Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire You can't eat sign....

Or sub-legal bulls (the only moose I saw in a very, for me, truncated season, which runs Sept 1-20 season.

Hang with me here, because I need to go back and forth with text and pics in appropriate places, with losing text.

Chit happens and boy howdy - all told, I got in maybe 3 1/2 days total in afternoons and two overnights in spike camp. After last minute canceling an Interior "any bull" try, I was relegated to hunting locally, in an antler restricted area, where I last hunted from 1981 to 2009. I'm now 75, my old hunting partner is in Alzheimer's care, I've done virtually no back-packing the last 14 years, so my legs don't like me much today, and the moose population out there is - maybe - 10% of what it was in the 80's, due to plant succession, and it's been 14 years since I last even visited my two areas. I didn't expect much more than. camp out, and that's pretty much what I got, but I'm not that disappointed.

The only plus I had going for me is the moose population is so down, hardly anyone is hunting out there anymore, with several positive things that implies.

Area One is closest to home, and runs two miles back in, with little moose activity, traditionally, in the first mile. Access is by game trails. I always hunted that early in season as, using a canoe and several lakes, I can get meat out of there. Airplane use for hunting is restricted during the first 10 days, allowed 9/11-20. Area 2 is 4-5 miles back in, several miles away, and my camp was on a float plane lake. I'd go in there around the 8th, and hunt it - if I got a moose then, or later , I'd have it flown out. I like being the only one hunting an area.....plus the airplane scouters (not associated with me, were often a help in generally locating a bull, but were also competition the last part of the season.

First foray was a fine afternoon, in-season scout, with Honey HalfLab along for a walk out into Area One. We went in a mile, to 2nd lake, and sat for a few hours, just listening. I heard nothing, saw next to no sign, but Honey indicated there was a moose back off the end of the lake. She knows enough now not to talk on caribou hunts, but she's no generalist, and has yet to learn it on moose, so she generally doesn't go on something serious. She's a coming-in bull's best friend..... . We came out late, getting to the truck in the last of walking light, around 9 pm.



2nd attempt was to go into Area 2- but I got turned back about 3 miles in by out-of shape fatigue, a 40 lb pack and several hundred yards of now grown up alder that I just wasn't going to attempt to penetrate with pack and rifle, and a mile to go yet, on game trail. I couldn't even find - sans pack and rifle- the connecting game trail on the other side, and the bog I had to go through after that was probably over my Xtra-tuffs anyway. This is the most water I have seen out there - ever! Not that that would have stopped me- I've hunted with wet feet before.

Back to Area One on next attempt, with spike camp as above. Sunny afternoon, but I had to find new routing in several places due to lake-shore water levels, and grow-up on old access routes. Found some good ones too- better than before - but needs some clearing, and more flagging than I put up so far. 14 years have opened up the forest floor some.

My proposed camp - once a good one, was no longer, but I was now 2 miles in and seeing some sign. I back-tracked a half-mile north thru some pretty nasty stuff, and set up camp at the point of a lake, next to what we always called "The Black Hole". AKA the "Ridge from Hell". It did not burn when the rest of the area did in 1969, so it's mature timber, and a favorite moose hang-out, for obvious reasons. It always had numerous deadfall, but beetles killed off nearly all the spruce over 6 inches dbh, some of which have fallen, along with the some of the very mature birch. This opened it up somewhat and along with all the deadfalls, as I was to find, the grass is chest to head high. I explored a bit in there my last day - lots of big beds, but no way I'd want ro try to get a bull out of there at present.

I was tired, so did not attempt to hunt after setting up camp, which was not entirely noiseless, but breaking sticks, sawing sounds, and rustling poly -tarps are pretty fair moose calls in themselves. Built a fire, boiled lake water for thermos (breakfast!) , canteens, and supper, then let things quiet for a couple hours, until just before dark, when I went out 100 yards or so, and did some minimal calling, raking alder with a plastic jug and a few grunts. I've decided, in the past, I was maybe overdoing it. I heard nothing that evening, but was hoping to catch a bull spooking around the edge of the lake-end bog at first light. Easy 200 yard shot if I did, short pack to the canoe if I did have to bring it in. Remember the antler restrictions: spike or 3 brow tines on one side at least, or 50" and up. One has to have time to ID legality, now.

