Canoe hunt, solo for moose.

[exophysical]

 I had real "partner problems" this year and for a while it looked like my yearly canoe hunt wasnt happening. My wife felt bad enough for me that she finaly relaxed her strictest rule and let me go alone. The river section I had chosen even made me a little bit nervous though, it was both technical enough to kick a guy's butt if he made a mistake and remote enough that if I lost the canoe there was no way out. Getting help in an emergancy was unlikely. I played with the idea of doing a different river and hunting elk but because all my meat went bad during the Slave Lake fire I realy needed to shoot somthing. I knew my chances of getting a moose were much better so I decided to do the original trip.

As I made the final preparations though I lost my fear and just got pumped, for me the potential risk in some of these hunts is part of the apeal. I cant say for sure but its probably the same for most people who do wilderness hunts. Although I sometimes feel some tension leading up to a trip once I get going I relax. Its just the simple acts of making sure your gear is waterproofed properly every morning, your canoe pulled up on shore securely every time you get out, and taking a compass reading whenever you leave the river etc that get you home safe. Even though I was paying $25 per hour to have a guy drive me to the starting point with my truck he backed out about 2 hours before I was supposed to leave, thats about par for this year. My gracious wife drove me to the put in so a big thank you to her for making this trip happen, probably against her better judgement. Saying goodby to her and my 21 month old daughter at the riverside just broke my heart though, it was much more emotional than saying farewell at home and driving away. While it was difficult it left me determined to stay sharp and cautious to ensure I made it home to see them.

The first day out I didnt see any moose but I did find this guy.



I've always felt that lynx are quirky creatures, one seldom see's them which would lead one to believe that they are very shy. However when I do see a lynx I am always left with the impression that it was no accident, the lynx simply decided to let me see him. I passed some time paddling upstream of the lynx and drifting down past him, progressively closer. He rolled around and played with some dead leaves just like a big house cat, finaly I got too close, about 15 yards. I had a lot of second thoughts about doing the trip this year with all the complications, I certainly don't have to go to this much trouble just to shoot a moose. Watching that cat playing by the river without any fear of me reminded me why I do these hunts.



Last year when we went after elk I felt that one reason that we didnt connect was that we spent too much glassing and poking aroung on the river instead of calling and hunting the shore. This year I was determined not to make the same mistake. The guy who I was supposed to go with this year has a rule about elk hunting "hunt where the elk are", well I found an old burn where you couldnt spit without hitting moose sign. The moose were there and so thats where I hunted. I still hunted and called in that burn for 2 days. The wind in the burn was perpetualy swirling and though my calling got some distant, half hearted responses I couldnt seem to make any progress. One evening I had a cow watch me from across the river for the better part of a hour.



I was unloading my canoe, setting up camp, chopping wood, and in just making a general racket. Despite the noise she continued to feed within 100 yards of my camp, she even winded me and blew a few times but did not leave. Finaly I fired up my camp stove and it scared her off. I found it ironic that after all the noise I had been making a product named the "Whisperlite" was what finaly spooked her. Just another neat experience that reminded me why I go to the trouble of doing these hunts, regardless of the outcome the hunts themselves become the real trophys.



I'd finaly got frustrated enough with that burn that on the fourth morning I loaded up the canoe and headed downriver. It rained all night which obscured the full moon and the tempature had dropped so I figured there was a pretty good chance of seeing moose on the river bank at first light. Right off the bat I scared one into some willows, I pulled up on the opposite bank and tryed to call him out but he wasnt having any of it.



A little further down it happened! I'm not sure how I even saw him, with the light and the background all I could see was the light tan parts of a moose... the strip along the top of his back and a little on the top of his head. Somehow my brain picked this up and said MOOSE! I looked through my binoculars and sure enough a little over 100 yards away was a young bull moose looking straight at me. Since I needed the meat I had already decided I would shoot the first bull I could find. The wind was blowing downstream towards him but wind in a pronounced river vally behaves much like the water. It blows down the middle and swirls off in eddys on either side. By deciding which shore looks most likely and hugging the oposite shore the hunter can often buy enough time to get a shot. He couldnt smell me but he had spotted me so I had to act quick. I could see him tense up through the scope so I gave a reasuring grunt and then shot him.



