Fozzie
10-13-2012, 12:50 PM
My brother, son-in-law and I headed to the Skeena region to try and fill our LEH's for 2 Bullmoose. This would be my brother and my fourth trip into this area since 1998. In previous trips our father accompained us but due to his passing a year and a half ago he would be in our hearts and with us in spirit.
This was to be my son-in-laws first hunting trip as he just completed the CORE program early last spring and he was very eager to get out there and see if he could get his first Bullmoose. The first couple of evenings we could hear a few cows calling and just below our camp a bull responding. The beginning of our hunt, we concentrated on the timber between our camp and down to the lakeshore. We found a couple of wallows but never ran into any bulls. By the third evening of our trip the calling ceased as the howling of the wolves increased, then for the next couple of days we had some horrific windstorms. One day while my brother Kirk was out on my quad, he got blocked in on a road with about 5 trees coming down behind him. Luckily for him a hunter from the PG area came along looking for the rest of his hunting party and the 2 of them cut their way out. Lesson learned, always pack a saw!
Next few days decided to change tactics and access some meadows down the lake.
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0030_zps9d6fefe0.jpg
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0035_zps448642cf.jpg
One morning when my son-in-law Donald and I arrived at the meadow we saw a cow feeding along the edge of the meadow. I told Donald to keep an eye on her as there could be a bull around. A couple hours of glassing and keeping an eye on the cow, which had now wandered about 800 yards away I decided to brew some coffee. No sooner had I put my whisperlite together when Donald says... Shoot Him! Shoot Him! I turn and look to see a bull 450 yards away walking through the buckbrush towards the cow. I took a rest on a fallen tree and a few rounds later he was down. Donald and I waited an half an hour then proceeded across the meadow to the downed bull.
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0039_zps87771184.jpg
son-in-law Donald with bull
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0040_zps254a5a31.jpg
me with bull
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0042_zpsef56a26b.jpg
We field dressed him and made our way back to camp. Luckily Kirk was at camp so we loaded up the quad with the capstan winch, rope and other necessary gear. We knew of a trail that we figured we could get the quad through and into the meadow to retrieve the bull. If that didn't work then we would winch him across the meadow with the winch. By early afternoon we had made our way into the meadow, quartered the bull and had loaded a couple of quarters onto the quad. Now I was on my way out to the truck 1.7K away.
continued later...
This was to be my son-in-laws first hunting trip as he just completed the CORE program early last spring and he was very eager to get out there and see if he could get his first Bullmoose. The first couple of evenings we could hear a few cows calling and just below our camp a bull responding. The beginning of our hunt, we concentrated on the timber between our camp and down to the lakeshore. We found a couple of wallows but never ran into any bulls. By the third evening of our trip the calling ceased as the howling of the wolves increased, then for the next couple of days we had some horrific windstorms. One day while my brother Kirk was out on my quad, he got blocked in on a road with about 5 trees coming down behind him. Luckily for him a hunter from the PG area came along looking for the rest of his hunting party and the 2 of them cut their way out. Lesson learned, always pack a saw!
Next few days decided to change tactics and access some meadows down the lake.
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0030_zps9d6fefe0.jpg
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0035_zps448642cf.jpg
One morning when my son-in-law Donald and I arrived at the meadow we saw a cow feeding along the edge of the meadow. I told Donald to keep an eye on her as there could be a bull around. A couple hours of glassing and keeping an eye on the cow, which had now wandered about 800 yards away I decided to brew some coffee. No sooner had I put my whisperlite together when Donald says... Shoot Him! Shoot Him! I turn and look to see a bull 450 yards away walking through the buckbrush towards the cow. I took a rest on a fallen tree and a few rounds later he was down. Donald and I waited an half an hour then proceeded across the meadow to the downed bull.
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0039_zps87771184.jpg
son-in-law Donald with bull
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0040_zps254a5a31.jpg
me with bull
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i408/kayakdude1/Hunting%20Pictures/IMG_0042_zpsef56a26b.jpg
We field dressed him and made our way back to camp. Luckily Kirk was at camp so we loaded up the quad with the capstan winch, rope and other necessary gear. We knew of a trail that we figured we could get the quad through and into the meadow to retrieve the bull. If that didn't work then we would winch him across the meadow with the winch. By early afternoon we had made our way into the meadow, quartered the bull and had loaded a couple of quarters onto the quad. Now I was on my way out to the truck 1.7K away.
continued later...