Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Herdbull on September 29, 2020, 09:53:05 PM
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I planned to hunt caribou this fall, but the trip fell through. So I had to scramble to find a new pilot and and in mid August I was scheduled for a moose hunt. This would be my seventh solo moose hunt in Alaska. I went in for 18 days in September and never saw another human. It was a new area for me. I was flown into a lake up hill near timberline. I would hike generally down hill and watched the river valley from a look-out where my calling could hopefully reach the ears of bull moose that might be responsive to a cow in heat.
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This will be good :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Looking from the lookout.
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:archer: Gorgeous country. :campfire:
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From the hills the calling can be heard. The hope is that the bulls will reach positive and come in to confront the bull and hopefully court the cow. This is highly related to the demeanor of the bull. This demeanor can change over night. So I usually try to call from the same locations in the morning which I called from the prior evening, which have worked for me in the past.
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I had a bull come in and try to posture his way between the bull I was imitating through calling and raking, and the cow in heat I was perpetrating. After over an hour, the bull came up to within 100 yards. As he came closer and determined approximately where the source of the moose were, I noticed it would back off and and circle. Part of the issue was the bull was afraid to be confront by me the bull. As it came close to 50 yards, it will run back if it heard me break a stick or brush a twig. I had to stop bull grunting and be less aggressive on my end. I also had to slip back and circle back my self to keep my scent and wind advantage. Eventually, I had moved to a position of no more cover and had to hide behind a last spruce. The bull slowly cautiously crept back, he was posturing his rack and started grunting. All he had to do was break across and open bowl, and I would have a twenty yard broadside shot. Instead, the bull decided to take an uphill course and ended up slightly uphill. At 40 yards he ended up out of range of my shooting. I could only watch as the bull filled his nostrills with my sent. And now real fear of man spooked him more than his fear of confronting a more mature bull.
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Other bulls would turn and meet me half way , but eventfully decide it was not worth their effort to climb up and fight or challenge a bull with a cow,
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You have to be a herd bull just to make the hunt.
Looking forward to hearing more of the adventure.
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I view from camp.
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For a week it rained nearly every day or some portion of it. Typical September weather. Finally I had what I wanted.... a bull bedded in the valley in sight. I watched it for 15 minutes and decided it would stay put. Just as I was getting ready to go down from the lookout, I found another bedded bull 200 yards from the first one also in view. So that sealed the deal, I shouldered my pack and down toward the landmarks I targeted. Eventually after an hour, I did find the empty bed of the second bull. I crept through the willow marsh and slipped between the spruce trees, listening. I heard the grunts of a bull close by, within 100 yards. I could hear him rake his antlers and even pound the earth making a rut pit. But in the wind, the bulls exact location was tough for me to determine. Fearing that if it moved and I would not be able to hear where it went, I started to soft cow call only. I decided not to bull grunt, based the timid reaction I got from the bull a few days earlier. The long mournful calling worked. The bull was coming closer with deliberate raking and grunted his way towards me and now I could hear he was now less than 50 yards away. I positioned myself on the edge of a nice shooting lane. The bull continued to advance, as I remained silent. Finally his shape took form. There were three dead spruce trees between us. At 16 yards I peered three the dead limbs with my binoculars, and my heart sank as I finally got a look at the front of the rack and only saw two brow points. The bull was not overly wide so I figured it was the first bull that I spotted from the hill that had now moved in the general area that the second bull was in. I watched as the bull raked his antlers through the brush, grunted loud, and postured his head gear rocking back and forth as it stepped clear and walked passed me at 12 yards. Gritting my teeth, I could only stand motionless and watch as he broke the plane of my scent in the wind. The bull did not even look in my direction, but bolted away as it ran across the open swamp. This management unit requires 3 brow points on a side to be legal if not over 50 inches wide. This bull may have been wider than 50, but I did not have time to clarify with all of the obstructions. I stayed around and called some more in case the other bull, which was my main intentions, was still in the area. It did not turn out right, but was still a very intense experience and one I'm glad I had. I pondered all this during the long hard climb back to my high elevation camp.
