Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: wingnut on August 10, 2017, 07:23:00 AM
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We've been working out for months. Three miles with pack and boots every morning. Gear is finally in place and ready to pack. Bows and arrows about tuned.
This year is special in that Jason is going again and bringing his brother in law, Tyler. Jason has been on wilderness hunts his whole life but this is Tyler's first. I get texts and calls everyday with questions and his excitement is very contagious. Going to be fun for sure.
Jason, Tyler and I fly out of DFW on the 9th of Sept. and into camp on the 14th. John had a schedule conflict so he will be coming into camp on the 17th. Let's say he will owe us for setting camp, cutting wood, packing water etc. but I know he'd rather be with us those first few days. We are going to try our darnedest to have a moose down before he arrives.
Mike
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Sounds exciting. Have a safe successful trip.
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Very envious Mike!
Have fun.
G
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Someday......
Good luck....
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Good luck to all of y'all, Mike!
Bisch
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Remember to pack the camera!
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What bow set up will you be using?
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Will be rooting for you, John and Tyler.
Enjoy a most memorable and safe hunt.
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Good luck! Where are y'all hunting?
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"What bow set up will you be using?"
John is shooting the Elite Origin with Prototype Dryad limbs.
Jason is shooting a titan 19" with RCTX proto limbs.
Tyler is a wheel bow guy.
I'm not hunting this year because I got my bull last year. So I'm carrying the camera and stuff.
"Where are y'all hunting?"
Alaska!!
Mike
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That sounds like a great time. Good luck!!
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Best of luck Mike! My buddy and I will be taking off for Alberta on Oct 1 for a 6 day moose hunt with Bowhunting Safari Outfitters. Can't wait! Weather permitting, there should be plenty of activity during the rut this year!
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With less then 4 weeks to go, Jason and I are starting to get the meals prepared and dehydrated for our moose hunt in Alaska.
Yesterday we prepared Jambalaya and I just put it in the dehydrator. It will be ready to vacuum pack in the morning.
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Got 4 pounds of moose burger with onions, peppers, garlic and seasoning going now. Will finish it today and stick it in the frig.
Will dehydrate tomorrow. This will be used in combo with partial cook meals with pasta or rice and stuff. four pounds equals two more meals.
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We are packed and ready with a moose, caribou and wolf tags. It will be a new experience hunting different animals. It has been a learning curve for the first time.
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30 days to moose camp....
30 days to moose camp....
30 days to moose camp....
AWWWWEEE SHAD UP !!!!!!!!
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Well the Jambalaya finished up last night so I put the cooked burger in the dehydrator. It will complete in a couple of hours this morning.
I'll cook some dirty rice with onions, peppers and moose burger today and get it in the process.
We've got 14 meals to prepare and pack but have plenty of time.
Also will be doing our own energy bars again this year. Might get a batch of maple-bacon bars done today also after work.
Jason and I really enjoy doing the prep for these hunts and I know our hunting party appreciates the effort.
Mike
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Good luck!
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cameras? We have 4 go pros and two video cameras.
Also carry my cell phone that takes the best pics that I can do.
Mike
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Best of luck, Mike. It sounds like a great hunt and I'm sure you guys will have a blast.
I leave for Newfoundland on September 22 and have been packing gear already this week.
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Perfect timing for the rut. Good luck!
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Chuck,
Yep this late hunt unit is a rut hunters dream.
Last year I got a bull on the 3rd day that was following a young cow around like a 16 yr. old school boy.
Mike
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Got some black beans and rice with moose burger done yesterday and dehydrated over night.
6 meals down. . . 9 to go.
Mike
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Mike I know that you got your hands full now, but can you (or maybe you have) share with us upon return your dehydration technique?
Not the recipes...more the how far you cook it at first (all the way, half way?), how you place it in the dehydrater, what kind of dehydrator, how you prepare it in camp, how much water you add etc.
