Trad Gang
Topic Archives => Memorable Hunts => Topic started by: Jason R. Wesbrock on October 01, 2006, 01:40:00 PM
-
A good friend of mine and I headed up to Northwest Ontario on 9-15 for a two-week moose hunt. This was a guided hunt done by some mutual friends who own a resort a bit north of Quetico Provincial Park. The cabins were small but more than enough for two hunters and lots of gear.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_3109.jpg)
Grouse, ruffed and spruce, were everywhere and several were brought to bag betwen daily morning and evening excursions for moose.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_3134.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2547.jpg)
I thought I missed this spruce hen until I saw it fall from the tree. The sharp edge of an Ace Hex Head apparently did it's job.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2850.jpg)
I brought a dozen wood smal game arrows and enough components to make four dozen more. After enough "chickens", as they call them, were bagged we feasted on a huge pot of grouse stew.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/CRW_2626.jpg)
-
There was no shortage of bear and wolf sign. Although I never saw a wolf (heard some howling though), I had a few encounters with the local bear population.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2588.jpg)
A lot of our moose hunting involved beaver ponds and cutovers with fresh regrowth for the moose to browse on.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2570.jpg)
-
Awesome pics and shooting.
-
Awsome Pictures, A Small Cabin, and NOT Sleepin' on the Ground?? Thats Campin' for this Gimp!! :rolleyes: :thumbsup:
Good Luck on the Rest of Your Hunt Fellas!! :campfire: :archer:
-
There was another hunter in camp, a Toronto resident named Ed (left). On the evening of the eleventh he took a 12-foot shot at a small bull and made a bad hit. He and his guide, Joe (right), tracked the animal 600 yards into a spruce-choked peat bog the next morning and dispatched it with two more shots (yes, out of tune 400-grain carbons and wide mechanical heads are a lousy choice for moose hunting). Only one of the arrows made it into the rib cage, never reaching the offside of the chest cavity.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2719.jpg)
Off road vehicles are allowed in this area, so that's what was used for the moose extraction. That sounded like a good idea to me, especially since the alternative was packing it out through foot-thick peat moss and swamp.
Joe grabbed a chainsaw and proceeded to clear a trail through the cutover and into the bog. Ralph manned the ATV.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2709.jpg)
Joe was definately having fun running that saw.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2747.jpg)
We eventually got the ATV to the moose. It took five of us to lift its head and tie it to the rack. Ed sat on the front rack to keep the nose of the quad down while Joe walked ahead with the winch cable. It took all six of us almost five hours to get the moose to the logging road and loaded in the trailer. Not exactly your typical moose extraction, but effective nonetheless.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2782.jpg)
When a whole moose is hanging on the meat pole the enormity of its size becomes apparent. For the sake of comparison, Ed is about 6'2" tall.
Ed and I had yet another talk the next day about his out-of-tune bow, light arrows and big mechanical heads for moose. Hopefully he'll make the necessary changes before he hunts anything else this season.
Try as I might, I'm not sure he realizes how lucky he was to recover his moose. He should probably go buy a lottery ticket.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/IMG_2813.jpg)
-
Great pics, got me all worked up to go get the dog and head out for some birds. Way to go. I wish we could shoot spruce hens in MI, I run into them all the time while rabbit hunting. They are not all that smart, alot like me.
The ruffed grouse look alittle different up there?? Down my way they have a broken band of dark feathers around there neck, similar to the band on the spruce hens on the string.
Thakns for the pickme up
-
Looks like alot of fun was had by all. Nice photos Thank you.
-
They are big animals for sure. Good pictures Jason. Mechanicals, I take it he was shooting a compound bow. Moose may die easy compared to some, but you still need to put the arrow through the vitals and use the right set-up. Hope your talk made an impression. Good work.
-
Shortly after sunrise that same morning I had a decision to make when a bull hung up a bit beyond my predetermined effective range. As he stood there broadside my mind briefly flashed back to a tight group of arrows I'd shot into the bag target back at camp the previous day from that same distance. I won't pretend I wasn't tempted for a half a second to put one in the air, but the moose deserved better. Bag targets at camp aren't real animals.
I've never once regretted not shooting an arrow, but there are a few I sure wish I could have taken back.
Five days later we called that same bull out of the bush and made the necessary changes to our setup. I scooted about 15 yards ahead of Ted and knelt down behind a dead bush not thick enough to hide a candy bar wrapper, let alone myself. As Ted (my guide) worked his coffee can and string call the moose closed the distance, grunting, swaying and fighting mad. It was everything I'd dreamed of.
