moose2
10-26-2012, 06:37 PM
My father in law and I started off the 2012 season with a August moose hunt.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?85800-2012-early-moose-hunt
After a successful September mountain trip where I took a caribou and a trophy moose.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?86667-Just-returned-from-the-Northern-Rockies&highlight=returned .
Then I had a failed attempt trying for a ram or billy in poor mountain traveling conditions.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?87471-Just-Returned-From-The-Northern-Rockies-(-Part-2)&highlight=returned
My partner ( Combine Pilot ) and his adult son and I had made plans to meet my other two partners and one of their sons (14) for a four day trip for elk, moose and whitetail in the Peace region. The weather was horrible, but snow tracking conditions were at there best. We all hunted on foot and would concentrate on areas with lots of sign or follow a single track until we caught up, both methods were working great.
On the first day I took a calf elk in the morning. The calf did not have a cow with her. After that one was back to camp and dealt with it was time to head out for the afternoon hunt. My partner was able to snow track a large cow elk through a aspen grove, this was to be the second one for the day. She was shot in the evening and a trail needed to be cut or found so we decided to go back for her the next day when we would have more daylight.
The GPS took us right to her without much trouble. My partner hooked up to her with the quad and then I hooked to him with mine. Combine Pilot started clearing a few fallen trees along the way that may give us trouble while dragging the cow out. There was over a foot of fresh snow so dragging was clean and a good option for getting her out. Everything was going good until my bike had almost flipped on a cut line, I had thought I was in a hole. My partner who was hooked to the elk behind me started laughing and pointing. That's when I noticed my rear tire had fallen completely off. The castle nut had fallen off so we were able to replace the wheel and tie a small rope in and out of the rim and lash it to the axle on the inside. This allowed us to get back to camp, then I threw a couple cups of water on it and it froze solid and would last through the rest of the trip this way. Steve made jokes of how I would show up with it like this next year.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_075_Large_.jpg
That afternoon we all headed out again. I left on foot to look around where we had been seeing whitetails. About an hour before dark I heard shooting from the direction Combine Pilot and his son went. I made my way over to where they were, cow and calf elk down. They were in the timber as well so, after they were gutted we decided we would find away into them the next day.
Nothing was shot the next day. However Steve (I will call him that to protect his identity) returned that evening with a big bump on his eye brow and the half moon cut that only hunters would recognize. After all the laughter slowed down he told us that he had crouched into a awkward position to shoot at an elk in the timber. He said he had drew blood, but not on the elk. We all roared again, then that's when Combine Pilot took the time to point out the rubber eye guard on his vortex scope to Steve. We all laughed again.
This was our last night so we enjoyed a good dinner and a few drinks with some good buddies. We would be heading out shortly after daylight and the other 3 were staying a few more days. It worked out to a cow and calf elk each for the two groups of three. It was a fun hunt and the group we left ended up with a spike/fork moose, another cow elk, and 2 whitetail does, one which Todd's 14 year old son was able to get. The weather stayed bad all week so cameras were not staying clear so not many pictures were taken. My back felt pretty good, but the guys were great at giving me a break from the heavy lifting (thanks guys). It was a great hunt and I was glad to see my partners get enough meat to make it until next years hunt. I was good for meat, but am looking forward to a few feeds of cow/calf elk as well.
Mike
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_074_Large_.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?85800-2012-early-moose-hunt
After a successful September mountain trip where I took a caribou and a trophy moose.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?86667-Just-returned-from-the-Northern-Rockies&highlight=returned .
Then I had a failed attempt trying for a ram or billy in poor mountain traveling conditions.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?87471-Just-Returned-From-The-Northern-Rockies-(-Part-2)&highlight=returned
My partner ( Combine Pilot ) and his adult son and I had made plans to meet my other two partners and one of their sons (14) for a four day trip for elk, moose and whitetail in the Peace region. The weather was horrible, but snow tracking conditions were at there best. We all hunted on foot and would concentrate on areas with lots of sign or follow a single track until we caught up, both methods were working great.
On the first day I took a calf elk in the morning. The calf did not have a cow with her. After that one was back to camp and dealt with it was time to head out for the afternoon hunt. My partner was able to snow track a large cow elk through a aspen grove, this was to be the second one for the day. She was shot in the evening and a trail needed to be cut or found so we decided to go back for her the next day when we would have more daylight.
The GPS took us right to her without much trouble. My partner hooked up to her with the quad and then I hooked to him with mine. Combine Pilot started clearing a few fallen trees along the way that may give us trouble while dragging the cow out. There was over a foot of fresh snow so dragging was clean and a good option for getting her out. Everything was going good until my bike had almost flipped on a cut line, I had thought I was in a hole. My partner who was hooked to the elk behind me started laughing and pointing. That's when I noticed my rear tire had fallen completely off. The castle nut had fallen off so we were able to replace the wheel and tie a small rope in and out of the rim and lash it to the axle on the inside. This allowed us to get back to camp, then I threw a couple cups of water on it and it froze solid and would last through the rest of the trip this way. Steve made jokes of how I would show up with it like this next year.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_075_Large_.jpg
That afternoon we all headed out again. I left on foot to look around where we had been seeing whitetails. About an hour before dark I heard shooting from the direction Combine Pilot and his son went. I made my way over to where they were, cow and calf elk down. They were in the timber as well so, after they were gutted we decided we would find away into them the next day.
Nothing was shot the next day. However Steve (I will call him that to protect his identity) returned that evening with a big bump on his eye brow and the half moon cut that only hunters would recognize. After all the laughter slowed down he told us that he had crouched into a awkward position to shoot at an elk in the timber. He said he had drew blood, but not on the elk. We all roared again, then that's when Combine Pilot took the time to point out the rubber eye guard on his vortex scope to Steve. We all laughed again.
This was our last night so we enjoyed a good dinner and a few drinks with some good buddies. We would be heading out shortly after daylight and the other 3 were staying a few more days. It worked out to a cow and calf elk each for the two groups of three. It was a fun hunt and the group we left ended up with a spike/fork moose, another cow elk, and 2 whitetail does, one which Todd's 14 year old son was able to get. The weather stayed bad all week so cameras were not staying clear so not many pictures were taken. My back felt pretty good, but the guys were great at giving me a break from the heavy lifting (thanks guys). It was a great hunt and I was glad to see my partners get enough meat to make it until next years hunt. I was good for meat, but am looking forward to a few feeds of cow/calf elk as well.
Mike
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_074_Large_.jpg