I have read your comments about how great they are over store bought and I would like to do it for my next trip.
Thanks and Good luck ... too.
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A hunt of a lifetime I'm sure. Enjoy every moment, and best of luck.
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A hunt of a lifetime that we do every year. At my age I'm afraid to not go as it could be my last time. LOL
Mike
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Dave,
We have a Cabela's dehydrator. It's large enough to do a dinner for four at one time.
This year with four in camp we will be doing one pot meals.
Really our meals fall into three categories.
- fully cooked recipes from scratch that are just add hot water, stir and wait 20 minutes.
Jambalaya, Chili Verde, Chili Mac, Turkey burrito bomb, etc.
- fully cooked meals from a box with moose burger from the freezer.
Zaterains and other rice dishes
- partial cooked meals from a box with dehydrated meat. Velveeta skillet dinners work well.
All meals are ready within 30 minutes with little fuss.
I dehydrate a bunch of sliced mushrooms to add to meals.
We also take fresh veggies in like potatoes, carrots, onions and peppers. They go well with moose steak, grouse and snowshoe rabbits.
Mike
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Originally posted by wingnut:
Dave,
We have a Cabela's dehydrator. It's large enough to do a dinner for four at one time.
This year with four in camp we will be doing one pot meals.
Really our meals fall into three categories.
- fully cooked recipes from scratch that are just add hot water, stir and wait 20 minutes.
Jambalaya, Chili Verde, Chili Mac, Turkey burrito bomb, etc.
- fully cooked meals from a box with moose burger from the freezer.
Zaterains and other rice dishes
- partial cooked meals from a box with dehydrated meat. Velveeta skillet dinners work well.
All meals are ready within 30 minutes with little fuss.
I dehydrate a bunch of sliced mushrooms to add to meals.
We also take fresh veggies in like potatoes, carrots, onions and peppers. They go well with moose steak, grouse and snowshoe rabbits.
Mike
THANKS!
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Have fun, be safe . I just got back from 8 days fishing on the Nushagak River ... lots of fish !!
best of luck to all
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Got some kicked up Zaterain's Dirty rice with fresh peppers, onions and a couple pounds of moose burger cooking now. Will put in the frig over night and dehydrate tomorrow. I'd do it tonight but I have sliced baby portabela mushrooms dehydrating right now.
Mike
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3 weeks from tomorrow we fly out. Getting pretty real now. Got the dirty rice dehydrating now.
Going to try to get some energy bars made this evening and another dinner. Thinking chili verde with turkey burger.
Mike
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Best of luck and be safe!
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Mike - Good luck on the hunt. I will not be available to see you guys in Tok as I will already be at moose camp. In fact I'm leaving in the next two hours for my cabin! Maybe on your return?
Anyway good luck!
John
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We are fluffed buffed and packed. Leave home in 37 minutes but who's counting.
Fly to Seattle tonight, Anchorage in the morning, gather our stuff in a pile for a day and off to Tok.
Will try and have Connie update with info as she gets it.
Mike
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Have a great trip.
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Best off luck Mike, I was heaed up again this year, but was sidetracked when I finally drew a moose tag in Montana. We are headed back next year.
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Have a fun and safe hunt.
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Jealous here......have a great time. :thumbsup:
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Have been anticipating a grand report whether a splendid harvest or not.
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Jealous! Be safe guys!
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:coffee:
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We are back after a great hunt but no trad bow kills so there won't be a story here.
Mike
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Certainly am hopeful you and the team enjoyed a wonderful experience.
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Originally posted by wingnut:
We are back after a great hunt but no trad bow kills so there won't be a story here.
Mike
Surely theres a pic or two you could share of the scenery :dunno:
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Did you have a good trip........????? :dunno:
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There’s gotta be pix!!!
