We got up early on the 19th, ate breakfast and got ready in the dark.
As soon as it was light enough to see, I rushed back behind camp to the same vantage I had spotted the bull from the night before to ensure that they were still in the vicinity. There was also 4 cows and two small bulls, so I expected they wouldn’t be far.
In the predawn light I could see a group of moose, including one with a big rack only about 200 yards from the location the night prior.
Surely this was him. I headed back to camp and we got in the boat and headed that direction.
As we approached the area the moose had been, I could see a cow and calf at the waters edge There was a dense alder patch nearby that could certainly conceal more moose.
We eased the boat over to the opposite shore and sat there quietly and watched for about a half an hour to figure out what was going on. A cow, calf and small bull filtered out, but no big bull.
I climbed onto the bank to get a little elevation and brought my optics with me. After a few more minutes of looking, I spotted a larger bull behind some alders about 600 yards off the edge of the water. I could just see the outline of large paddles and also that it had multiple browtines. This must be him.
We let the closer cows wander off a bit more so we wouldn’t startle them, then slowly idled the boat over to the shore.
My FIL decided he’d wait at the boat and I should go alone as it would be faster and half as loud.
The ground here seemed much better so instead of waders i was able to wear schnees boots(yes, they leak), gaiters and HH rain pants. Much more comfortable and quieter too.
I made a mental note of where the bull was and began slipping through the alders. I slipped quietly passed a cow. When I got to where the bull had been, I found nothing. I sat down and listened.
I could hear a cow balling repeatedly off to my right. Surely the bull was down there with here. I slipped through the alders, then into a beaver lodge mess, backed out of that, found a new way around and was soon sitting on top of 4 cows that were coming out of a low area. Certainly that bull must be right here. I sat down and waited.
