Well back from moose camp once again. This was a unique year for us in a couple ways. First off it was my youngest boys first year in moose camp. He turned 14 this past July and as keeping with my tradition with the older two sons when they turn 14 it is their first chance if they want to come to camp. A sort of coming of manhood if you will. And as luck would have it Sam’s football games worked out that they never had an important game last week so he decided to come,, needless to say I was very happy.  So it was my youngest boy Sam, my oldest boy Jesse and myself. Do to collage the middle boy was not able to make it this year again. He will be done school this spring so hopefully his work will start to allow him to come starting next year.
     
         I will say the weather was awesome this year real moose hunting weather. Not to warm and not to cold,, and especially no flies,, that was the best. Which brings me to my next part,, why could we not call in a moose. I called morning and evening for 5 days and not an answer,, not a stick break nothing like the bush was dead. We worked our asses off, brought every stop out we knew of and no way. If it wasn’t for the sign you would think there wasn’t a moose in the country. Yet there was as much rutting activity as ever, there was obvious moose activity in the area. More than once when we would travel to our calling spots in the morning there was fresh track over our trail yet no moose sightings. Like I said this went on for 5 days needless to say we were getting quite worried as we had only one day left to hunt. Now I know that just being there is the treat and getting an animal is second, yah I know but for us when it comes to moose hunting its something different. I can’t explain what it is it just is. Moose hunting is something very special to us its just that way. When we leave home its like our families expect us to come home with a moose. And well over the last 32 years I have been hunting moose only twice have I not and that was many years ago. So this year the oldest boy who has been my hunting partner for 8 years now and I were getting pretty concerned, moral around camp was getting pretty tough. After the morning on our 5th day call we get back to camp around noon and as we were going about our normal routine I could tell I had to do something to get things going and keep the boys spirit up. So I told the boys lets eat a quick lunch and get back out there at it,, we can’t give up yet. After a quick little pep talk we ate and as we planned we decided to head way west down one of our trails, its an old logging road that over the first 2 days we worked like dogs slashing our way into to get to the end of it. It’s a good trial with a couple good calling spots that had some good sign on it as we worked our way in the first couple days. We have been the only hunters in there over the last 3 years so no one has been cleaning the trail and we never made it in there last year so it required a LOT of work this year to open up. We decided to take along the power saw with canola oil and the quad tub which we figured we would take part way at least and leave it in case we got something we wouldn’t have to come all the way back to camp to get it as well as all our other skinning and dressing equipment. So off we go. We get about ½ a mile from camp and I just happening to catch a glimpse of something cross the line about a mile up the road. By the time I got my binos up it was gone. I was sure it was a moose but couldn’t be sure. We gave it the gas a bit and got up to where it crossed and nothing. It crossed right where a lease sits on the side of the trail and after a quick spin around the lease and no moose I just went around the corner of the lease to have a look up the line coming into it and bingo there he was, a nice little bull. Off the quad I jump and the boys behind me. I put the cross hairs on it and wait for Sam to get lined up. The bull was 3/4rd away from us so it gave very little shooting opportunity. I talked with Sam over the days that when we get the chance to get a shot at a moose if it permitted he would have first crack at it, but we didn’t want him second guessing, if he didn’t feel comfortable on the shot to let us know. As it would have it Sam passed, I give him big credits for that. He just wasn’t sure where to place his shot. I held on the moose and asked him are you ready he said no Dad can’t take the shot. That’s all it took,, bang one shot tucked in behind the front shoulder from my 300 RUM and that’s all the bull could take,, down like a rock. Well we were ecstatic. I think the oldest boy was almost in tears he was so happy to have our bull on the ground. Sammy as well. For us as always the moose was for our camp who shot it was second the fact we got it was paramount. For myself as well, its been years if ever I was so happy to have moose down. This truly was our hardest earned bull ever. Sam got the honours of putting the final bullet in head to finish off the bull so he got a piece of it anyways and he was more than happy with that. 

   Here are a few pics of our trip,, for those hunters on our site that are squeamish of some blood you better not look. In all the excitement I couldn’t believe it I forgot to get some pics of the boys with the animal before we started dressing it. And well I am not as skilled as some I still haven’t figured out how to shoot and dress an animal without it bleeding so you will have to excuse the blood.

Sammy catching a sit down during an evening call. He took it well the long hours of calling, even the night standing there in the rain for 3hrs.


Jesse keeping watch.


Sammy and his brother did most of the skinning I just got the hard areas going for Sam and he took over.




Sammy and his first moose in camp.




The boys.


The meat back in camp all dressed.


The camp this year.

Glad it worked out for you and your boys.  Nice pics and story.
We came home without chambering a round this year.  Tried a new area as our old one now looks like Ft. Mac. west-southwest. 
Between the outfitter bear baits on every single cutline about 2-400yds in (right ON the cutline, in about as far as a quad will take you), and the natives road/quad hunting Hard we simply couldn't walk in far enough from the logging road.  (About 3/4 mile is as far as wife and I are willing to bring out a moose in pieces).

Only thing I called in was a couple of natives.  Funny thing was, I recognized them as human right away, they thought me a moose, so I switched between cow calls and tending grunts for awhile.  Met up with them later on the road and played dumb.  Good for my ego, haha.

I'm afraid if we want to hunt where we were the simple fact is there's an argo and a walltent in our future or it's a complete waste of time. 
Was a fun trip nonetheless, love that north country.  We even finally got a boat on a boreal lake.




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Right on....

Congrats on your Moose Walleyes !! Sure puts lots of meaning into the hunt sharing it with your Boys hey ! I can relate to that..

Congrats on the moose. So cool to have your son's on the hunt and giving them the experience that they'll be able to carry on with their son's or daughter's.

Congraqts on a great trip Walleyes, were you guys in the Chin?

Thx guys.

No Tuc I havn't hunted down the Chin for about 10years now. Little farther north.

Great story & pictures walleyes...

That was a great read, loved it. Congrats to you all.

X2

Ya it's pretty cool to have a tradditional moose hunt with family. Stagger the tags just right and it's a go at least every other year.

X2

Ya it's pretty cool to have a tradditional moose hunt with family. Stagger the tags just right and it's a go at least every other year.

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Actually dark wing the zone we hunt in its about 50% every year and pretty much 100% every second year. Between the 4 of us its a lock every year. Only thing is the family is growing so in a couple years we will have to be putting in for 2 tags. Hopefully we can still get a tag every year, if not we will just bow hunt them or go chase some Elk. Time will tell I guess.
   

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Actually dark wing the zone we hunt in its about 50% every year and pretty much 100% every second year. Between the 4 of us its a lock every year. Only thing is the family is growing so in a couple years we will have to be putting in for 2 tags. Hopefully we can still get a tag every year, if not we will just bow hunt them or go chase some Elk. Time will tell I guess.
 

It use to be like that around here but the words getting out about the odd nice bull getting shot. Wait times are getting longer and longer.