Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Other Big Game => Topic started by: need2huntmor on September 25, 2009, 10:14:14 PM
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Sorry, but I just finished wrapping the last of the approximately 600 lbs of meat (don't ask about shipping costs) that we brought back. I will try to keep this short, but it will be hard. We had an amazing trip. We left King Salmon, Alaska by float plane two days before the season. We landed on a small lake, and then had to haul our gear and raft about 500 yards to water big enough to float down to our river that we would hunt on. Without having too much time, due to needing to set up camp down river, we caught approximately 35-40 fish on the creek leading to our river. Rainbows, char, grayling and silvers. We passed a lot of good fishing too. We set up camp, and then moved downriver about 1-1 1/2 miles the next day to be ready to hunt the area we wanted on opening day. We had seen a bull way up in the hills, and a cow on an island (we saw a bull on this island on the flight in) and wanted to check these two areas out for the opener. Opening morning we were able to call the bull on the island out to within about 350-400 yards but it only had 2 brow tines (minimum 3 required, or 50" minimum) and we thought he might be close to 50", but we let him go. That afternoon, we headed up on the hillsides (too far away from the river) to the area we had seen the bull the day before. Amazing views of some beautiful country. As evening approached, we saw one cow wake up and leave it's thick bedding area and head up over the top of one hill about 3/4 of a mile away. We looked hard, but saw no bull with it. We started heading back down the hill toward camp, and my cousin spotted a bull bedded on the hillside about 1/2 mile away. We were pretty sure on size, and on brow tines, but not positive. We were able to work our way below him to within about 300 yards. I gave a cow call to get him out of his bed (my cousin spotted him, he would get first shot), He stood up, with his brow tines right behind some brush. After about 5 minutes of calling, and the bull standing behind brush and then thrashing some trees with his antlers, we finally got a clear view of him. I said "He's got three brow tines" and my cousin started shooting. After three shots, you could tell he was hit hard, he laid down in the brush and all we could see were his antlers. We made our way up, and behind him. At about ten yards, he stood up and looked like he wanted to come after us, bet he just didn't have anything left in him. To see an animal of that size, that close square off with you is a very amazing, intimidating experience, to say the least. One more shot would end it. Now, it's 8 PM (dark by 9-9:30) and we are about 2 miles from camp. I didn't want to hunt moose that far from the river, but I also did not want to come all this way and not get at least one moose. By 11 PM we had the moose cut up, and the meat and antlers moved away from the carcass. By 12:15 AM we finally made it back to camp. The next day, we did not get up very early, but did make it up the mountain to bone out meat, and make two packs each. One more day of packing. The next day we had just started to head up the hill when right behind camp, I noticed something coming down the hill to our right. I put my scope on it, and immediately see it is a big bull moose. He is about 1/2 mile away, coming straight for us. We are able to get out of sight, and move in behind a brush patch, and wait. Even though he was just walking, we covered that distance in no time. Without him even knowing we were there, I was able to drop him with one shot at about 10 yards, broadside. Our plans for the day just changed. Luckily, we were only about 500 yards from camp. We were able to have him boned and packed in about 6 hrs and then headed up the hill for one more pack on the first bull. The next day, we finished packing the first bull, and packed up the raft to head down river. We would need to get about half way down river (about 30 miles) for our transported to be able to pick up the meat in his jet sled. Wolves got into the first bull a little, and we would have loved to spend a couple day trying to get a few of them, but we figured we better get this meat our, and not risk losing any of it to spoilage. My cousins bull has three brow tines and is about 62". Mine has four brow tines and is bout 65 inches. I don't know where I will put these antlers when they arrive (they are still in transit) but I will never forget this trip. We got To see and walk in some country that few people get to. We shot our moose too soon (if that is possible). I wish we could have spent more time up there. It was a trip of a lifetime, that I hope I can do again someday. Here are a few pictures. I hope you enjoy.
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OH MAN!!!! Thats fricken awesome guys!! Congrats! I cant wait to do that some day!! Nice job!
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wow awesome story and pics sounds like it was a memorable hunt way to go guys
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Wow, that is awesome! Congrats, looks like the hunt of a lifetime!
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Wow great looking animals.
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Awesome story on a couple trophy size bullwinkles! Man I wanna make a trip, Congrats again. You got anymore pictures?
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congrats to ya guys those are nice!! i hope i will get to do that someday!
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Great story... Fantastic job and I hope to get the same opportunity and get to moose hunt up there as well. Anyway, well done.
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Lucky for us, the weather was very good, for the most part, so we took a lot of pictures. Here are a few more.
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Congrats guys on a couple of real dandies. Beautiful country up there, great photo's.