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Dang Mike! I just stumbled over this post and I always look forward to your stories...give us some details. I know there had to be some "almosts"! :campfire:
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As always we had a great trip. I had hunted dall sheep a bit further up this drainage back in the early '80's and felt it would be a good place for moose. It is. Since the young man with us (his first hunting trip to Alaska) did not take his bull with a trad bow then we'll stop there. But we saw lots and lots of dall sheep, a wolverine, a grizzly, a HUGE black bear. and had three close calls on bulls with trad bows.
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Still sounds like an awesome trip. All this time I never realized y’all (most of y’all at least) were in Weatherford Tx. A coworker and his bride live there.
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We had a great trip and as John said Tyler got a bull but not with trad equipment. So I'm going to show some pics of the area and camp and tell what story I can.
Well shortly after my last post before we left. We are on the plane headed to Seattle. Time to get a couple of hours of shuteye.
(https://i.imgur.com/07uWQeCh.jpg)
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Two days of retrieving gear and organizing. Headed to Bass Pro to pick up licences and tags.
Soon we were headed off to Tok and the next morning headed to moose camp on the Cubs.
(https://i.imgur.com/zEvMbYzh.jpg)
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Jason and Tyler and one gear load headed directly to the gravel bar while I boarded a 206 with our other gear headed to an intermediate strip. They landed, unloaded and looked around. Here they are on the ground in moose camp.
(https://i.imgur.com/oqz4jhWh.jpg)
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Looking down stream from the strip.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZjjOVdzh.jpg)
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I arrived and we got to work.
In order of priority:
Shelter, water, fuel
(https://i.imgur.com/wkkQYEah.jpg)
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No pic or filtering water but the gravity filter works great and goes directly into the 10L dromedaries.
We left a few rounds from last year stashed above high water and cut a couple of dead snags.
Here is a pic from camp across the gravel bed. It's about 300 yds. to the far treeline.
(https://i.imgur.com/5weCOSph.jpg)
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Here's one looking up steam. There are Dall sheep in almost every one of the basins shown in the pics.
(https://i.imgur.com/curL4eSh.jpg)
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Got everything taken care of, had a bite to eat and took a walk down stream a mile to see if we could find a place to cross if needed. Last year the stream (river in Texas) was way to deep and swift to try to wade. This year we had about 1/2 the water and found two possible spots. If we need or want to hunt the other side we can. Good to know.
Back to camp before sundown and had some dinner.
It was a restless night. I bet I woke up 20 times looking at my clock to see that we weren't late getting up.
Before daylight we were up, coffee made and a breakfast of bagels and honey/butter consumed.
Our plan was to head out above camp, traverse the 3/4 mile across the flat and climb to a glassing point to see the area. We made it maybe 400 yds. Stopped and gave out a cow call. A bull answered to our right. John and I had played with a bull in that spot last year. So we moved to a better spot downwind of the bull and called again.
Another answer and another bull up hill of us grunts also. He's closer so we move to get the wind and cut the distance. We cow call again.
He is now grunting on every step and headed our way. Jason and Tyler are forward and spread out with me on the butt end of the "T".
The bull sounds like he's about 200 yds out but we haven't got our eyes on him. This area is 50" minimum or 4 brow tines on a side. The bull hangs up and starts moving to our left. Then another bull #3 appears up hill about 400 yds out. He's legal for sure. We are now surrounded. And then the wind switches from down stream to up stream and it's over.
Not a bad first 2 hours!!
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With the bulls moving uphill into timber and downstream, we decide to check the beaver pond that I shot my bull on last year.
Upon arrival we find that the water level is down 50% from last year making shots much more friendly to trad equipment. We decide to build a small ground blind directly across from where my bull ended up before.
I've got a great pic from the blind but it has Tyler's bow in it. too bad.
We applied a bottle of Cow in Heat around the pond, cow called to "prime the pump" and moved back towards camp.
On the way back we ran into a couple of grouse and Jason made quick work of one with his recurve. Lost the hero pic but here's one of him cleaning it in the water.
