12/07/2010 07:40PM
Here is the story of my 2006 MN moose hunt. I just pasted a draft, the final version was published in RACK Magazine as it was a record book moose and I cannot legally post the article. It is a bit long but should be informative for anybody planning a moose hunt.
A Quest for King of the Boreal Forrest
During my summers throughout high school and college I worked at Gunflint Northwoods Outfitters on Minnesota’s Gunflint Trail. For a few of those summers I was a canoe guide, bringing guests on multiple day canoe trips in the beautiful Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in the Minnesota-Ontario border country. When my guests had moose sightings I would often hear them comment on how awkward or clumsy a moose looks. I never thought much of it at the time but after learning more about moose and spending more time observing them as well as hunting them, I now realize how far from the truth comments are that depict a moose as awkward or clumsy. Moose are large powerful animals that can quickly move through rough, thick, steep, or boggy terrain that humans struggle to move a small distance through. Moose are a symbol of the wild and thrive only in remote wilderness areas. No one will ever shoot a trophy bull moose that is the product of food plots or specially managed ranches. The BWCAW is as unique and wild as moose are and it is only fitting that moose call this area home. A BWCAW moose hunt is an unforgettable experience and a true wilderness hunt. I hope that in addition to finding this article entertaining you will also find it informative if you are planning a future wilderness moose hunt. Here is the story of my once in a lifetime Minnesota moose hunt in 2006.
I had been unsuccessful in drawing a moose tag for the 2005 season in zone 62 so in order to increase my odds of drawing a tag I used the MN DNR website to gather information on where to apply for the 2006 season. Based on the number of hunters that applied for the permits available in each zone in 2005, it was obvious I would have had a much better chance of drawing a permit if I had applied in zone 64 instead of zone 62. I figured the number of available permits for each zone and the number of applicants would not change much from one year to the next so I decided that I would apply in zone 64 for the 2006 season. Zone 64 is huge and covers the most remote areas of the BWCAW going from Snowbank Lake on the west to Ogishkemuncie on the east. The north boundary is the Canadian border and the zone runs south as far as the Kawishiwi River. The zone receives fewer applicants for the licenses that are available because of its location in the middle of the park.
In early July I got a letter congratulating me on successfully being drawing for a moose tag. The cost for the license was a little over $300 which is a bargain for a once in a lifetime hunting opportunity. After I had my license I was able to get some more great information from the Minnesota DNR website. On the website I was able to look at maps that showed me where hunting parties had reported shooting their moose in each zone over the past several seasons. My research showed me that almost all the moose shot in zone 64 were shot in the southern parts of the zone. I decided that the areas along the Kawishiwi River east of Alice Lake were a good hunting option. I also knew from past experience that the couple of miles between Vee and Roe Lakes would provide me with a great chance at a big bull moose, but did not think I could find anybody willing to help me get a moose out from that far in the park. I estimated that moose hunting this area would require a two day paddle to my hunting area and a four day trip out with a moose.
A four day trip out of the wilderness could also be disastrous on the meat if the weather got warm. My third hunting option was an area just west of Gabimichigami and Little Saganaga Lakes, but as a wildfire (the Cavity Lake fire) approached closely to that area in July I decided that the Kawishiwi River area would be my destination. By the end of August I had decided on my hunting location, the route I would take, and most importantly had assembled a crew to help me canoe and portage a moose out of the wilderness.
The team consisted of Joe, Luke, Jason, and myself. Joe and Luke were a father and son team that had previous moose hunting experience in Alaska. Joe was the senior member of our group and blessed us with his sense of humor on the trip. Luke, a former log home builder was the most creative member of our group which proved to be a very valuable asset as we transported the large portions of meat out of the BWCAW. Jason has some BWCAW canoeing experience and was definitely the best conditioned person on the trip, always willing to take the heaviest pack or make an extra trip on each portage. Without Jason’s stamina I’m sure it would have taken us an additional day to get out of the woods. I contributed a lot of Boundary Waters experience along with moose hunting knowledge from three Alaskan moose hunts, and of course the moose tag.
