Semi-live Alberta Moose
Moose
Ok… here we go.. flew in and at northern Alberta outfitters hunting the Athabaskan River !! Four of us.. two moose hunters and two whitetail hunters..
SWEEEET!!!
Be safe, have and good luck to you all!
Good luck bud, hope to see a "grip-n-grin"!
Sounds like fun, good luck!
Best of luck to you and your crew Danny!
First morning was pretty amazing but no moose killed. Within the first 10 minutes we spotted a shooter bowl 400 yards away, working the edge of the river. We set up, got the decoy out and started calling, and he started making his way to us. he went some of the trees and was working his way towards us in the wind switched, and he just faded away. We ended up calling another bull in, but never did get to see him. Lots of moose sign and an incredible sunrise. This is a pic as the sun was rising. The backend of this photo is where we initially spotted the moose coming from.
The highlight of the beginning of this hunt actually started last Saturday. My family and I went to a Cody Jinks concert at red rocks and by God if he didn’t ask my daughter to come sing with him in front of 17,000 people on stage for the last song.. was amazing.. great start to an amazing week ahead!!
Been waiting on this hunt and looking forward to, as Paul Harvey said, the rest of the story! Rilynn's going to be a star!! Best of luck to ya Danny. Can't wait to eat some moose burgers in November.
Oh Yeah.....looking forward to this!
Give us some more back info on hunt,You said part of your group is deer hunting?Did you drive up there?
My dad and on other hunter drove up and I flew with another buddy and we met here at camp. They have giant whitetails here.. it’s a seven day hunt. I’ll be moose bow hunting while dad has a rifle moose tag. The other two are bow hunting whitetails. They both saw over 20 deer each on stand today with one borderline shooter that was passed on. Amazing numbers for deer and the moose population is good.
Dang, you should've started out with the Cody Jinks concert! Now I'm in x2.
Good luck tomorrow!
Tonight was slow until just after 7. We got a bull grunting but he hung up probably 300 yd out and couldn’t get him to commit. The rut is going good so hopefully tomorrow! Headed back toward the river where we were this morning. The whitetail guys had some great bucks come by, but either passed or just out of range. Pic of my guide from tonight as we were getting ready to set up for a calling sequence.
Had some friends from here that were at the concert as well and were commenting on the girl who went up and sang with Cody. Now I can tell them I know who she is. That was an awesome experience for her which she will never forget.
Great recap! Looking forward to how this one plays out! Keep it rolling!
Beautiful moose country good luck.
Awesome that your daughter was given that opportunity! I’ll bet she’s still smiling.
Following this! Great pics so far. Keep the story coming!
Nice ! FarOut! Waiting how the rest will play out
Looking forward to this. WOW, I bet she is still on cloud 9!!!!!!! Has your daughter ever given a thought to trying out for "The Voice" - is a great way to kick off a singing career.
Awesome stuff for your daughter! She will never forget that. Also, looks like perfect moose country to me. Good luck!
No moose seen this morning. One cow barked a us for a while so I’m assuming that didn’t help. We did have some local hunters come i to the drainage that we were in but they didn’t look like the hunted it to hard. Looked like the walked out o to a point and sat up for a while last night. It’s a little warm today so that will keep them in their beds quite a while today, but hopefully overcast this afternoon and the rest of the week. We are just north Ft. Assiniboine.
keep coming!!!! Faith, the moose will come close to you
Following... It will happen and happen fast! Sounds like you're enjoying the wait....
Cool experience for your daughter!!
Good luck! You’re in moose. Just a matter of time.
Tonight was a complete bust very quiet. We set up in a newly cut area that they had a great giant bull in last week, but nothing. The Whitetail geyser seeing 20 deer a sit and one guy had 160 inch just was too far out.. tomorrow is another day, but as is life while moose hunting. Some days are good. Some days are not so good.. tomorrow’s another day. Looking forward to it.!
You are the Moose Whisperer DJ!!
Thanks for taking us along man,
Robb
Had great weather this morning.. cold and foggy.. we set up several times but just had no action. My dad got into a nice bull and had a quick opportunity but held off waiting for it to pass through a bigger opening when a cow moose started calling and turned and headed her way.. no shot.. off tonight to a different spot ..
A little bit of a grind.. no moose seen for two days for me. Whitetail guys are having a blast seeing lots of deer but no arrows shot just yet .. off to a place this morning that’s about 1.5 hr drive so leaving a little early. Moose are giant critters
Best of luck! Stay after 'em and enjoy the hunt.
that's why it's a ten day hunt
Thanks for the story and pics!
Still cranking but slow.. dad had been into a great rut the last couple days but I’m drawing nothing but blanks.. only takes one but frustrating rt now. Have three more days to go.
Very cool that your daughter had that experience I'm guessing there are greater things to to come. Thanks for sharing looking forward to the rest of the story
Wow! She's growing-up fast. Seems like yesterday that I was dropping off some Frozen gifts for her at your office in Salida. I have a feeling you enjoy hearing her singing Cody Jinks more than "Let it Go" on repeat:).
