CANADA: Alberta Shiras Moose Hunt With Anchor D Outfitters

[JES Adventures]

Day 1

My final North American hunt this season (other than Whitetails at home) as I head off to Alberta this morning in pursuit of Shiras Moose. This specie is # 25 on my quest for the NA 29 and I booked this trip three years ago and I can’t believe it’s finally here.

I am hunting in the Rocky Mountains Southwest of Calgary, Alberta Canada with Anchor D Outfitters, Dewey Matthews. This will be a traditional Western States style hunt taking a horse-drawn wagon deep into the concession where we will set up camp and hunt by horseback for the next week.

I packed my cold weather gear as it could well be below freezing with snow. Moose like cold weather so that should be good for hunting this week.
Delta had the best routing San Antonio with a 6:30 AM departure that gets me to Calgary just before 1PM. Checkin went

smooth and the flight to MSP was on time. My layover was a little over an hour so a comfortable amount of times to get to the next gate.

When I got to Calgary, all the customs folks were friendly and courteous. The first lady I came to said “are you here for hunting”. I said “yes” and her reply was “great”.

I’ve never heard that before anywhere on the globe.

Then when the next person checked the rifle I gave him my permit from the Newfoundland hunt last month and 3 mins later he said “your good to go”. It was like express service.

The outfitter will have someone meet me at the airport and we will be at the main ranch before dark.

Tomorrow we will pack our gear and head into the Mountains to begin hunting Monday morning as there is no hunting allowed on Sunday’s in Alberta.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Good luck!

 

[Justin.]

Happy hunting!

 

[BRICKBURN]

............... Tomorrow we will pack our gear and head into the Mountains to begin hunting Monday morning as there is no hunting allowed on Sunday’s in Alberta.

If you are heading south west from Calgary you can certainly hunt on Sunday.

The Regulations: "BIG GAME
It is unlawful to hunt big game in Sundays in WMUs 102-160 and WMU 624, 728, 730 and 936."

You will not be hunting in any of these management units.
Not sure where the misinformation came in.
It's going to be warm in the afternoons but cool overnight.
Good luck with your Moose Hunt.

 

[JES Adventures]

If you are heading south west from Calgary you can certainly hunt on Sunday.

The Regulations: "BIG GAME
It is unlawful to hunt big game in Sundays in WMUs 102-160 and WMU 624, 728, 730 and 936."

You will not be hunting in any of these management units.
Not sure where the misinformation came in.
It's going to be warm in the afternoons but cool overnight.
Good luck with your Moose Hunt.

Thank @BRICKBURN I asked Dewey this morning and it was my misunderstanding. He said there was no Sunday hunting in Alberta but it changed recently. He try’s to adhere to the old way and prefers not to hunt Sunday. So, I am headed into Okotoks for Mass this morning and thank God for leading me to this beautiful place.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Enjoy your hunt.

 

[BC.Pat]

Best Of luck

Pat

 

[slam8031]

Have a grand time! Much success!!

 

[thi9elsp]

Enjoy the experience and I look forward to traveling with you!

 

[R.M.C.]

Sounds awesome!!! Good luck!!!

 

[Cam Moon]

Welcome to my back yard! I wish you the best of luck! I truly hope you enjoy every bit of your experience here.

Oh, and just for curious minds, check this out....

Sunday Hunting — Don Meredith

It is an issue that is raised every year on Internet bulletin boards, letters to the editor and phone calls to government: "Why can't I hunt on Sunday in my favorite hunting area?" "Why in the 21st century are we still following 19th century religious laws in this province.”

www.donmeredith.ca

 

[machinistbutler]

Pretty country west of Okotoks. Have a lot of family from that area. Hunted elk there a bit myself.

I work on the edge of the mountains a couple hundred kilometers north of there, love the scenery, and am very thankful for it.

 

[VertigoBE]

Keep us updated on how it goes! Looking forward to hear a bit more North American hunting stories!
Good hunting!

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 2



I woke up about daylight and had a hearty breakfast and headed to Okotoks for Mass. It was a cool Fall morning and the sun shining on the Rockies was a sight to behold.


After a quick stop at Walmart I was back at the ranch for lunch. In the afternoon I checked the zero on my rifle and got fitted to the right saddle. I spent the rest of the day chilling and reading, wondering what the next week would hold. A couple hours after dinner I was off to bed as we will have an early morning tomorrow. I will be hunting with Justin, one of Dewey’s guides and we will come back to the ranch tomorrow evening.


Day 3


Justin and I had breakfast at 5:30 and were on the road at 6. We had about an hour drive to the trail head. It was still dark when we unloaded the horses and headed into the mountains.

The winds were gusty which doesn’t help hunting any. We rode for about 5 hours stopping periodically to glass. There was a fair amount of snow in the upper elevations so we looked for tracks as well as bedded moose.

