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DoubleD
.400 member


Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2386
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma
My 70th Birthday Moose hunt.
      #305994 - 04/10/17 01:28 PM

I have been moose hunting once before in Quebec 20 years ago. I knew absolutely nothing about Moose hunting then and had a wonderful time catching a boat load of northern pike-but no moose. I have not done anything about moose since.

I have been looking at BearPaw Outfitting out of Peace River Alberta for a number of years. My son has been hunting with them 2 or 3 times. I had talked with a number of their references over the years. I have also a couple of times talked with Scott Taylor the owner. Sadly Mr. Taylor passed away last year at the young age of 52 years. His wife an partner Sheila Taylor along with the staff of guides are keeping the business going. Everyone I talked to was positive and upbeat about this company. I will turn 70 years old in about 6 weeks. As a gift to myself I bought a moose hunt in Alberta with BearPaw.

We arrived at the Bear paw lodge September 23 and hunted from September 24 to October 2. We drove 2200 miles up from my wife's home in Oklahoma.

When we were nearing Peace river we started seeing moose sign.





Weather was clear and sunny most days with daytime highs ranging from mid-50's f to one day in the mid-80's. Nights were clear with the moon from half to near full moon. Night time temps in the 40's and high 30's except for one night towards the end when it dropped to 27f.

This is a bit warm for hunting, but the fall color change was in full swing and it was beautiful.



Never the less we did see moose.



My wife went on the trip with me and often went out with us. It never hurts to have an extra set off eyes! She wasn't real happy about getting up a 5:30 am. But she did.



During the hunt we sighted 41 moose, mostly cows. We did see 7 bulls. Three of the bulls were very young, not worth taking -this year. One huge bull, the largest we saw, was seen at 900 yards across a hayfield with 7 minutes of shooting light left. We did not have a chance at this animal and we never saw him again. Two other moderate size bulls were spotted downwind on property we did not have access. Attempt was made, in spite of the wind, to call them to us. It didn't take long for them to wind us and leave.

The seventh bull was spotted with 1 hour left of legal shooting light on the evening of the 9th and final day of my hunt. We found him in a field that we had checked almost every day and only saw bears and a single female,on one day. My guide Justin spotted the bull about 800 yards out and called him in. Justin had placed me in a spot to sit and shoot, and I sat in that spot and did not move until told.

Several weeks before the hunt my wife had me go in and get my eyes checked. I was found to have a cataract in my right eye, right in the center of the lens. That made seeing sights and cross hairs difficult. I am left handed but normally shot rifle right handed. I can shoot left hand and today, I did. I was shooting sitting, left handed.

Before the hunt Justin had briefed me on what to expect. He had told me that once we located a bull he would start cow calling. He said the bull should react to the call and come in very fast. He cautioned me about taking a straight on frontal shoot, saying there was to much chance of the bullet ricocheting off the breast bone.

When Justin started calling I could not see the moose. I was sitting at a point brush on the edge of a canola field, with the field curving around the corner out of sight behind the brush to my right. As soon as Justin made his first call, he said, “here he comes, get ready”. In a couple of minutes less than 5, Justin whispered shoot! I shook my head no. I couldn't see him. Justin signaled me to scoot out so I could see around the corner where the moose was. I did and could see the moose through the brush facing directly at me from about 40 yards, no shot-brush in the way and a straight on moose. Justin made a love-sick cow squeak. The bull put his head down and started towards us. While he was moving I scooted 5 feet further forward and aimed in on the moose. The bull was stopped about 30 yards from me, ever so slightly quartered, left side to me. Now I could see him. I put the cross-hair half way between the sternum and shoulder and fired. I heard the whack of the bullet hit.

Justin had told me earlier to keep shooting until the moose dropped. As I was awkwardly working the bolt left handed, I saw the moose take off running with its left leg flapping around. I fired a second round, holding on the front edge of the chest and fired and heard another whack. I worked the bolt and saw the moose spinning around, looking like it was coming back at us. I aimed and fired, and heard an odd whack, saw the moose drop and dirt fly up in the field. Wow Moose down.



