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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

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DD, Ret.

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

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