About noon we stopped for lunch and talked about the conditions. There was no game moving and a light rain that turned to freezing rain above 7000’. The winds seemed to be up to 30 mph on higher elevations and at least 20 in the lower.

We rode back through some heavy timber looking for sign but found none. The last few hours of the day we sat overlooking a waterhole and nothing showed

The ride back to the truck was about an hour and a half in the dark. Once we got loaded and on the road I fell asleep, exhausted from the long day on horseback.

I woke just before we got back to lodge, it was about 9 PM. I ate, took a shower and hit the sack.

As I was falling asleep, it dawned on me this was the first time I didn’t see a live animal in a full day of hunting since I don’t know when.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 4

Up to Dewey’s door knock at 5, I felt hammered from all day in the saddle. Just about everything ached so I took a couple of ibuprofen with my coffee.


We went to the same trailhead and by 7:30 had the horses headed into the high country. The winds started to pick up again which was disheartening. At least it’s not raining on us yet. As we rose in elevation a few scattered snow flakes fell. The winds continue to be gusty out of the West and it looks like they’re with us to stay.


We reached our glassing point about 10 and the wind has picked up and was quite blustery. I expect gusts were 20 to 30 miles an hour. We spent a fair amount of time glassing without spotting an animal. It seems everything was hunkered down. We walked to the ridge to glass down and into open pockets in the timber but there was just nothing moving. We didn’t find anything bedded. I expect they were deep inside the forest.


We stopped at one of his old campsites around noon to have lunch and rest then carried on about one. We went into the forest to a couple of natural mineral licks Dewey knew about but did not find any fresh sign. So we moved on to another high point to spend the afternoon glassing. Winds now we’re greater than 30 miles an hour. As it’s been the last couple of days game just has not been moving so we spent the better part of the afternoon and could not find anything. Finally about five minutes before six I spotted a elk bull about 1000 yards away. He didn’t seem real impressive to me Dewey put his spotting scope on him and said he was a 5 x 5 raghorn.


We started to make our way off the ridge for the ride back to camp. By 7:30 we arrived, to the welcome and comforting smell of a campfire.


A series of four wall tents with the main one being a kitchen and then separate tents for sleeping quarters. Each one has a wood-burning stove, cots and sleeping pads so more than adequate.

The cook, Wendy had prepared chili, salad and rolls for dinner afterwards, I sat up and visited with her for a while and then called it a night about 9 o’clock as we are out at 7 in the morning. Hopefully this wind will die down, tomorrow is a halfway point and the weather needs to improve.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 5


Breakfast is at 6:30 I woke about 6:25 and started getting ready for the day. Temperature showed to be 38° in the tent sleeping was comfortable because I had a good bag. We were out shortly after seven. I’m riding a new horse, his name is moose. He’s a big, stout horse and had a smooth gate it was a welcome change from Clyde.

As the sun rose over the mountains the wind was still with us. We rode for about an hour and stopped to glass in an area we hadn’t been yet. We could look over a large basin, covering quite a bit of territory but the wind was howling and nothing was moving. It was sort of odd, while we were going to the second glassing point we busted three whitetail does out of their beds. I looked at my watch and the altitude was 7320 feet. I couldn’t imagine whitetail living that I have 100 in a Texas on my life which is basically sea level to thousand feet.

We carried on through the day, made a loop around the same area with Glass on Monday. No sign of a moose, no tracks no nothing. After lunch we made our way back through the bottom how long a series a beaver dams willow brush, ideal moose habitat. We could find no fresh sign. The only fresh tracks we’ve seen are wolves and it’s obvious that they’ve been busy in this valley and have worked the game pretty hard. So, the survivors must’ve left the area. Dewey says if we come up shorthanded today we’re gonna change areas tomorrow. He can’t believe we put in three hard days where he generally sees moose all the time and there is not hide nor hair of one for miles and miles.

We made our way to one more high elevation, the last large area but found nothing. On our way back to camp we sat over the water hole again, the same one as Monday. We stayed for a few minutes past sunset and then rode about a half hour to camp after dinner of pork chops and potatoes apple crisp for dessert I called it a night.

This has been an extremely difficult hunt for me, with my arthritic knees the extensive horse riding has taken it’s toll. Today was very challenging, I got to the point where the pain was so bad I actually got sick to my stomach. It subsided but came back again once we had another steep decline. In hindsight I should’ve done this hunt 15 or 20 years ago. I’m afraid this might be my last horseback hunt, it’s just not enjoyable for me anymore.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 7


Up at 5:30, I heard the rain hitting the canvas throughout the night. We had coffee and a light breakfast, came to life and about 25 minutes later I exited the dining tent to get my gear together. The rain has now turned to large snowflakes, and the ground was quickly turning white. I got geared up and headed to the horses when Dewey said visability is terrible so I suggest we sit this out for a while and then we’ll go as soon as it lets up. I welcome the chance for some additional rest, my knees are then taking a hammering going up and down these mountains on horseback

I went back to my tent stoked the fire and quickly knodded off.

