warnniklz
11-11-2012, 09:41 AM
So I'll do a long version and a short version of my hunting trip. Scroll down to see the short version. Short version will be marked with big bold text.
So I got my November moose draw. I had 6 days of holidays left to burn up, so I took November 2nd to 12th off. I got out to camp real late on the night of the 2nd. My dad was going to try and make it out as early as possible on the 3rd. He showed up at 9am.
We took off for a morning drive around the area to see what was moving. We turned up one road and immediately I noticed a deer dart across the road.
"Whitetail!" I said to my dad.
He locked up the brakes on the old war wagon. "That's like a kilometer up the road" he replied.
His tag was filled and I didn't have one, which was alright because there were no bucks around. So we just putted through the area. Other than some whitetail does we didn't see much that day.
November 4th
My dad wanted to be up at 5am. Neither of use remembered to set any sort of alarm and didn't make it out until 6:30. He had to head back to town that afternoon because he had to be at work at midnight. So the plan was to blitz the whole area and see if we could catch anything moving or find fresh sign of something moving.
We found a spot that looked like a solid mule deer spot. It had a creek at the bottom, poplar trees along the creek's bank, up to a grassy hill with timber filled draws. We glassed it for 20 minutes or so and nothing showed. We continued on.
It was about noon by now and we hadn't seen much. It was plus 10 out or something goofy like that. It was noon and I was kind of losing focus. We went around the next couple of bends and came upon a swamp. In unison me and pops "MOOSE!".
Now this moose looked like it was shipped in from the Calgary Stampeed... it was bucking like a wild bronc and was hellbent on getting out of the swamp. Luckily it was coming towards the road. I bailed out of the truck with rifle in hand. I was down the road in a shot to cut it off. I could hear the moose coming and crashing through the willows. I heard my dad sqwak at it. The moose stopped. Was probably only 50 yards out, looking right at me. Binos came up and not the slightest bit of bone sticking out of it's head.
I stood there and watched it, it slowy made it's way across the road and up into the timber.We climbed back into the truck and carried on. There was little action for the rest of the day. My dad packed up and headed back to town.
November 5th
November 5th was a non hunting day. Went and helped Mr. Rancher ween and sort his cows. This was an all day event.
November 6th
Cattle tucks were set to arrive at 5:45am to pick up some cows. So I was out at the loading ramp ready and waiting for 5:45. Spent most of the morning helping load cows with Mr. Rancher.
Mr. Rancher told me he owed me a 4 point and a moose for my help.
So that afternoon I took a walk around a swamp that I know holds moose. They just get into the thickest ugliest willows and dissappear. I got up high above the swamp and started glassing. Right at last light I spotted a moose way out in the swamp.
November 7th
In the morning I helped Mr. Rancher with closing up and putting away his hunting camp for the season. That afternoon me and him went for a drive in search of deer. I think we were both a bit tired. We were crusing down the main FSR and I was looking right at a deer. Then I clued in and alerted him of the deer. By this time the deer had made it into the thick timber and we didn't get another look.
A little further down the road the braked lock up again and the truck backs up. Just on a little rocky ledge is a deer peering over. Glasses up and it's a doe. Then all of a sudden there's another deer. And another! All the other deer were does as well.
We went further down the road and sure enough there's a nice 3 point whitetail feeding on the side of the road... I still have no tag. We watched him feed for a bit. We decided we'd work our way back because we only had an hour of shooting light left.
So back toward the old farm we go. Then all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I see nothing but antlers standing on the edge of the timber.
I exploded with curse words and yelling huge deer repedetly. I was ready to tuck and roll out of the truck. I realized at our current velocity I'd turn into a big smear. We turned the truck around and drove back to the deer. He was huge alright. Well past his ears. I'm guessing an easy 25 inch spread. He was also very tall and very thick. The only problem with him was he was only a 3 point. I figure he was a buck past his prime and dropping points.
