A reminder to know your prey

[Kurt505]

Was out scouting/hunting this weekend, I was with my sons and a friend I brought out from the city and a couple of my friends were out hunting as well. All I had for tags are deer tags, my son and my friend from the city had deer and elk tags, and my other 2 friends had moose draws, one had a bull draw, the other had a calf draw.

Saturday my friend with the bull draw got his bull, nice young bull and by 1pm in the afternoon he already had it in the cooler. Sunday I get a call around 9 o’clock they shot a calf and asked for my help tracking. So with my youngest son and my friend from the city we went over to where they were to help track.

We had got to where they were and had just started in after it when my oldest son called me and said he was at the road so we went back out to the road to get him.

When we got out to the road there was my Jeep, my sons truck, my two other buddies truck and two game warden trucks. One warden was with my son and the other went in to check on my buddies because my son had said they had a calf hit.

The warden asked to see our hunting licenses even tho none of us were outside of our vehicles with any weapon whatsoever. Not a big deal to me because I keep it in my pack and don’t go in the woods without my pack.

We were on the road with the one officer when the other officer came back out and had found my two buddies and their calf, but it wasn’t a calf, it was a small yearling. It was an illegal moose. It was with a mature adult cow so my buddy thought it was a calf and shot it. By the time the warden had got to him he already had it gutted and tagged.

The wardens were understanding of what had happened and even said it was small fo a yearling, but it was definitely not a calf. I have seen bull calves the same size in November, but I could tell as soon as I seen the head that it was no calf. My buddy is an experienced hunter, has never poached in his life, and didn’t even know he had killed an illegal animal.

We helped the wardens and my buddy pack the moose out, we were all making the most out of a bad situation, it was a case of mis-identified animal. The two wardens, Derrick and Mike were great to deal with, and did their job without any attitude or prejudice, friendly and understanding but had a job to do. Turns out they were on their way to check out a bear trap when they happened along a bunch of trucks on the side of the road and figured they would check it out.

My buddy has a court date, no moose, and most likely isn’t feeling too good today all because he didn’t know how to identify a calf moose. This sort of thing is probably one of the most common type of wildlife offense. If guys are going to apply for calf draws, or even shoot whitetail does, you had better know proper species identification. I don’t feel sorry for my buddy, he’s a big boy and should have known better, but it’s one more reason I disagree with calf draw licenses. Two of us (me with a bad knee) were able to put a stick through the back legs of the moose (with the hide still on) and carry it out to the road through an ugly bush, that’s how small the moose was.

So if anyone is getting a calf draw, be dam sure you know what a calf looks like. Don’t go solely by size, don’t think a light colored coat means it’s young, look for a short snout and small ears along with a small body size, and if you have any doubt, don’t shoot, tomorrow is another day. I didn’t have to write about this but I know it was a mistake on my buddies part and I know nobody wants to make this mistake so take this as a reminder before it happens to you!

Good luck out there this season fellas!

[Dweb]

Thanks for an honest write up and friendly reminder to us.

[58thecat]

wow thanks for the honest write up and reminder to all....in the excitement of the perhaps brief moment the potential is there...best let it pass until you can ensure....this happened to a buddy of mine in Saskatchewan too...seasoned hunter....just got caught up in the moment....called it in....lost the animal and loss of the privilidge to hunt for one year.

[Grizzly Adams]

Calf or small yearling ? It was with a cow, there should be some lee way here, one would think. Argue it in court. Game wardens aren't experts. Had a buddy argue over a bear years ago and win.

Grizz

[Positrac]

Thanks for starting the thread Kurt. A good warning and reminder for anyone heading out with a calf tag.

And I would agree there should be some room for leniency in this case with the yearling being with a cow. An honest mistake but a mistake none the same.

[elkhunter11]

This is a good reminder, and it is one reason that I don't apply for calf tags. As far as leniency goes, yes it was an honest mistake, but if you are not 100% sure, then don't shoot.

[Zuludog]

Thanks for sharing. This is a good heads up for us all.

[Jamie Black R/T]

Derek is very good at what he does, he is based out of our local office. Dealt with him a few times on roadkill's and RAP issues. Always seems on top of things and friendly.

Ive never been on the receiving end of his ticket book but nice to hear he is fair with guys. Im sure it helps that they owned up to it like men.

