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12-09-2017, 08:37 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Grande Prairie
Posts: 274
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Successful Season - First WT and Moose
Been browsing these forums for a few years now and figured I would post about my success this year! I started hunting about 4years ago and got lucky in my first season filling a November antlerless elk undersubscribed tag. Much of which was to the help of my grandpa and his long time friend. Since then I've been spending most of November up north for hunting season and early trapping season, but was unsuccessful in tagging anymore animals besides our yearly goose hunt. Fast forward to this year and I finally was able to have some success on my own, self taunt.
Lots of help from those on this forum, I read lots of threads on all the different aspects to hunting. As well thanks to whoever sold me the the Leupold VX2 and Gord for selling me a new, warm jacket at a great deal. Big thanks the Dean2 for helping me mount the scope when I wasn't able to!
Come November my wife was great about letting me going out hunting every weekend while she stayed home with our young twins. I didn't have any permission on private land so I was hunting public land near the city. Although I've heard lots of bad things about how pressured these properties can be I was luckily enough to notice no one else seemed to be hunting this one. The first time I was out I spooked a doe and was set up with game trails all around me so I knew I was around the right spot. Next time I was out I decided to check out more of the property and spooked more deer a few times. Finally on Nov 19th everything came together. I didn't hunt the morning because of staying up late, around noon my wife asked me if I was going hunting and I jumped at the chance to get out. I wasn't until about 1pm before I made it out there and started hiking in to set up. Having to circle the entire property to avoid winding myself. I got set up in my lawn chair with back to a small stand of poplars and just an open field behind that. I started off with some light rattling and grunting for a few minutes and then sat still for about half an hour. I did some more aggressive louder rattling and doe bleats after that. Another 20mins later I seen a deer making its way towards me from about 250yards out. From a distance I thought it was a doe. As it slowly closed the distance to about 150yards I decided to take a closer look and noticed it was actually a 4x4 buck. I immediately decided I was gonna take him. I sat motionless until he stepped out into the open at about 100yards and I put one through the ribs. I knew I had hit him good because I could see the bullet hole. I watched him run about 125yards and fall over. I immediately called my wife! I shot him at 3:28 and sun down was at about 4:30 so I knew I had to work fast. I got him gutted and skinned, removed the front shoulders and skull loaded them and my gear up first and hiked the half mile back to my vehicle. By the time I was headed back it was now after 5 and I was walking back in the dark. I got the rest strapped to my pack and awkwardly hiked it back with light from my cell phone. Lesson learned, keep a headlight in your hunting pack!
Next up was my antlered moose draw. I headed to Dixonville on the 24th to the family farm. It snowed about 6" on Sunday so we weren't seeing any animals around. Finally on Monday night we spotted 3 different cows with calfs enjoying the evening sun. We moved on another mile and spotted a moose 1/4 mile away. As I was getting out to take a look with the binos I noticed two moose through a bunch of poplars. I grabbed my rifle and closed the distance and took a look through an opening. As soon as I spotted horns I put one right behind the shoulder. He turned and circled 25yards and I put one right through the otherside. After we skinned him out the bullet holes were lined up so well you would think they were an entry and exit hole. We gutted it out and then had to make a trip home for a sheet of plywood and a come along but we finally got him loaded. Proud moment for me and my grandpa getting my first moose together with a rifle that belonged to my great grandpa.
All in all it was a special season using a .270 owned by my great grandpa and harvesting two firsts for me. The whitetail was also rattled in with a pair of antlers that was owned by an old trapper that just passed away two years ago. He was a long time friend of my grandpas and had the line just to the north of ours. Both animals were shot with 130gr Federal Powershok. Bullet went clean through the WT but was able to find the two shots on the offside hide of the moose.
Last edited by JoshT; 12-09-2017 at 08:41 AM.
Reason: spelling
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12-09-2017, 08:47 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Calgary, SE
Posts: 428
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Congrats.
Congrats on a great season. Good looking animals.
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12-09-2017, 09:00 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Mountain View County
Posts: 34
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Thanks for sharing! That's a nice looking whitey. And cool pics of the bullets.
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12-09-2017, 09:08 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,345
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Congrats ,
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.....Only here for buy n sell....
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12-09-2017, 09:12 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 379
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Great write up and photo's. Congrats on your success and a memorable season.
Thanks
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12-09-2017, 09:15 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Dreadful Valley
Posts: 14,586
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Excellent story, and congrats on the critters.
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There are no absolutes
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12-09-2017, 09:18 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Grande Prairie
Posts: 97
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That's awesome!
Great year...congrats
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If God wanted us to be vegetarians, he would have made broccoli more fun to shoot!....
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12-09-2017, 09:23 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Medicine Hat
Posts: 3,214
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Nicely done. Some great eats there !!