Good luck, I'll try to pop-in your office sometime while passing through.
Never heard of Cody jinks but that is a big deal for daughter. Was she a random selection or was it planned.
Keep at it!! Some great looking country!
Finally got into some moose today but just couldn’t get him out of the timber with a cow this morning. Got back into a different bull tonight that would trash all the trees near him but would not commit the last 100 yds. One nice buck was killed today. Old 8 pt with huge brows. Will try to post later. Was emailed this YouTube of rilynn with Cody jinks today.. was crazy.
Killer video brother. Your daughter's fearless! That's just so stinkin' cool!
Stands can you give us some back story on your daughter and this really cool story.
Come on Danny and Jim! 4th quarter rally!
Just got back from another very uneventful morning.. have today and tomorrow. Been a struggle I can’t lie. Last bull we saw was the first day of my hunt. My dad keeps getting into them, but can’t get a shot yet. Seems like they’re almost like in whitetail type lockdown with cows. We’re going to move areas since we’ve been down at this one particular part of the river for a couple days.
As for my daughter and her condition, I appreciate you asking. When she was nine months old, she contracted transverse myelitis from adverse reactions to vaccines. Specifically the Prevnar 9 vaccine. Paralyzed from the neck down as transverse Myelitis is the immune system attacking itself and swelling of the spinal column causing irreparable damage. We didn’t know if she’d ever be able to move again and as you can see from the video she’s got a lot of her movement back. We spent 45 days in children’s hospitals, and she’s had several surgeries including one to put a hockey size baclofen pump in her stomach that feeds her medicine via a catheter drilled into her spine that drips on her spine that helps her legs stay loose. She also had leg lengthening surgery where they release a bunch of muscles and tendons to allow her legs to fully extend. it’s been a crazy long road to get her to this point and say that I had a tear when she was singing on that stage looking back on how much we’ve gone through would be untruthful. I’ll post a video for you guys here as well so you can watch her as a little girl and her progress.. the ending always gets me.. and she has done all of them.. she’s a rockstar and now it’s official..
I’m a Cody Jinks fan now! Rock star for sure! Transverse Myelitis sucks.
Beautiful daughter Danny, she is a Rockstar and no doubt she's made you all proud. Thanks for sharing your story. Good luck on your hunt!!
Wow! That backstory about your daughter is so great. Thanks for sharing! Bet the emotions were high that night for sure! Makes it even more amazing to see her up there on stage!
Good luck with the moose! Keep pushing till the last minute! Persistence pays!
Good luck. You’ve already had good luck because you are in a remote place bowhunting moose. Awesome
Wow- the info about your daughter is something. I'll include her and you in my prayers tonight. But... sure seems like she's kicking butt and doing great!
Amazing young lady! Definitely a Rockstar! Thanks for sharing her incredible story.
Rooting for you to get that close encounter with a bull moose!
Thanks for sharing the story of your daughter. Hoping you find a cooperative bull!
Well.. no moose.. in all honesty this was the most frustrating hunt I may have ever had.. not once did i have legitimate opportunity but not Denton my personal guide.. we worked very hard every day but the moose just didn’t cooperate.. I’ll be hard-pressed to come back to Alberta for moose.. whitetails though 100% would come for
Thx for sharing your experience.
It’s a stark reminder that no hunt is a given.
Seems like you had a great time and you’ll get em next time!
We all cam relate to your experience. As much as we say it is not about harvesting an animal, we really want to have an opportunity. Keep your chin up. G
Both those last comments were so true there are no guarantees and it’s a cliché but it’s true hunting is not a video game and we can’t control so much of it. That’s why you’ve got a feel great about the experience without a kill and use the kill when they happen to make it all that much better as opposed to it lessening the trip.
It sounds like you were hunting area where if you had a chance at a moose It was very likely going to be a decent one. I don’t think all Alberta’s like that but you were up in an area where there was that chance so good for you for giving it a great try and working hard at it.
Still, regardless of how great the experiences when there isn’t a kill, there is a period of not disappointment necessarily, but acknowledgment that it was a missed opportunity. Even if the expectations are going in we’re low we still will look back on those trips and say there was a chance, I was there, and it just didn’t happen but that’s OK
Thanks for sharing about the hunt and your daughter’s story! She is a tough, Rockstar!!
On the hunt, that can be a typical moose hunt anywhere in Canada, not just Alberta, especially if it’s thick woods with no good views. Moose hunting is so much unlike say a rut, elk hunt where you at least you get to hear the elk calling or maybe run into a herd. If a bull moose isn’t coming to your calls then it’s crickets day after day, mentally very tough. And it seems like in the places where you have a chance for a bigger bull the moose density is often lower.
