A moose for David (Father) and Jackson (Son)
After 30 years of guiding and countless big game animals tagged, what still sets apart a good hunt from a truly great experience?
Once you’ve seen the best and the worst of weather, eaten everything from gourmet fare to pork and beans, slept in abodes ranging from cozy luxury to bushy comfort, and harvested many spectacular animals, the only real difference is the people you hunt with. That is the ultimate game changer.
The people you hunt with. David and Jackson. Game changers.
Webber’s Lodges had the pleasure of just such an experience this past moose season while hunting with a delightful father and son team from among our many friends south of the border.
The unusually warm and windy weather in September made for some pleasant fishing times which were especially endorsed by 12-year-old son Jackson, who would have happily spent the sunny days chasing pike and lake trout! David however, father of said son and the “bill footer”, was on a mission to take home a Canadian moose.
Nap time.
So of course we focused hard on that project and spent many long hours in the field, returning each day past dark and collapsing into bed after a great meal prepared by our personal chef and father-in-law, Doug.
It’s a pretty good rule of thumb that those who work the hardest have the most luck and few worked as diligently as this father and son team while in pursuit of their quarry. Also, no little pressure was being received via SAT phone from the other camp, where hunting friends already had a bull down.
Lunch time!
And so, as it often does, it came down to the afternoon of the last day before a bull was spotted on a distant ridge and dispatched with some very good marksmanship from hunter David (while being coached by Jackson)! The team was nothing short of ecstatic and many high fives where dealt out around their first ever Canadian big game hunt. And a very successful one at that!
Fall colours.
Now of course, moose is one of those rather large animals that can slightly deflate the exuberance of the catch once the packing out of 600 plus pounds of meat and antlers begins. Thankfully it was less than a mile from shore, and a few short (okay, long) hours of struggling through the burn had all the meat, cape and antlers back in the boat by dark.
Okay, bring the moose 🙂
All that remained was an incredible boat ride back to the lodge across a glass lake fully illuminated by a three-quarter moon and stunning displays of Aurora Borealis. For both the hunters and their guide, it was a soulful and memorable finish, to a fine Canadian hunt.
Sunset at Webber’s Lodges.
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