First Day, First Moose

moose fat · August 12, 2007, 01:32 AM

Yahoo!

After work went out to scout an area and go for a boat ride. My wife, ten year old daughter and seven year old son were the ones that wanted to go. Got on the river about seven, beutiful day, 60 deg, a few clouds and no wind. Cruised down the Yukon to Driftwood Slough that parallels the river, like a little slice of the Yukon with an upper end with water flowing in and out the lower end, and went up the slough. Saw a couple of eagles, beavers, an owl, an osprey, a red fox and moose tracks.

We cruised up to this "Shortcut Slough" that connects the Yukon and Driftwood Slough and putted out to the Yukon. I parked the boat and my kids fished, my wife and I stretched our legs and snacked on some of our King Salmon strips we made last month. It was almost nine o'clock when we got going to head back home.

We were putting back to Driftwood Slough and half way thru I noticed a root wad drifting towards us. I said "Whats that" and gave my wife the binoculars. She looks and says "Its a moose!" The kids imeadiatly wanted to look, I'm driving, she's trying to shush the kids and get my scoped, AR/Bushmaster that she likes. I'm shushing the kids and driving as quietly as possible, Mr Moose keeps on swimming towards us, at least a hundred yards away.

She gets the kids quieted and "assumes the position" as port side gunner. I tell her not to shoot because we're under power and the moose is swimming, both no-no's. She says " I'm not going to. I'm looking at the antlers. Yep it's a bull". Oh Yeah!

Mr. Moose finally sees us and stops to look better, then turns around and heads for the far shore, I'm still putting quietly trying to will the boat faster. I didn't want to increase the RPM's and get louder, and spook Mr. Moose into a mad dash. We get to the end of the shortcut where I run the bow into the mud bank and kill the engine just as Mr. Moose starts to climb th far bank. I had grabbed my Rugger 06, set the kids in the seat behind my wife and assumed the bow gunner position, looped up and had my reticle on Mr. Moose in three heart beats. Yes I counted.

Mr. Moose had stoped and was pointed away from us, but he had his head turned and was looking at us. I hear my wife say "Ok, shoot". I had the reticle on his neck, behind his head, so I did. I recovered from the shot and Mr. Moose was down, just dropped where he stood.

My wife goes "I don't think I shot. I heard your shot and something hit me in the shoulder". She had grown up eating moose and cutting up quartered moose. Women "traditionally" haven't hunted, or touched "mens weapons" a taboo. Her eyes were just round. She didn't really believe she had shot a moose.

We left Mr. Moose and went and gathered firewood, then came back to Mr. Moose. I beached the boat and made sure he was dead, cut a bunch of young willow to stand on and started gutting him. We finally had him gutted about one thirty this morning. The kids were getting really whiney and it was late enough so we came home. We didn't get home untill three thirty.

This morning at 11:59

we headed back to quarter him. We have visitors from other villages that are attending a conference staying with us. They were real excited for my wife, her first kill. First kills are given away, the hunter can't even have a taste.

Oh well, they will enjoy Mr. Moose, a nice young bull still in velvet, not even close to rut.

FirstFreedom · August 12, 2007, 08:26 AM

Very cool story story; thanks. Except that I'm very confused. You said it was your wife's first kill, after saying:

Quote:

I hear my wife say "Ok, shoot". I had the reticle on his neck, behind his head, so I did. I recovered from the shot and Mr. Moose was down, just dropped where he stood.

So who shot the moose?

I'm also curious to know what the subject of the inter-village conference is.

moose fat · August 12, 2007, 03:41 PM

FF, We shot almost at the same time at the same area on the neck. I told her to claim the kill. Here it is difficult, unless you're the only one shooting, to know exactly who killed the moose since everyone with a gun shoots.

The Summit, today is the last day, is the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Drainage Association three year meeting. Water quality issues are discussed. Villages from Canada and all along the Yukon are represented. It would have been interesting to go,but priorities.

Mainah · August 12, 2007, 06:00 PM

Great story, thanks for sharing. That extra daylight paid off didn't it?

stevelyn · August 13, 2007, 08:35 AM

Congrats moose fat.

Too bad you have to give him up to everyone else, but that's a good thing too. The village folks appreciate it.

I normally hunt with the gf's family out in Kaiyuh Flats upriver a ways from ya, but not this year.

I got drawn for "any bull" in 20A Western Tanana Flats this year. It's normally a spike-fork or 50" area with a low sucess rate.

However, there are oodles of nice, fat 30 inchers walkin' around there that think they're invincible.

One of my buds and I are going to float the Nenana and sloughs. Shouldn't take more than a day or two to get my moose.

moose fat · August 14, 2007, 01:50 AM

Yeah, those long days are going fast. We lose about six minutes of day light each day.

We don't have size limits here, GMU 18, and this past winter cows were allowed along with antlered bulls. The moose population has been increasing, according to ADF&G. A few hunters wrote in requesting an expanded fall hunt, the season opened twenty days early.

Every body gets moose, an excelent tradition!

Mainah · August 14, 2007, 08:11 AM

I was surprised to read that you were able to leave him gutted for several hours. I don't know if I could do the same thing, the coyotes would find it pretty fast.

But we've got fewer apex predators to keep the coyote population in check.

moose fat · August 15, 2007, 01:17 AM

Yes, we were lucky. The ravens, or any other birds didn't come around. Ravens usually are first on the scene. We had rolled the guts into the slough and they floated off to feed the bugs, fish and seagulls.

When we went back it was blowing and raining, washed the blood away and blowing any scent all over.