I came to about 10 and the camp was silent so I read for a while and kept warm. I could feel the temperature dropping and there is about 6 inches of snow on the ground. About noon I went over to the dining tent, Dewey was out splitting some wood and Wendy was talking about lunch. I told her I’m not very hungry I was going to read for a while and had to come back about 1 o’clock. Dewey was in the cook tent at one eating lunch and said that the flurries have lightened up a bit so he’ll make an assessment at 3 o’clock and we may go for a ride. I relaxed for the next couple of hours and about 2:45 got all my heavy gear on checked in with Dewey. He said we would go out shortly, visibility is not great but maybe we’ll bump something along one of the trails.

The snow that was falling was wet and it wasn’t long until I was getting uncomfortable. What I thought would be a couple of our ride turned into a 4 1/2 hour ride and we got back to camp about 8 o’clock. I was happy that the horses are so well trained as visibility was nonexistent 30 minutes after sunset but they knew their way back to camp. I medicated my knees headed over to the cook tend for a hearty dinner of beef stew. Fifteen minutes after I was finished I was back in my tent, calling it a day. Tomorrow’s a final day, not sure what it holds but this has been quite a disappointment. A lot of effort, energy and hours have been put into the hunt then we have yet to see the first moose. Obviously the wolves are making a bigger impact on the wildlife than anyone wants to recognize.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 8


Dewey woke me at six, I was moving slowly and headed over to the cook tent for coffee about 6:20. He said we were going to the front range today, the last place he can think of to try. He’s seen lots of sign in this area in the past and said we would spend the day there. Riding would be difficult but what it is is what it is. That’s hunting, you do whatever it takes to get where the game is. It’s a beautiful morning as the sun rose over the Rockies, blanket of light snow covers the rolling to rain the bluebird sky with the welcoming warmth of the sun.

We got to the location and offloaded the horse is about 8 o’clock. We rode for 4 1/2 hours before we stopped. There were times that we took a brief pause to glass but never more than a few minutes. As we emerged from the timber, we came upon four elk bulls on the hillside sunning.

About an hour later we cut some very fresh moose tracks going into the alders and Dewey set me up in a location and he went around up wind and walked in on the tracks to see if he could spook the moose passed me. He showed up about 45 minutes later and said that he found where the moose had done a couple of button hooks and was listening to us when we got set up. He turned and ran down the valley towards private land. Dewey wanted to carry onto another high point off in the distance to glass and said we would have lunch there. I happened to glance at my watch and it was 1 o’clock when he showed back up. When we got to location it was just past two I was doing the math in my head but we have been on the trail now for 6 1/2 hours and it would be after dark when we got back. I really didn’t want to take that steep trail down the mountain in the dark so I recommended we turn back now and make our way back towards the bottom.

Fortunately it didn’t take us 6 1/2 hours it only took four to get to the bottom. In the 10 1/2 hours of riding today we saw four young bull elk and one Whitetail buck. It amazes me that this habitat has such a lack of game. I can’t imagine why the game department doesn’t do something about the wolves. But obviously no one‘s complaining enough to get their attention. We loaded the horses in the trailer and headed for the trail head to go to camp. We were back in camp by 7:30, I went straight to the tent started to dry my gear and medicate my knees. We’ll get out early in the morning as I need to be in Calgary by 2:30 for my Covid test.

 

[JES Adventures]

Day 9

The sky was clear last night so I knew it would get cold when went to bed. About 4:45 I woke up from the temperature dropping. I finally grabbed my phone and checked the time, 5:12 and it was 13° in the tent. So I got up made a fire, stoked it up good and went back to sleep. I woke to the sound of voices about a 6:45. We had coffee while Dewey waited for the saddle blankets to thaw out so he could get them on the horses. While we were talking over coffee it seems I’ve ridden over 110 miles this week. Now I know why I feel so beat up. I figure this is my last horse back hunt until I get knee replacements! It’s just not fun hunting when you’re in constant pain. I hunt for the experience and the enjoyment but this one tried me.

In retrospect, I would’ve appreciated if the outfitter would’ve been transparent with me before I came on this hunt and told me of the wolf problem. That would’ve allowed me to make an educated decision whether or not I wanted to spend the time money and effort to hunt this area.

Now, on to finding a better location for hunting Shiras Moose as I continue my quest to complete the North American 29.

 

[K-man]

Well that's a disappointment!! Sorry to say I have also been on a couple of hunts in my lifetime similar to yours. At least you gave it your all and didn't sit in camp all day. Thanks for the report.