Philcott
10-25-2011, 07:51 AM
This all happened at the end of September and the beginning of October but it seemed like our pictures were lost (digital cr@p) so I wasn't going to post the story. Since we recovered the pics here's the story.
This years hunt started just like many mainland hunts for most of us Islanders. Shocked awake by the 4:00 am alarm, quick shower, grab a cup of coffee then hurry up and get in the truck so we can wait at the ferry for an hour or more just to be sure not to miss first sailing of the day. This time of year makes for an interesting wait in the ferry line as there are many guys, and a few gals, waiting with their loaded hunting rigs looking forward to a week or more in the forests of BC. We chatted up a few groups and checked out their quads, boats, trailers, freezers and all sorts of toys being taken in to make the trip successful. After wishing them a safe and successful hunt we board for the crossing.
One interesting occurrence on this years drive was we kept crossing paths with one of the hunting parties from the ferry line all along the road north. Even though we traveled separately and stopped for fuel and food when ever we needed to seemed to keep running into each along the road. The last time was in Williams Lake where, with a wave out the window, they headed west and we north on to Prince George.
We made the trip to Prince George in about 10 hours and after picking up the required beer and rum we pulled into our hotel for the evening. I had been talking with Moosinaround (thanks for the help Mike) about the general area and places to stay so once we settled in I gave him a call to see if he wanted to drop by for a beer. As it turned out he was celebrating his birthday with friends and family so we never did get to meet face to face. Maybe next year.
The early part of the next morning was spent topping up our supplies before heading up Hwy97 toward our hunting area. We made one last stop for cigars at a gas station where we met two Russian hunters who had already had success dropping a moose with the help of their guide. After hearing their story we were thinking lets get our butt into the woods and find us a moose.
Just as we hit the mainline we stopped to get out a rifle just in case this would be the year that WE shot a moose on the way into camp. Ha ha. Right like that will happen. While we were there an empty logging truck stopped to ask us how far we were going in. He said we should follow him and when he pulls over we should tuck in behind him and wait for the loaded logging truck to pass by. This was a really good idea since the trucks must have been doing 90 or 100 kmph.
We finally found our camping spot about an hour and 15 minutes later, decided on a flat spot where we would set our shelter up and got to work making our home for the next week or so. It takes us about two and a half hours from start to finish to set up camp including the kitchen, bunks and wood stove.
As mid afternoon approached we though we should go get the first of two moose we were looking for. If only it would be that easy.
We saw lots of grouse but very little else over the next few days. In all the time we were in camp we didn't see a single deer. Not even a doe. Most of the sign, until the last day, was at least two or three days old and after a number of days we were beginning to think maybe we had come to the wrong part of our allotted MU. We weren't even seeing other hunters. There was one other camp set up 10 Km's from us and that was it.
We did see some fresh wolf tracks all over one area and strangely enough that is the only place we saw fresh moose sign. Maybe the wolves got the moose moving more than up the other roads and slashes.
Being quad less we spent a fair amount of time walking along smaller roads into deactivated places as well as driving to slashes and wandering the edges looking for sign. We also did quite a bit of calling but without seeing fresh tracks it kind of felt as futile as pissing into the wind.
On day two we rounded the corner, coming back to camp, just in time to see a huge black bear starting to make it's way into our camp. As we got closer the bear ran away from camp and we saw it a few more times throughout out hunt but it never gave us any trouble. I guess we must keep a pretty clean camp. In case your wondering, I did have a bear tag but I wasn't interested in a plain old black bear. Had it been a colour phase bear I would have spent some time trying to get it on the pole.
Speaking of bears, we were told by some road building guys that there was a griz living about 9 km's from us that had been seen many times but we never got a sight of him.
On our 5th day we had headed out to hunt an area where we had seen the most sign to date (wolf meadows) and as we turned off the main road my partner muttered something as he threw the truck into part and scampered out of the truck. I thought moose but as I got out with rifle in one hand and bullets in the other I realized he must have said moose SHED. He had spied a real nice tri-palm shed so we spent a bit of time looking for it's mate to no avail. Knowing that the shed had been dropped many months before I didn't think there was much chance the same moose was still in the area but I also though, hell, he's got to be somewhere. I gave a couple of cow calls over the next 5 to 10 minutes and we waited hoping to hear a reply but there was none. With daylight making the terrain brighter we started back up the road and hadn't gone 150 yards when I said “moose” as I had spotted one off to the right of us.
