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Moose Story 2002

 

The location.

        Park:         Papineau-Labelle, Quebec Canada

Territory:   431 and 432

        Cabin:       Wisik

 

The hunters.

        Fred:         The Pessimist

        Marcel:      The Optimist

        Bob:          Bear Bate

        Rob:          The Walker

 

The weather:    Hot and sunny.

 

The kill:

-         Bob and Rob.

-         Arrived at a previously scouted location around 7:15 am of the last day of a 4 day hunt.

-         Started to call around 7:45 am.

-         Heard Moose answer around 8:05 am.

o       Made small grunting noises as it walked.

o       Kept coming noisily down the mountain.

o       Kept ‘calling’ until about 8:10 because I was certain that it was coming to me, no matter what.

o       Heard it start to walk around end of lake, getting closer with every step.

o       Heart pounding with excitement, anticipation and fear of the unknown.

o       I focus on where I thought he would appear once he climbs up from the pond.

o       All of a sudden he’s there! Marcel said that he would appear right in front of me, and he did! Staring in my direction from 50 yards away. Freeze!!! He’s huge! Don’t even breathe. I don’t want him to charge me and my pip squeak 243 single shot. Boy, am I stupid. I can’t raise my gun because he keeps staring at me. His antlers are not so big. If I ever can raise my gun, all I will have is a straight on chest shot – not the best. He’s looking away; I’ll try to raise my gun. The cross hairs are on his chest. Damned bushes are in the way. What happens if the bullet gets deflected? I don’t want to wound him. God damned 243 single shot. We’ll never find him. Let him go. No! Remember your promise: a killing shot or no shot. He’s looking at me again! He’s not that huge. I can’t see his legs. Maybe he’s a midget. Can’t be, it just the bushes and he’s slightly down hill on the road. I won’t shoot - too many bushes. He’s moving toward me! He’s in the clear, no bushes in the scope. I can get him just below the neck in the center of his chest. That’s a ‘kill shot’ but … Why not just let him go? No, this is why we are here! BANG! Shit, he got up! RELOAD!!!! He’s running down the bank to the lake, hurry. You wounded him, asshole. Hurry, run after him. You have to shoot again, no matter what! There he is. He doesn’t look too good. He going to cross the lake. SHOOT!!!! Aim for the lungs. BANG! He’s down! He’s drowning. Oh shit! Shoot again. RELOAD!! BANG! It’s over. He’s dead. He’s in the middle of the damn lake! Where’s Bob? Got to go get Bob. Calm down! It’s all over. Calm down. Go find Bob. Does a moose fit in a canoe?

 

-   Shot Moose at 8:20 am.

-         Went to meet Bob and fired the 3 shot signal.

-         Walked out to Marcel’s jeep and went to find Fred and Marcel. Bob stayed to contemplate the up coming extraction.

-         Found Fred but Marcel didn’t come out. Fred fired another 3 shot signal. Still no Marcel.

-         We went ‘hunting’ for Marcel. Fred found him. Marcel had thought that the 3 shots were not a signal but were fired by the Italians hunting in the next territory. Fred was distressed.

-         Got back to the lake with Marcel and Fred at 10:30 am.

-         The Jeep’s dashboard began to smoke on the way in.

-         I went for swim with a rope tied around my waste. I tied it to the moose’s head and then swam to the far side of the lake.

-         Bob, Fred and Marcel pulled the recently expired to shore.

-         Fred and Marcel gutted and halved Moose.

-         Fred’s Jeep started to burn, again.

-         Got the moose up the hanging pole to cool – the day was very warm.

-         Fred cut his hand.

-         Packed up, loaded the moose and set off for home.

 

Other thoughts and events of the trip:

 

The tire.

-         Had gone for the afternoon hunt to the most remote, marginally accessible, area of our territory.

-         Started back to cabin at 7:15 pm – already dark.

-         Big trouble seeing ‘path’ on way out, sometimes it disappeared completely.

-         Hit large stone head on and popped tire off rim.

-         Trouble lowering spare.

-         Marcel not sure if spare was OK.

-         A lot of jokes about spending the night and the very long walk out to get the other jeep.

-         Got the tire changed.

-         Arrived back at cabin around 10:00 pm.

 

The bear.

-         A 300 pound Black bear visited Bob at his stand near a gravel pit.

-         Scared shit out of Bob.

-         Bob waved and bear reared up on hind legs and waved back.

-         The bear left Bob traveled up the road to visit Fred and scared him too, “My safety was off.”

-         Bob: “The most incredible experience of my life.”

 

The lessons.

-         Mark dangerous areas on road when found, if returning by same route.

-         Make sure spare tire and tire changing equipment is A1.

-         Exit 'bad areas' before dark.

-         Wounded Moose head for the water.

-         Buy a more powerful rifle for moose hunting.

 

The food etc.

-         4 rolls of paper towels, not 2.

-         More pre-cooked meals.

-         Bring tea, not coffee, because the coffee always tastes like shit.

-         Bring more water and less soft drinks.

-         Bring dish towel.

-         Spend more time planning meals.

-         Bring 4 bags of ice, not 2.

 

The equipment.

-         Colder weather could require chest waders too.

-         A chainsaw winch would be useful.