We would put in at Kawishiwi Lake and use a campsite on the northeast end of Amber Lake as base camp. Some of the additional equipment that I would suggest taking on a BWCAW moose hunt or any wilderness moose hunt besides the obvious camping and hunting supplies are as follows. Two come alongs, I know they are heavy but if a moose does go in the water after you shoot the come alongs are much lighter than a moose. With that said never, ever shoot a moose standing in the water. Bring extra rope, flashlights and batteries, a lantern, a couple of tarps, duct tape, a couple of saws, a stone or something to sharpen your hunting knives with, large game bags (at least 6), burlap sacks (at least 6), and some hip waders. If you shoot a moose in the evening you need to be prepared to spend a good portion of the night quartering it.
The hunt began with an early morning rendezvous at Joe’s house on Friday September 29th, 2006 where we loaded up our vehicles. We stopped in Two Harbors, MN to pick up our camping permit and after a couple hour drive, a lot of which was gravel road, and a quick stop to chase a grouse around the woods that Luke never did get for our diner we arrived at the Kawishiwi Lake campground. We quickly loaded our canoes and began our journey with all the expectations that come with the beginning of every hunt. Our goal was to get to Amber Lake which would require crossing several small lakes and 9 portages so I could start hunting on Saturday which was opening day.
As we got to the end of Kawishiwi Lake and started to navigate the mucky stream to Square Lake we reached a point where paddling with loaded canoes was not an option with the low fall water levels in 2006. When my wife and I scouted this route six weeks ahead of time I anticipated this as being a problem. We could not pull the canoes through the stream either as there was no solid ground beneath the water to walk on. Our best option was to lighten the load and have one person paddle a canoe through the channel with most of the gear. Luke and Jason paddled the canoes while Joe and I portaged some of the gear and met them at Square Lake. After a short paddle on Square Lake we should have had two short portages and an easy paddle through the stream to Kawasachong Lake but the low water conditions made it much more difficult. The two short portages turned into one long portage followed by a difficult paddle; pushing our canoes through the muck until we arrived at Kawasachong Lake.
From Kawasachong Lake we had a 189 rod portage to Townline Lake, then a very short paddle followed by a 95 rod portage to Lake Polly. With the extra time that it took us to negotiate the low water in the morning I realized that we would not reach our destination by dark. From Lake Polly we had a 19 rod portage, a short paddle, a 48 rod portage, another short paddle, and a 127 rod portage to Koma Lake. It was starting to get dark as we were paddling across Koma Lake so I brought us up to a campsite and asked the tired team if they wanted to camp there for the night. Joe asked “are we in your hunting zone yet?” Not yet, I replied. “How much farther until we get to where you can hunt tomorrow morning”, he asked. I told him we would need to go over the next portage to Malberg Lake where my zone started along the Northwest shore. Joe, Luke, and Jason all wanted to keep going until we reached an area where I could hunt. I was impressed by their determination so we quickly crossed the 24 rod portage to Malberg Lake.
As we started down Malberg Lake Jason noticed a cow moose feeding in a bay at dusk. It was exciting to see our first moose of the trip. A mile and a half paddle on Malberg Lake brought us to a point looking at the far West shore of the lake where zone 64 began. It was dark as we made camp and cooked diner. Joe, Luke, and Jason quickly went to sleep after the long day but my excitement for the next day’s hunt kept me wide awake. It had also been a few months since I had enjoyed a quiet night in the woods with a camp fire.
On opening morning I awoke to overcast skies and a light mist. I was still hoping to take the last portage and paddle into Amber Lake that morning where I planned on hunting. As I was drinking my coffee Joe crawled out of the tent to heed natures call and asked why I wasn’t out hunting and I told him that I still wanted to get to Amber Lake that day. Joe suggested that I should give this area a try as he crawled back into the tent. After I finished my coffee I realized that my crew was going to sleep in and I should take Joe’s advice and go for a paddle. I grabbed my map and sat down on a log looking for possible hunting areas.
