Another great season when it comes to moose hunting!!! A week long trip in the early season saw us harvest 2 nice bulls. A 33" and a 40". The smaller of the two was taken 50 yards away from where we got a bull last year, the spot is now called Two Kill Hill. Both are great animals.
Now move onto November. We are lucky enough to live in a zone where there are always undersubscribed tags for the late season hunt. A quick couple calls to the boys and my father in law and we had a hunt in place. We headed out on November 11th.
I had set up some trail cams in the area in August and managed to get a lot of great pictures of moose. In October we can count 7 different bulls that were within a mile from camp. A couple of which would be pushing the 50” mark. We checked the cameras first thing on the 11th. Nothing…not a moose to be seen on it. Last recorded date was October 18th. Game plans were made to put on some miles and explore some new country to the west. This area is virtually inaccessible to us before freeze up.
The first couple days found us exploring the area to the west. We found lots of great new areas but not much for fresh sign. We could see a large hill to the north of us that was covered with poplars. This hill ran a long way to the west. It looked to us like a great place to hunt. After some exploring we managed to find a trail that took us to the base of the hill. The area looked excellent. We spent the next couple days on the hill and found some good sign but still hadn’t seen any moose. My father in-law came across an area that he really liked. This was his first time hunting in big bush.
Second last of the hunt found some of us staying in camp to do some chores and shower. My father in law decided he would make the trek to the spot he had came across a day earlier. A couple hours passed and he arrived back a camp. He shut off his Ranger and walked in. The whole time he was looking down at his GPS. (he is an old farmer that isn’t computer friendly) He looked up at me and said “you had better go to the where this little blue flag is”. I asked if he had found some tracks. He states, “There is a moose laying there!!!” Everyone hears and gets excited. I ask if it is a big one. Being the modest guy that he is, he says “not bad”.
We quickly make him something to eat, packed the gear and head out. With nice smooth trails to follow we made it there in no time. I was the first to arrive. My jaw dropped when I came around the corner and saw the bull laying there. Wow!!! Quick measure put him at 54.5" wide. Hi fives all around. It was a great hunt. One that we will remember for along time. Here are a couple pictures for you folks to look at.
Early Season Bulls
Father In-law With His November Bull
Most Of The Gang With The Bull
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2011 Moose Hunt - Northern Alberta - With Pictures
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