Moose hunt 2010 Alaska

[wingnut]

We had a lot of pent up energy after being in the tent for two days so we decided to see how close we could get to the bous.  The fed over the ridge soon after we started climbing but we got some nice pics.

This one is off the left side of the ridge looking up the hill.
   

and this one the right side.  Real pretty country but never saw a moose this high up.

   

[NW Jamie]

What a great story and pictures; I will happily wait for this tale to unfold, thanks.

[DHR]

sweet pics, what a great adventure.  Gotta mention that the golden eagle above is a young rough legged hawk, but carry on, I don't want to interrupt your flow.

[Marvin M.]

Would love to go after moose.  Maybe some day.....

Beautiful country there.  Love the cloud shadows in the first few pictures.

[30coupe]

You craft a good story, Wingnut...almost as good as your bows...almost.

You are making me long to get back to Alaska! Not sure just when that will happen though. The boss/social director/wife is thinking Oz next year, so probably no AK yet.

Keep the story coming. The pictures are beautiful!
   

[ron w]

  cool!

Keep it coming Mike! I'm waiting for the "meat and potatoes" of this story. The pics make it look like an awesome place.

Bisch

[KentuckyTJ]

Good stuff

[Over&Under]

Loving it so far Mike, great story telling.  Looking forward to the rest!

[coaster500]

What a great place, beautiful country  


 

[John Havard]

Dav, the tipi is Kifaru's 16-man.

I'm traveling now and won't be able to frequently chime in on the story, but Mike is doing a fantastic job.

John

[wingnut]

A few more pics from our evening stroll.

Down the ridge towards where we spotted moose.
   

Back towards camp
   

Anyone know what kind of flower these are?
   

[AZStickman]

Not sure what the name of the flowers are but I hear they are a favorite food of War Mice..... Terry

[wingnut]

Finally we get back and have a good dinner.  Pour a drink and go out and watch the sunset.

 

Some how we all knew that tomorrow would be an exciting day.

[mambashooter]

BUT, where's the moose??????  

[elkken]

 just like being there, keep the great story going    

[Ted Fry]

Flower is a Harebell Mike.
Moose pics????

[wingnut]

John's alarm wakes everyone up at 5:30 but today instead of grumbles we all jump out of bed.  Coffee is brewed and breakfast goes down fast.  We grab our gear and head for the end of the ridge as the sun starts to peak over the mountains.  One thing I learned about moose is they come out to play when the sun comes up not in the middle of the night like elk.

Anyway we cover the .4 miles to the spot with a quickness too our step and settle in.  The first couple hours include bulls and cows on the far ridge line over 3 miles away but nothing in the burns close by as we anticipated.

Then about 9 I see a cow in the burn.  Where did she come from?  Anyway we watch as she feeds into some spruce and disappears.  Soon there after John spots a cow and then another.  And then BULL!

After a quick look with the 60x scope it's a shooter and on the outside of our range but in range to go after.  We saddle up our packs and head over the hill for the first time.  John knew this route as it was very close to where Steve shot his bull the previous year.

We dropped down the ridgeline to the peat bog then pick our way to a spot that is solid for crossing the creek.  Once on the other side we climbed and crossed the ridge to get the wind right and then start sidehilling through the burn.

We crossed the first burn to a stand of spruce and started across a short burnt area.  Jason stopped us with a short whistle and said Mooose while pointing up the hill.  We stopped and glassed two cows about 150 yds up hill and up wind.  This is the burn I'd seen the cow in earlier so we figured it was it and another and pushed on.  100 yds through the thick spruce and we pop out on the other side.  John stops us with a BULL!  We see antlers move into the spruce 80 yds ahead headed back to where the cows were.  We quickly retraced our steps and found ourselves about 125 yds from not one bull but two and the two cows.

A quick plan and John puts on his moose antler hat and Jason becomes the back end of the moose and they approach the biggest of the bulls.

I wish I'd grabbed the video camera out of Jason's pack before he left as I had a great view of them moving away.  John rolling the antlers and grunting while Jason kept close behind.

The bull responded but didn't come right away.  The guys pressed on an soon were at about 60 yds.

I watched John get his binos up and glass the bull that was head on and then he gave the signal that ment it was not legal.  They turned and slowly moosed there way back too me.  I was watching the bull following them and then stand broadside at 80 yds looking at us in the trees.

Looks very big too me but John said it was a maybe 50" and only 3 browtines on each side.  A maybe 50" is not a good gamble.

We backout and head back through the spruce. You see this is not the moose we saw and hour earlier from the ridge.  He must be still ahead in the other burn.

[lt-m-grow]

Please, oh please tell us you have some video of Jason and John doing a bull moose act?

Great stuff Wingnut.

[wingnut]

Sorry no incriminating pics or video.  I don't know how I missed that one.

Anyway we were headed back through the spruce and towards the burn.  We skirted the bottom of the burn and got to another screen of spruce that was only a few yards wide.  When we got to the other side.  Jason again stopped us with a soft whistle and signaled MOOSE!!

There about 150 yds away was a cow and more moose moving behind her.  We checked the wind and found it at 90 degrees so we headed up hill to get in a better spot.  200 yards further up John and Jason are in the lead and John sees the bull and gives the "OH BABY IT'S A SHOOTER"!!! signal.  We group up and make a quick plan.  This time John with his moose hat will lead and Jason will be the butt again but instead of both carrying the bows, Jason will take the rifle.  We had a plan that in order to get two or more moose we had to put one on the ground early in the hunt.  This was my 3rd time for moose and it was time to take meat home.  So if the bow didn't make it the rifle would.

That being said they took off again John doing the moose antler sway and grunting.  Jason doing what the back of a moose should and following the front.

I hung back in the spruce with a pile of packs and stuff trying to mark my gps so we could find em again.  LOL

I could see the moose and the guys and it looked like they were right on top of him.  At about 60 yds I felt the wind shift and take my scent right to the group of moose.  The big bull turned and walked off with a cow and a smaller bull in tow.  John and Jason tried to head them off but they went over the hill and out distanced them.

I lost sight of the moose over the hill but could see John give Jason the "it's rifle time" signal.

And then we were butchers.

Because the bull was not taken with a trad bow I will not post the picks of it on the ground.  But I've never seen anything that big before.  Imagine a Clydesdale with antlers.

It was now 11 am and after pictures we started butchering the bull.  This was my first "gutless" method experience and I gotta say it was great.

We boned all the meat and bagged it.  Built a elevated meat rack out of two down trees and branches and got the 11 sacks of meat cooling before we headed for camp.  We got back at 7:30 that night.