I felt that the shot had been a good one but the moose gave no sign of being hit as he ran off into the bush. I had my eyes locked on where he had dissapeared but just as I was nosing the canoe into the bank somthing caught my attention. Downriver less than 500 yards there was a VERY large moose standing on an island. Through my binoculars I could see that he was 50+ inches easy. "Just my luck" I thought, "if I were to be tracking one of the smallest moose I've ever shot, only to find I'd missed him, while the biggest bull I've seen wanders off down the river." While I was watching the big bull I became aware of a heavy panting close by, the sound of a lungshot bull breathing his last and I started to grin. I'd come out here to fill the freezer and my freezer would be full of about the best meat Alberta has to offer



The bull had died less than 30 yards from where I shot him, another one shot kill for my trusty .270. I found the 150 grain Fusion bullet under the hide on the far side. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to get him in the canoe, a personal record, and I didnt even need to use the packframe. I was still pretty tired by the time I had the canoe loaded though. I am often asked how one gets a moose carcass into a canoe, first off a quality tripping canoe is essential. I lay the quarters on the bottom, put a tarp over them, tie my gear on top, and use the rest of the meat and antlers to trim the canoe out. One needs to be aware of how they lay the quarters or the canoe will be off ballance and poorly trimmed. I usualy have the best luck laying one front and rear quarter in front of the center thwart, and the same aft of the thwart in a kitty corner fashion. I put a tarp over the quarters, put my gear on top, and tie it all in securely. The paddle home is always more fun when you have a hood ornament for your boat.



I was about two days paddle from the takeout so I started making some miles. With the moose in the canoe it handled sluggishly, running rapids consisted of lining up with the best looking chute and praying like crazy. From manhandling moose around all morning my hands and forarms kept cramping up while I paddled. Finaly at four pm I saw an island that I recognized as the one I had celebrated my 28th birthday on 2 years ago while hunting moose so I stopped and fryed myself some moose liver, the first food I had eaten all day. It seemed like a fitting place to celebrate.

This is where I met Mad Mike. Mike came roaring up the river in a jetboat, saw me, and pulled over. At first he didnt seem very friendly but after we chatted about the river, hunting, and moose livers for a little while he offered me a ride home. I could tell that he'd been drinking but the offer was too tempting so we loaded some of the gear into the jetboat and dragged the canoe full of moosemeat onto the jet boat and off we went. It was only at this point that I realized exactly how intoxicated Mike actualy was, in all the years that I've been river tripping this is the most scared I've ever been. The river was shallow and rock studded so Mike had to run it a full tilt and keep a sharp eye out. The problem was that most of the time he was driving with his knee, mixing himself a drink, loading his rifle, and keeping up a running conversation with himself complete with the facial expressions and hand motions of a truely drunk man.
When he was actualy paying attenting to where he was going he was trying to show off or somthing which was just as scary given his state of sobriety. We lauched off of a couple big boulders hard enough to crack the windshield and almost lost the moose meat, another time we roared around the the outside of a sharp bend so close to the bank that I could actualy hear the willows on the bank hitting the bottom of the boat. I was sitting on the outside with the canoe full of several hundred pounds of moose meat between me and Mike, and I knew that if he tagged the bank the canoe would probably take me out. ! Mike saved me a day of paddling but looking back I'd have much rather paddled it. Nice guy though, I offered to pay him for scaring the crap out of me but he refused.

I absolutely loved hunting alone, I probably didnt speak a word outloud for almost 4 days and I was more in tune to the wilderness saw more game because of it, the freedom was amazing. Although I didnt miss human company at all the lack of conversation and distraction made it easyer to dwell on how much I missed my wife and daughter. Periodicly a memory of them would come flooding back and I would laugh outloud or feel a pang in my chest. However, getting away from all the distractions of life and getting my prioritys back in order isnt such a bad thing either so in all I'd say I'm hooked on the solo canoe hunts now.

[sweed]

  What a story...and with pics to back it up!!! Beautiful country... Good young moose...few days with real nature!.... Can it get any better? Thanks to you, and thanks to your partner who did not show! 

[Patocazador]

Great trip. When I read the title, my first thought was "How is he going to get a moose into a canoe?" Thanks for answering the question.