We got back to the ranch and Mr. Rancher made a call to a guy he knows to get a deer report. The guy said he heard there was a 190 class buck in a certain area. So it was decided that I was going to hunt moose in the morning and hunt deer with the guy in the afternoon.
November 8th
I got up in the morning and went to a swamp I knew had to hold moose. There was another hunter in the area that was also hunting the area. His partner had already taken a small bull in that area. But he was just walking out to the edge and glassing, then walking out to two huge knolls out in the middle and glassing from there.
I wanted to basically circle the whole swamp. On my trek in I jumped the other guy. I knew his route so I pulled back into a chain of cut blocks. I pushed the cut blocks paralelling the guy to see if pushed anything out. I got through the chain of cut blocks and made my way out to the swamp. I could see the other guy had already cut out to the first of two big knolls.
So I cut into the swamp and after I was about half way in (1000 yards) I started my circle. It was a cold morning and all the swamp grass was crunchy. So stealth mode was impossible. It wasn't long until I spotted a moose in the midst of the willows. I watched it and got myself within 200 yards of it. It was clearly a cow. However she kept looking over her shoulder in behind some willows. I worked my way around the edge of the willows and she had a calf with her.
All week, between me and 5 other hunters, we only seen 3 calf moose. Which isn't a good sign. Seen lots of moose, but not many calves.
Anyways I continued on through the swamp. I was just trekking along and all of a sudden I seen a moose 200 yards out. I couldn't wish hard enough for antlers. Nothing on her head. I carried on about another 300 hundred yards and come around some willows and I spot a moose standing there. Next thing I know she's walking right towards me. So I glass her and glass her. I bring down my binos and sure enough there's another moose right behind her.
So I glass that moose. No dice on the antlers, they're both cows. But they both are coming right into me. They came within 20 yards of me. Then I figured I had to carry on and left them. After that I didn't see much and headed back to the farm.
I had a quick bite to eat and headed to town to meet up with the guy to go deer hunting. I stopped in the store and bought a whitetail tag. I met up with the guy and headed to his deer hunting spot. It was prime deer hunting country. Through the afternoon we seen 8 girls and no bucks. But I kept seeing some big deer tracks.
So I got my November moose draw. I had 6 days of holidays left to burn up, so I took November 2nd to 12th off. I got out to camp real late on the night of the 2nd. My dad was going to try and make it out as early as possible on the 3rd. He showed up at 9am.
We took off for a morning drive around the area to see what was moving. We turned up one road and immediately I noticed a deer dart across the road.
"Whitetail!" I said to my dad.
He locked up the brakes on the old war wagon. "That's like a kilometer up the road" he replied.
His tag was filled and I didn't have one, which was alright because there were no bucks around. So we just putted through the area. Other than some whitetail does we didn't see much that day.
November 4th
My dad wanted to be up at 5am. Neither of use remembered to set any sort of alarm and didn't make it out until 6:30. He had to head back to town that afternoon because he had to be at work at midnight. So the plan was to blitz the whole area and see if we could catch anything moving or find fresh sign of something moving.
We found a spot that looked like a solid mule deer spot. It had a creek at the bottom, poplar trees along the creek's bank, up to a grassy hill with timber filled draws. We glassed it for 20 minutes or so and nothing showed. We continued on.
It was about noon by now and we hadn't seen much. It was plus 10 out or something goofy like that. It was noon and I was kind of losing focus. We went around the next couple of bends and came upon a swamp. In unison me and pops "MOOSE!".
Now this moose looked like it was shipped in from the Calgary Stampeed... it was bucking like a wild bronc and was hellbent on getting out of the swamp. Luckily it was coming towards the road. I bailed out of the truck with rifle in hand. I was down the road in a shot to cut it off. I could hear the moose coming and crashing through the willows. I heard my dad sqwak at it. The moose stopped. Was probably only 50 yards out, looking right at me. Binos came up and not the slightest bit of bone sticking out of it's head.
I stood there and watched it, it slowy made it's way across the road and up into the timber.We climbed back into the truck and carried on. There was little action for the rest of the day. My dad packed up and headed back to town.
