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Author
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Topic: Swampdonkey DOWN!!
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Q-Wagoner
FREE TRIAL MEMBERSHIP
Member # 33
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posted September 29, 2003 04:42 PM
Well guys I am back. I tell ya I have never worked so hard in all of my life. The river we “floated?” was at least 18 inches lower than its previous low and we were dragging bottom for about 50 river miles. We literally pulled and drug the raft nearly as much as we floated in it. On top of that we had 5 full-blown portages due to logjams. It was tuff. REAL TUFF. The easy part was packing our 2 moose through the alders and other nasties of Alaska. LOL I was nice enough to shoot my bull about 500 yards above camp but my buddy shot his about a mile off of the river. Damn I am getting tired just talking about it!! Oh ya I called in a Black Bear to within 10 feet of me but never shot it because it was a young sow with cubs. My camera had gotten wet that morning and wasn’t function right but I did manage to get one “OK” pic of it when it finally decided to work. I will post it later.
All and all between being cold, soaked to the bone, exhausted and hungry the entire time I had fun, “I think?”
Good hunting.
Q,
Posts: 617 | From: Nebraska | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted September 29, 2003 06:28 PM
You got a nice one, there!
Any wolf sign?
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32384 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Rich Higgins
unknown comic
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posted September 29, 2003 06:40 PM
You know you had a good time if you have to go back to work in order to rest and recuperate.
I'm looking forward to reading about the hunt in your book.
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Q-Wagoner
FREE TRIAL MEMBERSHIP
Member # 33
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posted September 29, 2003 08:54 PM
Thanks! Yes you hit the nail on the head Rich cement work is like a vacation compared to that!!! I was lucky to have hunted with some hard working guys. Everyone pulled their weight and then some to make it to the pick up point on time. We were 6 hours late due to the river and a portage or two but everyone got flown out on the same day so we didn’t have to reschedule any flights home.
We did see some wolf sign. Quite a bit actually but I never seen or heard one personally. Two hunters on the other boat had one at 35 yards but didn’t take it because they were weighting for a big bull to clear some brush for a shot. About the time the wolf faded back into the alders the moose spooked and was gone. They were wondering what just happened when a brown bear came out of the brush. LOL They saw a nice bull moose a wolf and a brown bear all within 15 minutes and never got a shot off. One of the guys was a resident of AK and had a brown bear tag but elected not to take it because it was an 8-foot bear at best and he was looking for a 9-footer.
I wanted to do a lot more calling than I did but we were on the run nearly the whole time. I think I only made a total of 5 stands on the trip. I could have made a few more but I didn’t because of the tight cover. My little .220 swift is a bit light for a big brown bear. LOL
BTW As I think I told you before the only rifle I brought was my swift. The way I understood it was that it would be no problem to get a moose so I took my swift for wolves and planed on trading rifles with one of the other guys that shot their moose first. On our first full day of hunting I was going to set up in an open meadow and call for wolves and let the other guys go after the moose. As it worked out I spotted two bulls and a cow from my stand. Talk about feeling under gunned. LOL Well luckily the morning that we left to Alaska I made a flying trip to Cabelas bought a box of 60gr Nosler partitions came back home loaded up 15 rounds ran out side of town and shot a 5 shot group and 100 yards and then headed to Denver. To make a long story short, one of the Bull Moose got a 60gr Lobotomy at about 50 yards fallowed by one behind the ear at about 10 for good measure. It was bad judgment on my part for even taking the shot and wouldn’t do it again but I just got caught up in the moment and fortunately things worked out. I hit him just right of center between the eyes. I think if I would have hit him higher the bullet may have glanced off of his skull plate and if I would have hit him dead center I would not have gotten the penetration I needed as there is a thick bone that is centered between a moose’s eyes. In other words I just flat got lucky so don’t try this at home kids. LOL
I will post a pick of the entrance wound tomorrow evening.
Here is the pic of the bear that I called in. It didn't copy as good as I would have liked but at least you can see the bear.
Good hunting.
Q,
Posts: 617 | From: Nebraska | Registered: Jan 2003
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Jack Roberts
unknown comic
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posted September 29, 2003 10:34 PM
Give up a shot at a wolf for a possible shot at a moose? I don't think so!
Jack
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Byron South
Knows what it's all about
Member # 213
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posted September 30, 2003 07:17 AM
Great story Q, and congrats on the bull.