I assume you had a bull-only license otherwise that 100 yard cow moose would be too good to pass up. Then I thought, "Maybe he is bow-hunting and 100 yds. is too far?" Thanks for answering that one too.

I've had my share of "mad Mikes" in my life and feel for you.

I love the photos, thanks.

[Hanshi]

Great story and excellent photos and ended with success; you are to be commended.  However yours was a modern hunt with a modern rifle and this is a traditional muzzleloading forum.  With your admittedly excellent story to be placed in the Primitive Trekking category, well, I'm sorry but it is a double misfit.  A .270 doesn't belong in a muzzleloading topic about primitive trekking.  Please read the rules.  We're happy to have you in the forum just remember we're a Traditional muzzleloading forum. 

[mtnmike]

I also was wondering after reading , but maybe the Boss will discover this fu-faw?

[Red Badger]

The post was moved to open topics where it fits in the loose description - yes it has a modern rifle and modern camp gear but it is still a moving story meant to provide some incentive to get out and explore the wilderness.   

Can any of us actually claim to be 100% period correct when we go out?  If you can great! I cannot...

I need my back brace, other medical devices and I always carry my modern side arm somewhere on me,  my gps or radio gear just in case of emergency.    Beside which I have to lug the generator and internet gear around just to keep an eye on you guys!     

I like to see the adventures of our members and am always willing to be a bit flexible with the rules,  That is why we have Booshways and a Booshway area where we identify posts like this and discuss our options.   We talked and decided to move the post here from primitive trekking where it did not belong and put it here instead of just deleting it or letting it stay where it was.  We are trying to make the site a place where anyone with a story to share has a place to do it, and not be thread counters or on the other extreme a place where you can discuss anything at all...   As long as we are vigilante the site will continue to have a broad appeal and stay relevant to a major portion of the black powder community in general. 

If you have any comments to make after this to me you are encouraged to PM me and we will discuss this.

Jim

[Dogshirt]

"Beside which I have to lug the generator and internet gear around just to keep an eye on you guys! "

HEY! We can behave ourselves.......sort of.

[Red Badger]

"Beside which I have to lug the generator and internet gear around just to keep an eye on you guys! "

HEY! We can behave ourselves.......sort of.

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre you can..... as soon as I turn my back your in the cookie jar..... or in some cases my jug!

[Hanshi]

The thing that really got my interest, exophysical, was the pic of the lynx.  I'm only familiar with bobcats and I've never seen one that allowed a human to get that close.  I can only guess they've never been hunted.  As I suspected, you were in wilderness territory.

[hotfxr]

Even though you used a .270 to bag that moose, you are my new hero for heading out alone and using a canoe. (Canoes are a wily species that are apparently dangerous judging by the amount of members here that have canoe guns to hunt them with.) I couldn't think of one single person I know or have met that would take on that trip alone like you did. Heading off into the wilderness alone, and I am assuming that you were not in close proximity to civilization, going after a large mammal that grows to almost 1,000 pounds, having to cut it up in an area that has large bears, then loading it into a canoe and paddling two days to get back to society is a feat to be proud of. Several years ago up on the divide in Montana I was chased back into a 22' travel trailer in the middle of the night by an angry moose cow that had lost here calf a week before. I was 20 miles from another human at 7500 ft outside of Butte and that mad cow spent 20 minutes ramming her head into the trailer door trying to get me. I only had a 1911 as a weapon, not that I would have shot that sad beast anyway, but after that night I decided if I was ever going to hunt moose I would be using a BAR at the minimum. What a grand adventure and thank you for sharing with us. And I have to add that your pictures were wonderful too. The pics of the lynx are incredible, especially to us down here in the over crowded lower 48 that can only dream of taking a hunting trip like yours. Heck, even your snow trip was more of an adventure than most people would take on. Thank you again.

[exophysical]

Great story and excellent photos and ended with success; you are to be commended.  However yours was a modern hunt with a modern rifle and this is a traditional muzzleloading forum.  With your admittedly excellent story to be placed in the Primitive Trekking category, well, I'm sorry but it is a double misfit.  A .270 doesn't belong in a muzzleloading topic about primitive trekking.  Please read the rules.  We're happy to have you in the forum just remember we're a Traditional muzzleloading forum. 