(https://i.imgur.com/kLtOpqKh.jpg)
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That afternoon we hunted into the wind downstream to an area we'd seen from the air but hadn't explored before. Found a small pond and had a bull grunting at the end of the day. Chased a snowshoe around the thick willows and found a set of sheds on the way back to camp.
(https://i.imgur.com/RWcewjsh.jpg)
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Back to camp for dinner as the sun was setting. And that was Day 1 of the moose hunt!
Mike
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That evening we talked about what we wanted to see and do on Day 2. We again wanted to get up high to overlook the area. And we wanted to see the area the bulls were headed towards on Day 1. So after coffee and bagels we were headed down stream and then up the hill. It's only a 1/2 mile to the up slope here so we made good time, stopping every few hundred yards to call and apply Cow urine. Then we started up and dang it's a lot steeper then it looks. We saw old sheep hunter tracks using this route so pressed on. Finally we got to about 50 yds below the ridge and not wanting to skylight ourselves set up to glass under a couple of small trees. It was colder today and the wind was about 20 mph. The new First Lite vests and puffys were soon out of the packs and on. Pretty dang warm in those.
Here's a view from our spot:
(https://i.imgur.com/REUr1y0h.jpg)
As you can see there was not much to see. We had hoped to see down into the trees but only got trees. We spent 4 hours glassing and seeing nothing. So decided to check out a big wash we could see down stream from our position.
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Lovin it Mike!!
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It's a waiting game, for sure.
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Living large! Looking forward to every detail -
beautiful country!
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Wonderful photos
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Man that's beautiful country!!!!!
Loving the write up :thumbsup:
:campfire:
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Other than flushing a few grouse nothing much happened the rest of day 2. John is due to join us on day 3. He had a family obligation that prevented him coming in with us. We decided to go sit the blind at the beaver pond for the day with hopes our calling and cow in heat scent got some attention.
It was an exciting morning for sure. We had bulls grunting and I got to hear a cow in heat trying to keep a bull off of her all morning. They were all over the woods to our right but never got closer then 100 yds or so. We thought about going after them but with them running all over felt we would get busted for sure and the wind was not good. The one thing about moose is don't let them smell you. The can hear you coming and think your a moose or even see you and think your a moose or at least not a wolf or griz. But if they smell you they know it's not right. About noon we heard a cub down valley from us and thought that John had arrived. So around 1 we gathered our stuff and headed down to greet him. On the way we found this in the middle of the creek bed.
(https://i.imgur.com/s4BWwoIh.jpg)
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This bull had to have been a wolf kill not long after John and I left the year before and not a winter kill. They shed their antlers before the winter sets in.
He has great brows and would have been a nice bull to take. He's only 52" wide though.
When we got back to camp. No John. We got some chores done and had a hot lunch and sent John a text via InReach to see what his status was. He was waiting at 40 mile air for the cubs to return with a moose camp that was coming out that morning. He finally arrived at about 4.
Here are some pics John took on his way in.
(https://i.imgur.com/GchdDTYh.jpg)
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Having trouble with Imgur. will try again later today.
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Beautiful country........
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(https://i.imgur.com/xRr5rX4h.jpg)
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The wind was wrong that afternoon to get back to the pond so we decided to get John settled in and hunt from camp. We regularly see bulls on the creek bottom in the afternoons. But this day brought nothing.
Our plan for the next morning was to split up with Jason and Tyler going to the beaver ponds while John and I headed down stream to explore beyond the big wash we'd been down a couple days before.
John and I worked slowly as I'd heard a bull here before and we saw fresh bull tracks in the willows. As soon as we crossed from the willows to the spruce all heck broke loose. There were grouse everywhere. John was trying to bring them down with his bow and couldn't understand why it was shooting so poorly. We discovered when we got back to camp the limbs were reversed top and bottom throwing the tiller out.
During the next couple of hours we got into no fewer then 15 grouse and managed to only kill 2. Pretty poor for a couple of experienced guys. But that did mean that we now had 3 in the cooler and it was time for grouse alfredo.
