Fort Liard Moose Hunt 2022 https://imgur.com/a/qhJBEAi
Great trip this year. Left Yellowknife 25th Sept and headed south 666km to our camp on the Ft Liard road. Arrived next day as we drove slow and hunted many woods roads on the way. Saw about 6 black bears and 5 cubs along the way. At least 1000 grouse.
Got to our camp the next day around noon. Set up and unloaded everything. Took out the canoe and headed right for the river. (Blackstone river) Damn it........river is nearly dry. Keep driving and next 2 rivers..........dry. Oh #### time to re-evaluate. Go back to camp. Visit older lady who resides there.(old friend) she offers up a boat for us to use (with caution) on the big river (Liard river) as water levels are low now and new sandbars and reefs are to be found.
We hopped in the boat and headed up river towards where the blackstone river dumps into the Liard river. Got out, walked up about a km. Called moose in a marshy area that produced for us in years past. It was about 45mins from dark when we got a bull to roar back at us. We decided to come back the next day and see if we could get him then. (You do not want to be stuck in there after dark!!)
Jumped in the boat and headed back. 400m from home ........ BANG! Frigging propellor hit a rock. F@*K. Rowed rest of way home. Not boating here now in the morning. Decide that we will drive back to the bridge at the top of the Blackstone river in the morning and just walk the entire river. (About 5km)
Got up at 7. Got our packs ready. Quick coffees and oatmeals then jumped in truck and took off. Didnt even get 10km and rounded a turn that led into a 2km straight stretch of road. Right in the middle of the road was Mr Moose about 600m ahead. I was passenger in truck. My partner stepped on it to cut the distance down. BUT his diesel was definately heard cause the moose started to gallop towards the trees. He slammed the brakes at 400m and said get out and shoot. The moose was about 25ft from cover.
I am not a guy that is keen on long shots (although I practice A LOT at diatances of 50-400m. JIC) This shot is at the very edge of my confidence level but not beyond it. The rifle is a Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger. Scope is a VXIII 2.5-8x36. Ammo was Hornady Outfitter 250gr GMX
I opened the door, rolled the window down and used it as a rest. Not really being used to running targets, I had to guess how far forward to hold. Hit him in the back quarter. He fell right there in a big tumble. He stood up and wobbled. Second shot hit him in base of neck. Right back down.
Jumped in truck and raced to the moose. I got out and I'll be damned.....moose jumped up and ran into trees. I could see him and was just about to fire the 3rd shot when he just did a faceplant. Dead.
GREAT....he just trippled our workload!!! Went from being close enough to roll him in the truck to having to winch him out of the woods.
I am crappy at estimating weights of moose, but he SEEMS to be between 6-700 lbs. He had 10 pts. Probably 2-3year old. His heart weighed 7lbs and 2 different natives up here said you can everage 100lbs per 1lb of heart weight, so maybe 700lbs? We got 360lbs of meat from the butcher.
Anyhow, it was so warm there (22+ degrees) we had to pull up stakes and head home with my entire stash of beer undrank.
Great trip this year. Left Yellowknife 25th Sept and headed south 666km to our camp on the Ft Liard road. Arrived next day as we drove slow and hunted many woods roads on the way. Saw about 6 black bears and 5 cubs along the way. At least 1000 grouse.
Got to our camp the next day around noon. Set up and unloaded everything. Took out the canoe and headed right for the river. (Blackstone river) Damn it........river is nearly dry. Keep driving and next 2 rivers..........dry. Oh #### time to re-evaluate. Go back to camp. Visit older lady who resides there.(old friend) she offers up a boat for us to use (with caution) on the big river (Liard river) as water levels are low now and new sandbars and reefs are to be found.
We hopped in the boat and headed up river towards where the blackstone river dumps into the Liard river. Got out, walked up about a km. Called moose in a marshy area that produced for us in years past. It was about 45mins from dark when we got a bull to roar back at us. We decided to come back the next day and see if we could get him then. (You do not want to be stuck in there after dark!!)
Jumped in the boat and headed back. 400m from home ........ BANG! Frigging propellor hit a rock. F@*K. Rowed rest of way home. Not boating here now in the morning. Decide that we will drive back to the bridge at the top of the Blackstone river in the morning and just walk the entire river. (About 5km)
Got up at 7. Got our packs ready. Quick coffees and oatmeals then jumped in truck and took off. Didnt even get 10km and rounded a turn that led into a 2km straight stretch of road. Right in the middle of the road was Mr Moose about 600m ahead. I was passenger in truck. My partner stepped on it to cut the distance down. BUT his diesel was definately heard cause the moose started to gallop towards the trees. He slammed the brakes at 400m and said get out and shoot. The moose was about 25ft from cover.
I am not a guy that is keen on long shots (although I practice A LOT at diatances of 50-400m. JIC) This shot is at the very edge of my confidence level but not beyond it. The rifle is a Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger. Scope is a VXIII 2.5-8x36. Ammo was Hornady Outfitter 250gr GMX
I opened the door, rolled the window down and used it as a rest. Not really being used to running targets, I had to guess how far forward to hold. Hit him in the back quarter. He fell right there in a big tumble. He stood up and wobbled. Second shot hit him in base of neck. Right back down.
Jumped in truck and raced to the moose. I got out and I'll be damned.....moose jumped up and ran into trees. I could see him and was just about to fire the 3rd shot when he just did a faceplant. Dead.
GREAT....he just trippled our workload!!! Went from being close enough to roll him in the truck to having to winch him out of the woods.
I am crappy at estimating weights of moose, but he SEEMS to be between 6-700 lbs. He had 10 pts. Probably 2-3year old. His heart weighed 7lbs and 2 different natives up here said you can everage 100lbs per 1lb of heart weight, so maybe 700lbs? We got 360lbs of meat from the butcher.
Anyhow, it was so warm there (22+ degrees) we had to pull up stakes and head home with my entire stash of beer undrank.
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Congratulations!!