For 200 yards I watched the bull work his way in. No doubt about it, Ted had all three barbs of the treble hook burried in the animal's mouth. The drag was locked down.
At 20 yards the bull locked up and turned broadside. I started to draw and he took away the shot, quartering toward. I let down the string.
"Uurp". Ted let out a grunt and the animal came in again, headed straight for Ted, determined to stomp him into a mud hole. When the bull passed me broadside at ten yards my arrow took him through both lungs. In one side, out the other and headed for Minnesota.
The bull never knew what happened as he walked off a short distance and collapsed.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Ontario%202006/CRW_2910.jpg)
-
Very nice!
-
Jason that is so AWESOME..I'm so excited for you!
Way to go brother!!!!!!
-
I posted to fast, Way to go. That is a great moose. Dang I just looked again, that is sweet. SOME DAY.
Can you tell us more about the coffe can call, how it was made?
-
congratulations, Jason! Nice bull...
-
Way to go Jason .When I looked at those pics I knew that I recognize Ed from Toronto.He works for the same school board that I do.Talk about a small world.Again congrats on a great hunt.
John
-
:D :thumbsup: Too cool bro!!!
-
AWESOME animal. :bigsmyl: Congrats
-
That is too cool Jason. 10 yards! Doesnt get any better than that bro. Hows he eat? :thumbsup:
-
Originally posted by Pasty Face:
Can you tell us more about the coffe can call, how it was made?
It's just a steel can with a hole drilled in the bottom. A knot is tied in the end of a flat shoelace and it's threaded through the hole. Wet the string and slide your fingers down it. Simple and extremely effective.
Originally posted by Hunter John:
Way to go Jason .When I looked at those pics I knew that I recognize Ed from Toronto.He works for the same school board that I do.Talk about a small world.Again congrats on a great hunt.
John
Ed's a carpenter for the school board, if I remember correctly. He pulled out of camp the same morning I shot my moose. Lucky guy, he missed a lot of work by just a couple hours.
-
congradulations, very nice moose, hoping to do the same some day, 10 yards thats awesome
-
pasty face if i remember coorectly, to make the call simply take a coffee can and drill a hole in the bottom and use a heavy boot lace and place it through the hole and tie a knot. wet the lace and pull on it with thumb and forefinger the lenght of the lace, the sound echo up into the can.
-
That is awesome Jason! :thumbsup: Congrats on a great job, I'm looking forward to the story as how you got this one out....I've been involved in enough to know that it is not a simple job not matter how you decide to do it.
Congrats again on a great job!
David
-
Looks like a great time. Congrats!
-
What a great hunt :)
It is a shame the other fella's moose didn't meet a happier end
-
Cool Jason! He ought to fill the freezer and then some! What bow, arrow, broadhead, etc.?
-
Originally posted by sgrogg:
Cool Jason! He ought to fill the freezer and then some! What bow, arrow, broadhead, etc.?
I took him with a homemade recurve, 520-grain carbon arrow and a 125-grain Ace Standard broadhead. Half the meat went home with my hunting partner. We only filled one tag, so we split the moose right down the middle.
-
That's great, thanks for sharing the pictures and story with us.
Mike
-
Another hunt added to the long list....
Great job and congrats!
-
Awesome Jason,Congrats bro!!!!
:notworthy: :notworthy:
What happened to the limbskins from the earlier pix?
-
Originally posted by Guru:
What happened to the limbskins from the earlier pix?
Good eye! It had been raining most every day so I took them off.
-
I have really enjoyed this one! way to go bud! :bigsmyl: :wavey:
-
Great hunt and story. One day I dream of hunting moose with my longbow. What weight is your bow ?
-
Way to go Jason. You da man!!!!!!!!!
-
WOW!!!!!
Todd
-
Great Bull, you where hunting not far from my stoppin grounds. :archer:
Have seen a few moose while out deer hunting, too bad I did not get a tag. :(
-
Awesome Jason...I tagged along on a Moose hunt in Maine last fall...I can hardly wait to go back.
Congratulations!
-
very nice!
-
Man that is awesome. Congrats Jason!
-
Nice bull and sounds like a great hunt. Way to go being patient and getting the good shot. Half a moose is still a lot of eating, enjoy.
-
I take it the pictures are pretty big (long download time) but congrats :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
-
Very nice! Hap
-
Thanks for the great pics and story Jason. Very nice bull and excellent job on not only the hunting and the shot, but getting those big critters out of the woods! I hope to shoot a moose someday, and hope I have lots of help getting him out.
