side to see what was what. He didn’t look like he was in a great spot and I was standing on some pretty soupy ground but it was a lean year for the freezer last season and made the call to take him. One to the lungs at 135yds and he dropped, stood up and walked anther 10yds to the wettest coldest piece of swamp I’ve ever had the good fortune to stand inJ
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/bull_down.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20514&size=big&cat=500)
Not wanting to skin and bone in water we decided to quarter and flip them onto a tarp and drag them through the soup back to the canoe. First quarter was a grunt and a half but we had a pretty good trail down for the next 3 hauls and it went pretty slick.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/swamp_haul.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20515&size=big&cat=500)
Met some great guys back in camp and recruited their skiff to haul 3 of the quarters back to camp. By the time it was hung, skinned and cleaned it was a full on 12 hour day. It was my wife’s first time on a successful hunt with me. She got the full experience, loved every minute of it and is tough as they come! The rack only measured 49.5” so not a monster but some great tines and will mount up nicely. Elk trip next week and can’t wait to get out there again!
Will post some pics as soon as I figure out how... anyone knows the trick, let me know. Thanks Mike, pic trick works great
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/49_5.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20516&size=big&cat=500)
We headed up Tattoga way for a quick 4 day trip this past weekend and set up camp on a nice little lake. Weather was clear and crisp which gave some great hiking and calling. Tough getting out of the sleeping bag in the morning but knew the moose would be moving early. Saturday we went up high but didn’t find much in the way of fresh sign. In the evening we paddled the lake, scouting for a likely spot for the morning hunt. Found a great little side swamp and called for an hour to no avail. Sunday morning we hauled our ass’s out of bed, chipped some water out of the jug for coffee (dumb bunny left it out over night) and jumped in the canoe. Went back to the side swamp and started cow calling. Tough to hear the call back’s though as the fish were splashing and the roar of the duck wings as they came in for a landing had me pretty twitchy. Glassing the lake I saw some movement- and whispered “Moose,,, Bull,,, HOLY BIG @*!*&’n Bull,,, letsgoletsgoletsgo!!!” we went low back to the canoe and paddled like mad for the other side in half crouch. He went back into the trees but I could see his paddles as we got to shore. Found a rest and made the check to make sure we were good to go and just as I went to pull the trigger he turned and showed me his rump. I gave a low bull call and he turned broad side to see what was what. He didn’t look like he was in a great spot and I was standing on some pretty soupy ground but it was a lean year for the freezer last season and made the call to take him. One to the lungs at 135yds and he dropped, stood up and walked anther 10yds to the wettest coldest piece of swamp I’ve ever had the good fortune to stand inJ
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/bull_down.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20514&size=big&cat=500)
Not wanting to skin and bone in water we decided to quarter and flip them onto a tarp and drag them through the soup back to the canoe. First quarter was a grunt and a half but we had a pretty good trail down for the next 3 hauls and it went pretty slick.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/swamp_haul.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20515&size=big&cat=500)
Met some great guys back in camp and recruited their skiff to haul 3 of the quarters back to camp. By the time it was hung, skinned and cleaned it was a full on 12 hour day. It was my wife’s first time on a successful hunt with me. She got the full experience, loved every minute of it and is tough as they come! The rack only measured 49.5” so not a monster but some great tines and will mount up nicely. Elk trip next week and can’t wait to get out there again!
Will post some pics as soon as I figure out how... anyone knows the trick, let me know. Thanks Mike, pic trick works great
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/49_5.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20516&size=big&cat=500)