Jason and Tyler got to the pond and had a bunch of action. One bull sounded like he was coming from across the pond only to hang up out of sight. Another bull was off to the left but never showed himself. Cows were leading these guys around and not wanting to come to the water.
They did call in a small bull to 15 yds and get some video of him. Things died down and they decided to meet us in camp.
Jason's back was acting up so he decided to hang in camp that evening while Tyler John and I went back to sort out the beaver ponds. We heard bulls in the distance but never got any in sight. At dusk we started back. When we turned the last corner and had the strip in sight we saw a bull standing 30 yds from camp. We closed the distance to 100 yds only to determine he was not legal and will need another year. When we got back we found that Jason had be splitting wood and the sound had called the bull in. Jason was in the trees 25 yds from the bull wth bow in hand trying to make him grow as we approached.
It was time for grouse alfredo.
First part out the grouse:
(https://i.imgur.com/EaqJs66h.jpg)
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Brown in butter:
(https://i.imgur.com/pTjKFrCh.jpg)
Braise in rum, onions, garlic and water until tender. Add dehydrated noodles and Alfredo sauce.
It was amazing.
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That sounds good enough to eat....... :biglaugh:
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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The one thing I can assure everyone is that when Mike and Jason are hunting with you, you eat well. In the last photo above you can see the oven (yes, the oven) that Mike and Jason built that serves as an in-line spark arrestor, a heat exchanger, and an oven just above the titanium wood stove. Ever had fresh biscuits in a fly-in camp? Ever had peach dump cake in a fly-in camp? How about baked potatoes? In my decades of hunting every year in Alaska I've normally lost weight during my hunts. Not with Mike and Jason however!
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What a great trip. One day o hope to have the same opportunity. Thanks for sharing.
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The next morning Jason and John teamed up to hunt above camp where we'd gone the first day and Tyler and I headed to the blind on the pond.
Not long after sun up we heard the bull across the pond again and this time we had the wind and hauled butt in that direction. I'd never been up that way so naturally picked the wrong route. The pond or ponds are actually 3 ponds shaped like a sideways U. Ours is on bottom with the middle the top between us and the bull. The best way would have been around the right side and into the center of the U, we went left. Anyway we got there and the bull was still grunting in the trees about 200 yds. in front of us. He finally stepped out but was sideways. It's real hard to judge size from a side view. He ended up 540 yds. out before he turned to my bull calls. Dang he is a big bull.
(https://i.imgur.com/G5EMTjMh.jpg)
This is taken with an iPhone through the binos and hand held.
He looked over 60" with real big front palms at that distance.
Mike
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Great stuff. Keep it coming. And thanks!
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That night in camp we talked about the bull in the pic above. We believe he's the one we saw on the first day and the one that was coming down to the other side of the pond and hanging up for 3 days. It was decided that the best way to get him was probably the .308.
So the story of the hunt stops here.
They didn't take that bull but one committed a grave error on the way to the pond.
pics of Tyler's bull can be seen our our Facebook page.
We served as butcher and pack mule for the next day and a half and then went back to hunting.
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Tyler became the video guy with John and Jason packing their recurves.
That night a storm came in and left us with wind and rain in the morning. It was time for biscuits and gravy for breakfast. We listened to the rain for a few hours, read, and discussed the plan for that evening. As noon came and went Jason made a chicken vegetable soup for lunch. About 2 the rain cleared and the wind laid down. Jason and Tyler wanted to check out the wooded area upstream from the beaver pond and John and I went above camp and worked downstream in the trees calling every couple hundred yards.
Jason and Tyler found a lot of fresh sign and ended up coming back to the pond from uphill by following a major game trail. The stopped by the blind and made a single cow call. A bull grunted and came at a dead run. They had seconds to get ready before he burst from the trees and ran across the pond right into their lap.