-
Jason,
All smiles here :bigsmyl:
Thanks for sharing and congrads..
RayMO
-
aswesome!!
Conragts!
-
Wow! Fantastic Jason! That is a great moose! Congrats!
-Brian
www.bowyersjournal.com (http://www.bowyersjournal.com)
-
Congrats Jason! You did GREAT!
Remember our conversation at Compton??? With your Moose and my bou in the bag I guess we both managed to work through those shooting ills. I am proud of you bud, Good Job!
Regards,
Bill
(Recovering TP sufferer) LOL
-
Jason, I was going to say that didn't look like your ChekMate. Pretty cool taking a monster like that with a self-made bow. Congrats.
Photos are great and hopefully you covinced that other feller the error of his ways.
George
-
Originally posted by BillW:
Congrats Jason! You did GREAT!
Remember our conversation at Compton??? With your Moose and my bou in the bag I guess we both managed to work through those shooting ills. I am proud of you bud, Good Job!
Regards,
Bill
(Recovering TP sufferer) LOL
Yeah, it's funny how things work out sometimes. Save some caribou for Berrien Springs next year. I'll bring the moose. :campfire:
-
Originally posted by George D. Stout:
Photos are great and hopefully you covinced that other feller the error of his ways.
George
George,
I think he's a good guy. But it seemed like everything he's learned about bowhunting has come from magazines and videos. With a supportive bowhunting buddy I'm sure he'd be good as gold. We talked quite a bit, and he always had more questions than answers. I give him a lot of credit for that.
-
Congrats Jason.......well done SIR!!!!
-
Jason, that is a sweet. I dream of one day killing a moose with a bow and to top it off the story was all on one page. :readit: :thumbsup:
-
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
-
Nice moose Jason! :thumbsup: Enough meat there to take up a bunch of space in two freezers, that's for sure!
-
Congrats Jason!
Is that Indianota resort? It looks very much like the place I got my bear back in '95.
Carl
-
Carl,
Yep, that's the place. Herbie still owned it back then, right? I think Ted & Ralph bought it in '99.
-
Hello Jason How are you doing my friend.
cool pics.
Cody
-
I think there was a reason it was all on one page......TBM. Bet it will be more than one page in the mag. ;)
Looking forward to reading the FULL story in the future.
-
Sounds like an awesome hunt. Congrats.
-
Wow, that was an exciting read. COngrats!!!
-
Very nice bull and story. Your patience with shot selection was rewarded. Good job! Looks like the menu will include moose steaks at the next UBI gathering!
-
Hmmm, I wonder if Jason will be at Cloverdale next summer, talkin' about this?
-
Jason:
Yep, it was owned by Herbie. Never knew it got sold.
Nice job,
Carl
-
Way to go Jason!!! What a thrill to get to shoot an awesome critter like that from 10 yds!!! Great pictures. Thanks for sharing your hunt with us. Dan
-
awesome pics and a great hunt hope to hhear many more you tell a good story good on you mate. :thumbsup: :campfire:
-
Congrats. I'm envious to say the least!
-
[/QUOTE]Yeah, it's funny how things work out sometimes. Save some caribou for Berrien Springs next year. I'll bring the moose. :campfire: [/QB][/QUOTE]
Jason, Sounds like a plan! I will bring the bou. I did get some stew meat made up for soup etc this winter, I doubt that will last. This bou is very good. Probably will still have some bou burgers left for Compton! Bring the moose and we will cook em up on my grill!
Take Care and that really is a fine looking Moose. Will you be getting it mounted? My bou is at the taxidermist now.
Bill
-
Jason - Great story and thread. I didn't know you were building bows. That looks like a dandy. When are Wesbrock Bows going into production and what's the price and lead-time on a 62" 65#'r ? ;)
Incidentally I received an email with a picture of you and your moose this morning from an associate in Canada I know through CAD/Engineering connections. He's been sending various moose hunting pictures the last couple weeks, then all of a sudden you pop into my email. Apparently someone in his moose hunting camp took a liking to your bow and story. It wasn't any of these pics so must have come from an email or other post.
Small world.
Congrats ! :thumbsup:
-
Great bull and very sweet to take it with a bow of your own making!
-
Bill,
I'm just going to mount the antlers. I brought back a ruffed grouse and spruce grouse for the taxidermist, but I haven't had a chance to shop around and get prices yet.
-
Congratulations Jason!!! Outstanding moose and grouse stew too! Great Job, really looking forward to the rest of the story. Should make for a fun EOS campsire. :campfire:
-
Nice, very nice. I really enjoyed the pics and story.