Successful pursuit of a prime moose

As our canoe came around the end of a point, we saw a cow moose and her calf standing in the lake. Then our hearts skipped a beat or two as we saw a third moose, a large bull.

This moose hunt started 15 months earlier in June 2004 as my wife, JoAnn, and I were driving north to Saskatchewan on our annual Canadian fishing trip.

This was our third trip to Angell's Hunting and Fishing Resort on sprawling Amisk Lake. We had become friends of the owner, Gerry Angell. After catering to fishermen during the summer, Angell becomes a moose-hunting outfitter and guide in the fall.

Angell runs a one-man moose-hunting operation. I liked the idea of hunting with a veteran moose guide, and not being turned over to a wet-behind-the-ears young guide.

Anyway, as JoAnn and I were driving north, I said, "I think I'd like to go moose hunting with Angell, but can't decide which one of our sons I will invite on this moose hunting trip."

JoAnn responded by saying, "What about me?" So instantly my decision was made. Last Christmas, JoAnn's Christmas present was a Saskatchewan moose-hunting trip.

Angell's moose-hunting camp is located about 40 miles west of his resort in the "bush." The camp is located on the Grassberry River, which connects two large Canadian lakes, Grassberry Lake and Windy Lake. He hunts the river as well as the shores of those two lakes.

Access is via float plane. Camp consists of two adjoining wall tents, one used as the cook and kitchen tent, the other for sleeping. A wood stove keeps the tents warm and cozy.

Our hunting vehicle was a 19-foot square-end canoe with a small outboard motor. Our hunting technique was to motor and paddle the shoreline looking for moose. In prime moose areas, Angell would silently paddle, occasionally stopping to utter the mournful call of a cow moose in heat or a bull moose challenge call.

This had been a difficult year for moose hunting. The fall was unusually warm, with none of the normal September frosts that seemed to get the moose into the rut. Very heavy fall rains also had flooded the lake shoreline, changing moose habits.

Usually Angell's moose hunters fill their tags during the first couple of days of the weeklong hunt, but not this year.

We left camp each morning before sunrise and motored to prime moose habitat where Angell would paddle and call. It was late afternoon the first day before we saw our first moose, a cow and calf feeding along the lakeshore. We paddled to within 150 feet of the moose and floated silently for 90 minutes, waiting for a bull to show up. At dusk we headed back to camp.

That was the story of the next three days. Each day we saw cows and calves, but no bulls.

Finally, on the next to last day of the hunt, we saw our first bull. It looked like a dandy! Angell silently paddled to within 120 feet. The bull watched us all the time, but his poor eyesight or small brain didn't register us as being dangerous.

JoAnn was in the front of the canoe as the designated shooter. Her first shot was a front shot into the brisket, with the bullet continuing back into the vital heart and lung area. At the shot the bull turned slowly and walked part way up the bank, presenting JoAnn with a good broadside shot into the heart and lung area. After her second shot, the bull walked into the woods for 20 feet and collapsed.

After we got ashore, we found the bull's antlers were even better than anticipated. The antlers were nearly four feet wide and had heavy, deep palms. There were 10 points on each palm. A Canadian moose trophy of a lifetime!

Then the work started. It took a couple of hours to cut this 1,200-pound giant deer into manageable chucks that could be loaded into the canoe for the trip back to camp. But it was enjoyable work.

During the last day of our hunt, we didn't see any more bulls, so my tag was never filled. But it had been a great hunt, resulting in a fine trophy and hundreds of pounds of wholesome meat.

These bull moose antlers hanging over our living room fireplace will be a constant reminder of our hunt on Grassberry Lake. So our enjoyment of this hunt is just beginning.