I took a short paddle across Malberg Lake and walked around in the woods scouting for moose signs. I was encouraged by the apparent moose activity so I made a few attempts to call in a moose. With no luck I decided that I would paddle down to the next portage and walk over to the Kawishiwi River. I planned on spending an hour walking along the river, stopping a few places to attempt to call in a bull before I went back to camp.
As I rounded a point looking down towards the portage I saw a mature bull moose walking along the lake shore. The moose was broadside to me so I was not able to estimate the spread of his antlers but I was very impressed by the height and mass of the palm that I was looking at. Immediately, I decided he was a shooter but it was too far to take a shot. I made a couple of grunt calls hoping that he would stay close to shore and I could get a shot from the canoe. He paid no attention to me and walked back into the woods so I began to paddle quickly to the area where he entered the woods. The grunt call that I use is fairly simple. You cup your hands over your mouth and plug your nostrils with your index fingers and make a “wha” sound.
Once I reached shore I grabbed my rifle and headed in the direction he went, stopping every minute or so to make a few calls. As I walked up a small hill I could tell that this was his area and I began to feel a little disappointed knowing I had come so close to getting a moose bigger than I had hoped for. A bull moose in rut can cover a lot of territory and I knew I might never see him again. It is amazing how much ground a moose can cover in only a few minutes walking at their normal pace and I was wondering if he had already walked beyond the range of being able to hear my calls.
A few minutes later I heard what I thought was Joe, Luke, and Jason chopping firewood back at camp when I suddenly realized the thumping noise was the bull moose grunting in response to my calls. He came quickly through the woods grunting the whole time. The first time he stopped to look at me there was too much brush in the way for me to shoot. The curious moose got within about 30 yards from me before I was able to get a good shot. I took a second lung shot a minute latter and walked back to my canoe as I did not want to pursue the moose and chase him any further away from the lake. I waited at my canoe for about 15 minutes and then went back up in the woods. I heard the moose jump up and run so I marked a spot of what I knew was blood from a lung shot with my orange hat and decided to make my way back to camp. I knew the moose was big but was hesitant to believe myself when I figured he might have an antler spread over 60” because that would be huge for a moose in Minnesota.
On my casual paddle back to camp I reflected on the hunt. I could not believe how lucky I had been to get such a large bull so early into the season. It was exciting to be able to call the moose back to me after I thought he was long gone. I also thought about the mistake I had made by trying to go look at my kill after only waiting for 15 minutes. This is a lesson that I have had to relearn a couple of times as a young hunter and hopefully I will be more patient from now on. As I rounded a corner close to camp I saw Joe standing out on a rocky point ready to greet me. He could see the excitement in my face and knew the shots he heard me fire had resulted in success. When I got to camp I told the story and everybody wanted to know how big he was. I did not tell them how big I thought he actually was because 60” would be phenomenal for a Minnesota moose; I just told them his antlers were at least 45” wide. We ate a big breakfast knowing we had a long day ahead of us.
When we got to the spot where I had left my orange hat we only took a few more steps when Luke spotted the massive antlers sticking up in the air. After we took several pictures we immediately went to work and it took us five hours of steady work to get the moose quartered and back to camp. We took the four quarters and placed each of them in a large game bag. We then placed each game bag in a burlap sack. The burlap sacks allow the meat the breath but offer additional protection during the portaging. We then tied and duct taped the quarters onto birch poles that Luke cut to length. Each quarter was a two man carry and the poles could be rested on your shoulders or carried down at your sides. In addition to the four quarters, there were four other heavy bags of meat. Altogether we had six poles with meat and one for the massive antlers. Joe and Luke bagged and tied the quarters while Jason and I carried them down to the lake shore.
