OMG...Now what?

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Being the huge animal they are, moose present a basic challenge to skin and butcher no matter where they die. All of us who hunt them carry some concern about a bull dying in a bad location or presenting us with a nightmare job of tying to butcher it. I've had a couple close calls on that. I wonder how many guys have had a bull go down in some hell-hole or situation where the initial thought is the title of this thread.

So...Describe what happened. Pictures? How bad was it? What did you have to do to recover and complete the work? Special gear used? What did you learn...or what would you recommend as a result. It's story time.......

yTuWna1l.jpg
 

elkguide

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Sorry, no pictures and it was an elk.

When I was guiding there were many retrievals that definitely were a challenge in the elk can certainly take a lot of lead and still crawl into some of the most crazy He77 holes.

One that stands out. I had a client who had been a Marine sniper. He was a big man and since his discharge from the military he told me that he hadn't kept up with much physical activity and had put on over a hundred and twenty pounds in the next few years. His limited mobility was a challenge for me to get him into a position where he could take an elk.

I had one "honey hole" not far from camp and I got him into position and told him that if an elk would come to my calling the animal would come out in a certain place and would come to a certain point. Can't say that I ever had a situation where the bull so totally co-operated. The bull appeared, came in to the exact point I told him that the bull would come and the bull turned broadside right there at 60 yards. I kept waiting for the shot that never came. I made my way back to my hunter and asked him what the issue was and he didn't really have an answer. So we just sat there and watched the bull slowly walk and bugle his way back across that park. When the bull was almost all the way across the opening my hunter asked me to range the bull. It was at 422 yards away. He then asked me if I could stop the bull and get him to turn. I called and the bull responded perfectly and my hunter then proceeded to shoot him!

The bull then turned and walked down into a nasty, tree strewn washout and died in it. There was no way to get horses anywhere near the bull and no way that I was going to be able to pull that bull up and out to quarter him by myself as my hunter couldn't walk that far, and get him packed back to camp. I frequently cut up an animal using the gutless method but this one put that method to the extreme. Cutting the front quarters off with their legs underneath them is a challenge but trying to get the hind quarters off...………

and all this was done in grizzly country where I had had a grizz take the rib cage and remaining carcass parts of another elk away in that same park, about 150 yards away just 2 days before!

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And what would I recommend...….
shoot the biggest caliber that you can accurately shoot and don't stop shooting till the animal is down right there!

Make sure that your guide has a very sharp knife!
 

AKBorn

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Kevin,

No fair starting the thread without the story on your moose in the bog! Tell us how the field dressing and packing went on that one....
 
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Kevin Dill
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SFmdUc6l.jpg


I was 3/4 mile from our camp when this bull came in to my call. I thought I had him dead to rights but he did the unexpected and almost walked over me. I was on a knee shooting upward at 6 yards and I drilled him with pass-through getting both lungs. He ran the wrong way and went WAY farther than I would've guessed. After almost 300 yards and blowing steam out both sides of his chest, I watched him spin, buck and finally auger in. Splash! Crap....but that's moose hunting and we all know it going in.

He died in a shallow slough. There was nothing anywhere close to anchor with and pull him. The only thing we could do was butcher him where he died. That meant hours of standing in calf-deep muddy-bloody water and trying to keep the removed meat clean.

benrrC1l.jpg


It was anything but easy or pleasant, but we did a good job of cleaning him up and 24 hours later the meat was away from the carcass. It was 2 days after the kill before I finally got the last load of meat to the airstrip. Each trip included 7 water crossings one way...meaning 2 river crossings and 5 creek channels. I was worn down when I finally walked the last hundred yards with the full head and antlers on my pack.

A couple hours later my pilot popped in and jumped out of his Cub. "Hey...are you all done getting the meat in here?" I answered yes and he replied "Damned good thing. There's a big grizzly mauling your moose carcass right now. I saw him as I turned to approach the strip." He was right, and I got to see that huge bear when I flew out a day later.

That experience taught me the potential value of a good pulling rig and suitable ground anchor system. It took some time but I devised my own setup which can pull a mature bull out of a bad spot. I wondered if I'd ever need it and....as it turned out years later....I needed it badly.
 

mcseal2

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My buddy I went with built this little chain link/paracord block and tackle. It isn't enough to move a moose by any means, but it is enough to help maneuver one into a better position. His bull dropped on this hump with his belly uphill. Tying off the base of a small tree on the hump we managed to get the bull rolled into a better position when we needed to. It also held legs during other parts of the process. It's nothing fancy but it is helpful at a minimal cost and weight penalty.
 

