Thanks everyone. We went back to camp and left a note for Shane saying that we had got the phantom bull and to meet us in town to celebrate. We also wanted to get some cell service so we could line up a packer. During the week we had found out about some local outfitters that offered game retrieval, so our plan was to get a hold of them about getting the moose out. The first outfitter was busy packing in a camp for some clients, so he wouldn't be able to help us. When we called the second outfit, he said that the drainage the moose was in was "too rough" and that "most people get their moose close to a road." No reason to panic, I know a local rancher with horses and if he couldnt't help us then he would surely know someone that could. When I got a hold of him he said they were starting the big cattle roundup on the national forest the following day, and literally everyone he knew with horses would be involved with that. The sobering thought of packing out the massive animal on our backs was starting to set in. When the bartender served us our food, we told him we had a moose down and that we had to pack it out the following day. He said he might know a guy that could help us. After a quick phone call, he came back and said the guy would be willing to help us in the morning.
The following morning we showed up at the ranch house and introduced ourselves. After showing him on the map where the moose was at, he seemed to be having second thoughts. Eventually he agreed to do it, but he said he only had two horses and all he had were riding saddles. He said he could get he head and cape out, along with whatever meat we could fit on the other saddle. We breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the trail head. Shane and I would go ahead and survey the carcass for visitors while my dad waited for the guy to show up with his horses. Since the moose had rolled down behind a pine tree, it wasn't very visible until you got close. We ended up hiking way up the ridge on the other side of the drainage so we could look down on it from where my dad had shot from. I could see the meat that we had cut up the night before and it didn't look like anything had touched it. I could see magpies flying down behind the tree where the carcass lay, but I could not see the carcass itself. We ended up looping around from another angle while slowly moving in and making a ton of noise to let any bears know we were coming. When we were about 100 yards away I could finally see the carcass and was thankful that it hadn't been discovered by a grizzly overnight. After a couple hours, we had the rest of the moose deboned and loaded on the horses. One horse carried the head and cape while the other carried six bags of meat. Shane, Dad, and I each carried one load of meat ourselves. It was slow going, but we were back at the pickups around 3:30 pm.
Blondie loaded up
The fall colors were awesome
Having never hunted moose, it was cool to spend a week learning about them. We were amazed how the bulls could cover so much country in such a short period of time, while at other times they could stand in one spot without moving for 15 minutes. They are such reclusive animals that at times it feels like you are hunting a ghost. You would see one standing out in the open, and then when you looked back 5 seconds later it would be gone and never to be seen again. Shane and I will likely never draw a moose tag, so I'm glad we got to go along and be a part of the hunt. Good luck to everyone during the rest of the season!
The following morning we showed up at the ranch house and introduced ourselves. After showing him on the map where the moose was at, he seemed to be having second thoughts. Eventually he agreed to do it, but he said he only had two horses and all he had were riding saddles. He said he could get he head and cape out, along with whatever meat we could fit on the other saddle. We breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the trail head. Shane and I would go ahead and survey the carcass for visitors while my dad waited for the guy to show up with his horses. Since the moose had rolled down behind a pine tree, it wasn't very visible until you got close. We ended up hiking way up the ridge on the other side of the drainage so we could look down on it from where my dad had shot from. I could see the meat that we had cut up the night before and it didn't look like anything had touched it. I could see magpies flying down behind the tree where the carcass lay, but I could not see the carcass itself. We ended up looping around from another angle while slowly moving in and making a ton of noise to let any bears know we were coming. When we were about 100 yards away I could finally see the carcass and was thankful that it hadn't been discovered by a grizzly overnight. After a couple hours, we had the rest of the moose deboned and loaded on the horses. One horse carried the head and cape while the other carried six bags of meat. Shane, Dad, and I each carried one load of meat ourselves. It was slow going, but we were back at the pickups around 3:30 pm.
Blondie loaded up
The fall colors were awesome
Having never hunted moose, it was cool to spend a week learning about them. We were amazed how the bulls could cover so much country in such a short period of time, while at other times they could stand in one spot without moving for 15 minutes. They are such reclusive animals that at times it feels like you are hunting a ghost. You would see one standing out in the open, and then when you looked back 5 seconds later it would be gone and never to be seen again. Shane and I will likely never draw a moose tag, so I'm glad we got to go along and be a part of the hunt. Good luck to everyone during the rest of the season!
