My DIY Alaskan moose hunt...

bowuntr

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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











 
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OR Archer

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Awesome adventure for sure. That's in my hunting bucket list of hunts to do.


I thought I recognized your buddy from somewhere. Saw him using my friends products and put two and two together that I saw him on his website.
 
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bowuntr

bowuntr

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Small world... You're one of Bills buddys. Bret is kinda almost famous... He shot a Ca desert sheep that missed the P&Y world record by 1/4"!! Ed F

 
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OR Archer

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Yeah Bill is a friend and good customer. Makes some good products to.

I saw the pictures of that ram. Its freaking awesome!
 

weaver

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Ya i remember seeing his sheep story in Eastmans a while back.
 

SDHNTR

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happy for Bret and one day your ship will come in Ed.

Looks cold as you guys are bundled up. What kind of temps are we talking about? did you have to sink the meat or was it cold enough to hang?
 

JNDEER

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Congrats again guys.

Karma is on your side Ed...your time will come.
 
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muleman

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NIce pics and story Ed.

I was glad to see that there is someone else still using the Ziess Classics.
 
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bowuntr

bowuntr

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Looks cold as you guys are bundled up. What kind of temps are we talking about? did you have to sink the meat or was it cold enough to hang?

It was mild with rain for the first few days and then turned cold. Lows in the 20's and highs in the 30's with snow on a few days. Those moose stick out in the snow several miles away. Bret shot his moose on the 16th and it was home at our locker on the 23rd, in perfect condition. We just turned the meat every few days.

I don't know what happened to the rut. Our season closed on the 20th which should be at the beginning of the rut. Everyone at 40 mile said the moose hunt was slow... but there were some smoker bulls taken... one was pushing 70". We would have easily taken two nice bulls with a rifle. It's something else to see those giant racks on the ground... especially for a couple California boys. I can't get my return trip out of my mind... Ed F
 
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