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Steve O

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I just picked up a 200’ hank of 1/8” Dyneema to add to my Hitchmaster. I’d like to figure out a way to miniaturize that thing; maybe make it out of carbon fiber?
 

KJH

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One thing I've found that is lightweight, strong and almost always free is the 2500lb "pull tape" that is used to pull cable through conduit. Its a small poly webbing and is stronger and lighter than most ropes. Its typically used once and then thrown in the dumpster. Most underground contractors will give it to you once they have pulled the cable. It will move a moose if you attach it to a come-along, especially if you double it up you have no worries about it breaking.
 
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KJH, I get it from a friend that works with electrical wiring. He calls it Mule Tape. Works like a dream, and you don't feel bad cutting it.
 

KJH

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KJH, I get it from a friend that works with electrical wiring. He calls it Mule Tape. Works like a dream, and you don't feel bad cutting it.

That's it! Mule Tape. That's what we call it too, but I didn't think it would make sense to anyone who wasn't familiar with it so I just used "pull tape". I don't mind cutting it for whatever is needed. I see tens of thousands of feet of it go to the dumpster every year. If someone wants it, I'd just stop at a jobsite and ask someone for it. They will give it to you, almost guaranteed.
 

2five7

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Never killed a Moose, but this Bull died in a less than desirable spot. Steep hill, just me and my 12 year old son. His left antler was buried up to the sword under the tree. Broke the main beam right before the sword trying to get him out. Was my biggest Bull at the time, I just about cried!

 

SLDMTN

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I gutted a big bull in the dark prior to owning a headlight!
Now I never venture out without at least two headlights.

Pic doesn't show up. The thought of doing that makes my fingers tingle, just about guaranteed to cut one of them off!

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That meant hours of standing in calf-deep muddy-bloody water and trying to keep the removed meat clean.

I can only imagine the swamp foot after that endeavor. Did you have waders of any sort?
 
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AKBorn

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Kevin,

On another thread in the Moose forum a couple of guys were asking about solo moose hunts. Hope you don't mind my reposting this part of your post for their benefit, to emphasize the work involved (understanding that you had a partner on this hunt):

"24 hours later the meat was away from the carcass. It was 2 days after the kill before I finally got the last load of meat to the airstrip. Each trip included 7 water crossings one way...meaning 2 river crossings and 5 creek channels. I was worn down when I finally walked the last hundred yards with the full head and antlers on my pack."
 

JDeck

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The title of this thread was exactly my reaction when walking up to the Alaskan bull I got. I ended up unexpectedly alone during my fly-in moose hunt and questioned if I could butcher a moose alone. Those questions continued as I spent all day butchering. I was in a burn with tussocks and didn't have anything to tie a rope to. After I deboned one side of him, I had to remove the head and entrails to be able to flip him over and work on the other side. It took me all day and was the physically hardest thing I've ever done. The next morning I got to start packing meat.
 

VernAK

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I know a couple young moose hunters that got their first bull in a bad location and the first step
in butchering was to cut the legs off at the knees. Bad move!
 
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Kevin Dill
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I can only imagine the swamp foot after that endeavor. Did you have waders of any sort?

I brought some Wiggy’s Waders on that hunt, and wore them while butchering in the slough. They had some leaks but I managed to keep my feet dry. I simply cannot imagine standing in cold bloody water for hours while my boots and feet are saturated.

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I know a couple young moose hunters that got their first bull in a bad location and the first step
in butchering was to cut the legs off at the knees. Bad move!

Good lord! Cutting off or shortening a moose’s legs removes some important handholds and leverage. Without the underside legs it would be all but impossible to flip the carcass. But I will say....there are no doubt scenarios where desperate decisions and measures are required. I hope I never experience that!
 

AKBorn

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I know a couple young moose hunters that got their first bull in a bad location and the first step
in butchering was to cut the legs off at the knees. Bad move!

Vern,

Still can't see the photo you posted earlier...didn't someone in your camp agree to cooking chores every year because he shot one too far from camp?
 
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