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Participating in a gun buy back program because you think that criminals have too many guns is like having yourself castrated because you think your neighbors have too many kids...
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12-09-2017, 09:43 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 5,647
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Success and a full freezer!!!
Congrats and thx for sharing..
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12-09-2017, 10:05 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: St. Albert, AB
Posts: 1,178
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Awesome job Josh Glad the jacket kept you warm you look good in it
Gord
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12-09-2017, 10:19 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 326
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Nice , calf toboggan works great in snow more animal fast out then work safe at truck
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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12-09-2017, 10:20 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Sherwood Park
Posts: 4,318
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thanks for sharing, great pics and congrats
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12-09-2017, 10:32 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,886
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Great write up, congrats on an awesome season!
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12-09-2017, 10:35 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Manitoba
Posts: 1,529
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Thanks for posting!
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12-09-2017, 10:42 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: My House
Posts: 13,446
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What a tremendous story of a season to remember. Thank you for posting.
Go figure... young hunters on AO learning and being helped by older hunters on AO leading to success in the outdoors. Whodathunkit?
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12-09-2017, 10:48 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 5,151
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Brilliant! Congrats man, that's just awesome.
Always have the pack in the truck, sometimes that's the only way to get them out. But once it snows, keep a plastic jet sled or calf sled in the box as well (upside down, so the bottom of the sled stays smooth) and a couple of 2x6's for a ramp. Costco, peavymart etc will have the sleds.
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“Nothing is more persistent than a liberal with a dumb idea” - Ebrand
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12-09-2017, 11:09 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Communist state
Posts: 13,245
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Absolutely awesome, congrats on your season, and the fact you used great grandpas 270 makes it even better!!!
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12-09-2017, 12:06 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: NW Alberta
Posts: 136
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Very very good job young man. Looks like you have caught the bug and with a lifetime of hunting ahead of you in this great province, I’m a tad envious.
Specs on the rifle Josh, .270 in a Husqvarna?
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12-09-2017, 12:18 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: AlbertaSask
Posts: 4,179
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Great story's and great pictures, Thanks so much for taking the time to post all that up, it's always fun to see how others are doing out there..Much appreciated...and congrats is in order as well.
Zip
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"Never be ashamed of scars it just simply means that you were stronger than what tried to hurt you"
"Good judgement comes from experience, and experience...well,That comes from poor Judgement"
"KEEP SMILING"
Zip
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12-09-2017, 01:40 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Provost
Posts: 5,006
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Congrats on your success. Great pictures.
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12-09-2017, 01:46 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 1,392
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Good job, mate! Thank you for sharing.
And good on Dean for helping the guy out! Good job all around, guys! Way to go!
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12-09-2017, 01:51 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Morinville
Posts: 699
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Great pics and write up , I too was warned of heavily pressured areas , but when I hunted these areas 90% of the days I didn't see or hear sign of any other hunters.
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12-09-2017, 02:28 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: High River, AB
Posts: 10,788
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Happy for you Josh. Some nice meat in your freezer for sure.
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12-09-2017, 03:10 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Grande Prairie
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3blade
Brilliant! Congrats man, that's just awesome.
Always have the pack in the truck, sometimes that's the only way to get them out. But once it snows, keep a plastic jet sled or calf sled in the box as well (upside down, so the bottom of the sled stays smooth) and a couple of 2x6's for a ramp. Costco, peavymart etc will have the sleds.
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Yes, my wife gave me heck for that. I was telling her I wanted one just a few weeks prior. I spent two days with sore hamstrings after hauling it out and she teased me about not buying one sooner.
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12-09-2017, 03:12 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Grande Prairie
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stricks
Very very good job young man. Looks like you have caught the bug and with a lifetime of hunting ahead of you in this great province, I’m a tad envious.
Specs on the rifle Josh, .270 in a Husqvarna?
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It's a Winchester model 70. Manufactured in 1968. If I remember correctly, they call it a deluxe edition? Was only offered from 64-71 or something along those lines.
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12-09-2017, 07:38 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,387
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Congrats and thanks for the fine write up. Keep it up.
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12-09-2017, 07:49 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 2,960
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What a great season! Congrats on 2 fine animals.
I picked up a $20 black toboggan from Can Tire years ago and it has pulled out lots of critters. A shoulder harness for pulling is also a good idea.
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12-09-2017, 08:28 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Central Alberta
Posts: 593
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Great season, big congrats. Great shooting
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12-09-2017, 09:00 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,502
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Very well done for sure, thanks for posting, keep it up.
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Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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12-09-2017, 10:36 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: onoway, Ab
Posts: 6,956
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Congrats on a tremendous year and thanks for posting.
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