Eagle picture

[Caribou]

A-n-8s!! That is beautiful picture!  Great lighting, too.
Your Alaska-Yukon moose makes my Shiras moose look like a coyote! :D
Carolyn

[Caneyscud]

SS,

That's a great offer!  I have a degree in wildlife biology and another in natural resources.  I've never worled as a biologist though.  When I graduated from college (wow, 20 years ago now), I tried to get on with the PA Game Commission but it was very political and I had no connections plus, I wanted to follow in my forefathers tradition, so joined the military.  Then when I got out, went to work in pharmaceuticals.  Would love to get into the wildlife biology field but I'm afraid it's passed me by.  So, now, I live vicariously through all you guys with your great pics!  I still may take you up on your offer though  ;D

SD

I grew up dreaming to be a marine biologist - then I graduated with a construction degree - go figure.  Put food on the table, but 30 years of knowing this was not my calling!  My great uncle was a game biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife.  He was the MAN to me! 

Shakespeare
The Bard of Hot Air

[stillsmoking]

I started out to be a biologist than realized that about half the people I worked with on a commercial construction crew had biology and/or teaching degrees.  I left construction and the biology classes and never looked back!

Got a moose story too.  I may be one of the few people who can claim to have wrestled a moose and lived to tell about it.  Used to be a young male moose at an unnamed zoo, the wife and I had followed his progress from the time he was a calf and used to drop in to see him on a regular basis.  We were at the zoo one fall morning and this young bull was really kicking his heels up.  Running around his enclosure, shaking his head, pawing at the ground and in general spoiling for a good fight.  He would run over to us after making a circuit of his pen and stretch his neck out to where I could rub his nose, (old friends, we had done this many times in the past).  His antlers still had some velvet left on them.  I told my wife this poor guy has some itchy antlers and wants to fight.  Reminded me of steers that can be pretty playful at a certain point in their lives.  Eventually I reached down grabbed his antlers and gave his head a good shake or two.  He loved it!  Would run around the pen kicking up his heels then come back for another shake!  This went on for about half an hour then other people started showing up so we left.  I should say that the pen was situated so that the moose was completely below our level and really had to reach and stretch for me to get hold of him.  I would not suggest this method with any other moose.  Sure made for a fun morning and a memorable experience though!

[Caneyscud]

Only moose story I have (not too many moose in Texas)  is being scared to death when walking along the Snake River near the Grand Tetons (Love saying that) and I found myself between a cow and her calves.  Froze and backed up and nothing happened.  I do have a giraffe story though.  Used to be a wild animal farm near school (Texas A&M) that I would frequent - they let me go places others couldn't.  There was this "tree house" that overlooked the ostrich.  One day wanting to get an above ostrich eye-level photo of some of their dusting behaviour, I snook up into the treehouse.  Being totally engrossed in taking photos, I was oblivious of what else may have been happening around me.  When all of a sudden something warm, wet, and slimey wrapped itself around my face at mouth level.  After browning my underwear, I turned around and saw the biggest head I have ever seen - I had just been french-kissed by a giraffe!! :o :o  I must say though after a couple of years of not finding anyone who would go out with me at college and missing my girlfriend back home, it really wasn't such a bad experience.  She ended up liking having her "horns/antlers" scratched.  Over the next year or so, I would end up in the treehouse (it was a feeding station for her I finally learned) often to repeat the experience - the scratching - not the kissing.  The next year she had a baby.  Got a good pic of the baby that I have recently done in watercolor.  I'm gonna see if the local zoo wants the painting.

Shakespeare
The Bard of Hot Air

[Smoking Duck]

OK, here's the moose story.

