234 Wildcat Family....ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY
- Thread starter c-fbmi
- Start date
Sorry 'Looky not going that way.........got to pick up a buddy in Edm who wants to come up for a week or so, so I'll be doing the Alaska highway.......as far as 80" moose go, I have found a nice area where no one hunts, and I have seen from airplanes and helicopters while working in that area, moose that were seriously pushing, if not exceeding 80". Anyway going to go poke around in that country for 10 days or so and see what I can dig up..........mid rut, of course...........
You will have a good chance at it, Douglas, there is a lot going for you on your quest.
Your Yukon moose are of the Alaska moose sub specie, the largest moose there is. People who have never seen the northern moose just can't believe how large they are. I have shot quite a few moose in my day, sometimes in areas not hunted, also. And the largest moose that I have ever shot was a cow of the Alaskan variety that hand wandered down in early winter into BC. I killed her with one clean shot in the ribs. A fellow with me had been a meat hunter and had shot over thirty moose in central BC during the 1930s. We took the quarters to his garage to complete the butchering and he said it was the biggest moose he had ever seen butchered.
Timber line is probably at about 3500 feet altitude where you hunt and so much of the country near that height is covered with a type of willow, that grows to a height where a mature moose will be seen over the willows, making it easy to spot them.
I was hunting caribou in the Atlin, BC area, which is just a skip and a jump south of the Yukon and has the same variety of moose in similar terrain. One morning I stood on a little rise and could see four trophy sized, northern moose, spread out in four different areas, with their top portions visible above the willows, all within a mile distance and every one a splendid trophy. But I was after caribou and didn't go after any of them!
A good bull of the Alaskan variety of moose is easy to distinguish from the Canadian moose that prevails over almost all of the more central portion of Canada. The Canada moose, actually correctly called, "American Moose," has antlers that reach high above the animals head. I like to refer to it as similar to a man with huge mitts on holding his hands above his head. I will post a picture of mine of a trophy sized Canada moose, to indicate what I mean about the antlers going mostly up.
With the northern Alaskan variety the antlers spread out much more, with only the outer ends of the antlers tipped up.
The antlers in the picture probably had an over all spread of maybe 55 inches, but if he had been the northern variety the antlers would likely have had a spread of over six feet.
That is a very large bull in the picture, but his antlers are text book Canadian moose variety. Just compare some size features. His ears will be about eleven inches long, maybe twelve to the end of the hair on them, as shown in the picture and the head is in the order of thirty inches, so just compare that with antler size and general body size.
Good luck, Douglas.
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I will be using my 9.3X300 WM with a 270 gn Matrix RBT at around 3000 fps, shoots like a 7 mag and hits like a 378 Wby.............got her all sighted in over the last couple days, not shooting super great but keeping around 1.5 moa, so certainly good enough for moose out to 400 mtrs or so.........anticipate a shot at less than 50 mtrs actually. Also super grizzly medicine and there are some big bears in that area so I'll just keep my fingers crossed and maybe I'll get a twosome out of it.............
H, I hear what you're saying and yes they are the largest moose in the world, I have a nice 65"er but I really would like something over 6 feet before I give up my Yukon license and officially become a B.C. resident. Then I shall head up Atlin way and smack a monster Canada moose..........know the area very well, worked on every creek within 50 miles of Atlin and have driven all the mining roads................I have an area in mind and know it well, miles and miles of willows................
Yep 'Looky taking my 2 Argos, me and a buddy from Sask..........never take one Argo anywhere, unless you're real close to a helicopter base that has at least an A-star...........That's another story that I've already told a while back........
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tylerjwitty
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Ontario
Argos are a fun toy . Tracks or wheelies
Yep, you are not truly STUCK until you have an eight-wheel Argo, with super tracks, bogged in to the top of the tracks...................been there, done that, no helicopters were involved but I sure could have used one!
Doug
Don't forget your camera ...............and..............bug spray...........
