The 2006 moose season, six of us hunted in an area south of Algonquin Park (This is the same group I hunted with the last 2 years). For Day 1 we didn’t see any moose. Day 2 was rained out. We headed out again on day 3. To get to this place from our camp, we went by boats going through two lakes. There is a 2-mile hike up the hill to get to the marsh where three of us stayed. The other three hunters including the camp leader Peter stayed at stands a mile south of us.

This is an L shape marsh where I stayed at one end and the other two (John and Dave) went further up through heavy woods. Just before I had a chance to bite into my lunch, three shoots rang out. I heard it on the radio that a bull is down. John was telling us that he shot a huge bull in the middle of the marsh. Since Dave was closer to the down bull he went to check it out. As he was standing 20 yards from the down bull he put another shot into it and shouted on the radio that the bull was well over 1,000 lbs. Immediately John shouted back on radio “Don’t shoot any more as it will ruin good meat. Just let the bull bleed outâ€. Dave kept saying the bull was still kicking. I wanted to tell Dave to shoot at the head. Because the two were talking nonstop I couldn’t jam in. Both John and I were making our ways to the scene around the marsh through heavy woods. The other three hunters also heard the shots and the conversation on the radio.

Just as John was getting there, the bull jumped up and took off. Dave in a panic didn’t get a chance to shoot. At this point, Peter, our leader jammed in on the radio and immediately gave instructions to each of us to corner the injured bull. Both John and Dave were right on the blood trail. All other hunters including myself were following directions from Peter in a V formation to corner the moose from the two sides. Peter knows the land very well and was able to give clear instructions telling us were to go.

The blood trail was very good for John and Dave to follow. Little over an hour later, the bull got to the lake and swam ½ mile across. Every one had to go around the lake and look for blood trail again. I was the slowest. I had to make a detour as I came to a cliff with a sharp drop. The woods are not only difficult to cut through, they are so thick that I lost my GPS signals at one point and had to use my compass. By the time I got to the lake everyone was on the other side picking up the trail again.

Peter radioed me to take one of the boats to the far end of the peninsula and wait. As I had the Marlin 1895, they were to flush the bull towards me. The place I landed had only 10 feet clearing from the shoreline to the woods. If the bull charges at me I would have very little reaction time. With the 45/70 in hand I was some what comfortable. I was not only hungry but also exhausted (I lost my lunch earlier when the shots rang out). My adrenalin kept me going as I waited. Lucky enough I always hunt with my well loaded backpack with flashlights, extra batteries, energy bars, water, emergency blanket… If I had to stay in the woods overnight I can survive.

It was getting darker and the blood trail was getting very difficult to find. Another hour later, Peter, our leader finally called out to abandon the search. By the time they got to me, it was pitch black. It was so dark I couldn’t see more than 5 feet ahead with my 5 LED headlight on. We went back for dinner and planned to pick the blood trail the next day.

Since I had an appointment with my client the next day, I had to leave to go back in town. I found out later that they spent another 1/2 day searching but weren’t able to pick up the trail as it rained over night.

My GPS indicated that we tracked the bull for over four miles. This is the first year we didn’t get any moose meat. But I had an exciting time, learned a few lessions and enjoyed every minute of the military like tracking. The experience is invaluable. I will get the full story when I team up with these guys the next season.

Danny

Sad story but "don't shoot anymore " ??

From your account, I gather that Canada doesn't have the same kind of restrictions regarding use of radios while hunting than in New England. Hmm. Interesting. I'm not exactly trying to bash your buddy, but a statement like the one you say he made as far as not shooting a still-kicking animal in the interest of 'saving meat' I find totally absurd on a few different levels. Any animal that I hunt gets lead until the lights go off; I believe I owe the animal no less. Sorry to hear that the bull wasn't found--especially for the bull's sake.

As an aside, does the term 'crossfire' mean anything to you by any chance?

I say your hunting partners that shot at the moose better spend some time at the range and learn to shoot, and practice at aiming for a clean kill. To be fair to the game, you were correct to say to Dave to put a bullet to the head to put the moose down for good. Save the meat..what meat is in the head?

For a moose to travel that far and not be recovered tells me it was very poor shot placement, probably a gut shot and hit no-mans land. There is no way a moose would do what your's did if it was fatally hit, as going 4 miles, swim across a lake.

Your group did the right thing and attempted to track the animal, and for that congrats. As for the next season, I guess the past season's experience will be a hard lesson learned, and make your buddies better hunters.

All I will say is I hope they learned a lesson from all this.

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:
From your account, I gather that Canada doesn't have the same kind of restrictions regarding use of radios while hunting than in New England. Hmm. Interesting. I'm not exactly trying to bash your buddy, but a statement like the one you say he made as far as not shooting a still-kicking animal in the interest of 'saving meat' I find totally absurd on a few different levels. Any animal that I hunt gets lead until the lights go off; I believe I owe the animal no less. Sorry to hear that the bull wasn't found--especially for the bull's sake.

As an aside, does the term 'crossfire' mean anything to you by any chance?

In Ontario, A radio is to be used ONLY for notifying your hunting party that you have a moose down, reason being it take's anywhere from 3 to 12 hunter's to get a adult tag, depending where in Ontario you hunt. Radio's are NOT to be used for anything other than that.