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| My Year | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 21 2010, 03:43 PM (508 Views) | |
Slick
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Jan 21 2010, 03:43 PM Post #1 |
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North of Superior
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Living in the heart of "Moose Country" the season never really ends. There isn't a single month of the year that I don't devote some time to checking up on the swamp donkeys. By early September this urge really kicks into high gear as my hunting partners & I begin to search out the places the moose are hanging out and trying to predict where they will be when the archery season opens mid-month. Summer in the north of Ontario was almost non-existent although it finally arrived in late August, providing some of the finest days of the year to be out in the bush. Going into the fall the moose are in peak condition with winter coats developing and fat reserves as high as they will get throughout the year. Movement in warm temperatures becomes a chore for the moose, and like a fat guy in Mexico they will find a cool spot with food & drink and spend the day laying around getting even fatter. This however makes them hard to locate as they do not wander, leaving few clues to the hunter of their whereabouts. The only way to find them is to get out there and start covering ground. Each day I can get out we'll pick 2 or 3 spots we want to check on and walk back in looking for concentrations of animals and any indications that pre-rut activites have begun. Broken brush and rubs can mean that the bulls have started to remove the velvet from antlers. Scrapes can indicate spots where a rut pit may appear in the rut. While checking these clues we also keep an eye peeled for large tracks that might tell us a truly big boy is in the neighbourhood. After a couple weeks of scouting I had a pretty good game plan with several spots that held promise. My buddy & fellow guide Rick also was on animals and we both hoped we would get a chance at a really big bull we have named Stanley (as in Stanley Cup). I first saw Stanley in 2006. On an early December rifle hunt I had found some fresh signs of moose sparring. Trying a couple calling tricks I was able to bring in a big bull to range and dropped him in his tracks. He was a real dandy but was dwarfed by the second bull that followed close behind and stopped in the same opening. Wide thick paddles with multiple points top & bottom were exceptional and worn by an animal that had to be three or four hundred pounds heavier and 18 inches taller than the 50" bull I had just taken. As we had only 1 bull tag that day I had to let him walk...and the legend of Stanley was born....and we've been after him ever since. Despite many sightings we have never had a shot. Rick had him in bow range in 2008 but his client was unable to get a clear shot. Our scouting indicated that he had survived the winter and was in his old haunts coming into the 2009 season. Would this be the year? The archery season finally arrived and although we were both working rick & I managed to get out each evening. We started to see more sign and Wednesday evening I got a good bull to come to about 80 yards before he winded me and headed for the hills. Friday afternoon brought the arrival of our hunters and we spent the evening outlining our plans for the following day. At 4am the boots hit the floor and by weel before daybreak my hunter Brett & I were sitting along a small pond that had shown activity all year. As the light got better we could see fresh tracks in the mud around the water. Despite the fresh sign by 9:30 am we had no responses to my calls and the temps were rapidly on the rise. The wind was also starting to blow. Time to move... The wind was defeating any chance of calling anything in from a distance so it was time to go to the moose. After a 40 minute walk we came to a larger lake with a large spruce swamp on one end. I figured it might be a bit cooler here and had found scrapes and some very big tracks the week before. We got set up attempting to position ourselves in a favourable spot, but the gusting wind was making it tough. After 3 sequences of calls and about 45 minutes I decided to check the scrapes before taking our midday break. As we made our way off our ridge and followed the runway across the edge of the lake I suddenly froze in place as a sound came through the blowing wind. After a few more seconds the sound became louder. "Ungh....Ungh...Ungh". Befor we could find cover anywhere a huge rack appeared around a bend in the trail, quickly followed by the nose and then the whole animal doing his stiff-legged walk towards us at 30 yards. He was a true monster and easily in the high fifty-inch class. We hunkered down and hoped for a shot but the bull was now head-on and continuing to sway his big paddles as he advanced. Brett nocked an arrow. As quick as he was there he was gone as one whiff is all it took for him to figure us out. He whirled and was gone in one stride. We listened to his rack rattling through the bush and then turned and headed in for lunch. The gang from OTB was in camp and we swapped tales of the mornings' activity over a sandwich and then headed out for another area I had some good animals pegged down. The winds continued to blow erratically and after spending an hour on the shore of another lake we pulled the pin as we couldn't get a good set-up. With only a couple hours left in the day, Brett & I headed back in to where I had brought a bull in the previous week. He was located in a valley of mature timber and the winds were dampened somewhat. We were calling from an old logging trail and as the darkness came on we began to make our way back to the truck. Not 50 yards from our calling location "Ungh!" A bull was standing behind a tree beside the trail...only 9 yards away in the diminishing light. We were too close to answer him (safety first!) so we just waited to see if he would step on the trail. No such luck. As he turned and bolted I got a better look at him and judged him to be in the 50 inch class. We walked back to the truck and headed home for supper with a bit of optimism. Two nice bulls in range in less-than-ideal conditions...thing's were looking up. Unfortunately the only things "up" for the next couple days were the temps and the clouds of blackflies that pestered us everywhere. Rick had been working