OK who ever you are posting under Kamlooky's name just stop right now, and what have you done with 'Looky???...........I know this isn't the real Looky, cause there ain't no way he could spell camera and put together a thought without a spelling mistake !!!!
Yep, camera and bug dope on the list Looky.................
And sparkie plug.
Fewl line filter.
Keyway fer dah trakc gizmoes.
Tow rope.
Snow shoes..........may take huh while.
Snuff, cuzz yew know yer gonna run owtta smokes.
Kupple x-trah kans owe bug jewse.
Klean ginch sowes when yah git yer arse back to camp
yew'll wanna qwit skratch'n yer barnicles.
Kumpass...........don't trust demdere battury gizmoes.................
All on the list 'Looky, this ain't my first rodeo, so to speak.............
And several sharp knifes and meat saws and binos and spotting scope and lots of gas and grub and warm and waterproof clothes etc, etc, etc...............
And several sharp knifes and meat saws and binos and spotting scope and lots of gas and grub and warm and waterproof clothes etc, etc, etc...............
Douglas - I hunted for moose up by Keno City two different times, both in September, and I have zero recollection of bugs. Is that because of the elevation? (I also have no recollections of bugs on Atlin Lake...............) I know that Yellowknife and Great Slave Lake have mosquitoes in the summer!!!!! But I cannot remember any bugs in YT?????????????
Doug
Doug
Doug, I was going to say the same thing, no bugs in September, Yukon or northern BC.
We found the mosquitoes mostly gone by middle of August, but the damn little black flies were horrendous on the wife's legs. They would draw blood on her, but never seemed to bother me. But by September we saw none of them.
Bruce
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
It's been a while since I've been there, but I don't recall much in the way of bugs either. After getting
a little turned around I ended up spenting a night on a mountain side in the Otter Creek/Pine Creek area and if the bugs were bad, I'm sure I would've remembered. Oh, the guy that was Game Warden there at the time, retired and now lives close by.The black flies can be horrendous that time of year depending on the weather...........mosquitos are done, wasps and horseflies are done, but not the black flies if the weather turns a little fair, they'll be there in clouds.............
Looky I don't eat moose liver in the rut, it is inedible in my opinion..........now moose heart is a whole 'nother matter, and there most certainly will be a case of fine chianti along for the ride............maybe even a nice bottle of scotch. My partner don't drink so that'll cut 25% off the booze order...........
Looky I don't eat moose liver in the rut, it is inedible in my opinion..........now moose heart is a whole 'nother matter, and there most certainly will be a case of fine chianti along for the ride............maybe even a nice bottle of scotch. My partner don't drink so that'll cut 25% off the booze order...........
A big northern bull moose shot around the first of September is absolutely tremendous meat. The fat that they can lay on during the short summer has to be seen to be believed. One other thing, the backstraps taken from a moose shot in the morning can be eaten for the evening meal, as no aging in is required for them. I have personally taken such a back strap, sliced it and cooked it over the campfire for three hungry men. The fat was marbled through it, just like choice beef is that they tell us we shouldn't eat!
But a bull moose shot well into the rut is, in my opinion, not fit to eat.
And while we are at it, the old time bush Indians were great at getting good eating animals. In the winter their choice was a pregnant cow. When the cow gets pregnant in early September it eats like silly the rest of the fall and really lays on the fat.
I can also personally vouch for this, as I was once served moose steaks from such an animal, sliced from a fresh moose ham in late February. It was darn good meat and didn't taste like alders, as most moose shot in mid winter will.
But a bull moose shot well into the rut is, in my opinion, not fit to eat.
And while we are at it, the old time bush Indians were great at getting good eating animals. In the winter their choice was a pregnant cow. When the cow gets pregnant in early September it eats like silly the rest of the fall and really lays on the fat.
I can also personally vouch for this, as I was once served moose steaks from such an animal, sliced from a fresh moose ham in late February. It was darn good meat and didn't taste like alders, as most moose shot in mid winter will.
Good luck Douglas.... Sounds like my trips to Timmins..... lol
tylerjwitty
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Ontario
Your only about 800 or so.. No biggie
