They say good things come in threes. The fall of 2023 brought three things very close together that were all amazingly over the top good. My new wife and I were going on our honeymoon, I was going on a wilderness moose hunt in Canada, and my wife agreed the trip would make a memorable honeymoon trip. I also won an elk hunt trip in a very low probability lottery. It turned out the elk hunt and the moose hunt were both the same week. It was fate because I was able, with the help of Huntin’ Fool, to get the moose hunt moved back a week.
October came, and we headed to New Mexico. I’d hunted with Jack Diamond of Beaverhead Ranch Outfitters for several years and found them to be a great bunch to hunt with. One of the guides, Justin Orr, has always been a very good guide and a friend. We arrived to a very nice cabin waiting for us. My bride found it honeymoon worthy. However, there is no lounging around or sleeping in for a hunter. We were in the area Justin had picked out to wait for the elk before daylight the next morning. The elk were below us drinking, and they started bugling. They started making their way up the mountain toward us and funneled into a spot where we could see them. “There,” Justin said, “That’s a nice one at 450 yards.” I waited, 350 yards now. I thought I could make that. I made the shot and it hit, but he didn’t go down. He walked back behind a tree. Justin did an elk call and curiosity got the better of the beast. He walked out from behind the tree. I shot again, and he went down. The two shots were very close together, in his shoulder. My 28 Nosler did a good job on the majestic animal.
We made it to Kelly O’Dell Outfitting, and the setup in the woods was much different than we had in New Mexico. We found out that wilderness hunting was much more rustic than what we were used to. The first day, we saw a small bull and a few cows after going about 20 miles further into the woods by truck. We decided to hope for a bigger one tomorrow. We went an additional almost 40 miles the next day, and I was praying nothing happened to my guide because I would never find my way out of here without him.
A large bull came into sight at about 315 yards, and I took four shots and he went down. My guide told me we couldn’t get him out tonight, we’d have to come back tomorrow. We went back the next day, and it took us eight hours to retrieve that 1,200-pound moose. We had it cut, wrapped, and frozen to bring home. We had to find more coolers and dry ice to transport it.
It was a memorable trip; however, my wife informed me that she loved me very much but if I wanted to go back next year, I could go alone.
I want to thank Huntin’ Fool for helping hook me up with Kelly O’Dell Outfitting in Alberta, Canada and helping get my hunts coordinated. Thanks for the hunt-of-a-lifetime, moose hunting in the wilderness of Canada. A special thanks to Jack Diamond and Justin Orr at Beaverhead Ranch Outfitters for repeatedly showing me a good time and a good hunt.
October came, and we headed to New Mexico. I’d hunted with Jack Diamond of Beaverhead Ranch Outfitters for several years and found them to be a great bunch to hunt with. One of the guides, Justin Orr, has always been a very good guide and a friend. We arrived to a very nice cabin waiting for us. My bride found it honeymoon worthy. However, there is no lounging around or sleeping in for a hunter. We were in the area Justin had picked out to wait for the elk before daylight the next morning. The elk were below us drinking, and they started bugling. They started making their way up the mountain toward us and funneled into a spot where we could see them. “There,” Justin said, “That’s a nice one at 450 yards.” I waited, 350 yards now. I thought I could make that. I made the shot and it hit, but he didn’t go down. He walked back behind a tree. Justin did an elk call and curiosity got the better of the beast. He walked out from behind the tree. I shot again, and he went down. The two shots were very close together, in his shoulder. My 28 Nosler did a good job on the majestic animal.
We made it to Kelly O’Dell Outfitting, and the setup in the woods was much different than we had in New Mexico. We found out that wilderness hunting was much more rustic than what we were used to. The first day, we saw a small bull and a few cows after going about 20 miles further into the woods by truck. We decided to hope for a bigger one tomorrow. We went an additional almost 40 miles the next day, and I was praying nothing happened to my guide because I would never find my way out of here without him.
A large bull came into sight at about 315 yards, and I took four shots and he went down. My guide told me we couldn’t get him out tonight, we’d have to come back tomorrow. We went back the next day, and it took us eight hours to retrieve that 1,200-pound moose. We had it cut, wrapped, and frozen to bring home. We had to find more coolers and dry ice to transport it.
It was a memorable trip; however, my wife informed me that she loved me very much but if I wanted to go back next year, I could go alone.
I want to thank Huntin’ Fool for helping hook me up with Kelly O’Dell Outfitting in Alberta, Canada and helping get my hunts coordinated. Thanks for the hunt-of-a-lifetime, moose hunting in the wilderness of Canada. A special thanks to Jack Diamond and Justin Orr at Beaverhead Ranch Outfitters for repeatedly showing me a good time and a good hunt.