Thank you all, its been several years since I last got a moose and I thought I might be becoming a . . . . . vegetarian

August 12, 2007, 01:32 AM	#1
moose fat Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2006 Location: Alaska, Yukon R. delta Posts: 421	First Day, First Moose Yahoo! After work went out to scout an area and go for a boat ride. My wife, ten year old daughter and seven year old son were the ones that wanted to go. Got on the river about seven, beutiful day, 60 deg, a few clouds and no wind. Cruised down the Yukon to Driftwood Slough that parallels the river, like a little slice of the Yukon with an upper end with water flowing in and out the lower end, and went up the slough. Saw a couple of eagles, beavers, an owl, an osprey, a red fox and moose tracks. We cruised up to this "Shortcut Slough" that connects the Yukon and Driftwood Slough and putted out to the Yukon. I parked the boat and my kids fished, my wife and I stretched our legs and snacked on some of our King Salmon strips we made last month. It was almost nine o'clock when we got going to head back home. We were putting back to Driftwood Slough and half way thru I noticed a root wad drifting towards us. I said "Whats that" and gave my wife the binoculars. She looks and says "Its a moose!" The kids imeadiatly wanted to look, I'm driving, she's trying to shush the kids and get my scoped, AR/Bushmaster that she likes. I'm shushing the kids and driving as quietly as possible, Mr Moose keeps on swimming towards us, at least a hundred yards away. She gets the kids quieted and "assumes the position" as port side gunner. I tell her not to shoot because we're under power and the moose is swimming, both no-no's. She says " I'm not going to. I'm looking at the antlers. Yep it's a bull". Oh Yeah! Mr. Moose finally sees us and stops to look better, then turns around and heads for the far shore, I'm still putting quietly trying to will the boat faster. I didn't want to increase the RPM's and get louder, and spook Mr. Moose into a mad dash. We get to the end of the shortcut where I run the bow into the mud bank and kill the engine just as Mr. Moose starts to climb th far bank. I had grabbed my Rugger 06, set the kids in the seat behind my wife and assumed the bow gunner position, looped up and had my reticle on Mr. Moose in three heart beats. Yes I counted. Mr. Moose had stoped and was pointed away from us, but he had his head turned and was looking at us. I hear my wife say "Ok, shoot". I had the reticle on his neck, behind his head, so I did. I recovered from the shot and Mr. Moose was down, just dropped where he stood. My wife goes "I don't think I shot. I heard your shot and something hit me in the shoulder". She had grown up eating moose and cutting up quartered moose. Women "traditionally" haven't hunted, or touched "mens weapons" a taboo. Her eyes were just round. She didn't really believe she had shot a moose. We left Mr. Moose and went and gathered firewood, then came back to Mr. Moose. I beached the boat and made sure he was dead, cut a bunch of young willow to stand on and started gutting him. We finally had him gutted about one thirty this morning. The kids were getting really whiney and it was late enough so we came home. We didn't get home untill three thirty. This morning at 11:59 we headed back to quarter him. We have visitors from other villages that are attending a conference staying with us. They were real excited for my wife, her first kill. First kills are given away, the hunter can't even have a taste. Oh well, they will enjoy Mr. Moose, a nice young bull still in velvet, not even close to rut.

August 13, 2007, 08:35 AM	#5
stevelyn Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2004 Location: Fairbanksan in exile to Aleutian Hell Posts: 2,655	Congrats moose fat. Too bad you have to give him up to everyone else, but that's a good thing too. The village folks appreciate it. I normally hunt with the gf's family out in Kaiyuh Flats upriver a ways from ya, but not this year. I got drawn for "any bull" in 20A Western Tanana Flats this year. It's normally a spike-fork or 50" area with a low sucess rate. However, there are oodles of nice, fat 30 inchers walkin' around there that think they're invincible. One of my buds and I are going to float the Nenana and sloughs. Shouldn't take more than a day or two to get my moose. __________________ Stop Allowing Our Schools To Be Soft Targets! http://fastersaveslives.org/ East Moose. Wear Wolf.

August 12, 2007, 03:41 PM	#3
moose fat Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2006 Location: Alaska, Yukon R. delta Posts: 421	FF, We shot almost at the same time at the same area on the neck. I told her to claim the kill. Here it is difficult, unless you're the only one shooting, to know exactly who killed the moose since everyone with a gun shoots. The Summit, today is the last day, is the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Drainage Association three year meeting. Water quality issues are discussed. Villages from Canada and all along the Yukon are represented. It would have been interesting to go,but priorities.

August 12, 2007, 06:00 PM	#4
Mainah Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2007 Posts: 1,119	Great story, thanks for sharing. That extra daylight paid off didn't it?

August 14, 2007, 01:50 AM	#6
moose fat Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2006 Location: Alaska, Yukon R. delta Posts: 421	Yeah, those long days are going fast. We lose about six minutes of day light each day. We don't have size limits here, GMU 18, and this past winter cows were allowed along with antlered bulls. The moose population has been increasing, according to ADF&G. A few hunters wrote in requesting an expanded fall hunt, the season opened twenty days early. Every body gets moose, an excelent tradition!

August 14, 2007, 08:11 AM	#7
Mainah Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2007 Posts: 1,119	I was surprised to read that you were able to leave him gutted for several hours. I don't know if I could do the same thing, the coyotes would find it pretty fast. But we've got fewer apex predators to keep the coyote population in check.

August 15, 2007, 01:17 AM	#8
moose fat Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2006 Location: Alaska, Yukon R. delta Posts: 421	Yes, we were lucky. The ravens, or any other birds didn't come around. Ravens usually are first on the scene. We had rolled the guts into the slough and they floated off to feed the bugs, fish and seagulls. When we went back it was blowing and raining, washed the blood away and blowing any scent all over. Thank you all, its been several years since I last got a moose and I thought I might be becoming a . . . . . vegetarian