Author Topic: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt  (Read 2716 times)

AxeMan

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Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« on: November 11, 2013, 07:24:13 PM »
I just got back today from 10 days in the bush.  I will post a few pics to get things started and fill in the stories later as I am tired as hell.  I think it had something to do with skinning and quartering a bull moose yesterday till after midnight.  Brother Duane shot one late yesterday afternoon and it took a bit to get him back to camp.  It was a tough hunt this year but we pulled through and harvested a bull moose and a couple of WT bucks.  Both deer and moose populations are down in our area.

Hope you enjoy.  Some stories about the actual hunt later.

Camp this year, same place as last year:


Can't be Axeman's camp without this:
Duane and me (Dave)

Jesse and Trevor

« Last Edit: November 11, 2013, 07:32:29 PM by AxeMan »
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Gettin' down on the mountain, gettin' down on the mountain

AxeMan

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2013, 07:26:51 PM »
First Trevor found a decent WT buck that he hunted and finally got.  Total bush hunt all the way.  Caught him on a game trail chasing does.


I think I see a rip in the social fabric, Brother can you spare some ammo?
Gettin' down on the mountain, gettin' down on the mountain

AxeMan

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2013, 07:28:54 PM »
Next I took a little WT buck since I only had a day left.
Badly busted up right side.

I think I see a rip in the social fabric, Brother can you spare some ammo?
Gettin' down on the mountain, gettin' down on the mountain

AxeMan

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2013, 07:31:07 PM »
Then it was brother Duane's turn to create some work with his moose tag.
Nice little 36" bull, should be good eating.


I think I see a rip in the social fabric, Brother can you spare some ammo?
Gettin' down on the mountain, gettin' down on the mountain

walleyes

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2013, 08:27:09 PM »
Sweet looking camp as usual Axe..

Some pretty darn nice looking animals you guys bagged, that little bull will be in darn good shape by this time of year. Trevor's deer looks really nice.

Thx for sharing the pics and congrats to all you guys on the kills,, well done guys..
« Last Edit: November 11, 2013, 08:33:59 PM by walleyes »

JIMMY 808

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2013, 09:15:26 PM »
Well done guys looks like a bunch of hard work paid off.

Sonny

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2013, 09:19:00 PM »
Bravo well done Axe. ;)

weeman

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2013, 07:44:25 AM »
Bravo well done Axe. ;)
X2...great lookin camp. Maybe that set up can be used for ice fishin.... ;)
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Paul

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2013, 12:59:11 PM »
looks like an awesome trip Dave thanks for sharing

diamonddave

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2013, 04:01:35 PM »
looks great axe!

nsrmaster

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2013, 08:57:01 PM »
 Congrats axe ! Moos is gonna be some good eats...

Tuc

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2013, 08:56:08 AM »
Nice camp as always axe and congrats on the fine bucks!

Albertadiver

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2013, 03:55:04 PM »
awesome camp setup!

Great pics too.  Thx for posting.

AxeMan

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2013, 09:10:09 PM »
Okay, a few ramblings and notes from our hunt.

First few days were really slow (Nov 1-5).  First morning Duane passed on two fairly good 4 x 4 whitetail bucks but that was it.  He wasn't going to take an average buck first day.   We saw very few deer and only one moose, a big bull that came out to a call but quickly lost interest and buggered off.  A bit too far to risk a shot.  It was looking really rough for us and I was getting worried.  The only good thing was there were tons of chickens and lynx everywhere we looked.  Was it the wolves or the winter?  Trevor finally found a good fresh rub that looked like it was made by a good buck.  Duane found a group of moose that same day too but no antlers.  There was some hope maybe.  Next day was a good one (Nov 6) I think.  Trevor went in the bush on a game trail near the buck rub that was being traveled by a few deer.  He heard some crashing coming his way so he ducked off the game trail just in time to see a couple of does coming.  They passed by and he then heard the buck grunting his way after them.  One shot right in the heart ended him.  Nothing as exciting as a good bush hunt, he is hooked on that now.

A couple of nights of fairly cold now allowed us to quad across the creek and get us into an area we like to hunt for moose.  That late afternoon me and Duane found the bull he eventually got but put him to bed as we spotted him just after legal light.  We were confident he wouldn't go far out of the couple of little willow swamps he was feeding in.  Animals don't go far as some hunters think.

We now had a few inches of fresh snow and after that the deer started to move.  Jesse came up Friday nite of the long weekend and him and I went out early in the morning and saw 6 bucks that morning.  They were really starting to move now.  I took my buck that morning as I could only stay till Monday.  That afternoon Duane went back to the willow swamps and sure enough, he heard the little bull in the willows feeding.  He just waited him out and before long, he stepped out onto the line and boom.  One shot and he took two steps and collapsed on the line.  We got the text from him and were able to get the Jeep and my trailer that I built a couple of years back right to him and the bull.  It was great, a nice evening, we gutted the moose and loaded him up while listening to the Oilers lose on the radio.  Back in camp before 9 pm.



I think I see a rip in the social fabric, Brother can you spare some ammo?
Gettin' down on the mountain, gettin' down on the mountain

Dark Wing

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #14 on: November 14, 2013, 06:36:33 AM »
Congrats on the success axe , thanks for the pics and story.

walleyes

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2013, 07:12:50 PM »
I've always wanted to try and hunt moose in Nov but just never have.. Maybe one of these years I will give it a go. I know a number of old timers in this country always waited until Nov. They said the animals were in better shape and of course years back before the day of the ATV all that was around was skidoo or 4x4 and in the north this at least opened up a lot a lot of area do to snow and frost that otherwise was not accessible.

SouthernGuy

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2013, 07:19:57 PM »
Looks like an awesome camp and hunt, congrats on your success. Moose is an animal that's always had my number, looks like you have them figured out.

AxeMan

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2013, 07:41:02 PM »
I've always wanted to try and hunt moose in Nov but just never have.. Maybe one of these years I will give it a go. I know a number of old timers in this country always waited until Nov. They said the animals were in better shape and of course years back before the day of the ATV all that was around was skidoo or 4x4 and in the north this at least opened up a lot a lot of area do to snow and frost that otherwise was not accessible.

Actually, Walleyes is onto the best kept secret around with his comment.  It is a fact that the frozen muskeg in November allows us into areas were moose are less pressured.  These areas are a bitch to hunt before some freeze up.  It is also a fact that moose don't travel very far from where they live most of the time.  It is also a bit of a myth that moose leave the muskeg willow swamps for the bigger timbers after freeze up.  They stay where the food is.

We shifted from rut hunts to November hunts quite a few years ago and are at almost 100% on filling the tags so far.  Dealing with the meat is so much nicer too.  It is also more common than a lot of people think that bulls will respond to cow calls in early November.  If any cows are missed in the first rut they will come back into estrus in early November again.  I have called many bulls in November.  Three came to my call last year, that was pretty intense.
I think I see a rip in the social fabric, Brother can you spare some ammo?
Gettin' down on the mountain, gettin' down on the mountain

TheCReW

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #18 on: November 15, 2013, 07:28:07 AM »
Wow, that looks like a great setup and a great time.  Congrats on the animals, took some nice looking critters.

STW

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Re: Axeman's 2013 Annual November Hunt
« Reply #19 on: November 21, 2013, 02:04:12 PM »
As always good work Axe. Might take a trip up there this weekend.
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