It always make for a great memory when you spend a month's hunting jamed into a week. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Good Hunting
Byron
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"Coming to the Call" predator hunting videos. Volumes I, II, III and IV. Order two or more and pay no S&H www.comingtothecall.com
Posts: 313 | From: Texas | Registered: Jun 2003
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John/Alaska
Knows what it's all about
Member # 25
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posted September 30, 2003 07:28 AM
Q -
Glad you enjoyed your trip. Yeah the water levels were a bit of a problem this year. Dragging a raft is not fun! It is hard to combine predator calling with moose hunting but I'm glad you were able to a little.
The swift is a bit light for moose but they aren't hard to kill. Just be glad that a griz didn't answer the dinner bell when you decked that moose!
Anyway sounds like it was an adventure!
Posts: 62 | From: Tok Alaska | Registered: Jan 2003
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Greenside
seems to know what he is talking about
Member # 10
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posted September 30, 2003 10:05 AM
Congratulations Q! That's a good looking bull. Hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like it could go 75" per side. Throw in some spread and it looks to be a 200"+ bull. That's a WAG on my part. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posts: 719 | From: IA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Az-Hunter
Hi, I'm Vic WELCOME TO THE U.S. Free baloney sandwiches here
Member # 17
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posted September 30, 2003 10:26 AM
Nice going Q, thats tough country compared to the lower 48 huh? I spent two weeks there with my son 12 years ago, prior to him leaving home. Did some fly in-drop off fishing and hunting, salmon and bear. Im a handgunner, so my bullet delivery system was a five inch S&W .45 colt, stuffed with 300 grain hardcast LBTs. The more I walked creek banks, stepping over bear splatters filled with salmon bones and raspberries, that were the size of garbage can lids, the less confident I began to feel:) Great experience to have gone there, but once was enough for me, that country is just to big and to thick and to damned hard to hunt! Im a desert rat at heart, and much prefer the southwest for hunting. Still....was glad I went.
Posts: 1675 | From: 5 miles west of Tim | Registered: Jan 2003
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onecoyote
Knows what it's all about
Member # 129
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posted September 30, 2003 01:54 PM
Dang Q, that's a BIG deer ya got there, congrats.
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Great minds discuss ideas.....Average minds discuss events.....Small minds discuss people.....Eleanor Roosevelt.
Posts: 893 | From: Walker Lake Nevada. | Registered: Feb 2003
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Q-Wagoner
FREE TRIAL MEMBERSHIP
Member # 33
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posted September 30, 2003 05:33 PM
You got that right Jack. You don’t have to pack out 800lbs of meat when you shoot a wolf. LOL Everyone gave that guy hell for not shooting it. For every chance you get at a wolf you will get 10 chances at a bull moose. AT LEAST!! In my mind a wolf is a much finer trophy than most any moose. For me the decision would have been a quick one.
The moose I shot was a good one but not great. He is “for now” 51 and ¾ inches wide with a 12x13 rack. He had three brow tines on one side and 4 on the other. If he had about 10 more inches of with it would have been outstanding. I like the fact that he is very symmetrical with good wide palms and neither side was boomed. When I get the antlers here in a couple of weeks I will properly score him. For his size I think he will do well.
My buddy shot a trophy though. He was 65 and ¾ wide. One side was perfect but the other side was broomed and had a twist to it. I think it was a 7x13 or something like that. The points it had were long.
I am kind of left with the same impression that AZ was. I am very glad that I did the hunt because it was an experience and an adventure of a lifetime but I sure am glad it is behind me. I will go back for Caribou, wolf, Mt. Goat and Sheep in the future but I will be damned if I will EVER set foot in a raft again. LOL
Good hunting.
Q,
Posts: 617 | From: Nebraska | Registered: Jan 2003
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Locohead
World Famous Smoke Dancer
Member # 15
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posted September 30, 2003 10:21 PM
Absolutely wonderful!!! Great Job Q!
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I love my critters and chick!!!! :)
Posts: 2219 | From: CO | Registered: Jan 2003
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Rich Higgins
unknown comic
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posted October 01, 2003 05:26 AM
Those photos are the end result of one hell of a lot of work. Are you still sore? How much weight did you lose on the trip?
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Q-Wagoner
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Member # 33
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posted October 02, 2003 05:12 PM
I am use to a lot of physical labor so I didn’t get too sore but I sure got a hellofa work out every day. The balls of my feet took a beating though. When I would have to bale out of the raft and grab the rope to avoid log jams nasty corners or dead falls my feet would catch hell sliding across all of the rocks in the riverbed.
I did loose a little weight but I am not sure how much. My buddy lost 15lbs though. I don’t think I lost that much but I am guessing I shed between 5 and 10lbs.
Good hunting.
Q,
Posts: 617 | From: Nebraska | Registered: Jan 2003
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