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I had enough time during this trip to absorb a couple days of being socked into the tent because of heavy rain and fog, but I did end up seeing 8 bulls, and got a chance to watch 7 black bears during the hunt. I did a lot of hiking, climbing, and fought the bad weather, which caused me to lose 16 pounds during the trip. It was a good learning experience, but alas, I have to join the ranks of many hunters who return home with no fresh meat, but are rewarded with an adventure not soon forgotten. Mike
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Always enjoy seeing/reading about your adventures. Keep 'em coming.
Murray
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Thank you for taking us along. :archer:
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Great pictures. Thanks for sharing
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Great story and pics. Thanks for taking us along.
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Very nice! Does that arrow say “self reliance can’t be bought”?
Tim B
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Thank you for taking the time to share your adventure with us here Mike. All the best to you on future adventures afield.
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Thxs for sharing mike appreciate as always the story and fantastic pics you share looked like a great adventure!!
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Was a good read. Thanx for taking us along.
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Thanks Mike, always look forward to your moose hunts!
LD
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Good story and pictures!! I talked/texted Bryan Burkhardt Jim Eeckout and Joe Lash, you all seemed to have great hunts this year. Thanks for the post. You are the last for me to hear from. I’m chomping at the bit, I’ll be back next year!
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Thanks for bringing us along on your adventure! One day I’ll make that journey :clapper:
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Mike::: Great story and pictures , THANKS for sharing :archer2:
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That was quite an adventure! At least you saw game up close and enjoyed beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing this walk in the woods with those of us less fortunate. The pictures are great.
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Those photos are nothing short of stunning, Mike! Thanks for sharing your hunt!
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Sounds like an amazing trip, thank for sharing!!
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Thanks for sharing the adventure
Where else can you get first hand updates from living legends?
solo Alaskan moose hunts I struggle to wrap my mind around the reality of that
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Congrats for another successful hunt for the experiences and the adrenaline you have lived
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Tim, Yes, " Self-reliance can't be bought" is a quote from a poem I wrote titled "It Can't Be Bought" for the end of the film we made called "Primal Dreams." Gary Hall from D&M Custom Arrows put that on my arrows as part of a special offer of arrows, Stalker Bow, and Selway quiver. Listen to The Western Bowhunter Podcast #129 to learn more about the package.
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Thanks for the adventure, Sir.
:campfire:
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It do sound like fun!!!
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Cool stuff....
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Amazing adventure. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for sharing your adventure and the pics !
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A splendid and rewarding experience.
Thank you for sharing...
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Mike,
Thanks for sharing, it is appreciated. It looks like most everybody I know came up short this year.
When I get caught up At work I’ll send you some pictures/video of my adventure along with a run down on how your Bag-A-Bull worked.
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I really enjoy reading your hunting stories and looking at the pictures from your hunts. Thanks for sharing.
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What a great adventure! and the photos make me want to see those sights with my own eyes. Thank you.
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Thanks for the update Mike. Glad that you got to return to AK and have a good hunt - you were in the game! Hope you know how much we appreciate the excellent documentation of your adventures, whether or not any tags were filled. 👍
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That hunt sounds like a great adventure, moose or no moose!!!!
Get ‘em next time!!!
Bisch
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Thanks for sharing Mike! I always enjoy reading your adventuresome stories!
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Great stuff as always Mike!
I already told Bryan that I always wondered why you guys go back and do the same thing year after year when there are so many other great things to do in September. I don't wonder that anymore.
Alaska is such a special place, meat or no meat!
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Thanks for sharing yur adventure! :campfire:
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Thanks mike. Great read. Wish the weather had cooperated more for you.
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Walt, can't to hear from you.
Whip, yes there is a special connection between us and the moose and the land where they live. Yes I found much sign in some areas complete with rut pits, broken and rubbed brush, and even blood on tghe ground. I found blood near a fresh rubbed tree. The moose get so aggressive that they scratch and tear at their face while raking antlers through the bush.
