Post by: Taco280AI on September 19, 2023, 10:55:28 AM
Public land, DIY, none of us had ever hunted this area, figure it out as you go type of hunt. We were delayed a few hours as our pilot has had a very busy time lately, no big deal. The three of us and all our gear weighed in around 1140 pounds for the Beaver ride north. We had four potential spots pre planned, and if one was taken, we'd just keep flying to the next, if needed.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/C7SQIZ.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmC7SQIZj)
It was a great flight out, the weather was amazing!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/924/oqDIJU.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pooqDIJUj)
As we flew over our first area, it was taken. On to the next, only to find it was taken. And the next. And the next. It's public land, yes, but we weren't about to go set up camp anywhere near anyone else. Too much time planning, too much money spent, too much space up here to mess up anyone else's hunt and seriously piss them off.
After more flying, Joe and the pilot just kind of decided on a random place as they were the only ones on headsets, and we came in to land.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/fX9Zf1.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmfX9Zf1j)
Just getting there and looking around, it was amazing! Truly in the wilderness, not another person, camp, building in sight as far as we could see. Tom took off in the plane and left us for 11 nights out there, we were stoked! After a quick look around we decided on a camping spot and moved the gear over there. We hadn't even been on the ground for 15 minutes when we heard a bear cub crying out maybe 200 yards away. We all grabbed our guns, and walked back, away from brush and more into the open. Maybe 10 minutes later a young-ish looking grizz came out with her two cubs, curious more than aggressive, might be their first times ever seeing people. They stayed about 90 yards away and we got them to leave. I stayed on bear watch and camp got set up.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/924/XOE9ip.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poXOE9ipj)
Post by: Taco280AI on September 19, 2023, 11:07:05 AM
I hadn't been in a floorless tipi style tent before, but it worked out well with the titanium stove. Just had to be willing to share your space with the mice. For the most part I slept pretty well.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/BtZPcd.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmBtZPcdj)
After seeing more of the area I wasn't very optimistic about it, seemed more like an occasional travel area more than a heavily traveled corridor, or place that simply holds moose. It did have a lot of beavers, black bear, grizzly, and caribou.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/924/E76A4P.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poE76A4Pj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/UhXRWt.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnUhXRWtj)
The fishing was good and there was a creek not far from our camp with a good outlet into the lake. Mornings and evenings were easy to catch lake trout, and found they'd been feeding on the mice. Was great to have fresh fish and not just Mountain House style meals. Joe also hooked it up with some smoked king salmon he brought.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/gIP8X9.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmgIP8X9j)
Post by: Taco280AI on September 19, 2023, 11:16:15 AM
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/3F919V.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm3F919Vj)
And tons of blueberries everywhere. Not sweet like store bought, but some were decent and I certainly had a few hand fulls. The bears were just stuffing themselves all day long with them.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/1GA1dU.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn1GA1dUj)
One thing that never disappointed were the views. Kept thinking this place had more rainbows than Hawaii. A few showers here and there, but none that stayed long.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/I3Tkc5.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmI3Tkc5j)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/9BzXDj.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm9BzXDjj)
Despite our best efforts we couldn't find any moose close to us, or fresh sign. One morning Sean spotted a monster bull about 4 miles away on the other side of the lake. The type of bull you don't wonder if it's 50 inches or not. We saw this guy and knew right away he was a biggin. Unfortunately we only had a little pack raft that wasn't designed for travel and certainly wasn't fast. We saw that bull a couple days in a row, along with another good bull on the other side, both safe from us.
After a conversation we decided, cost be damned, we were going to move spots. Had a different place in mind and word was, from the pilot, nobody was there. Cost did bite us later on since Tom made a special trip just to come move us, and we ended up paying $3900 for the full round trip. But, we were there to get moose and like that famous line on Yellowstone goes, F... it.
Post by: Taco280AI on September 19, 2023, 11:23:53 AM
Here we go again. We keep flying down this new lake and stop at another completely random spot. It looked moosey for sure. Not wide open like the other place, a lot of vegetation and trees. But seems like it has potential. Got out, unloaded, and Tom took off again.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/AJplcU.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmAJplcUj)
The beauty of this place never got old. The gnats sure did though and we had to wear headnets around camp most of the time.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/7FzzWz.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm7FzzWzj)
Another thing this place had was sockeye. Seems we missed the majority of it and the grizz had moved up high again after gorging on them. Most of them at least, still plenty of tracks along the shore. Only a few dozen stragglers remained, the rest were eaten or washed up dead on the shore.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/CrcJ9r.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmCrcJ9rj)
Same camp, new place.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/guuREa.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmguuREaj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/9K0J0Q.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm9K0J0Qj)
Post by: highside74 on September 19, 2023, 11:27:22 AM
Post by: Taco280AI on September 19, 2023, 11:44:02 AM
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/vgDaFi.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnvgDaFij)
The bull got down to the lake and started to walk the shoreline. Man those guys are fast with their super long legs, even at what would be slow pace for them. Our 1.5 miles across turned into 1.9 miles as we kept having to adjust our line to stay out front. Joe, a big jacked guy, did most of the rowing and I took over twice. I knew he was getting tired and halfway there the bull looked like he might turn and go up the hill. "Should we keep going" he asked... "yeah!" I said. Of course that's my answer. And so we did. Halfway there I said to him, and really believed it, this is going to work.
