Fun with moose, canoe hunt.

[Cal]

I already posted this story a few years back but for some reason the pictures dissapeared. Because I have had quite a few people contact me about this story over the years I figured I would re-post it with the pictures...

Here are some pictures from a hunt we got back from about a week ago. We canoed about 250 kms of very remote river (for Alberta). From the couple of people I found that had run the section I knew there were supposed to be some pretty serious rapids allong the way. Rather than properly scout rapids I often run them standing up so I can see the rocks and chutes better. The down side is that if we hit somthing I will probably go for a swim, I also tend to get some minor verbal abuse from my bowman.



Since the water was very low this year we did a fair bit of lining, my partner Craig always likes to follow at a safe distance...



Cause when the weather is like this you sure dont want to get a bootfull.



Allong the way we found some great campsites



And enjoyed some great scenery



... and saw some neat critters, the Otters who dove everytime I tryed to get a picture had absolutely no fear of us and were even somewhat aggressive towards the canoe.



Lots of these to dodge the whole way.

[Cal]

We celebrated my 28th birthday on little island with black coffee and some of the worst pankakes I've ever eaten. I didnt bring a fryingpan cause I thought I'd just fry stuff in the pot. This usualy resulted in a mangled wad of dough that we would mash half frozen peanut butter and jam into with our forks. The one pictured was the only one that even remotely resembled a pancake, impressed with Craigs prowess I had to take a picture of it. Alas it did not survive the trip from the pot to his plate.






5 days into our 10 day trip we bumped into this guy. My partner, against my will, had again brough a hard case (takes up way to much space in a canoe) to keep his $400 savage safe while my gun which is worth 3x as much took one for the team in a soft shell. His rifle was safe and secure locked up in that hard case and under four bungee cords while I quickly grabbed my gun and shot a belated birthday presant for myself. He only went about 4 yards but as usual it was in the wrong direction.



Heres the money shot, I convinced Craig who was half deaf and none too co-operative at this point to trust his camera to a dollar store mini tripod perched on a rock in the water. Too bad we didnt notice that glob of bloody moose slober in the foreground.



And heres my canoe loaded up with around 1000 lbs of moose and gear. Notice that stupid hardcase taking up nearly as much room as a pack and rendering that cheap savage useless! I cant say enough about the canoe though, its advertized payload is 1200 lbs which I had though was probably an exageration. After having loaded it pretty darn close to its max I can tell you they are not stretching the truth. The leg room got a bit cramped though. For this kind of a trip an 18 footer would have been nice.



We did a marathon paddle into one heck of a wind and some torential rain on the last day. Because both me and my partner wear glasses we had a brush with callamity when we almost got wrapped on a submerged rock we couldnt see through our rain covered spectacles. We were trying to make it to the Noralta Camp in time for supper. We did such a good job that we actualy showed up a couple hours early and ended up driving to the next town before celebrating by wolfing down obscene amounts of roast beef at a buffet. None too soon either, snow started dumping down as we drove home.

[Elkaholic6]

Sweet story and pics buddy. Looks like a hell of a trip. What river was that?

[fallen1817]

Looks like an amazing trip, likely the trip of a lifetime. But judging by your sig line, it wasn't worth doing? haha, just jokes. I would love to have the opportunity to do something like that. You likely saw scenery few people have seen.

Great photos!

[IR_mike]

Great pics cal

Looking forward to this comeing falls write up and pics....any ideas as of yet?

[pickrel pat]

wabasca?

[Cal]

Originally Posted by IR_mike

Great pics cal

Looking forward to this comeing falls write up and pics....any ideas as of yet?

Waiting for the draw results but I kind of want to run the upper Athabasca again. Because we did not connect that trip feels a little unresolved. Theres a few other possibilitys as well no decision just yet. One of these years I'll man up and do the Smokey from Grande Cache to GP but probably not this year.

How about you Mike, where are you headed?

[Arn?Narn.]

I am planning on the Smokey trip this year , as well as a Wapiti trip...

Your trip looked a damn fine time and brought back memories of my own...

How many nights were you out? Where was mr moose when you first saw him, and where were you?

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by Cal

How about you Mike, where are you headed?

I'm not sure yet it looks like I'll be getting a good run of work so hunting might just be chaseing wt in central AB in the evenings and sundays.

Gonna leave the draws for the last minute till after I talk to my foreman and get the "latest" scheduleing. If it looks like we will finish up by November I may go for one of the easy to get antlerless moose draws, if not 999 my bull priority.

If we finish up with any of November left I will go chase wt and elk in 510....so please start scouting elk for me.

[Cal]

Originally Posted by Arn?Narn.

I am planning on the Smokey trip this year , as well as a Wapiti trip...

Your trip looked a damn fine time and brought back memories of my own...

How many nights were you out? Where was mr moose when you first saw him, and where were you?

Very cool, are you hunting the strech I want to hunt? In a canoe? You'll have to let me know how that goes. I dont want to do that trip without a skilled bowaman.

On that trip we were out 7 nights, we bumped that moose at 50 yards as we canoed around a bend. I was in the stern so by rights my partner should have taken the shot while I controlled the canoe, due to his rifle storage I took the shot which was sharply to my off side while (right side) as we floated by while he did a suprizingly good job of keeping the canoe fairly controlled. Before sombody slams me; this is completely legal from a muscular powered craft, and in this case I felt it was ethical. Due to the extreme shot angle there was no risk to my bow man so those who want to criticise can keep their opinions to themselves. I gave him 3 shots which was more than neccessary just to make sure he stayed on the bank, he still had his feet under him so I pulled into an eddy and watched him die with a bullet in the chamber in case he decided to run. I shot him with a .270 using 150 grain corelocs. I recovered only one bullet that had broked his lower shoulder bone, which was somthing like 1.5" thick, and gone into the lungs. Pretty good performance for what many concider a marginal load out of a marginal calliber at closer than ideal range for good penetration.