It was my first year in North Dakota.......they have a lottery system for moose tags.  Never in a million years did I think I would get drawn as there are folks who had been trying to get one for 20+ years but I figured for a couple of bucks, it was worth the try and if I didn't get drawn, well, I would just be donating to the DNR.  So, I filled out the application.  Lo and behold, I was drawn.  Now, here I was a kid who'd grown up in the east and while I had my widlife background, we never really got much into moose because we just didn't have them around.  I can tell you everything you want to know about whitetails, but not much about moose.  So, I rented a bunch of videos and thought I was ready.

Now, getting a tag in North Dakota is a once in a lifetime event.  Once you are drawn, you can never hunt moose in North Dakota again, even if your hunt is unsuccessful.  This fact would play into some of my decisions later.  Also, the moose in North Dakota are a subspecies of the huge moose you would see in Alaska, Canada, etc.  It is the Shiras moose and these do not get as big as the ones you usually see pics of.  That being said, they're still huge animals.

Once drawn, I had to choose whether I would bowhunt or gunhunt as the two seasons are at different times.  And, once you made your decision, you were stuck with that.  Being a diehard bowhunter, I chose the bowseason as it was a month long and usually the rut fell into this timeframe.  I also had to hunt in the area where they told me to hunt.  I was up in the Turtle Mountain area which borders to Alaska and was about a 100 mile drive every day, each way.  So, I bought a little truck and made the trip each and every day.  I had more than enough leave stored up (I was in the military at the time) and was in it for the long haul, if need be.

Here is a map of the location:



The rut did not kick in like it should have that year, so most of my hunting was spot and stalk, which is difficult to do since most of the times when I spotted them, they were out in an open field and there wasn't much cover to stalk and the wind swirls quite a bit up there, making scent detection rather easy for the moose.  I had probably about 7 unsuccessful spot and stalks on bull moose that I thought were of decent size.  I even once had a hunter harrassment situation with a couple from Canada.  One of the nice things about North Dakota is that if the property isn't posted, you are free to hunt it and very few properties are posted.  So, I spotted a pretty decent moose in a small bog-like pond.  Drove up the road about 1/4 mile and began my stalk.....actually got to about 70 yards from the moose and figured I needed a minimum of 20 yards to feel comfortable with the shot (I had practiced quite a bit and got to the point where I could put 10 out of 10 arrows into a pie plate at 70 yards, but with a bow just didn't feel comfortable unless 50 yards in).  So, as I'm making my way to this bull, a couple from Canada stop their vehicle and the lady jumps out of her car and starts running towards the moose, clapping her hands and yelling at it to run!  Well, this was day 27 of the hunt and now, I was ticked.  I was not far from the road at this point, and there were some large rocks on the side of the road where they were parked........so, I flung an arrow (it was nowhere near her) but it hit the rocks and they were aluminum arrows at the time and they pinged off the rocks.  Next thing I see is her elbows and arsehole running as fast as she can back to her car screaming "He's shooting at me! He's shooting at me".  So, while I was upset about the harassment, I giggled like a schoolgirl at watching her run and scream.

Back to the hunt:  After that day, as I drove the 100 miles back to my house, I decided that I would try and set up a ground blind as I had watched a cow moose crossing this two track every single day.  WIth 3 days left to hunt, I was gonna put some moose meat in the freezer.  (See drawing at this point)