Amazingly the stars aligned that morning. We made it across in this sketchy raft with no life jackets, surrounded by cold water, going after a moose that could have headed up the hill at any point. It wasn't well thought out, it was just a let's go do this, type of thing.
For this hunt I wanted to use my new rifle, that I kind of went back to the basics with. A Winchester M70 in 308 Winchester, with a fixed 6x scope, using handloaded 150 TTSXs. Moose down!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/9LHCTL.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn9LHCTLj)
The plan was Joe would row back with a big load of meat, Sean would row over back to me, we'd load up some meat, then the next day I'd go back for my antlers. The stars aligned again and some guys from another camp came cruising by with their much larger, and motorized boat. They went off looking for their own moose as the two of us quartered and cut up this guy, then they'd come back and bring us in their boat, with the bull in the raft. We were so thankful for that! Got it loaded up and tied the head and game bags off before we left.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/JIdEcA.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmJIdEcAj)
Sean had a meat pole set up by the time we got back and none of us had to use our packs at all. Best pack out ever. He measured 54 inches and had four brow tines each side, great legal bull for me.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/9Y0DC6.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn9Y0DC6j)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/924/0ShUBf.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/po0ShUBfj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/OGklvg.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnOGklvgj)
Unfortunately this was the only bull of our group. Joe had chances two more nights, but it didn't work out. Still, we all went home with a lot of moose meat and that first night of moose backstraps was fantastic! We're already planning next year.
Post by: Skillet on September 19, 2023, 11:49:57 AM
Post by: highside74 on September 19, 2023, 11:50:45 AM
Post by: Longfield1 on September 19, 2023, 11:56:09 AM
Post by: redi on September 19, 2023, 12:05:00 PM
Post by: bearhunter99 on September 19, 2023, 12:07:28 PM
Post by: Taco280AI on September 19, 2023, 12:09:40 PM
The Win-Win combo with a fixed 6
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/UqzQft.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnUqzQftj)
A 100 yard shot before leaving the first camp just to make sure everything was good. Load development for this was the easiest ever. After a velocity test before picking a load to try out, I only used one powder, one charge, one bullet, one seating depth, and three shots went into .4" for my first ever one and done load.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/924/tdW3jv.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/potdW3jvj)
Post by: Pathfinder101 on September 19, 2023, 12:11:36 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on September 19, 2023, 01:37:39 PM
Congrats. Great bull
Google scouting for over two years those lakes look familiar. :chuckle:
Maybe one day...
Post by: MADMAX on September 19, 2023, 03:36:01 PM
Congrats
Post by: Fletch on September 19, 2023, 05:00:54 PM
Post by: wadu1 on September 19, 2023, 06:20:29 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 19, 2023, 06:35:09 PM
Post by: Fidelk on September 19, 2023, 06:42:05 PM
Post by: Mfowl on September 19, 2023, 06:44:07 PM
Post by: RB on September 19, 2023, 07:21:35 PM
Post by: elkrack on September 19, 2023, 09:20:29 PM
Post by: HikerHunter on September 20, 2023, 08:29:24 AM
Post by: Bob33 on September 20, 2023, 09:30:19 AM
Post by: Rugsnfeathers on September 20, 2023, 11:15:19 AM
Post by: boneaddict on September 20, 2023, 12:38:31 PM
Post by: Taco280AI on September 20, 2023, 01:25:45 PM
Post by: johnbmyersii on September 20, 2023, 03:05:11 PM
Post by: actionshooter on September 20, 2023, 07:56:19 PM
We had the same thing a few years ago where there was a bull straight across the lake from us... we called for 2 days and he finally came across and my buddy got him coming to us... 100 yds from our camp.
Post by: Taco280AI on September 21, 2023, 07:43:00 PM
Post by: Caseknife on September 21, 2023, 08:10:24 PM
Post by: Machias on September 22, 2023, 12:01:07 PM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on October 10, 2023, 02:45:23 PM
Post by: 2MANY on October 10, 2023, 06:22:54 PM
Those 2 with you look like they could've made any inland boar grizz tap out.
Congrats on your lifetime memory and thanks.