I have been hunting for almost 60 years, and there I was shaking like shooting my first deer at age 14. My first and probably only moose. Not a big one, but a best one with one hour left in the hunt, and mine



The rifle is 338/06 IMP, built on a 98 Mauser in Gunsmithing school by me in 1984, The barrel was from the late Chick Donnelly and was approved for me by Chick's father in law P.O. Ackley who was in the shop the morning I picked up the barrel. The stock is a piece of Myrtlewood given me by an old friend for a school project. He had cut the blank himself from his farm near Langlois, Oregon in the 60's. Scope a mid-80's 3x-9x Leupold. Bullets Sierra Game King .338, 250 gr SP.

When the Guides skinned the animal they found a bullet hole between sternum left shoulder- first shot. That got left lung, heart and liver. Another hole at top front left rear ham that went under spine and out the other side-the second shot. And, a grazing shot on top of back just behind the hump, the last shot.



https://youtu.be/RGr886GSXEY

--------------------
DD, Ret.

Edited by DoubleD (05/10/17 01:13 PM)


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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26413
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: DoubleD]
      #306005 - 05/10/17 04:17 AM

Did a number on that heart, didn't cha!

LOL - well done DD.

Moose can be really exciting & a hunt everyone should go on at least once. They are such a big animal and get the heart rate up pretty good.

Nice young bull, too - good shape, good genetics - that will be good eating.

No better spagetti-sauce than made with moose burger.

Mixed 1/3-1/3-1/3 with beef and pork - BEST hamburgers or for Hamburger steak meal with gravy and onions. OH boy !

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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93x64mm
.416 member


Reged: 07/12/11
Posts: 3954
Loc: Nth QLD Australia
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: DarylS]
      #306009 - 05/10/17 07:10 AM

Nice one DD!
Would have been a lot of work to get that one into the freezer mate!
Best not to tell Daryl your address....he'll invite himself for dinner!
Well done.


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Rule303
.416 member


Reged: 05/07/09
Posts: 4896
Loc: Woodford Qld
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: DoubleD]
      #306014 - 05/10/17 09:00 AM

Well done DoubleD. Good write up.
I hope I am still hunting when I am 70.


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Iowa_303s
.400 member


Reged: 22/03/13
Posts: 1014
Loc: Iowa, USA
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: Rule303]
      #306015 - 05/10/17 09:07 AM

Well done DD!
Great photos and write up.
May you have many more hunts in your future.

--------------------
Matt

formerly known as Iowa_303

"Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely."

"Enkelkinder über alles"


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DoubleD
.400 member


Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2386
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: Rule303]
      #306016 - 05/10/17 09:36 AM

Thanks guys.

Hope guys liked the little bit of humor I interjected into an other wise dry hunting story? You did catch it didn't you? I tried to be subtle.

The Guides quartered the carcass and we hauled it to the butcher this morning. 1/2 of the meat will dropped off in Innisfail and will used for the banquet of the meeting of the Victorian Rifleman next June. The butcher will make steaks, roasts, hamburger, and sausage meat for me from the other half. The butcher has estimated I will get about 280 lbs from my half.

When the carcass was quartered the guides revised their opinion of the path of shot two. Shot two hit the top front left rear ham and looking inside it exited through the hip bone, traversed forward and exited the chest cavity right under the hump. There was no evidence the bullet exited the shoulder.



There are two round holes and one ragged in the ribcage. The two round holes go into the shoulder. Some might say this suggests bullet failure. I don't. Any bullet that penetrates the hip bone of a moose surely is going get damaged. Then to travel 45 to 50 inches or more and exit the rib cage into the shoulder, that bullet did not fail. I suspect also this bullet may have been responsible, at least partially for the liver damage.

Here is the entrance hole inside the chest cavity from the first shot. The brisket to the right.



--------------------
DD, Ret.


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Iowa_303s
.400 member


Reged: 22/03/13
Posts: 1014
Loc: Iowa, USA
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: DoubleD]
      #306017 - 05/10/17 11:04 AM

I love the one about "seeing moose sign". Real subtle!

