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

]



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.

I hope someone takes me down off the mantle and takes me moose hunting when I'm 75.

Man...that is a great write up on your hunt.
Admire what you was doing on your ownfor sure.👍🏻

It suuuks you couldn't shoot that moose in that area but if it was in another with no restrictions you could have.
And with you saying you hadn't hunted the area in 14 yrs and basically no one hunting the area like you said now.
The state should have a max# harvest for a area like that then shut it down once that # is met.

A different approach instead of antler restrictions.

So I'm guessing it used to be a popular area and good #,s and good bulls got taken out of it and the antler restrictions are put in place to allow it to rebound again.


Some states have exceptions that allow older guys and kids to harvest game outside of limits that apply to other age groups.
Geuss they ain't got nothing like that up their for just the scenario you encountered with that young bull.



Question....

Could a NA up their have shot that bull in that area per NA sustenance hunting rights like they are able to on their lands.

Glad you had a good time…

It is so odd how I hear different things about game pops, from different people. I was told by a few people including biologists that the moose population is WAY higher now than it was in the 80s, at least in the interior and Togiak areas.

Thanks for posting! Great pics and story!

Great story and pics, las. Thanks.

I would think the best part of a moose hunt at 75 would be NOT shooting a moose.

Great pics and cool story, las. You still have the skills!

Enjoyed that, thanks.

Impressive hunt solo at 75 years old. Good job.

I hope you weren’t talking to the unit 13 bios they destroyed the unit 13 caribou through their mis-management.

Some key pieces were left out, unit 15 suffered from an over population of brown bears. Calf survival was non existent, a lot of 15 sits in federal park/preserve and the feds were in denial about the brown bear population. The state told them there is x amount of brown bears in unit 15. Feds were no their isn’t, well 10-11yrs ago they finally had a brown bear hunt on the federal preserve not in the park with a 10 bear quota if x amount of sows were shot the hunt would be shutdown.
First few days some bruisers were shot, anyhow this year the feds finally said they have a bear problem. On state lands it was opened to bear baiting for brown bears few yrs ago. I like to think the moose population is on the rebound and your suggestions would not work. Granted the 2 brow tine bull in the pictures needs be taking out of the gene pool. He will always be a 2 brow tine bull, chances of that bull getting to over 50 inches is slim to non.

Well done.

Well done and well told, las!

I can sit here reading this, 5,000 miles away, and smell the woods, feel the air, and hear the life around you.
Brings back a lot of great memories!

Thanks for sharing this with us!

Ed

Gotcha..
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Basic Pollyanna mismanagement from office cubicle .gov know it alls.

Then schit bites the hunters in the azz...

Then rose colored glasses .gov types "come up" with a halfazz,d solution kinda mirroring what should have been the solution in the 1st place.

And they present it as their original idea.
while knowing that they know that everyone knows they monkey fuuked the football to begin with.


Sounds like many TWRA decisions down here in ways...

Mesmerizing

Great story and some cool pics.

Very cool, thanks for taking us along Las.

Thanks for sharing. A bucket list for me.

79s dropping some knowledge....

Also if they did have an any bull registration hunt and shut it down once quota was met, would be a disaster half the state would be down on peninsula to hunt for an any-bull. People in this state will travel great distances for an easy bull moose hunt.

Great read man

Even the shelter was awesome

Excelente las!

I really enjoyed that. Thanks for taking us along. 👍👍

Bad ass!

Thank you for the write up!

From Kenai Peninsula Moose News
The moose population in 15A peaked in the early 1980s following large scale wildfires in 1947 and 1969 and continued to decline
since this peak.


las was in 15A where moose numbers tanked from predators and mature plant succession since those fires.

The 160,000 acre Swan Lake fire in 2019 will eventually help a bit, but the majority of 15A is thick and overgrown. Add to that the big, mature, spruce that have been beetle-killed and blowing over in the wind storms, it’s a tough area for man and beast.

Good news: it’s close!

I enjoyed reading that. Good on ya' for getting out there and getting after it!

What I need now is a couple youngsters with the following qualities:

Age 25 -40
Good physical shape for carrying meat through jungle
Smart enough to know better.
Dumb enough to go anyway.

PM me if you know someone like this.

Two would be better. Might lose one out there.

I'm looking for the same thing here, or in AZ to help should I ever get lucky enough to fill a tag.

Unit 17 mainly, but also a few others. This word hasn’t come solely from biologists….but also from air transporters, outfitters and old time sourdoughs that have hunted particular areas for 40+ years.

I haven’t talked to biologists in unit 13 at all though I saw hundreds of caribou there this summer.

Super enjoyable story and great pics!

TY for sharing LAS

Man quite the adventure. Thanks for the tag along. More impressive at 75. Few would attempt it solo I dare say.

You didn't get a moose but could've if regs were different and done more than most of us will in the next 2 seasons. Congratulations on both your success and accomplishment in that regard.

What I always wondered about backpacking into a hard to reach area to hunt was, how do you get a bull moose to the truck after you kill it? If you're worried about the weight of carrying a dome tent how do you pack out a moose? Not a smart ass question, I really would like to know. I've only deer hunted in the eastern woods and mountains where I could drag a deer to an access or logger's drag road, and get it onto a truck or 4 wheeler.

I really enjoyed that - thanks for sharing.

Good stuff, las! Sounds like time well spent in the woods!

Great pics and write up! Hope you get your Moose!

The old joke is that for a moose too hard to get out, just build a cabin next to it and spend the winter eating it!