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more pics Eric! I can't believe I passed on this trip by the way! :bash:
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:yike: Those are two outstsanding moose. Awsome guys
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Congrats on your hunt and thanks for posting the pics. That's something that I think every hunter wants to do once in their lives. What outfitter flew you guys in? I'm wanting to do this with my son and some friends.
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Sweet!!!!! I'm going to do that before i die i swear. My grandfather shot a monster in the 60's and i really want to use his gun and bag one for myself. I guess I better start saving cause moose hunts are $$$$$$$spendy. Congratulations on two gear t animals!
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Congrats, those are a couple of tanks for sure.
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:yike: :yike: :yike: :drool: :drool: :drool:You guys lived all my dreams right there. I have wanted to kill a bull moose with my bow for several years now. Thanks for the story and pic's. My fire is lit stronger than ever, thank you.
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wow wow i don't even know what to say.....spectacular year. Thats a dream hunt
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Looked like an awesome trip!!
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Congrats on the moose and awesome trip! I am jealous!
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OH MAN!!!! Thats fricken awesome guys!! Congrats! I cant wait to do that some day!! Nice job!
Charlie, LETS GO ALREADY!!!!!!!
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That is really sweet.. Someday I will get one of my friends to do something like that with me. I saw the picture of the bear but were they a problem?
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WE saw about one bear per day, but had no problems with any on them. The bear picture above was one that walked about 70 yards from our tent one morning. We heard him walking through the water and then watched him walk by us. Once he got down wind of us, he smelled us an ran into the river, swam across and ran off on the other side of the river. The outfitter that set up our hunt for us recommended spraying bleach around our tent to keep the bears away. I don't know if it was the bleach, but we had no problems with bears. We had some close to our camp, but they didn't seem to bother anything. The only one that could have been a problem, was one that came in the night. We heard it at our raft and shined the flashlight on it. We yelled at it an he just wandered off up the river. We sent to check our raft and there was sand, dirt and hair all over it. Apparently he had a good ol' time bouncing and/or rolling around in our raft. Luckily he did not put any hole in it.
Here is another picture of a bear we saw while rafting down the river. Not as close as the other one. This one was 150-200 yards away.
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I think you went on the exact hunt in the same area my dad and three of his buddies went on 3 years ago. I'll dig around in the archives and see if I can find the story, if not, I'll have my dad PM ya and you guys can BS a little. Nice job by the way!! You'll eat good for awhile! They went 3 or 4 with on going 76 inches wide if I remember.
MS
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North of Nome?? Kougarock? I have killed several in that area. great pics
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Awesome, nothing like moose hunting its the most exciting hunting I have ever done.. Good job guys.. 8)
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Is that the king salmon river floating from the Katmai National park? I am thinking that pic up the river is on of the same hill I hiked while on that trip.
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:yike: sweet
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Nice Work!! What a dandy!
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Great story. Awesome bulls.
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Incredible!! Great story, great pics, great bulls!!
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Nice! That is better than Viagra right there!
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:yike: :yike: Wow, congrats to you guys :yike: :yike: Two majestic animals, I hope one day I get to do this. Are you from Alaska? I would love to hear the planning of this hunt :dunno:
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WOW, what a memory. Great photos and success to boot! looks a little like bear baiting in a couple of those pictures. Glad everything went so well. Certainly a trip of a lifetime. Congratulations.
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Awesome. Best meat you'll eat and you did the hard way. Way to go!
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To answer Austrian Hunter's question. We are not from Alaska. Both of us have spent our entire lives in WA. Since we had never done a hunt like this before, and we did not know where to go, we booked through an outfitter to set up the hunt for us. It was still a lot of planning, but the outfitter obviously did a considerable amount of it for us. Now that we have done the hunt, we would set it up ourselves. We could go back to the same area, and set it up ourselves, for a lot less money. Since we have returned from this trip, a lot of people seem to want to know when we are going again. And if we have room for any more people.
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Did a float hunt last year in Alaska and theres nothing like moose hunting that way.Great story and sounds like you had a good time.
Mike
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Need...
I would love to do a hunt like that with my buds...but if I were you...I wouldn't tell a single soul where it was or how to get set up with it... Even in Alaska...good hunting spots are starting to get scarce....
What a great place! Wow!
Keep it to yourself and a couple buds!!
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I would be willing to help someone as much as I can with everything you will need, and what to expect on a hunt like this, if they have an area already picked out. I won't give anyone this area though. There are a couple people on here that know where it is (one did the hunt before and one has a Dad that did the hunt), but you are right, this area is great because not too many people know where it is, and it is very inaccessible. I will return someday.
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Cool. When I ever get ready to do a similar hunt, I'll ask for any advice you may have. I think I can plan a hunt like this...but I would definitley be looking for any input I could find!