IR mike, 510 is one of the stretches of river on my "possibilitys list". If we do it I'll send some info your way.

[Arn?Narn.]

I am doing it in a freighter type canoe, scanoe...
It's an Esquif Cargo with 1500 lb capcity. !7 ft...

I am having issue with getting a spray deck, which I wanted. The Mad River had an excellent spray deck system for a time,...I actually saw one the other day,they are now discontinued. Slides on a runner under the gunwale...

Anyhow, it will be a hunting trip...My bowmans first,..he may end up in the stern..

Idon't mind dumping a canoe when fishing and camping,..but with rifles on board and the timeof year, I try to avoid it in the fall. Portages may be necessary.

Like you have come around the bend to find what's hanging out..black bears, moose, coyotes, ....

Good on yeah with the boat shot... I have fired many shots off the bow of a boat, sometimes while moving 30km hr or more, or on a big swell...
One more reason I like being back in the stern...LOL

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by Cal

IR mike, 510 is one of the stretches of river on my "possibilitys list". If we do it I'll send some info your way.

Thanks in advance cal...if I make it up your way might have to meet up for a burger or something one evening or a midday meal.

Try to get BB416 to come if he is not busy.....I hear the Kardashian girls are passing him back and forth between themselves so he might be unavalable.

[Cal]

Originally Posted by Arn?Narn.

I am doing it in a freighter type canoe, scanoe...
It's an Esquif Cargo with 1500 lb capcity. !7 ft...

I am having issue with getting a spray deck, which I wanted. The Mad River had an excellent spray deck system for a time,...I actually saw one the other day,they are now discontinued. Slides on a runner under the gunwale...

Anyhow, it will be a hunting trip...My bowmans first,..he may end up in the stern..

Idon't mind dumping a canoe when fishing and camping,..but with rifles on board and the timeof year, I try to avoid it in the fall. Portages may be necessary.

Like you have come around the bend to find what's hanging out..black bears, moose, coyotes, ....

Good on yeah with the boat shot... I have fired many shots off the bow of a boat, sometimes while moving 30km hr or more, or on a big swell...
One more reason I like being back in the stern...LOL

If your not familiar with that stretch of river you should look into it. There are several sections that most trip reports STRONGLY suggest portaging, including one that can take up to 6 hours and involve lowering the canoe and gear into a canyon by ropes. Maby if the water is low this will not be necessary but I wouldnt want to be carrying an outboard over that portage, not sure if you were planning on using one. As well I dont know how well a square stern will do in rappids, might be tough to pull off a back ferry. This is just my relatively uninformed observations, I readily admit that you might know alot more about that section and the handling of freighter canoes than I do.

[TreeGuy]

Thanks for re-posting one of my all time favourite threads, Cal. Quite the adventure indeed.

[Arn?Narn.]

Originally Posted by Cal

If your not familiar with that stretch of river you should look into it. There are several sections that most trip reports STRONGLY suggest portaging, including one that can take up to 6 hours and involve lowering the canoe and gear into a canyon by ropes. Maby if the water is low this will not be necessary but I wouldnt want to be carrying an outboard over that portage, not sure if you were planning on using one. As well I dont know how well a square stern will do in rappids, might be tough to pull off a back ferry. This is just my relatively uninformed observations, I readily admit that you might know alot more about that section and the handling of freighter canoes than I do.

I'll take pictures...

[coolpool]

Love the post and pics. Our group also hunts from canoes and find it very challenging but well worth it. Unfurtunately we have had to move to the smaller creeks due to the absurd amount of annoying jet boat traffic that seems to be popping up more and more lately. Thanks for keeping the hunt "real" Cal.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Cal

... him 3 shots which was more than neccessary just to make sure he stayed on the bank, he still had his feet under him so I pulled into an eddy and watched him die with a bullet in the chamber in case he decided to run. I shot him with a .270 using 150 grain corelocs. I recovered only one bullet that had broked his lower shoulder bone, which was somthing like 1.5" thick, and gone into the lungs. Pretty good performance for what many concider a marginal load out of a marginal calliber at closer than ideal range for good penetration.

Any moose I have taken is with a .270, usually 150 grain nosler partitions. Greatest distance on moose was 250 yards, but I have taken an antelope at 375 yards.

Anyone who thinks that a .270 can't be used for any critter we have in Alberta is wrong. For that matter, the good old .303 probably has taken as many moose as any other caliber.

Shot placement, of course, is paramount, and no amount of heavy lead will mitigate your ability to shoot.

Great story and pics!

[Cal]

Originally Posted by coolpool

Love the post and pics. Our group also hunts from canoes and find it very challenging but well worth it. Unfurtunately we have had to move to the smaller creeks due to the absurd amount of annoying jet boat traffic that seems to be popping up more and more lately. Thanks for keeping the hunt "real" Cal.

Yeah it can be frustrating sometimes. Just gotta make use of the canoes advantages like you are and you can get into places they cant.

[catnthehat]

I love the pics Cal!
Sounds like ti was a fine hunt.
Cat