I sure prefer to hunt places where you have hillsides to glass, or big valleys, or cutlines where you can see a long way and not just rely on calling to find moose, mentally it’s so much easier than just standing in the woods calling and calling. People on bowhunts seem to think you need to stay in the thick woods and call a bull in close. I would way rather call with a good view, wear black if it’s safe to do it and be spotted by a bull from a long way, then make a move on him while you act like a moose. Or if you have a road system in the area where you can do some driving around to look for moose, or even to cut a track and then call in that area can be another helpful way to hunt them. They may not have had any good viewing places in this area, or maybe just not a lot of moose, but some big bulls?
Overall I’m just saying don’t discount all of Alberta for moose hunting, there may have been ways to up the odds, or just make it a less of a mental grind, that weren’t done or not? But it’s a huge province and the hunting conditions can vary greatly from one zone to another, even with zones right next to each other.
Same with the whitetails, that area is known for its plentiful, big woods deer, and some big ones, other Alberta big woods areas have very few whitetails and you would definitely not want to bowhunt in them, a rifle hunt can be a big challenge, my guiding area included in that.
Again thanks for sharing! Best of luck with your daughter’s health.
Great pics and story telling!
Thanks for sharing your daughter’s story.....VERY inspiring for us all!!
Mark
I'll echo what Mike said. I've hunted one of the top areas in Northern BC for a 12 day period and had SEVERAL days in a row without seeing a moose. It can be great some days, and hard the others (especially without longer range places to glass them). Hope you have luck on your next one, wherever it is!! Appreciate you keeping people updated with the posts!!
Well ~~ Hell.
Fun times for sure man and memories.
Thanks for sharing about your Daughter, what an inspiration she is.
Good luck, Robb
Very cool. Too bad about the slow moose hunting but what a great experience for your daughter.
Thanks fellas.. hangin with my ole man and the two others was great..anytime dad and i get to just hang out like that it’s great. lots to review and will when i have time.
"Well.. no moose.. in all honesty this was the most frustrating hunt I may have ever had.. not once did i have legitimate opportunity but not Denton my personal guide.. we worked very hard every day but the moose just didn’t cooperate.. I’ll be hard-pressed to come back to Alberta for moose.. whitetails though 100% would come for" That is moose hunting, sometimes it can be easy, buts mostly its nothing. I did 3 fly in moose hunts and saw only one small bull, then took a few years off. The next fly in I killed a nice bull first morning, it was easy, the next year I killed another on the 4th morning, seemed easy! I've done 5 more fly in moose hunts since with nothing. My buddy/hunting partner has hunted 50 days total on fly in moose hunts and hasn't had a single opportunity. Long story short moose hunting is frustrating, period
Great hunt recap! Sometimes it just doesn’t come together… Sounds like a great time with a great bunch of people so definitely a success! Good luck on the next one!
I was probably a little hard on Alberta in itself for the lack of moose sightings and agree with all above. This is my 6th moose hunt (3 diy in AK), one Shirus in Wyoming, and two in Alberta. It was very apparent that I was booked a little too late in the rut, as the guys booked in late sept all had amazing hunts. Guide took a third moose hunter this year and he delayed us an entire week, which I questioned when it happened, but trusted his judgement. The rut is always hard to dial in.. I have been to Alaska where we didn’t see a single moose until day 7, and went into this eyes wide open. I’m know what to expect when moose hunting. Initial Alberta complaint was just frustration I’m sure..
This is the problem with guided hunts and the money it cost, the expectation for success out weighs the hunting experience.
The best comment from a hunter that was on a Dall sheep hunt that miss a shot and came out empty from the Wrangle Mnt. was, the money I spent for this hunt and didn't succeed outweighs the total experience and the friendship I made with the guide was worth every penny. This was when I was working in an outfitting camp in 1980, that have stayed with me for many years on the priority of a hunt.
If moose are not talking you’re not killing. Just plan on that. I too once went on one too late and it was futile even in British Columbia.
The other problem with to late is it gets worse as the days go by vs too early where at least you are heading into it and getting closer.
Thanks for sharing. Your daughter is fearless and absolutely inspirational.
Thanks for sharing on the hunt. Alberta is the size of 25% of the continental US so obviously no one can write off the province without doing about 1,000 hunts. I know I hunted one area of Alberta that I would have given a left nut to be able to hunt moose there...9 year draw for residents.
Sorry about the moose hunt. They've gotta be the craziest animals. Back to back I've had amazing days that make you feel like you won the lottery in sightings saddled right beside totally dead days where you don't think a moose has ever existed. And yet cows can live their whole lives inside a few acres if they have what they need. They're the weirdest animals to hunt....and in part I think it's because they are so dumb. For real.
My son hunted southern Alaska where last year he called in 25 bulls this year they shut down before the season ended.
Danny, after two successful hunts with Sportsman's Air and Papa Bear, what was the goal taking a chance with 2 Alberta hunts and going with another transporter in Alaska?
The one bull you took was a dandy if memory serves me. Were you trying to just get a different experience or save some money?
Danny, what a great story. Both of them. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