Post by: Taco280AI on October 10, 2023, 07:55:04 PM
Planning on going again next year :IBCOOL:
Post by: Timberstalker on October 10, 2023, 08:27:35 PM
Post by: Falcon on October 10, 2023, 08:36:04 PM
Post by: Platensek-po on October 10, 2023, 11:36:42 PM
Post by: elkoholic1 on October 11, 2023, 06:45:07 AM
Post by: elkboy on October 11, 2023, 09:35:25 AM
An Alaska moose trip is on my bucket list for sure!
Post by: Taco280AI on October 27, 2023, 08:05:17 PM
Didn't plan on getting a deer today unless it was a decent buck. Mainly wanted to get out and look for elk. Saw two smallish 5 points and two big bulls. Only saw one buck, about 1.2 miles away. Finally gave in and got a spotting scope for this season and it was perfect. I caught a glimpse of a deer moving between bushes, but way too far for the 10x Swaros to tell what it was. Spotter showed a 3x4, I figured why not.
The area I was going to didn't look terrible, half way was flat without having to bust through brush, then hike up a hill, look across the way to the other hill, should be right there. Well I got up there and couldn't find the deer. Got out my phone to look at the brush he was around, couldn't match it up. Different perspective maybe? Did see a big 6 point bull on that hill, perfectly broadside, standing still while eating, and in range. Kept sneaking glances at him while looking for the deer, but where was he? Looked higher up the mountain, a lot farther away and fffffffffff.... I wasn't even close. Still had a long way to go, and then it started to suck.
Eventually got to 466 yards quartering away, dialed the scope, and first time recovering a 145 LRX. Retained weight was 144.3 gr with expansion going from .284 to .567. The 4 mile pack out sucked, but more meat in the freezer. My deer season lasted one day.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/YlbTI3.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnYlbTI3j)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/2rry8T.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm2rry8Tj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/xiq2lV.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnxiq2lVj)
Some elk footage I got
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyW11QcvalQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Post by: Taco280AI on October 27, 2023, 08:33:24 PM
Anyway I stuck to my gameplan, got passed by four people on horses, kept hustling, and caught up to the horses as we were all going to the same area. Also saw a parked e-bike that wasn't supposed to be up there, F&G was waiting for him when I finally came out.
About four to 4.5 miles later, I didn't know where exactly the horse guys were going and didn't wait to find out. Off the trail I headed up to this small saddle to look out over the next few ridges.
I got up there as it was reaching official sunrise, took just a quick look with my bare eyes, didn't see anything so went to my pack about 10 yards back to relieve myself, change my shirt, and put on my mid layer and jacket to get ready for glassing. I happened to look back and there's an elk on the next ridge. I grab my Swaros and see that it's a bull. It's the only elk on this middle ridge, which is in range. The next ridge has a decent herd including a 6 point and a few other bulls, but oh well. This many people around, the e-bike guy's location unknown, the horses locations unknown, possibly other people I don't know about, and lots of trucks at the trail head, I'm taking the first legal bull I can.
I ranged him at 433, adjusted my scope, and waited for a shot. He was facing too far away without much shot opportunity at first and I tried to mimmick a cow call. I had one on my pack, but wasn't getting up to get it. He turned enough, I felt solid, and let the 145 LRX fly.
Hit. He stumbled and spun around, stood more broadside with the opposite side this time, and hit! If an elk is still standing, I'm still shooting, especially with that many people around. He was done, as was my elk season in maybe 3 minutes after getting to my spot.
The herd on the next ridge actually went down and not up, and a few of those bulls got taken by people down lower. Word is the e-bike guy got the 6x, curious how that chat will go with the game warden.
What a season, been blessed. Bull moose, buck, bull... I'm very grateful for it all.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/SG5ybt.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnSG5ybtj)
My bull died in the yellow bushes. Can see the herd on the next slope over.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/922/F0GpFr.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmF0GpFrj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/924/8Y6zY8.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/po8Y6zY8j)
Forward was the first shot, rear was the second and exit.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/924/rnMs22.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pornMs22j)
Only the second LRX I've recovered, from the quartering shot. Retained weight was 143.9
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q70/923/wIJQfe.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnwIJQfej)
Post by: 7mmfan on October 27, 2023, 08:38:23 PM
Post by: Caseknife on October 27, 2023, 08:48:11 PM
Post by: Widgeondeke on October 27, 2023, 09:16:32 PM
Congrats. :tup:
Post by: Taco280AI on October 27, 2023, 09:42:16 PM
Those Barnes look the same as many I have recovered under the hide on the off-side.
Both recovered were up against the hide
Post by: Machias on October 30, 2023, 09:42:34 AM
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on October 30, 2023, 12:13:26 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 30, 2023, 01:44:17 PM
Any idea what the velocity was on impact on the deer and elk?
Post by: Taco280AI on October 30, 2023, 05:15:36 PM