We had a history – Average Outdoorsman

Guest Blog By: Jodi Cullen, The 4L Tracker

We had a history, that cow, calf, and I.

Before any hunting season was open, I had canoed down the river, placing and checking my trail cameras in the marsh. It was in the evening when I first spotted them, feeding on red willow. Hovering silently in my canoe, I was close enough to see the small antler bumps above his ears . He was a young bull.

Slipping smoothly away, I knew they wouldn’t wander too far if not spooked and could feed in this prime area through to the freeze up.

Many times I paddled patiently, stealth mode, during the bow season. Signs showed they were still here and one morning, from my treestand, I spotted the two browsing in the hayfield across the river.

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} After watching them in the rising sun, for 20 anxious minutes, I eased down cautiously and tiptoed towards the canoe. But a slow quiet stalk and approach to the riverbank left a difficult decision……Try a 65 yard shot, attempt to sneak into the canoe and slip upriver, closer into range, or wait another 3 days until gun season?

I was confident that, if unmolested, these moose would remain in the vicinity and I should get a crack at the calf in the first few days of the rifle season. And that was my decision….so I pulled out my phone and took pictures

………….and as I did the cow somehow spotted me and bolted across the marsh and into the bush. I was crushed. How far would she run? Would she return to the area?

Two days later, the night before gun season, I geared up and went to my camp to stay overnight and be in the stand at first light. Leaving the gun case on the bunk, book in hand, I climbed the stand for an evening’s scout and only made three rungs…… there they were…..30 yards away….. staring me down…..

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} The cow had me pegged as the calf aimlessly browsed nearby.
I was frozen for what seemed like hours but managed to, once again, grab the phone and snap pics and video as the calf, then the cow, slowwly fed away. They casually waded across the shallow river and the calf shook off a few times.

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} Once again the cow stared me down from 150 yards away thru a heavy crosswind ..and then ….inexplicably….the calf bolted!
Mother slowly turned and chased behind him, trotting quickly thru the grass. They stopped once and turned to look back at me……crying in the tree.
But ….it was right in front of my trail cam, and that’s the picture that you see. I’m in the birch way back there! the one that’s shaking!

Tags: canada moose

Related Articles

You may have missed

Friends of AO