02/15/2024
A great recap from our friend and hunter Bryan. Thank you for choosing us to guide your hunt.
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"Last October I was able to take time away from the daily routine and spend a week in Canada with Trek Outfitting. I made the drive from Oregon and arrived in northern Alberta for an adventurous hunt for moose. I cannot say enough about the professionalism and energy Trek Outfitting put forth to make certain that week in the bush would create a memory that I will always treasure.
This outfitting crew is outstanding! Nathan runs a quality outfit and oversees the entire operation. He provided us with more than the essentials and kept me and my hunt partner as comfortable as moose camp could possibly be. The camp host, Ken, kept us more than satisfied with his home cooked meals that showcased his culinary expertise. I might also mention that Ken has quite a successful history of moose hunting in his not-too-distant past, and with his experience, proved to be an asset to our hunt. There was additional support that assisted and brought supplies from civilization to our camp in the bush. They even completed a side-by-side repair during the night, so we lost no time getting out the following morning for the hunt.
Every day of the hunt provided some type of highlight or remarkable event. One of my moments was finally locating my bull and accomplishing the goal of the trip. I was very pleased to harvest an animal with quality meat to bring home for my family. Another best bit of this trip was watching the video that was taken of a bull moose that was right in our camp as we were away hunting. It couldn’t have been any more comical or ironic.
However, the absolute highlight of the trip was in fact a separate moose encounter that occurred during the first days of the hunt.
Clayton is one of the outfitters who was appointed to guide me on my first ever moose hunt. It was apparent to me Clayton had my interest in mind and genuinely was determined to find and bring in the bull moose. He led me on a short walk to an older cut block (a unit in the bush that had been previously clear cut). This unit had solid spruce growth yet was still sparse and open enough to see any large animals. We spent the next hours on stand.
Clay is persistent yet structured when calling for moose. Clay’s bull moose sound resonated vastly throughout the bush. As the evening wore on, I grew somewhat tired. It could be my lack of fitness, possibly the long drive to Canada finally catching up with me, or just being on stand for this long. I distinctly recall my legs getting weak and continually shifting weight to maintain the position on stand. Clay turns to me and quietly asks “Did you hear that” I answered “no”. After a while Clay gives me a look that tells me he has heard additional sounds out in the woods beyond the cut block. I return a look that surely relates my incompetence, and that I don’t hear one darn thing. We continue the wait and time continues to pass as I begin to feel that my 300-win mag is becoming very heavy and seems like it is now made of lead. I don’t know why but it has gotten heavier than I ever remember.
The sun has faded, and the darkness is suddenly approaching. Suddenly, I can hear a faint crack and crunch noise from beyond the cut block. I get that look from my guide as if without words he is saying “see what I mean, there is a moose right over there”. The sounds continue and I can tell the animal is coming towards the calls that Clay had been bawling into the wilderness. I am becoming anxious in hopes the moose will soon come into the sparse growth of the cut block.
It’s a bull, I am sure! Now he is near enough I hear the animal echo a low-pitched moan that vibrates in my head and in my ears. The spruce trees on the fringe of the clearing begin to move. I quickly am overcome with a rush through my veins caused by the excitement this adventure has created.
With the last existence of light, I get the first visual of the massive bull with his great antlers moving side to side as he moves my way interweaving through the spruce. Oh my God! What a creature, I had never seen a bull moose this close and now coming closer. He has arrived to take on his challenger, me. I had difficulties getting a visual of the nearby moose in my scope, not necessarily because of the lack of daylight, but the magnification of the scope being on a setting much too high. I zeroed in on the massive moose head and peered right into his eyes as he began to look about for his rival. He found me and looked me over hard as I did my best at steadying the 300 centered on his forehead as we both seemed to lock onto a visual of each other. By now he could tell that I was nothing like a moose or anything he had fought before.
I did not pull the trigger, and eventually suffered the gruelling feelings of hunters’ remorse for the following days. In the end the massive animal retreated into the bush to continue his life as a giant of the woods. The sounds he made gradually faded away, the darkness reigned over the cut block, and the silence followed. Clayton unexpectedly speaks out, “shooting time is over” as it jolted me like waking from a trance or a dream, an extraordinary dream. This was hands down the most incredible moment of my moose hunt, for sure.
I am only skimming the surface of what Trek Outfitting hunt week is like, this guide service is made up of helpful, genuine, and reliable team offering their remarkable skills.
I have to say this was absolutely a quality hunt and an exceptional experience."
-Bryan (Seal Rock, Oregon)