I miss the old days that when I saw antlers, I had meat! No quarter! . More pics and text coming- posting this first.

Camp, such as it is. I had to drop that back right corner few inches for drainage after it started raining, and I saw pooling - it's been 14 years since I tarp-camped, and that's not the only thing I've forgotten some about! 8X10 for ground, 10x12 canopy - pounds lighter than the dome tent. In our previous hunts, we would have up to 6 pre-set up in various places- only had to move pads and bags, etc- and it would be dry when we got there. No setting up in rain! And inexpensive. Kinda neat too, to look out when a bull rakes 15 feet away in the night. Guaranteed to wake one up!



First light, clear, cold morning, I had just finished my oatmeal and coffee, using thermos water, when I heard a Black Hole bull grunting. I answered grunt for grunt and in he came, grunting all the way and thrashing several times. he sounded like a sheet of plywood in the alders! I figured with his aggression, he'd probably come in well, and he did. But he didn't make any mistakes, and I did. I think I should have gone out to meet him a little farther away, and I misjudged the route he would take. Instead of coming in just back in the timber along the lake shore after he rounded the bog, he cut up onto the low ridge, half circled me (as expected,) and wound up in a cut between the low ridges, Impassible - even he had trouble down in there. I got him to about 40 yards - the problem being visibility was maybe 20. I think he got a whiff of me, even in seemingly winless conditions, went silent, and left (as quietly as he could- not in a panic, just leaving).

Maybe next year... you don't fool these big ones twice in one year, usually. And I have some access clearing and flagging to do.

I went out exploring a bit, in surrounding area that I had never previously explored, and much changed anyway in those 14 years absent. Several hours later I found camp again....right where I'd left it. Forgot to way point the new In-Reach mini, much less read the instructions. No idea where my old e-trex is - maybe 600 miles north in my caribou cave... . But if need be- my compass always takes me out to the road.

I had some must-do the next morning, so left off out of there in late afternoon, planning on returning the next afternoon - also a clear day. Hot Damn! Two in a row without rain!

On way outound a serious of 3 small rut-scrapes, about 5 feet apart, back at lake two- right where Honey had said there was a moose earlier, and not there when I'd come in. Wasn't expecting that really, so gave a couple bull grounds on my way through . I'll post pics after the next text. I did the same on the way back in the next day.

At camp, I went farther out on the ridge up just past the end of the lake from camp, where he'd come up, and did some raking with the dried moose shoulder blade I'd brought in - a different sound ( and better to my ear) from the plastic jug I'd used previously. Nothing. I was hoping maybe for a second bull, with different sound and location, but no luck.

Rained hard all night long (the 19th), starting at 9pm, tapering off about 10 am on the 20th. I can't recall ever seeing, much less shooting a bull in rain, tho I've taken a couple right after or between showers. Plus, with the rain being temporarily abated, and the fact that moose tend to get up and move at such times, especially around mid day, solar (about 2:20 local), the timing was right.

I packed up camp and humped out to the scrapes, getting there at 2:30 local. Figured to....maybe... stay until dark, good familiar trail from there that I could do by flashlight if need be. Only a mile... Dropped gear 70 yards down wind of the scrapes and about 20 off to the side of the game trail which I could cover, as well as the woods behind me out to the open bog connecting lakes two and 3. I hoped a moose would choose the game trail in the semi-opening. I went upwind of the scrapes about 100 yards and thrashed with the blade (as previous 2 times), and give a single grunt about 2 minutes later. Then back to my gear, not really expecting much.

A half-hour or so later, I had action! Pics only from here- it took a while to get here, but I wanted the set up. I did stay for a couple hours after these were taken in the theory that the best bait for moose is another moose, but then the rain came on again, and I left.

rut pit

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ground scenting from whence I'd called



peek-a-boo! I'd just given him an a light antler tap to see what he'd do, and he came looking. Eventually he did a complete circle around me, and paid no attention to my scent - and I was stinky!





After awhile (30 min?) he wandered away down the bog-edge forest. When he was out of sight- maybe 150 yards, I cow called. He came right back, to about 30 feet. What fun!

I was starting to wonder if he was going to try to kiss me. Or something.

These pics were all with my iPhone 7 SE. I'v a couple dozen and 3 short videos.