Back from Alaska MMHW Bull Moose

JParanee

JParanee

Joined
Dec 23, 2006
Messages
15,019
Got back yesterday and man moose hunting sucks climb big hills walkon mukeg and push thru willow thickets lots of fun. All kidding aside it was a tuff hunt got alot of snow and climbing up in the snow and musgeg to spot you would get sweaty and then sit for hours glassing was rather cold and hard on the joints. Calling worked on small bulls but the big boys did not come a running so spot and stalk was the order of the day. Spotted this Bull on the 7 th day and due to snow and fog did not get on him till a day in a half later. He is old and even though he is not that wide his palms went up instead of out he had great daggers and was very heavy with large palms. With one day to spare put the knives to use and the fun part began by packing out the god knows what it weighted My knees will never be the same. As for Teds knives I did not take the big bowie due to weight and being told there where hand saws and axes in my drop camp. Sorry Paul for making ya hurry for nothing but I did use the MMHW Persian for most of the skinning and butchering. Ted puts in my laymens terms kind of a thick edge on his knives and before I left I kinda thinned it out and was very happy with its performance no need to have to touch it up during the work . I also used a little Greco Lile caper for fine work. My buddy in the pics is Darwin he had a very nice custom that I wish I would have taken a pic of with a lovely patinad carbon blade that performed well also.
Well here we go with the pics hopefully I will not offend antone
We did alot of this
Alaska08019.jpg

Which got us this
Alaska08053.jpg

Alaska08082.jpg

Alaska08086.jpg

Butchered
Alaska08088.jpg

Then we started packing out
Alaska08089.jpg

A happy ending. Well I guess not for the moose
Alaska08098.jpg

This is the area I hunted looked like from the air
Alaska08118.jpg

This is the knife that got the most use
L1020250.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'm not into hunting, but I would have loved to hang not too far from the carcass and see what might have come and feast of it, wolves maybe?
 
JParanee said:
Hi Kevin hope all is well with you. I do not know they say a Bull moose weights between 1200 and 1600 pounds the way my knees feel I would guess the latter.:D
Click to expand...

Things good Joe.
I weighed one in at around 1100 lbs years ago and if I remember correctly it was quite a bit smaller than that beast. So 1500-1600 is probably right.

You always seem to get the big ones. Probably a combination of your skill/determination and the right guides. :thumbup:

Joss said:
I'm not into hunting, but I would have loved to hang not too far from the carcass and see what might have come and feast of it, wolves maybe?
Click to expand...

Not me Joss. Maybe something much bigger than wolves. ;) Not sure exactly where Joe was but that's Grizzly country.
 
Last edited:
Joss I did have a grizzly tag but did not see any. In my last four trips to the north I have seen 17 grizzly's and have not shot one yet.Did See a very nice black bear but I have no use in shooting one of them shot a very big one when I was young and kinda bummed me out. Alot of wolf tracks in the snow but I never saw one. Heard one howling in middle of night really cool kinda like a honor
karl I liked the upswept tip alot for taking off the main skin. An ule is upswept on both sides and is a great fleshing tool. The sharpened top I did not have much time to experiment with was snowing and we where looseing light so I would have to say on this trip no use. I have wondered if I where just gutting an animal if I could use it as some sort of gut hook. I will try it this year on a deer but for now It just looks cool.

Kevin I was in the Wrangell-St Elias area of Alaska and for always getting the big one even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. Ya gotta pass the small ones to get to the big ones and I have gone home empty handed alot of times

Thanks for all the kind words.
 
Joss,

The season is always open in grizzly country, unless you reject my old proverb that all the grizzlies on earth are not worth one dead me. About 2 weeks ago I stood face to face with a sow griz with twin cubs at a measured 60 yds. Thought she was a moose until she lifted up that bushel-size head to peer at me for about 5 sec. before disappearing into the brush with her little ones. I carried 2 types of spray--a lead-based spray (175 gr. Noslers) for day time protection and canned spray for night encounters.

Joe,

Enjoyed the read and the pictures. It brought back memories of ancient hunts. Alaska is a land for young, tough guys, especially the moose, whose muscles are yet fortified by testosterone. My supply dried up long ago, and my moose hunts are history unless I strike oil and can go guided. Tried for years to hunt caribou on terra firma but always ended up in the slop, muskeg, the curse of the North. That head-high brush covered in snow ain't no bargain either, as there is no more certain way to get wet and cold than that. Of course, the cold is a blessing in that it eliminates the bug problem, which is even worse than the muskeg.

What part of Alaska?

ken
 
JParanee said:
Joss I did have a grizzly tag but did not see any. In my last four trips to the north I have seen 17 grizzly's and have not shot one yet.Did See a very nice black bear but I have no use in shooting one of them shot a very big one when I was young and kinda bummed me out. Alot of wolf tracks in the snow but I never saw one. Heard one howling in middle of night really cool kinda like a honor
karl I liked the upswept tip alot for taking off the main skin. An ule is upswept on both sides and is a great fleshing tool. The sharpened top I did not have much time to experiment with was snowing and we where looseing light so I would have to say on this trip no use. I have wondered if I where just gutting an animal if I could use it as some sort of gut hook. I will try it this year on a deer but for now It just looks cool.

Kevin I was in the Wrangell-St Elias area of Alaska and for always getting the big one even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. Ya gotta pass the small ones to get to the big ones and I have gone home empty handed alot of times

Thanks for all the kind words.
Click to expand...

Yep Joe, not matter if you are hunting game or knives it's ALL about patience. ;) :D

Joss, depending on weather and how the feeding season's been, September can be too early to relax in Grizzly country.
 
Those were some cool pics. Thanks for sharing. Its nice to see how different kinds of knives stack up in the real world.
 
Thanks for posting this.Im so jelous.My dream trip is a float down the Moose John river for moose and salmon.Looks like you'll have plenty of winter meat!
 
Great stuff, Joe! What a view! What an adventure!
Send me some backstraps! hehehe
Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos!
Glad you are back safe & sound!
 
Great pictures and story. Did you save the hide? I've heard moose hide is great leather. :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top