I try everything I can to call them in including raking brush and scraping trees in addition to bull and cow calls. The goal is to find out if the bull is lover or a fighter. I much prefer the fighters, as they tend to take less time to come in and will be less cautious in some respect. So I change up my calling as I try to determine the demeanor of the bull. Elk are very vocal, but so are moose. I tend to hunt in solitude and do battle with a solitary animal. I hoped to show this in my Chasing Solitude film, but words and film just can't bring the full experience. I'm so glad you got to go with John. Mike
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I didn't say anything to Mike earlier but I was concerned on his adventure this year. Alone in the wilderness for weeks is a great experience. If you mess up it's always your own fault with no one else to blame. I bet anything he messed up once and just isn't fessing up to it. Ha.
What I was concerned about was typical Mike. He just happened not to mention the fact he got another total knee replacement done this summer. He was "field testing it." That's like dropping a new engine in your truck and breaking her in doing 120 MPH.
If I remember right Mike is 62 years old. I don't plan on getting in any fights, but if I do I want Mike on my side. :biglaugh: BW
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Mike, I anticipate your annual moose hunt every year. As I scroll through your posts, I always think it will be a matter of time before you close the deal. Great pics and adventure is a guarantee when you post your moose hunts. You should be proud as you have carried on the the mantle of Bart Schleyer.
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Thanks Barry. I do like to be tested up there in Alaska, and this year was a good mental test as well as I put strain on the new joints.
Mighty Big Country- Yes Bart would try to find new places to hunt where he would not see any others hunters. We moved around from the south to the Brook's Range and eventually to the Yukon. It gave me the idea that he was always looking for solitude. That is why I named my moose hunting film "Chasing Solitude". I've killed moose in four different mountain ranges in Alaska. There was quite a bit of bush plane traffic down the river valley I hunted this year, but it abruptly stopped after Sept 20. Seems that moose season closed to the next door game unit. It was strange, almost like the time I was out there 9-11 when all the air traffic stopped. Much easier to make a long
drawn out mournful cow in heat call without the drown of a plane in the back ground. :biglaugh: Mike
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When I left, this aspen grove was barren of leaves.
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"winter is coming" in September in Alaska. Any day can be the change.
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Real nice Mike! I love reading about your hunts. Thanks for sharing. I hope you are well and good luck for the remainder of the season!
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Great pictures Mike. An incredible adventure, bull or no bull.
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Hey Mike!
Ted had told me about your knee and glad it held up!!! Tony just got his done and not doing so well.
Do you fly into Anchorage and then leave on a float plane from Hood? There are guides picking up clients all hours of the day off that lake. I would stay at the Iditarod Hotel in Anchorage and what an awesome place.
There is no place like AK
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Sounds like a good hunt Mike. Great pics as always. I am glad it went well for you. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks again Mike for fueling the dream, as stated “Even in solitude we are never truly alone”.
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Mike, have you gotten enough footage for a sequel yet? Asking for a friend with a moose addiction problem...🤓
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Mike,
Thank you for sharing your hunt with us. You continue to be an inspiration for me and many others, I am sure.
If anyone on Tradgang hasn't gotten Mike's book and video the are missing an awesome pair of works. Indeed, I gave a copy of Mike's book to the son of a very good friend of mine for his high school graduation. It is the kind of book that inspires one to strive for and rise to a challenge.
Stick a big one!
JMC
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Was lucky to obtain a hard copy of Mike’s book and treasure it.
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PASQ - I tried to find a place out of Fairbanks, but so far I can only find a pilot out of Anchorage hub. I have friend where I stay with coming and goiung band keep some gear. So that works for me.
Jeff- I have lots of footage from two seasons post Chasing Solitude, so we will see what happens.
WUD- thanks for your support. Mike
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Sounds like a great hunt. Love the pics. Hope the knees continue to get stronger.
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Congratulations Mike on another successful hunt. The photos are fantastic. If all goes as planned I'll be back up chasing them next fall. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks for sharing.
What were the dates of your hunt? Thanks.
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I left Illinois on Sept 8 and returned Sept 28. So started hunting on Sept 10 until end of season on the 25th. I usually want to have enough time to account for rain or foggy days. Mike
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Thanks for sharing the dates, Mike. That is the approximate time frame I have scheduled for 2021. I'm still a novice at moose hunting with only one hunt under my belt and was just curious how my time frame compared to yours.
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Very nice pictures and story, congratulations it was a good hunt.