I did a quick three-day this week to get in a few days of bowhunting in the Adirondacks. I had scouted with trail cameras this summer and found what seemed to be a promising location.
I went into the area and picked a spot to camp at about 1950' elevation (dry camp; had to carry in all my water. There was a stream about a half-mile away but it was bone dry. Ugh!). I packed in my climbing tree stand a few days previous.
Night-time temps were mild (from mid 40's to mid 50's), so I brought my UGQ Zeppelin 40* UQ and JRB Sierra Sniveler TQ. My Superfly was pitched high and airy above my WBBB XLC.
On the first afternoon and evening, things were slow in the area. An old doe finally showed up, somehow got wind of me, and spent the next half hour stomping around blowing.
The following morning, as it started getting light, I heard what sounded like it would be a really big deer walking toward me on a dark hemlock-covered ridge close to my stand. It was making a LOT of racket and I thought to myself, "It must be huge... it sounds like a horse!"
I finally got a very brief glimpse of it in the still-dark hemlocks and it looked gigantic! I was sure it was by far the biggest deer I've ever seen. It paused and made a deep grunt/snort, and I was sure it was a buck. I was really hoping it was the 10-point buck I recorded on the trail camera in that area. I eventually got a brief look at a pair of ears, but saw no antlers! What the heck?! I was bummed. When it finally stepped out of the shadows and into the patch of beeches I was in, I was surprised to find that it was a full-grown cow moose. No wonder it sounded and looked so huge. It WAS huge.
It was the first time I've ever seen a moose while deer hunting in my area. I've had a few of them show up on my trail cameras and have seen a lot of tracks and droppings, so it was neat to finally have one walk by, just 20 yards from my tree stand. They are really doing well here. I used to have to drive to northern Quebec to go moose hunting. Now, there's a season in neighboring VT, which has a healthy and growing population. I don't think it will be too many years before NY opens a season as well.
Anyway, the hunt was over too soon and I didn't even see a buck, let alone get a chance to loose an arrow at one. But the moose made it a memorable hunt, as they almost all are in some way or another. I have the rest of this week and all of next week off, so I'll get more chances to get out in the stand as well as have time for a canoe camping trip; maybe to the Bog River/Hitchins Pond/Lows Lake area where I can get in some fishing.
Take it easy,
desmobob
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