November 5th
November 5th was a non hunting day. Went and helped Mr. Rancher ween and sort his cows. This was an all day event.
November 6th
Cattle tucks were set to arrive at 5:45am to pick up some cows. So I was out at the loading ramp ready and waiting for 5:45. Spent most of the morning helping load cows with Mr. Rancher.
Mr. Rancher told me he owed me a 4 point and a moose for my help.
So that afternoon I took a walk around a swamp that I know holds moose. They just get into the thickest ugliest willows and dissappear. I got up high above the swamp and started glassing. Right at last light I spotted a moose way out in the swamp.
November 7th
In the morning I helped Mr. Rancher with closing up and putting away his hunting camp for the season. That afternoon me and him went for a drive in search of deer. I think we were both a bit tired. We were crusing down the main FSR and I was looking right at a deer. Then I clued in and alerted him of the deer. By this time the deer had made it into the thick timber and we didn't get another look.
A little further down the road the braked lock up again and the truck backs up. Just on a little rocky ledge is a deer peering over. Glasses up and it's a doe. Then all of a sudden there's another deer. And another! All the other deer were does as well.
We went further down the road and sure enough there's a nice 3 point whitetail feeding on the side of the road... I still have no tag. We watched him feed for a bit. We decided we'd work our way back because we only had an hour of shooting light left.
So back toward the old farm we go. Then all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I see nothing but antlers standing on the edge of the timber.
I exploded with curse words and yelling huge deer repedetly. I was ready to tuck and roll out of the truck. I realized at our current velocity I'd turn into a big smear. We turned the truck around and drove back to the deer. He was huge alright. Well past his ears. I'm guessing an easy 25 inch spread. He was also very tall and very thick. The only problem with him was he was only a 3 point. I figure he was a buck past his prime and dropping points.
We got back to the ranch and Mr. Rancher made a call to a guy he knows to get a deer report. The guy said he heard there was a 190 class buck in a certain area. So it was decided that I was going to hunt moose in the morning and hunt deer with the guy in the afternoon.
November 8th
I got up in the morning and went to a swamp I knew had to hold moose. There was another hunter in the area that was also hunting the area. His partner had already taken a small bull in that area. But he was just walking out to the edge and glassing, then walking out to two huge knolls out in the middle and glassing from there.
I wanted to basically circle the whole swamp. On my trek in I jumped the other guy. I knew his route so I pulled back into a chain of cut blocks. I pushed the cut blocks paralelling the guy to see if pushed anything out. I got through the chain of cut blocks and made my way out to the swamp. I could see the other guy had already cut out to the first of two big knolls.
So I cut into the swamp and after I was about half way in (1000 yards) I started my circle. It was a cold morning and all the swamp grass was crunchy. So stealth mode was impossible. It wasn't long until I spotted a moose in the midst of the willows. I watched it and got myself within 200 yards of it. It was clearly a cow. However she kept looking over her shoulder in behind some willows. I worked my way around the edge of the willows and she had a calf with her.
All week, between me and 5 other hunters, we only seen 3 calf moose. Which isn't a good sign. Seen lots of moose, but not many calves.
Anyways I continued on through the swamp. I was just trekking along and all of a sudden I seen a moose 200 yards out. I couldn't wish hard enough for antlers. Nothing on her head. I carried on about another 300 hundred yards and come around some willows and I spot a moose standing there. Next thing I know she's walking right towards me. So I glass her and glass her. I bring down my binos and sure enough there's another moose right behind her.
So I glass that moose. No dice on the antlers, they're both cows. But they both are coming right into me. They came within 20 yards of me. Then I figured I had to carry on and left them. After that I didn't see much and headed back to the farm.
I had a quick bite to eat and headed to town to meet up with the guy to go deer hunting. I stopped in the store and bought a whitetail tag. I met up with the guy and headed to his deer hunting spot. It was prime deer hunting country. Through the afternoon we seen 8 girls and no bucks. But I kept seeing some big deer tracks.