[JD848]

Thanks for posting this and yes mistakes are made, Specially this time of year they are small,in another 2 months they will put on another 100 pounds.

A calf shot this time of the year is 4 months or so old,much much small then a yearling 16 months old.Unless the cow is shot a calf is never alone, that bond is very strong in moose. I seen calves stay at gut piles for days looking or hoping there mother will come back.

Most season hunters know what a calf looks like and if they don't after years of hunting they should stay out of the bush . I know about 5 guys who shot yearlings crying they thought it was a calf and they knew darn well it wasn't, and paid up after court but a mistake by a younger hunter can happen. The ones that sneek them home always say they got there calf knowing full well it's a yearling before they shot.

You pay the fine if you don't pay attention, it's all part of hunting. This is why bino's are an important part of moose hunting incase some ones eyes can't figure it out,but then again don't shot, Scouting and seeing calves gives your brain a perfect look at what calf looks like.

JD

[58thecat]

I had a cow and calf walk by me today and the calf was a fair size 2/3rds the size of the cow..really dark like mom too..if the calf was by itself...hmmmm…..really got to be careful.

[Kurt505]

It’s pretty clear we all see this the same way, and I think JD brought up a good point, a big bull calf at the end of November would be very similar in size, if it’s not something you take into account I could see this being an easy mistake. The one sure thing to look for if you ever do have a calf tag is the relatively small head and ears, the long snout takes a year to develop.

Calf draws are like a recipe for disaster imo, it should be antlered or anterless. Even with antler restrictions you have the ability to count points, like a 3 point elk or 4 point mule deer. I know this guy didn’t set out to poach, he shoots whitetail does and puts a general tag on it, he’s not an antler hunter, it really was just a bad judgement call that a lot of people could make. I’ve drawn one calf moose tag in my life about 20 years ago and I don’t have any urge to ever do it again.

[savageguy model 111]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

yes it was an honest mistake, but if you are not 100% sure, then don't shoot.

I have to agree not much more to say on this matter.

[bessiedog]

Dang Kurt

That so sucks man. That’s a waste of good meat. Real sorry it happened.

On the same vein but on a lighter note. Way back in the day.... a buddy of mine who was new to duck hunting zipped out to Bens lake out by Willingdon - Hairy Hill area.

Phone me up all excited cause he limited out on ducks.... wanted me to help him clean-pluck em.




Coots..... every one.....

[JD848]

I shot a young spike bull one year and when I walked up I thought hell a calf with spikes.

It had broken a knee at some point and it was small , you couldn't even eat the meat it was so tough,so it can swing the other way also Kurt thinking you shot an adult the size of a large calf. .It dress out at 200 pounds and large bull calf in dec goes around 180 to 190.My biologist was my part time butcher and he thought calf until I showed the leg and head.That year I bought the best victory zeiss bino's I could find,the selection is much better now then 30 years ago.

This is why I stress on good bino's and double checking every thing out before you shoot or ever pull the trigger.

I check the color of the hide more then anything else,where I hunt those sick parasite moose even calves have grey hairs and dull looking hide I just pass on them. Mostly on the up neck part to the hump you see the grey hairs on the sick ones.

A healthy animal looks healthy ,plus I eat what I shoot or don't hunt it.I have shot some big black dark bulls that were fine eating,so here again it's double checking and looking hard at your food your going to kill.

Bino's and good binio's are your best friend when hunting,much cheaper then going to court.

JD

[bucksman]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Calf or small yearling ? It was with a cow, there should be some lee way here, one would think. Argue it in court. Game wardens aren't experts. Had a buddy argue over a bear years ago and win.

