Sitka deer;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope that the weather up in your section of the world is seasonally appropriate and something you all can live with and that you're well.
We did a quick run up on the mountain behind the house yesterday for the opener of our 15 day bull season here where we're restricted to bulls with no more than 2 points on one side.
It's always a bit of a gamble going into our favorite spots as they might be punching in new logging roads or doing active logging, which was exactly what we ran into at first light, so plan B and the secondary spots were then checked out. We burned a bunch of diesel and saw some gorgeous country along with 3 cows, one calf and too many wolf tracks.
Anyways Sitka, while I am in no way an expert on anything, the hanging carcass weight of our immature bulls down here can sometimes be 400lb and some mature bulls - LEH only - are supposed to approach 600lb according to a couple fellows we know who cut meat.
Before leaving our local moose, there is, in my experience anyways Sitka, absolutely no consensus as to where the Shiras subspecies start and end in our part of BC. So whether ours are Canada or Shiras or a hybrid of the two, if there is actually any difference that is - is hotly debated subject.
One of the time honored things to do here in BC seems to be the practice of "Quartering" the moose, sometimes with an ax or handsaw, but more often than not a chainsaw with veg oil in the thing - or no bar oil.
The ones I've seen are split down the middle of the back first, then they'll cut the half in half again, so a few ribs in from the back.
Also it seems to vary from moose camp to moose camp as to where to split that half. I'd think that a few beers into the discussion it might get downright rowdy in some instances as there's been some really adamant opinions expressed to me over the years.....
Being a former horse and backpack deer hunter, the one bull I took apart I did it gutless first and then I want to say it was 5 pieces, no saw being used.
Oh on the saw topic, I've heard that the new battery operated reciprocating saws with the right blade are now quite popular, but of course that means the batteries have to function in the temps one is hunting at too.
My recip saw is still old school plug in, so unless I find current bushes, it has to stay at home.
A buddy of ours in Whitehorse mentioned that they used to and still might do a "heaviest moose in the Yukon" contest so maybe some of our Yukon members can give information from that?
The photos of the northern bulls from the Yukon and up in Atlin area of BC look way bigger than anything we'll ever lay eyes on down here, but how much bigger is the question.
All the best and good hunting Sitka.
Dwayne