another area in hopes of getting "Stanley" to come to the call but after 3 days of no action he opted to move and located a fresh rut pit Tuesday afternoon. After cutting some shooting lanes and making sure there was room for guide, hunter, assistant, & cameraman to set up they did some calling until darkness fell. The next morning was quiet again for Brett & I but as Rick's crew walked up to their calling location they came face to face with a big bull who had been investigating the spot. Camera rolling, Rick worked the moose at only 20 yards only to have it turn and bolt. A grunt stopped him and after some soft cow calls the bull circled downwind to confirm what was there. As he stepped into one of the lanes cut the previous day, the 54 incher stopped broadside at 30 yards and Christy sent her arrow on it's way. The hit was a bit back when reveiwed on the video so the decesion was made to back out and give it some time. This hunch paid off as the big guy went over a kilometre before bedding down on the shore of a nearby lake where he was recovered. After helping with the tracking Brett & I decided to go and try for Stanley. We arrived in mid-afternoon and I began to do all I could to bring one in. The wind was still blowing like hell and the temps too warm but with only three days left with Brett I was really hoping to catch a break. That break came about 45 minutes before last light as the wind began to diminish and then suddenly gave up and the empty sound of silence fell on the small valley we occupied. I immeadiately picked up my horn and began calling, hoping to get at least one good call out while the wind co-operated. The response was immediate and like music to my ears...the muffled "huff....huff huff" of a bull on the approach. Although I could not see him I knew by the cadence and timing of his calls he was marching toward us from the hillside above us. I slowly worked my way around the ground blind where Brett was sitting on full alert and snuck a look up past him. The bull was much closer than I thought and was now only 90 yards out and steadily advancing. The stiff gait and slowly rocking rack told me he was locked in and coming all the way. He wasn't Stanley but still a respectable bull with a beautiful butter - coloured rack of at least 48 inches. Using a screen of brush to keep me from view I continued to talk the bull in and observe his responses to my calls. As he came to the 30 yard marker I shifted my position so I could get him broadside. A quiet cow call turned him and as he got to an opening a short grunt was all it took to stop him dead at 25 yards. The silence was shattered by a solid "thwack" and I had to step lively to get out of the moose's path as he blasted past me and thundered off through the brush. I made my way back to my hunter and we quietly sat and listened as darkness fell. Turning on our headlamps we checked and recovered the arrow and then quietly made our way back to the truck. Back at camp the arrow was examined and while no smell indicated a gut-shot a small deposit of fatty residue clung to the base of each fletching. A sneaky suspicion the shot may have been high settled in. While elated with the experience the uneasy feeling of not knowing kept the chat around camp subdued. No one wants to leave one overnight. First light found us back at the ground blind for a better look at the scene. Starting where the bull had stood we carefully followed his tracks looking for clues. No hair was found but after about 40 feet a couple of small drops of blood were visible. The tracking was very tough with the trees in full foliage and the soft grassy terrain difficult. We found where the moose had stood for a period and two more small drops were found. This would be the last sign of blood we would find. The rest of the day was spent painstakingly follwing the track while the others circled to the sides looking for sign. We covered about 1500 yards that day with no indication the moose was hit well. No bed was found and the moose had resumed feeding and aimless wandering after only 500 yards from the shooting site We returned on Thursday and Friday and combed the entire area over carefully and by the time we made our final walk out I was confident the shot had been high in the hump and the moose was showing no signs of difficulties. After making plans for next year we bid our hunters goodbye and Rick and I began to get ready for the approaching rifle season. The weather stayed warm and the opener was a quiet one. On the fifth day buddies Geoff & Scott downed a cow & calf - the only moose we saw all week. Rick's group had several sightings but no shots were fired. Many hunters I spoke to had also struggled and the harvest rate was definitely down. We continued to get out every chance we had and had several more close calls but frozen ground and no snow make for tough hunting. The snows finally came and we were again able to narrow down the areas the animals were using. Rick had a chance at a bull in heavy brush but wasn't able to get a bullet through. He made up for it a few days later as he snuck into the same spot and suprised the same bull in his bed. The big bull wasn't as lucky this time and hit thr ground only 40 yards fron his bed. Success renewed our energy and we made plans to hunt the final 5 days of the season. The temperatures were now between -20C & -30C every day and add a new challenge to the game. The final Sunday of the season I cut a fresh track early in the morning and soon figured out I was on the track of a bull. The ever-present wind whirled and made keeping downwind very difficult. Three times I found where he had lain and watched his backtrail but to me it appeared he had moved due to the winds rather than having dtected my presence. After a few hours I slowly approached a small open area that looked similar to his favoured bedding spots. I hooked downwind again so as to approach a small rise from the downwind side. As I reached the knoll I paused behind a small tree and scanned the area right to left. As I returned my gaze forward a large black shape was only 50 yards away. I slipped the safety off and slowly edged right to get a better look. The young bull had stood from his bed and was trying to figure out what has roused him. The rifle roared and he dissapeared as the snow cascaded off my tree and over me. Something hit my foot. As my vision cleared I was shocked to see the bull charging in my direction. I cycled the bolt and took aim. Click. The