Returrned from the great white north a week ago. Now that I've re-adjusted into normal mode, I can share some pics.
The story....
It seems that our gang likes to eat, drink, drink, and sleep...ALOT. Guys were a little "lazier" this year. Mind you, a few had good reasons to rest.
Regardless, it was day 4 of the hunt and we hadn't seen any fresh sign or anything else to give us reason to believe there's moose around. (We know there are, we're just being evaded in the land of muskeg and swamp.) WMU 25.
That night I pick the edge of a swamp as my spot of choice, and I call. Figure at this point there wasn't much to loose, so I'd call like a female who was in DIRE NEED of some lovin! Every 5-10 minutes I would call. About 45 minutes into my calling, low and behold I get a response...a good one! He's about 2-300 yards out in a swamp. (I can only see about 100 of those as the rest is marshes and trees)
I can hear him out there splashing around and calling back, but I have no way to get to him. I continue to call, but much less now.
I wait and I wait, and he makes calls back...but has no intentions of coming out. Figures if I want it that bad, I can drag my ass out there. Alas, night falls and I head back to camp.
I tell the boys, and this now becomes our "BEST CHANCE". "So Fordy, what's the plan?"
The plan is to get up REAL early....and go get em, boys!! Follow me, I've got it alllll figured out!
We're up at 4:30 am, well before light. The 4 of us have a coffee, scratch our nuts and off we go!
There's a series of swamp off this trail, and with 4 guys, we can cover pretty much all of it. First drop is my buddy Todd, EXACTLY where I was sitting the night before. I tell him where I heard the bull, and to PAY ATTENTION!
We continue along the swamps and I set the guys up appropriately. I go to the furthest point. And we wait. and wait. In the cold, pissing rain....about the BEST possible conditions you could ask for besides snow.
Hours go by, now 8 am. I get a radio call from the guys closest to me : "C'mon Fordy, let's go get some breakfast." Ok, I say, somewhat disappointed as I was sure this was the morning.
As I'm walking, I hear Kerbooowwwwww off in the distance, BUT CLOSE!!
I hear a couple more shots, and get on the radio, "Who's shooting???"
Other guys "I dunno, but it's close!!" I replied "It has to be Todd??!!"
Other guys "Dunno...he doesn't have a radio!" Go figure.
2 minutes later I hear the WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!! And I commence running to meet the guys.
In the end, the bull that I called the night before got sick of waiting and walked out 80-100 meters of where I was sitting....and set my buddy up! Todd had the patience to WAIT until the moose walked the 80-100 meters through the swamp and up onto the road!! Where he conveniently dumped it the first shot!!
800lb bull, and the best tenderloins I've ever had!!
The Boys & The Moose
The Gang
Me N' The Moose
On the Wagon
Todd The Proud Shooter (First Moose)
The Traditional Dinner (Fresh Tenderloins, wrapped with a bit of Bacon!)
Great time had by all. Thanks for reading, and please share your stories!
The story....
It seems that our gang likes to eat, drink, drink, and sleep...ALOT. Guys were a little "lazier" this year. Mind you, a few had good reasons to rest.
Regardless, it was day 4 of the hunt and we hadn't seen any fresh sign or anything else to give us reason to believe there's moose around. (We know there are, we're just being evaded in the land of muskeg and swamp.) WMU 25.
That night I pick the edge of a swamp as my spot of choice, and I call. Figure at this point there wasn't much to loose, so I'd call like a female who was in DIRE NEED of some lovin! Every 5-10 minutes I would call. About 45 minutes into my calling, low and behold I get a response...a good one! He's about 2-300 yards out in a swamp. (I can only see about 100 of those as the rest is marshes and trees)
I can hear him out there splashing around and calling back, but I have no way to get to him. I continue to call, but much less now.
I wait and I wait, and he makes calls back...but has no intentions of coming out. Figures if I want it that bad, I can drag my ass out there. Alas, night falls and I head back to camp.
I tell the boys, and this now becomes our "BEST CHANCE". "So Fordy, what's the plan?"
The plan is to get up REAL early....and go get em, boys!! Follow me, I've got it alllll figured out!
We're up at 4:30 am, well before light. The 4 of us have a coffee, scratch our nuts and off we go!
There's a series of swamp off this trail, and with 4 guys, we can cover pretty much all of it. First drop is my buddy Todd, EXACTLY where I was sitting the night before. I tell him where I heard the bull, and to PAY ATTENTION!
We continue along the swamps and I set the guys up appropriately. I go to the furthest point. And we wait. and wait. In the cold, pissing rain....about the BEST possible conditions you could ask for besides snow.
Hours go by, now 8 am. I get a radio call from the guys closest to me : "C'mon Fordy, let's go get some breakfast." Ok, I say, somewhat disappointed as I was sure this was the morning.
As I'm walking, I hear Kerbooowwwwww off in the distance, BUT CLOSE!!
I hear a couple more shots, and get on the radio, "Who's shooting???"
Other guys "I dunno, but it's close!!" I replied "It has to be Todd??!!"
Other guys "Dunno...he doesn't have a radio!" Go figure.
2 minutes later I hear the WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!! And I commence running to meet the guys.
In the end, the bull that I called the night before got sick of waiting and walked out 80-100 meters of where I was sitting....and set my buddy up! Todd had the patience to WAIT until the moose walked the 80-100 meters through the swamp and up onto the road!! Where he conveniently dumped it the first shot!!
800lb bull, and the best tenderloins I've ever had!!
The Boys & The Moose
The Gang
Me N' The Moose
On the Wagon
Todd The Proud Shooter (First Moose)
The Traditional Dinner (Fresh Tenderloins, wrapped with a bit of Bacon!)
Great time had by all. Thanks for reading, and please share your stories!