He was another sub-legal bull that would not leave. He hung around for a 1/2 hour between 15 and 30 yds. Go figure.
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Day 10 was a total bust in the morning. No moose, no calls, nothing. We decided to check out some more new territory. John's surgically repaired foot and ankle were giving him some trouble so he headed for camp. Jason, Tyler and I headed into what we now call the "enchanted forest". This place had moose trails like cattle trails you see in the grazing country. And then we ran into grouse. .. many grouse. And Jason kept hitting them with arrows and they kept flying off. Ended up with only one.
Crazy.
Off to camp. When we got down to the creek we found the cause of the moose being quiet. Fresh wolf tracks right in our tracks from yesterday. Looked like a group of 4-5.
Usually when wolves hit your valley the moose hunt is over. Moose hear a wolf howl and they head for the heavy timber and shut down.
We talked about it in camp that afternoon and decided to not only have the meat transported the next day but to ask if we could get out also.
We got up had breakfast and broke camp. While waiting for the cubs to arrive we had a nice legal bull come out across the gravel bar. Jason tried to get into bow range but the bull had other ideas. Well he's seed for next year.
here's a nice pic either Tyler or John took
(https://i.imgur.com/tN97EHIh.jpg)
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Awesome! Thanks for posting a story after all Mike, there may not have been a trad harvest, but there was trad hunting for sure!
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:thumbsup:
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:clapper:
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What an adventure-we’ll done
What are the tent/tipi’s. Seek outside?
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Great story, pics and adventure. Thanks for letting us tag along.
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Would you mind commenting on the brands of boots, jacket and pants you used for this hunt?
Wondering how the boots did against the steep, rugged, and wet terrain? Same as to rain gear; was it tested against heavy rain and did it keep you dry? Looking for tips on what brands to shop for.
Great trip report. Thank you
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Thanks for telling your stories. Moose must winter in your valley, and from the looks of the found rack, so does the wolves. Beautiful photos!! Mike
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Very cool . That is BIG country . Looks like it is a long way to everywhere .
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:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
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A word about gear. Our tipis are a 12 man and 16 man Kifaru. John has had the 16 man for a while and with up to 3 guys and gear for a 2 week hunt it's great. John and I hunted out of the 12 man last year and it was good for 2. We felt that with 4 guys and gear this year we'd take both. It worked out great. Everyone had room and we both had Ti wood stoves for evening and morning.
Clothing was all FirstLite.
Mine was:
Corrugute Guide Pant Fusion Camo 2
Uncompahgre Puffy Fusion Camo 1
Uncompahgre Puffy Vest Fusion Camo 1
Vapor Storm lite Jacket Fusion Camo 1
North Branch Soft Shell Pine 1
Dobson Boxers Pine 4
Red Desert Boxers Pine 1
Llano QZ Fusion Camo 1
Chama Hoody Fusion Camo 1
Chama Hoody Pine 1
Allegheny Bottom Fusion Camo 2
Halstead Tech Fleece Dry Earth 1
I'll be picking up another Fleece and Llano this year.
I took 2 pair of boots:
Zamberlan mountaineering boots
Lowa Heavy hikers
Will go with one pair next year. Probably the Zamberlans.
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Thanks for sharing, love the pics and the equipment list.
Gilbert
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Depending on temps I left camp with Allegheny bottoms Guide Pants on the bottom and either Llano or Chama base layer with the Halstead Fleece on top. The Halstead Fleece quickly became my favorite top.
Jason and I both had the FirstLite Mountain Cold socks for the first time and loved them.
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Thanks for sharing. Loving it n
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I should also note that all four of us were running Kifaru packs. Johns is an older Tactical frame and pack, Jason and Tyler had hunter frames and Longhunter packs with the new cargo nets and mine is a new Tactical frame with a Reckoning bag.
We were really impressed with the cargo net attachment. It makes a large bag into a compressed day pack and also allows for handling meat bags and heavy loads much easier.