bowuntr
WKR
My DIY Alaskan moose bowhunt...
A little late because I'm still recovering. This was my second moose hunt with 40 Mile Air. I went with my buddy Bret... we went two years ago and our partners both shot nice bulls.. so this was the "loser" hunt!
We decided to hunt the area I hunted in 2011 because of a few factors. One it was an any bull N/R unit, in 2011 we called in some really nice bulls and I had the area figured out. It was a lake hunt and there was a canoe in camp that would be an asset to navigate the connected lakes and stream that runs the valley.
On the flight in... I was just blown away when we orbited the area... 1/3 of the area burned (June) and the canoe was melted. We landed at a different lake and figured out what to do. They agreed to fly out a new canoe and we were going to make the best of the hunt. I was sick because the area we called all the bulls from in 2011 was the area in ashes. We flew back to the original lake. We would have to relearn the area again.
We were pumped and ready for this hunt. The setback was just part of the adventure. I will fast forward... we saw moose every single day. A lot of the bigger bulls were a ways off. We passed on a 45" bull the first two days. No doubt that we were both going to be successful.
No close encounters until day 6. I spotted a small bull and Bret was first shooter (rigged coin toss) and he elected to shoot. I called that bull in to 25 yards and Bret double lunged it. It went 80 yards and tipped over... moose down! Awesome...
My turn... There was no doubt that I was going to kill a real good bull. The weather had turned cold, I had 4 days left and the rut should be kicking in. Well, It wasn't meant to be. We called in two 55+" bulls to 90 yards and they hung up. They just were't in to it yet. We saw some other good bulls a ways off, one was 65+".
I'm still disappointed... but it was a great trip and my freezer is full of moose meat. Before our clothes dried off Bret and I shook hands on the plans for our return... so this story will be continued.
I'll answer this question up front. This was my third trip with 40 Mile Air and I am 100% satisfied and already have plans for a caribou trip. I will be doing more research for our moose hunt. I'd like to talk to the guys that have hunted with Schuster and Papa Bear. I think 40-Mile should have notified me that part of our area burned, they knew about it. They honestly didn't know that the canoe burned and made an extra round trip flight to get us a canoe the next morning... their idea. I chalked it up as just another obstacle you have to overcome on an adventure like this. The bulls were there... they just didn't cooperate with the calling.
On with the photos... Ed F
A little late because I'm still recovering. This was my second moose hunt with 40 Mile Air. I went with my buddy Bret... we went two years ago and our partners both shot nice bulls.. so this was the "loser" hunt!
We decided to hunt the area I hunted in 2011 because of a few factors. One it was an any bull N/R unit, in 2011 we called in some really nice bulls and I had the area figured out. It was a lake hunt and there was a canoe in camp that would be an asset to navigate the connected lakes and stream that runs the valley.
On the flight in... I was just blown away when we orbited the area... 1/3 of the area burned (June) and the canoe was melted. We landed at a different lake and figured out what to do. They agreed to fly out a new canoe and we were going to make the best of the hunt. I was sick because the area we called all the bulls from in 2011 was the area in ashes. We flew back to the original lake. We would have to relearn the area again.
We were pumped and ready for this hunt. The setback was just part of the adventure. I will fast forward... we saw moose every single day. A lot of the bigger bulls were a ways off. We passed on a 45" bull the first two days. No doubt that we were both going to be successful.
No close encounters until day 6. I spotted a small bull and Bret was first shooter (rigged coin toss) and he elected to shoot. I called that bull in to 25 yards and Bret double lunged it. It went 80 yards and tipped over... moose down! Awesome...
My turn... There was no doubt that I was going to kill a real good bull. The weather had turned cold, I had 4 days left and the rut should be kicking in. Well, It wasn't meant to be. We called in two 55+" bulls to 90 yards and they hung up. They just were't in to it yet. We saw some other good bulls a ways off, one was 65+".
I'm still disappointed... but it was a great trip and my freezer is full of moose meat. Before our clothes dried off Bret and I shook hands on the plans for our return... so this story will be continued.
I'll answer this question up front. This was my third trip with 40 Mile Air and I am 100% satisfied and already have plans for a caribou trip. I will be doing more research for our moose hunt. I'd like to talk to the guys that have hunted with Schuster and Papa Bear. I think 40-Mile should have notified me that part of our area burned, they knew about it. They honestly didn't know that the canoe burned and made an extra round trip flight to get us a canoe the next morning... their idea. I chalked it up as just another obstacle you have to overcome on an adventure like this. The bulls were there... they just didn't cooperate with the calling.
On with the photos... Ed F
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