I quickly got out with my gun and binos while Pete got out his side as well. The moose was facing us straight on about 120 yards out and standing between two 15 foot fir trees and since he didn't have instantly recognizable huge paddles, and I had the binos, I was regulated to the task of identifying the animal. He wasn't turning his head and was in the shadows so I suggested maybe I should make a call to try and get it to take a few steps or turn it's head. Pete thought that was a bad idea as it might also spook him. Pete was in position with rifle up waiting for me to be 100 percent sure and then the bull glanced slightly to his right. I said 100 percent bull and blam, the shot from the .270 broke the morning silence.
The bull stumbled favouring his right shoulder and took off through a small stand of trees. We both felt it had been a good shot and we decided to give it some time before going after the animal. It's amazing how slow time moves when you want to rush in and find an animal. During the first few minutes we could hear some branches breaking and we started to question the shot and wondered how far the drag out would be. There was never a chance to take a second shot so it's not like we could have filled it with lead so we just had to wait.
After about 15 minutes we went to where he had been standing and I started in the direction he traveled. Not 75 yards out I saw him lying on his side, breathed a sigh of relief and called to Pete “there he is”. We checked that it was dead, high fived a few times then Pete got to canceling his tag and I to filling out the LEH papers. Once this was done the camera came out and we started to plan the extraction.
Two of me and the moose
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0389.jpg
.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0395.jpg
.
Pete
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0392.jpg
We decided to try dragging the moose to the road with a pulley block and rope. I won't go into detail on this but it took about two hours and the realization that we needed a stronger rope, to get it to the road, gutted and in the truck. Of course, the only rain we had since getting into camp came down while we were gutting.
Back at camp we had a beer for breakfast, rigged up a buck pole, strung up the moose, skinned, quartered and washed it with water and vinegar and many hours later we had a great lunch and shared our good fortune with the whiskey jacks. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up and after the meat got a nice skin on it we put cheesecloth on and pulled the quarters as high as we could remembering that a black bear was sharing this part of the forest with us.
One on the pole draining before skinning. The rain has almost stopped but SOB it was wet.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0399.jpg
And the work is almost done.
.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0400.jpg
We hunted the next day day in hopes of getting a second moose but during the evening we decided that one moose was all we really needed as the freezer would soon be full and even though it might be a few years before we are drawn again we would pack up camp the next day and get our meat back home.
We had a great time and want to thank those who gave us help in planning our hunt.
So far the jerky, tenderloins, stew, burger, Italian sausages and liver pate have all been fantastic.
This years hunt started just like many mainland hunts for most of us Islanders. Shocked awake by the 4:00 am alarm, quick shower, grab a cup of coffee then hurry up and get in the truck so we can wait at the ferry for an hour or more just to be sure not to miss first sailing of the day. This time of year makes for an interesting wait in the ferry line as there are many guys, and a few gals, waiting with their loaded hunting rigs looking forward to a week or more in the forests of BC. We chatted up a few groups and checked out their quads, boats, trailers, freezers and all sorts of toys being taken in to make the trip successful. After wishing them a safe and successful hunt we board for the crossing.
One interesting occurrence on this years drive was we kept crossing paths with one of the hunting parties from the ferry line all along the road north. Even though we traveled separately and stopped for fuel and food when ever we needed to seemed to keep running into each along the road. The last time was in Williams Lake where, with a wave out the window, they headed west and we north on to Prince George.
We made the trip to Prince George in about 10 hours and after picking up the required beer and rum we pulled into our hotel for the evening. I had been talking with Moosinaround (thanks for the help Mike) about the general area and places to stay so once we settled in I gave him a call to see if he wanted to drop by for a beer. As it turned out he was celebrating his birthday with friends and family so we never did get to meet face to face. Maybe next year.
The early part of the next morning was spent topping up our supplies before heading up Hwy97 toward our hunting area. We made one last stop for cigars at a gas station where we met two Russian hunters who had already had success dropping a moose with the help of their guide. After hearing their story we were thinking lets get our butt into the woods and find us a moose.
Just as we hit the mainline we stopped to get out a rifle just in case this would be the year that WE shot a moose on the way into camp. Ha ha. Right like that will happen. While we were there an empty logging truck stopped to ask us how far we were going in. He said we should follow him and when he pulls over we should tuck in behind him and wait for the loaded logging truck to pass by. This was a really good idea since the trucks must have been doing 90 or 100 kmph.
We finally found our camping spot about an hour and 15 minutes later, decided on a flat spot where we would set our shelter up and got to work making our home for the next week or so. It takes us about two and a half hours from start to finish to set up camp including the kitchen, bunks and wood stove.
As mid afternoon approached we though we should go get the first of two moose we were looking for. If only it would be that easy.
