Sorry for the late post guys but it's been busy since we got back and just wanted to relax a couple days.

Our 2018 moose quest started on Friday Oct 05 this year. We left home at 5:00am and arrived at our camping location at 2:00pm wouldn't you know it to find someone in our preferred camping spot. The worst part of that is not the fact they were there but this means our area has been hunted. It's  not a big area where we hunt and any disturbance makes a huge difference. So I stopped off and chatted with the camp for a min and found out they were in for a week and we're  leaving in 2 days, that's was good news for us. After a quick chat we agreed to hunt different areas and we would not bother them and they not us until they left Sunday morning. I will say they were very courteous to us, very nice gentlemen. They did get a little bull in one of our preferred calling spots and after talking with them apparently an outfitter was through a couple days before and bagged one in another of our calling spots. This was a little disheartening as there are only so many receptive bulls in an area. But we wouldn't let that get us down.

  We moved into our camping spot and got camp set up.  After camp was set and the wood pile stocked and water in pails we went out for a quick scout and evening call. As is quite common up there not a lot of sign but some, enough to start anyways. No action that night. The morning found us split up into two parties as we had two tags this year. My two boys in one party and as some will recall I took up a friend this year his first ever moose or any hunting trip really. No action that morning and after a 2 hour calling session we went on a scout and found some new trail that was bladed off over the winter into some nice area with decent sign. I told Jeff we are going to call a moose here, no one has been in here this year. Evening found us in the new area and calling on a 4 way cutline intersection. First call went off just before 5:00 pm. After call number 3 just before 6:00 as I was watching one line I turned back facing ahead there 100 yards in front of us stood a nice little bull, little bugger never made a sound or broke a twig snuck right up on an angled line we couldn't see and stood right there broad side. Jeff did his job well one well placed shot from his 270wsm in the boiler room and the bull never made it far. This moose was a bit of a chore for me as Jeff never dressed an animal in the field before, I've been spoiled the last few years with my boys as I pretty much gut the animal then sit back and the boys take over from there, but not this year, this was a full on grunt work for me. We still did well, bull was dressed and quartered by 7:30 with some daylight to spare which was nice. We went into camp and got the quad tub and waited for the boys to get back and after some high fives went in and brought the meat back to camp and hung the quarters.

 From then on the hunt was a chore, up early every morning in the cold quad in to our spots and call 2-3 hours in for lunch, out again every evening and call till dark. It was a cold bugger of a fall ill say that. We hunted hard for another 6 days with not a grunt or a stick break just silent bush. We never were able to fill the second tag. Like I say it was unfortunate that some of our spots got action earlier in the week and a couple bulls pulled out but that's hunting. We were all happy for the bull we got and he was a decent sized animal and we ended up splitting it 3 ways so everyone got a decent amount of meat for the freezer. So in the end we feel blessed once again.

This kill was special for me for the fact Jeff got to get his moose. Jeff is the pastor of our small community church and you can all think what you want but believe me his family lives off of a very meager income what some may consider near poverty level, these people save a month to go out for supper. For him to be able to go on a trip like this is a once in a lifetime dream for him. Jeff is originaly from upper state New York and is 57 years old, his father past away when he was 12 years old so he never got the chance to do a lot of outdoor stuff. His family back home are hunters and he did do deer hunting when he was younger but nothing like this. The typical drive from home and push bush, shoot a deer drive back home stuff. He's never been camping in tents like this or ever experienced anything of the sort. There is no way he would ever be able to afford a trip with an outfitter so it was a very special time for him. He was more than generous in what he gave to help cover costs more than what I wanted from him but he insisted on it. I have been taking Jeff deer hunting around home the last few years getting him ready for a trip like this and it really paid off. He was great in camp and never a complained just happy all the time and happy to be there. I will say this, it was the first time I've ever seen a grown man come to tears with joy and happiness after a kill, it was a special time, I have to admit I even dropped a few for him. He is the first person in his family to kill a moose other than his Grandfather back in the 60's in the Adirondack Mountains.

 You've all seen pics of my camp before so I won't bore you with that I'll just leave you with a pic of Jeff and his kill.

Congatulations Pastor Jeff. .

God Bless.

Thanks Walleyes.

Awesome, please pass on a big congrats to the pastor. Nice bull.

Awesome report, sounds like a real special time.  We experienced real tough hunting this year to.  One group camped where we usually do and had 3 bulls on the meat pole and then an outfitter nearby to.  That being said we didn't see another hunter out in the bush.  Moose tracks everywhere and we got our bull the first evening we were there.  Seen 1 cow after that for the rest of the trip.  Tough hunting but there was old sign and tracks literally everywhere we went.  Between a couple indian kills, our kill and the other groups kills, we saw 7 or 8 dead moose.  I don't like to see that for future years.

I agree, I have spent the past 3 years in the FSJ/dawson area (mostly FSJ and just east into Alberta from FSJ) and am out in Hudson hope right now.  Lots of game and gorgeous area.  Can still buy a quarter of land to run some cows or whatever at a reasonable price.  Problem is the wife wont move up here and I cant blame her as I work away for 24 days on and 4 days off for 10 -11 months of the year.  Just coincidently has been in this particular area lately.  Usually I'm all over hells half acre.

24 on/4 off??

That sucks...and I thought I had it bad at 6 on/6 off.

So glad I'm retired. 

Yep its not a great shift by any means lol, I have done virtually no hunting or fishing in the past 5 or 6 years, especially compared to what I use to do.