I arrived about 1.5 hours before daylight and set up a ground blind where I had been watching the cow moose cross into the woods every single day.  The wind was coming out of the south that day, so I figured my scent would not be a problem.  After setting up some branches and clearing the leaves from the ground, I awaited the time when I saw her every day.  I had also been watching a nice 4x4 whitetail and had a tag for them as well, so figured I might get a shot at one or the other.  As hunting luck would have it, the cow moose doesn't show up (like she had the previous 27 days).  SO now, I'm thinking this was a waste of time and energy.  Just when I'm getting ready to walk back to the truck to do some spotting and stalking, I hear something walking lightly to my west (I was facing south at this point).  I think it's the whitetail because it was moving very lightly.  All of a sudden, the animal starts thrashing a bush.  Now, I couldn't see more than 5 yards in any direction other than south because the bush was really thick.  But, when I heard it thrashing the bush, I just knew it had to be a bull moose.  So, I try grunting, cow calling, everything and the moose never pays attention to me but continues walking behind me.  It walks directly behind me about 10 yards to the north of me and at this point, I figured I'm busted because the wind is blowing directly from south to north.  But, the moose never lets on that he knows I'm there.  I'm still trying to call to him and nothing.  There were a ton of leaves on the ground and trying to stalk him in the woods at that point wouldn't have worked.  Finally, he stops again and starts thrashing a bush.  So, I reach down beside me to a branch on the ground and start mimicking the sound he made.  By this point, he was behind me and to my left, but starts walking towards me.  Now, as he's walking towards me, I realize that I've got no shooting lanes in this direction.  I'm on my knees and am able to get the bow drawn back without him detecting me (their eyesight is poor).  This huge animal is getting closer and closer to me and I've got to wait until I've got a clear shot.

Finally, the bull gets about 8 feet away and I have an opening.  I let the arrow fly and watch it go deep into the moose.  Well, here I am practically face to face with this animal that weighs over 1000 pound on the hoof and I realize I can't get another arrow in him.  When I hit him, he kind of rocks back on his back legs and that's when he sees me but good!  I'm trying to find my knife in my BDU pockets thinking he's gonna attack me and I'm gonna have to try and stab him as best I can.  Then he comes running right at me........I take my bow and throw it to the left hoping that he'll see the blur of the bow and then I tuck and roll to the right.  Sure enough, the moose runs at the bow and stomps it once and then runs further into the bush.  It was at this point that I realized that nobody had any idea where I was and if I'm hurt bad, I'm screwed.  At this point, I'm shaking like a leaf in a 70 mph wind and then hear the bull crash.  It had run about 40 yards and died.

You'd think that would end the fun there, but there was more.  My friends (who lived 100 miles away) told me if I got one, to call them as they had a 4 wheeler and a big trailer and we'd haul it out rather than quarter it.  Big Mistake!  So, I decide to gut him before I made the call.  Now, gutting a bull moose is a huge undertaking.  I was pretty much completely inside the belly of the beast cutting and pulling and I'm covered in blood from head to toe.  Eventually, I get it gutted but I didn't have a cell phone or anything, so I drive to the closest place I can find........the Border Patrol office.  Just to clarify, at this point, I'm not thinking very clearly and I walk into the border patrol office in camo, completely covered in blood and ask to use the phone.  Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as one of the officers starts reaching for his weapon!  Realizing what this must look like, I quickly put my hands up and say, "Listen, I just shot a moose with my bow and only need to call someone to help me get it."  After showing my military ID and drivers license, the officer believes me and then we're talking like we're old friends. 

My friends finally arrive with a 4 wheeler and huge trailer and truck.  So, in order to get this beast out of the woods, we have to wench the head of the moose about 4 feet up in the air and back the 4 wheeler up to the moose and tie his head to the back of the wheeler.  Now, there ar no paths to ride back there, so we're breaking brush as we go.  In order to keep the 4 wheeler from popping up, we've got one guy driving and two of us sitting up front on either side of the 4 wheeler.  There were some places where we had to wench the 4 wheeler and moose just to get it moved but we finally gety the moose on the trailer.  The best part was as you're travelling through the little towns of North Dakota, everybody stops you to see it and then buys you beer.

I finally get it to the processor and then realized, all I have is a refrigerator with freezer and what am I gonna do with all this meat?  Eventually, filled my freezer, gave a bunch to friends and then a bunch to a homeless-type shelter.

The bull ended up with a 34" inside spread which is okay for Shiras, but it's a hunt I'll never forget.  I only wish I had it on tape.