Grizz

The officers have no proof it was with a cow would be the only issue. Not calling the guy a liar by any means but unless the cow was still standing there when the officers pulled up it would be impossible to prove that you thought it was a calf because it was standing with a cow. Hope everything works out for him. Terrible situation, hopefully they chalk it up to honest mistake

[kidd]

This reminds me of an episode I experienced about a decade ago. I had a calf tag and was sitting on the side of a logging road watching three moose in a cut block. One of the three was much lighter in color and was smaller than the other two. I was not convinced that it was a calf - the nose seemed too long and the ears weren't right in my mind. I figured that I would need to pass - I could not convince myself it was a legal animal.
As I sat there watching the moose, a pickup pulls up and the lone occupant gets out. He asks me if I have a calf tag and I responded that I did. He then asks me if I am going to shoot, to which I replied that I was not convinced it was a calf. He then said "damn right that's a calf" and he pulled out his rifle and shot it. I watched him head off to tag his animal a couple hundred yards away, with a pronounced limp and oversized rubber boots flopping around on his feet. I wondered how on earth he was going to retrieve the moose over all that leftover brush in that clear cut. I guess I will never know if it was legal or not but I am glad it wasn't me who would have a hell of an afternoon and evening retrieving it.
kidd

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

Dang Kurt

That so sucks man. That’s a waste of good meat. Real sorry it happened.

On the same vein but on a lighter note. Way back in the day.... a buddy of mine who was new to duck hunting zipped out to Bens lake out by Willingdon - Hairy Hill area.

Phone me up all excited cause he limited out on ducks.... wanted me to help him clean-pluck em.




Coots..... every one.....

The meat never got wasted, they did a good job gutting it and we had it out of the bush in good time. Hopefully the wardens got it skinned out and hanging in a cooler in short time.

It’s a lesson he will no doubt never forget, and I would be willing to bet he only applies for a bull moose draw from now on.

I only posted this because I know he wasn’t out to poach and it was an honest mistake but a mistake non the less. This is a reminder so others don’t make this mistake, it’s a costly one for those who aren’t intentionally out there poaching.

[kujoseto]

Thanks for sharing the story Kurt.
Hopefully there is some leniency but I’m sure he’s set to have some consequence.
Good reminder that there is more to do with hunting than non hunters would realize. I’m sure it’s eating him up and I hope he can cut himself some slack. Like you say, honest mistake and he’s not at the mercy of the law enforcement. My experience has been that they are typically pretty good at verifying a guy’s story and seeing through any bs

[sns2]

Could happen to anyone. Gotta be so careful.

[KazIce]

Thanks for sharing. I hope the court is fair. It’s a great lesson for everyone else on here reading.


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[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by kujoseto

Thanks for sharing the story Kurt.
Hopefully there is some leniency but I’m sure he’s set to have some consequence.
Good reminder that there is more to do with hunting than non hunters would realize. I’m sure it’s eating him up and I hope he can cut himself some slack. Like you say, honest mistake and he’s not at the mercy of the law enforcement. My experience has been that they are typically pretty good at verifying a guy’s story and seeing through any bs

From the way the officers conducted themselves I think they could tell there was no ill intentions on my buddies part. It’s a mistake I know I would not have made but hearing his story I can see how he and others could have made it. The tracks on the road where the moose walked in looked like a big moose and small moose, I don’t know if it was a case of the mind seeing what it wants to see or what but it is what it is. It would suck to lose your license for a year over something so easily preventable. Reinforces the fact you should never shoot until you’re 100% positive.

[Jimmyd]

Originally Posted by sns2

Could happen to anyone. Gotta be so careful.

X2

[no-regard]

I'm yet to hunt moose, hopefully someday, however this past spring while sitting for bear I had a cow moose walk past, the second I've seen in the wild.

I'll be honest in that I wasn't sure what I was seeing, it was relatively tall with a long nose. I'm thinking a juvenille - 1 or 2 years old?

Here's a couple pics, thanks.

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by sns2

Could happen to anyone. Gotta be so careful.

X3. Totally agree.

[no-regard]

Any insight into the age of the moose in the pics I posted above? It would be appreciated.

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by no-regard

Any insight into the age of the moose in the pics I posted above? It would be appreciated.

It’s not a calf.

[simplify]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

It’s not a calf.

agreed...key indicator, look at the nose, way too long to be calf

[coxy95]

Check out Zip-n-Z's thread in the general discussion to see what a calf looks like

[Lefty-Canuck]

This closed thread... goes to show the misinformation people hold onto...

The banned member was asking for a picture or indication of a 13 month old moose, well when moose are that specific age we can’t hunt them . They are born in the spring and we don’t hunt them at that age.

As per regs 12 months and under is a calf, older than twelve months it’s an adult.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ght=Calf+moose

LC