Well my guiding job in Alaska to start the 2010 season was definitely memorable but all good things must come to an end. Luckily for me when one good adventure comes to an end it is usually immediately followed by another.
I finished up in Alaska, said my good byes to Steve and jumped on a flight home. I was in a rush, I was drawn for moose in the calling season back home in Alberta and would have only one day of hunting to get my moose before I had to be in outfitting camp to guide for more big swamp donkeys.
My Uncle Wade was on days off and would come along to video and give me a hand. Wade met me at the airport, we headed home to get me a change of clothes and a shower then headed out. I was happy to see some fresh snow where we would be hunting, I went to bed dreaming of big moose grunting all the way in to my lonely cow call.
We were up early as we had to quad way back in and be off the bikes well before sunrise due to Alberta laws of carrying firearms on ATV's before noon. After leaving the quads we had about an hour walk into one of my little honey holes, it is actually my favorite spot in the world to hunt moose. We got into a willow patch that wasn't ideal for shooting but it was about as clear an area we were going to find in this swamp. I slowly rubbed my hands together, brought them to my mouth and let out a very nasal sounding drawn out moan. We both listened with anticipation and sure enough the cough like reply came from about 300 yards off to our south west.
I looked at Wade, we both smiled and I whispered "that didn't take long, lets set up''. I held off calling for a little bit just to make sure we would have enough light to shoot and film before I started my sequence of moose sounds that I hoped would bring a big mature bull through the brush into shooting range.
Once I started calling the bull immediately answered and he started moving our way grunting with every step. I knew it wouldn't be long before he got to us. As long as the wind stayed in our favor I was positive we would get a look at him. I kept up with the calling mixing cow and bull sounds at it was working perfectly. About 15 minutes passed then I caught some movement straight ahead of me in the willows I knew it was his legs but with the patch of thick brush he was in that is all I could see, there was no shot and definitely no view for the camera. We patiently waited but nothing. As fast as the moose came in he silently moved off, I did manage to catch a glimpse of his head gear and knew he was a good one. Me and Wade decided the best bet was to move out quietly as we knew he didn't wind us and go check out another area, if that didn't yield any results we would be back that afternoon.
We hustled for the next 45 minutes to get to the next good basin. We silently crept into another good spot for calling and I started another calling sequence. This time we didn't have an immediate response but I knew it was a great spot and wanted to keep at it for the rest of the morning. It was a good hour of calling before I heard what I thought was a grunt off in the distance, the next sound was with out a doubt a bull moose as me and Wade both heard the raking of antlers on willows and he was only about 100 yards away. Again we quickly set up and waited, with in five minutes I seen a BIG! set of antlers moving through some willows. Wade couldn't get a clear shot with the camera and I knew exactly what this bull was doing, he was trying to circle around us to get our wind. I grabbed wade and said ''we have to cut him off'', we quickly moved about 60 yards to our left to a creek. I knew if he kept in his line of travel we would get a shot of him as he walked along the far bank of the creek. As usual it happened fast but fortunately Wade did a good job of getting the camera set up and as soon as the big bull stepped out from behind a big spruce tree at 75 yards I let him have it.
Luckily for me my uncle Wade was along as we had to pack this giant out on our backs I couldn't have done it alone. After getting this brute back to the quads we headed home to get all the meat hung up and so I could continue on to the camp I would be guiding from for the next 16 days. The following 16 days proved to be every bit as exciting as this hunt and my next posts will explain all of that, starting next week.
Tom Sallows, Mountain Man Adventures.
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