We saw lots of grouse but very little else over the next few days. In all the time we were in camp we didn't see a single deer. Not even a doe. Most of the sign, until the last day, was at least two or three days old and after a number of days we were beginning to think maybe we had come to the wrong part of our allotted MU. We weren't even seeing other hunters. There was one other camp set up 10 Km's from us and that was it.
We did see some fresh wolf tracks all over one area and strangely enough that is the only place we saw fresh moose sign. Maybe the wolves got the moose moving more than up the other roads and slashes.
Being quad less we spent a fair amount of time walking along smaller roads into deactivated places as well as driving to slashes and wandering the edges looking for sign. We also did quite a bit of calling but without seeing fresh tracks it kind of felt as futile as pissing into the wind.
On day two we rounded the corner, coming back to camp, just in time to see a huge black bear starting to make it's way into our camp. As we got closer the bear ran away from camp and we saw it a few more times throughout out hunt but it never gave us any trouble. I guess we must keep a pretty clean camp. In case your wondering, I did have a bear tag but I wasn't interested in a plain old black bear. Had it been a colour phase bear I would have spent some time trying to get it on the pole.
Speaking of bears, we were told by some road building guys that there was a griz living about 9 km's from us that had been seen many times but we never got a sight of him.
On our 5th day we had headed out to hunt an area where we had seen the most sign to date (wolf meadows) and as we turned off the main road my partner muttered something as he threw the truck into part and scampered out of the truck. I thought moose but as I got out with rifle in one hand and bullets in the other I realized he must have said moose SHED. He had spied a real nice tri-palm shed so we spent a bit of time looking for it's mate to no avail. Knowing that the shed had been dropped many months before I didn't think there was much chance the same moose was still in the area but I also though, hell, he's got to be somewhere. I gave a couple of cow calls over the next 5 to 10 minutes and we waited hoping to hear a reply but there was none. With daylight making the terrain brighter we started back up the road and hadn't gone 150 yards when I said “moose” as I had spotted one off to the right of us.
I quickly got out with my gun and binos while Pete got out his side as well. The moose was facing us straight on about 120 yards out and standing between two 15 foot fir trees and since he didn't have instantly recognizable huge paddles, and I had the binos, I was regulated to the task of identifying the animal. He wasn't turning his head and was in the shadows so I suggested maybe I should make a call to try and get it to take a few steps or turn it's head. Pete thought that was a bad idea as it might also spook him. Pete was in position with rifle up waiting for me to be 100 percent sure and then the bull glanced slightly to his right. I said 100 percent bull and blam, the shot from the .270 broke the morning silence.
The bull stumbled favouring his right shoulder and took off through a small stand of trees. We both felt it had been a good shot and we decided to give it some time before going after the animal. It's amazing how slow time moves when you want to rush in and find an animal. During the first few minutes we could hear some branches breaking and we started to question the shot and wondered how far the drag out would be. There was never a chance to take a second shot so it's not like we could have filled it with lead so we just had to wait.
After about 15 minutes we went to where he had been standing and I started in the direction he traveled. Not 75 yards out I saw him lying on his side, breathed a sigh of relief and called to Pete “there he is”. We checked that it was dead, high fived a few times then Pete got to canceling his tag and I to filling out the LEH papers. Once this was done the camera came out and we started to plan the extraction.
Two of me and the moose
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0389.jpg
.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0395.jpg
.
Pete
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0392.jpg
We decided to try dragging the moose to the road with a pulley block and rope. I won't go into detail on this but it took about two hours and the realization that we needed a stronger rope, to get it to the road, gutted and in the truck. Of course, the only rain we had since getting into camp came down while we were gutting.
Back at camp we had a beer for breakfast, rigged up a buck pole, strung up the moose, skinned, quartered and washed it with water and vinegar and many hours later we had a great lunch and shared our good fortune with the whiskey jacks. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up and after the meat got a nice skin on it we put cheesecloth on and pulled the quarters as high as we could remembering that a black bear was sharing this part of the forest with us.
One on the pole draining before skinning. The rain has almost stopped but SOB it was wet.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0399.jpg
And the work is almost done.
.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/philcott/DSCF0400.jpg
We hunted the next day day in hopes of getting a second moose but during the evening we decided that one moose was all we really needed as the freezer would soon be full and even though it might be a few years before we are drawn again we would pack up camp the next day and get our meat back home.
We had a great time and want to thank those who gave us help in planning our hunt.
So far the jerky, tenderloins, stew, burger, Italian sausages and liver pate have all been fantastic.