Moose 25

[BearFoot]

A very busy summer. Things thrown together and we are off. Moose is the mission.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I look forward to the story of this hunt every year. Good luck!

 

[CRJR45]

Woo-Hoo , let the fun begin !

 

[jabber]

Please get back to us this year. You had a lot of people worried about you. Plus your write ups are always well worth the read.

 

[Dave N]

Please get back to us this year. You had a lot of people worried about you. Plus your write ups are always well worth the read.

+1!

Always love the pictures.

 

[WNC2500]

Looking forward to following along!!

 

[Sheltowee]

Following along jealously!

 

[Hem]

I look forward to the story of this hunt every year. Good luck!

Agreed.
I'd be happy to simply go for a ride in " the beast".
Always a cool hunt.
Best of luck @BearFoot

 

[duckhunt]

I love this thread every year.

 

[BearFoot]

We entered the trail under low grey sky, Misty rain kept things muddy and wet. After driving over a few piles of purple bear poo, a bull was spotted just off the trail.


Love seeing bulls in the brush. After close inspection, nice bull, but a sub-legal. Further in, mud holes happen. Up to the truck bed, a good five foot deep mud hole.

After stops to collect fire wood and fill the water jugs, finally setting up camp.

 

[BearFoot]

Things may come along slowly as I'm having picture format issues.

This little guy sat over head, watching our activities below.

That evening, I realized we had no spatula. First time ever! Flipping eggs, pancakes, hot sandwiches, we had a really big problem. The boys started carving on thin split fire wood, in attemps to fashion one up.

 

[BearFoot]

At first light, coffee going, rubbing the sleep out of our eyes, a moose is seen bedded below camp. Got the scope on him, took a few pictures. We have a shooter! First morning!


While watching, the bull got up, and walked over the ridge he was bedded on. I'm thinking great, I'll hike down to that ridge and catch him on the flat below. He has that drop tine on his left, making four tines and appears 50"+ easy. A nice setup.
I geared up and ran the low ravines to get close. Cresting a hill where I expected to spot from, one ridge top away from where I want to be, I'm intercepted by a big cow feeding with a young bull.

Beyond them, flashes of white antler could be seen in the trees.
There was no way of going through or around without blowing them all out.
I sat and observed a nice morning coming on.

 

[BearFoot]

Back at camp a new visitor.



He was unafraid and into everything. We named him Ermundo. Little bugger hopped in and out of boots, coat sleaves, wood pile. Nothing untouched by those little furry feet.

 

[BearFoot]

After eating vac packed meals & burritos the boys decided to make a run to a nearby "trash camp" to see if a spatula could be had. Boys are off, 11 mile round trip.
These "trash camps" are where folks haul all kinds of stuff into the wilderness. Leaving behind, empty fuel cans, propane bottles, chairs, stove parts, whole wood stoves, tables, pipes, poles, rebar, tarps, nails, screws, pots, pans, coolers, carpets, structures, frameworks, crappers, bed frames, boat anchors, all manner of stuff left to decay in the woods. We've come across a number of these, over the years. A lot of trash. Sometimes a treasure is found.

 

[Gellar]

Ermundo! I like it! That first moose looks huge, maybe it’s the angle. I was in shock when you said he was sublegal.

 

[BearFoot]

 

[BearFoot]

Ermundo! I like it! That first moose looks huge, maybe it’s the angle. I was in shock when you said he was sublegal.

He is Alaska sub legal. For us it must have 4+ brow tines on one side, or be over 50" wide. The bull has neither. Only other exception is a spike or fork bull.

 

[Bambistew]

Looking forward the rest of the story. We saw you guys on the road on the way home... Should have stopped and said hi, but I wasn't 100% it was you until later.

 

[BearFoot]

Sky turned grey. The winds blew hard, it began to rain. Boys return from their scavenge hunt.
They found a stainless pan under a spruce tree pile of things, and had an idea. With cordless cutoff wheel, a spatula is born!

Next morning, BlueBerry pancakes.


Slow day. Distant cows and bull. Caribou

 

[BearFoot]

Rained on and off all night, woke to strong winds. grabbed a paper towel to wipe my sleepy eyes. The towels where half wet, must have been driving rain coming in sideways. Wiping my eyes and face, things started to warm up, began to get hot!
Face burning, eyes watering, ERMUNDO how could you? Must have pissed on the paper towels!

After cooling things down with a properly wet towel, I realized a hot delicious habenaro salsa, that I put out last night to thaw, had a crack in the plastic container. That beautiful hot habenaro juice leaked across the cook table & soaked into the paper towels. Self inflicted. Apologies to Ermundo.


A lot of this...

A pair of 40" class bulls.

Big red on the left. Just knocked the velvet off.