moose stopped at 30 yards and stood behind a tree. My fingers frantically scrambled over my rifle and discoved the clip was missing. So that was what hit my foot! As the bull stood looking toward me I withdrew a cartridge from my pocket and tried to place it silently in the breech. Done. I slowly closed the bolt and has it clicked home the bull exploded from his position and barreled past me at 50 feet. He filled the scope on 3X and I squeezed off a shot as he roared by. He didn't falter and quickly disappeared from view in the swampy area to my left. In the quiet that followed I dug around in the snow at my feet and eventually recoved my clip from where it had fallen. I moved off in the other direction and contacted my partners to let them know I had fired at a bull. Late season moose can be grouped toghether and we held 2 bull and 2 cow tags so the word went out that 1 tag was potentially gone. I now worked my way over to the spot where the bull ran past. A large spray of clipped hair covered the snow and although there was no blood I was confident I had also hit him with my first shot. After sitting and having a bite to eat I took up the trail. A little way past the hair I began to encounter bright flecks of blood on the snow. As I reached the edge of the bush line the blood increased and just inside the edge it was apparent the moose had fallen. I slowly moved forward as the bush opened up inside the edge. Suddenly he was right in front of me struggling the get to his feet. A quick shot and he was down. As I approached the bull I could see he was a fine animal with 5 points on each side of his 35 inch rack and would be great table fare. A sense of calm came over me as I realised the many miles walked had paid off in the end. My long season was over....till next year. >Bill |
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ThatHuntingGuy
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Jan 21 2010, 03:44 PM Post #2 |
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Advanced Hunter
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great story!
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"PRESERVE WILDLIFE.....USE FREEZER BAGS"
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bowhunter-57
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Jan 21 2010, 04:39 PM Post #3 |
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that's what hunting is all about, the trials and tribulations, great story,
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LoneWolf
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Jan 21 2010, 05:20 PM Post #4 |
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Rebel Soul
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Great read, Bill! ![]() You had a great year.
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| shedherder | Jan 21 2010, 05:29 PM Post #5 |
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Advanced Hunter
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Very good read. Congrats on the Bull.
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spent
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Jan 21 2010, 07:34 PM Post #6 |
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Long read but a good read.... |
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| Renegade | Jan 21 2010, 07:36 PM Post #7 |
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Atikokan, Ontario
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Right on Bill. That was a great read. Man you have a lot of experience chasing moose under your belt. Your camp rocks. |
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deermagnet
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Jan 21 2010, 09:10 PM Post #8 |
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high on the horn
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Congrats excellent read
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when your old all you have are your memories so make them
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| moose_junkie | Jan 22 2010, 11:16 AM Post #9 |
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Regular
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Nice description of the hunts Bill...!!! Congrats on the success. A good read.!!! From an old friend...!!! |
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corman30
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Jan 22 2010, 06:51 PM Post #10 |
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I am always very jealous of guys like you who get to live in the heart of moose country and do that sort of thing when ever you want. keep the stories comming, i live vicariously through guys like you, congrats
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GET R DONE
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Jan 22 2010, 07:46 PM Post #11 |
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Team Ontario Coal Rollerz
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Good read, congrats on the great season. |
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forkhorn
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Jan 23 2010, 12:33 AM Post #12 |
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Right on Bill good story. Sorry to here about your hunter not hitting there mark but it happens. I know you guys would have done everything right to recover him. Next year a giant will fall
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Beamer
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Jan 23 2010, 11:13 PM Post #13 |
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Great story Bill, congrats on a successful season Beamer
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| OTB, 2013 Deer contest winner | |
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| b g hunter | Mar 27 2010, 10:01 PM Post #14 |
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Rookie
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man oh man real good story. your so lucky to live in good moose country to be able to scout often like you said. you hung in and did the work needed. i like that. the clip falling got me i was wondering what hit your foot, as i was reading. good luck next time out hunting them there swamp-donkys. take extra clip with you. nice moose....later
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that's what hunting is all about, the trials and tribulations, great story,





9:34 AM Jul 11