SD 

[Caribou]

What a great hunting experience!  Thanks for sharing it with us.  I got worried looking at the diagram before reading and thought maybe the moose ran to Canada....then died!
Boy did you keep your cool. 8)
Carolyn

[HCT]

Great hunt, great written story SD. You had me on edge all the way.
I enjoyed the part with the tree hugger. Crazy lady could have gotten herself in serious trouble with the moose.
How much meat did you finally get?

SS and Caney, really enjoyed your stories also. Great experiences. :)

[Smoking Duck]

Over 450 pounds........I only got to keep about 75 pounds and gave the rest away........I'll also say this:  give me moose meat over venison any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  I like venison, but moose meat is much better, IMO.

SD

[stillsmoking]

Caney, I laughed out loud!  I can totally see that long tongue snaking around your face!  I grew up with livestock (ask my wife!) and have been surprise slurped a time or two.

Duck great story, lots of planning goes along with hunting the big boys the fun is all over once you shoot.  A friend and his hunting partner had about an 850 pound moose materialize about 8 feet in front of them this year.  Thick brush and they knew he was around just didn't know where.  The moose had fighting and fornicating on his mind, luckily one of them had the space to get a quick shot off and was able to follow up before things got physical.  Both said they were shaking the whole time and glad it was over quick.  Had another friend who was scoffing at them but then told his own story of being face to face with a 7 x 7 bull elk this year (bow hunting, first time for elk).  The elk was in range, the bow was pulled back but this was the first time he had been that close to a big bull and had the shakes so bad he couldn't get the shot off.  These are all grown men and experienced hunters.  I like moose too but would hate to choose between elk and moose.

[Caribou]

I agree with SD...moose is the best!
here's my rating scale based on personal game eating experiences, best to worst:
Moose, elk, deer, pronghorn, rutty caribou..YUCK!
my hubbie shot a dall sheep and said the meat was wonderful.
wait I got to add raw beluga whale to the right side of my wild meat scale. double yuck!
Carolyn

[Smoking Duck]

Hey Carolyn,

My two biggest goals yet to accomplish are elk and caribou with a bow.  I'd love to hunt grizzly with a bow (there's just something I love about hunting something that can hunt you back  ;D) but don't think I'll ever get that chance.  I may have to hang at your house a couple of days and see if you can get some animals to come to your backyard like you did the turkeys and I can just set up on your back porch!

SD

[Caribou]

Hi SD,
I think my hubbie and you would enjoy sharing hunting stories.  He is a rifle hunter and has been to AK a few times.  His pride and joy is an AK/YK moose he got in 1990.

It's official B&C score is 244 and he just submitted last year.  We got the B&C Fair Chase magazine and it is (so far) listed in first place for the 6 year award period which ends in 2010...even though it was from 1990.
Now we do most of our hunting on our own place...but not on the porch! :D
We have some decent whitetail deer, but not has nice as the one you posted in another topic. 
We do have elk that show up on our place, but never on the seasons we think of buying an elk tag.
I have a great video of one of my steers challenging a bull elk!
Carolyn

[Smoking Duck]

Now, that is an incredible moose.  Congrats to the hubby!  That is an awesome trophy!  I'll have to post a pic of my latest whitetail.......it was an awesome hunt......stalked him for about 400 yards through water, briars, etc but well worth it.

Dang, that moose is really an incredible specimen!  Great taxidermy work as well.

Sd

[Caribou]

Thanks SD!
I thought I saw a huge whitetail you posted somewhere in the forum, I was trying to show it to my hubbie but couldn't find it!
Please post it and make us drool!! :D
My hubbie is an artist and luckily befriended a taxidermist that wanted paintings.  So, for each thing he had mounted he paid for it with a painting.  We are not rich, he was just lucky that his boss loved big game hunting and sent him every year on a hunt for his bonus.  We would never have afforded it, the taxidermy either!  He has two full mounted grizzly bears, too.  They are mounted.walking not standing, though.
Now that he is self employed he just boils his own deer skulls and makes European mounts of them.
Carolyn

[stillsmoking]

Beautiful moose and taxidermy!