--------------------
Matt

formerly known as Iowa_303

"Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely."

"Enkelkinder über alles"


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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26413
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: Iowa_303s]
      #306020 - 05/10/17 01:36 PM

Yeah - I chuckled at that too - we also have moose, deer and elk sign, just like those.

We even moose and deer crossing signs.

Just like the lady in Michigan said," "How do they get the deer to cross at those signs" Another - putting signs up like that on busy highways is irresponsible and will just get the deer killed. They should put the signs on non-busy secondary roads where there is less traffic."

I think those two are on Hillary's team.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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lancaster
.470 member


Reged: 06/05/08
Posts: 8664
Loc: There's a lighthouse in the mi...
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: DarylS]
      #306022 - 05/10/17 02:53 PM

waidmannsheil

--------------------
Norwegian hunter misses moose, shoots man on toilet
.
bringing civilisation to the barbarians


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Rell
.375 member


Reged: 03/12/04
Posts: 642
Loc: Oyster Bay, NY, USA
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: lancaster]
      #306026 - 06/10/17 01:46 AM

Great farm land bull.

Congratulations.

--------------------
450-400, 9.3x74r and 7x65r.


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Rod4861
.300 member


Reged: 12/06/07
Posts: 243
Loc: Queensland, Australia
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: Rell]
      #306614 - 19/10/17 09:34 AM

Well done on the hunt and write up.

Rod


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DoubleD
.400 member


Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2386
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: DoubleD]
      #306631 - 20/10/17 12:27 AM

Quote:




When the carcass was quartered the guides revised their opinion of the path of shot two. Shot two hit the top front left rear ham and looking inside it exited through the hip bone, traversed forward and exited the chest cavity right under the hump. There was no evidence the bullet exited the shoulder.



There are two round holes and one ragged in the ribcage. The two round holes go into the shoulder. Some might say this suggests bullet failure. I don't. Any bullet that penetrates the hip bone of a moose surely is going get damaged. Then to travel 45 to 50 inches or more and exit the rib cage into the shoulder, that bullet did not fail. I suspect also this bullet may have been responsible, at least partially for the liver damage.





Heard back from the guys in Innisfail. When they butchered the meat, they found no bullets or bullet fragment. They said two round holes went all the the way through and appeared to have exited the carcass. The jagged holes had nothing in them and didn't go through the ribs. I was not present when the guides skinned the moose so I didn't see the hide, to verify the two pass through's.

That that 250 grain .338 Sierra Game King has been my go to bullet in this .338/06 IMP and has never let me down. I have killed a truck load of deer with it. Does the job real well and reasonably accurate also. During the annual 3 shot scope check sight in, it regularly shoots right at inch groups. When I built it, it shot better than it does now. Not sure if that is because the gun has been used for 33 year or I had 33 year younger eyes back then.

Daryl, I haven't made spaghetti yet but we did make my mother's widow's pie a version of shepard's pie and my wife made her taco soup, an Oklahoma style mild chili with the hamburger. Excellent.

We also had some T-bone. Wow. My wife is not a steak eater (beef steak) but she loved these.

We are headed on to Oklahoma in the morning. We had frost on the windshield two days ago. Time to get out of Montana.

I need to get another gun ready for my next hunt, a Whitetail Deer hunt in Ford, KS with black powder Cartridge rifles. The is the last part of my Birthday hunt package.

I think I will do another video.

Edited by DoubleD (20/10/17 05:46 AM)


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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39058
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: DoubleD]
      #306826 - 26/10/17 06:53 AM

Well done DoubleD. Enjoyed reading it, and still have to watch the video later.

Re humour, picked up on the moose sign, but also thought about the fridge magnet I have on my fridge. Also the photo of your wife, and the comment about getting up at 5:30am, funny, was it intentional?

Hope all your birthday hunts go well or are at least good fun. Plan some more for 71.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"


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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26413
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: My 70th Birthday Moose hunt. [Re: NitroX]
      #306836 - 26/10/17 08:32 AM

DoubleD- looking forward to it.

Daryl

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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