That's why I posted it in the trekking section instead of the hunting section. I figured the trekking aspect of it was traditional enough, perhaps I was wrong or misinterpreted the intent of the trekking forum. I don't wear buckskin and black powder is something I just started (no season for it in Alberta) but for many years I've been using as little technology as I figure I can get away with to hunt and explore the outdoors. I guess I thought a complete immersion into the wilderness for an extended period, and total reliance on my skill and strength to keep me safe and comfortable was "primitive" enough to be enjoyed by all... now I know better.

[exophysical]

The thing that really got my interest, exophysical, was the pic of the lynx.  I'm only familiar with bobcats and I've never seen one that allowed a human to get that close.  I can only guess they've never been hunted.  As I suspected, you were in wilderness territory.

Up here lynx are not hunted, but they are trapped. Their numbers seem to fluctuate a lot, following the arctic hare population swings. Like I said they can be cagey creatures and even when their population is up you don't see many. However, like I stated, when they are seen I think that they mean to be seen. When one see's a wolf, even a coyote or deer at close range, you have usually surprized that animal and it is high tailing it into the next county. A lynx acts more like a bear that is more or less unconcerned about human presence, unlike bears where some are startled and some aren't, lynx almost always give off the impression that they feel very in control of the situation. They knew you were coming, they know they can run, but instead they sit there and look at you, when they take their leave it is usually in a highly dignified manner.

[exophysical]

Great trip. When I read the title, my first thought was "How is he going to get a moose into a canoe?" Thanks for answering the question.

I assume you had a bull-only license otherwise that 100 yard cow moose would be too good to pass up. Then I thought, "Maybe he is bow-hunting and 100 yds. is too far?" Thanks for answering that one too.

I've had my share of "mad Mikes" in my life and feel for you.

I love the photos, thanks.

Heres a better picture of a moose in a canoe, this little guy was taken this year by me and a partner. We were camped on an island and he came charging in during supper. I literaly put down my plat of macaroni, grabbed my gun, and shot him. This one made it back into the river though and I had to wade out with a rope and pull him in.

[Hanshi]

I lived in Georgia for 60 years and had many run-ins with bobcats which apparently don't act like lynx.  I killed a couple with muzzleloaders and saw many, many more.  To me they are a trophy equal to deer.

I've always been mostly a solitary hunter which was no problem for decades.  Now that I have "issues" my wife doesn't like me to go out alone anymore.  I still do go out alone some but I hunt on private property near friend's houses.  My hunting has slowed down a lot of late; I only hope I'll be able to get out next season.  But to go it alone, in wilderness, over several days where things bite?  Maybe at one time and I'm not even sure about that.  The only real danger, long as you stay clear of gators, is wild dogs.  I know of two people near my Ga home who were killed by a pack plus I've had run-ins with other packs.  Of course we also had a few deaths by canebrake rattler but I always hunted where I was only a modest trip by ambulance to  a doctor.

[exophysical]

I lived in Georgia for 60 years and had many run-ins with bobcats which apparently don't act like lynx.  I killed a couple with muzzleloaders and saw many, many more.  To me they are a trophy equal to deer.

I've always been mostly a solitary hunter which was no problem for decades.  Now that I have "issues" my wife doesn't like me to go out alone anymore.  I still do go out alone some but I hunt on private property near friend's houses.  My hunting has slowed down a lot of late; I only hope I'll be able to get out next season.  But to go it alone, in wilderness, over several days where things bite?  Maybe at one time and I'm not even sure about that.  The only real danger, long as you stay clear of gators, is wild dogs.  I know of two people near my Ga home who were killed by a pack plus I've had run-ins with other packs.  Of course we also had a few deaths by canebrake rattler but I always hunted where I was only a modest trip by ambulance to  a doctor.

That is my opinion on wolves, definatly a worthy trophy. Other than wolves, coyotes, and cougars on a licence though it is illegal to shoot a fur bearing animal in Alberta unless you own a registered trap line. For some animals like rabbits and squirrels this isn't actually enforced, for a lynx or a fisher though you could land in some trouble. To be honest I don't have much interest in shooting a lynx, they simply don't cause any trouble, other than the rabbits they might take some grouse or the odd fawn but I don't think they eat a large amount of anything I care about.