After we loaded the meat in our canoes and started paddling back to camp we all had the same question. Where does the rest of our stuff go? When we got back to camp we made sure to elevate the poles with rocks and logs so the cold air would circulate all the way around the meat at night. As we started to prepare dinner we realized that we had forgotten to leave some loins out but none of us had the energy to untie the meat and find the bag with chops and loins. We ate well that night knowing the next day we would be on our way home and we wanted to lighten our food pack a bit.
That night as we sat around the campfire we heard a pack of wolves howling from the direction of the moose carcass. We also heard another group of wolves to the South responding to the howling of the wolves feasting on the carcass to our North. We became a little concerned not knowing if the wolves to the South of us would go through our camp to join the wolves at the carcass. As we sat around the fire listening to the wolves we were discussing what the scene was like at the moose carcass and we all told some wolf stories before going to bed. Joe, Luke, and Jason were in one tent and I was by myself in a small tent located fairly close to the meat and I definitely felt uneasy as I drifted off to sleep. There was a heavy frost that night which aided substantially in allowing the meat to start quickly cooling down.
We got up on Sunday morning and loaded our canoes. Fortunately, we didn’t have any big bodies of water to paddle across as our canoes were fully loaded with moose meat on the bottom and gear on top. The canoes were better balanced with the heavy quarters of moose on the bottom plus the cold water helped keep the meat cool. Unfortunately, we had to carry everything in our canoes over several portages the next two days. We made it back to Lake Polly by about 4 p.m. on Sunday and camped on a beautiful island site. I was surprised at the number of groups and families camped on Lake Polly so late in the season but they all picked a great lake to spend a few fall days on. It would have been nice to get one more portage out of the way but that wasn’t an option as we would have had a 95 rod and a 189 rod portage to cross before reaching Kawasachong Lake and the next campsite. This would have taken us past dark as each portage required several trips. Each person would take a pack on their back and grab an end to one of the meat poles, requiring at least four trips over every portage. We took our time on the portages being careful not to hurt ourselves and took frequent breaks for water, food, pain medicine, or just to sit down and let our feet rest. I found standing in the cold fall water with my rubber boots on to be quit therapeutic for my tired feet.
That evening on Lake Polly as Luke was using the latrine he decided to practice the moose call I had taught him. A few minutes later he yelled out for us to look at the bull moose swimming towards our camp. Joe, Luke, and Jason jumped in a canoe and veered the bull away from our island while getting some good footage of him. While they were out on the water I took the first good measurement of my moose rack. I was very surprised to discover that it measured 62 ¼” across. I never imagined that my once in a lifetime Minnesota moose hunt would reward me with such a magnificent trophy. I made a quick call to my brother on a satellite phone that I had rented to let him know that we had been successful and did not need any help. I usually don’t take a satellite phone with me but I wanted the means of being able to call for help. Especially if the weather had gotten unseasonably warm and we needed to make a push to get the meat out of the woods.
The last day turned out to be the most challenging day of the trip as we had the two long portages to Kawasachong Lake followed by the mucky creeks and portages that brought us to Kawashiwi Lake. On the creek between Square Lake and Kawishiwi Lake we were able to push our canoes through the mud with one person, some gear, and a quarter of the moose in each canoe. It was dark as Luke and I struggled to make our last trip through the muck to Kawishiwi Lake where we loaded up the canoes and headed towards the landing. There was a family of beavers hard at work that evening on Kawishiwi Lake and I remember thinking how much more energy they had then I did. Their work day was just starting and I was ready for my day to be over.
Minnesota moose hunting is for residents only and you must have a group of two to four people to apply for a license. The other person on the license with me was not able to go along which is why I was hunting by myself. The hunting regulations state that unlicensed hunters cannot participate in the hunt so my team was not able to assist in calling or looking for moose. However, once you shoot a moose the hunt is over and anybody can help you get the moose out of the woods. I would recommend bringing extra help but please be sure to follow the regulations. We are at a point in time when we must be the most ethical generation of hunters, even if that means having a lot of unfilled tags throughout our lifetime.
"Man's heart away from nature becomes hard." Standing Bear
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