Red Hill in NH - A Hunt or a Hike?

I decided to take a day off and hunt on Friday. I was up at 4:10 AM and on my way to Red Hill. The prior week I saw a sign for Teedie Trail and though I would take that up the hill to hunt. I parked near the trail head (elevation 565 ft) and waited until it was light enough to see the trail (6:45AM). I would hunt but also check out the trail for a potential hike with Kevin.

The trail basically went straight up the side of the hill. It leveled off (elevation 1350ft) and I came to a sign saying Eagle Cliff .4 mile to the left or the Red Hill Fire Tower to the right. I continued to Eagle Cliff (elevation 1410ft) and spent 30 minutes there.

The view from Eagle Cliff was wonderful. It was a clear day with some wind so I bet I could see 100 miles. Squam Lake looked spectacular with the leaves off the trees. I went back down the trail to the sign. I wanted to go to the Red Hill Fire Tower and I thought old sign said 1.6 miles to the fire tower. Turns out it was 2.6 miles. The trail was well marked with yellow markers. It went from 1350ft down a bit, then to 1800ft, then down a bit, then to 2040ft. I hurt my right foot when going up a steep section of the trail on the climb up. The ball of my foot felt swollen and my toes kept cramping up.

When I arrived at the Fire Tower I was pretty tired. (elevation 2040ft) I relaxed for 30 minutes or so and decided climb up the Fire Tower. I could feel the tower wiggle in the wind so only made it to the second platform. I was able to get one picture on the fire tower when the batteries in the camera died. EEK … It was a bit much for me so I wasn’t about to change batteries and go back up the tower. Before heading down the hill I took off my boot which felt wonderful. It could be that my thick hunting socks made my boots too tight for this hike. My foot would make my descent more difficult.

From the fire tower I was around 3 miles southeast of my truck and 1500 feet higher. The main trail coming up on the fire tower side was descending the wrong direction. I was told there was a second trail ¼ mile down the hill with white markers which would take me closer to where I needed to go. My other option was to go back the way I came. Even with a hurt foot I remembered I was hunting and thought my chances of seeing a deer was better lower down as all I had seen on top was an older scrape. I took the White trail and saw some beautiful cuts with a view of Squam Lake on the way down the hill (you will have to take my word for it.) I also saw bear scat and one set of tracks.

I made 3 BIG MISTAKES.
1) With my hunting gear on I wasn’t dressed properly for a long steep hike on what turned out to be a 50 degree day. I should have thought more about the terrain and planned accordingly.
2) I ran out of water. (one bicycle water bottle is all I brought) I could have finished my water when I reached Eagle Cliff a mile or so into the trek. I was unprepared for the elevation and distance. Instead of heading back down the hill I stayed on top and continued to go farther away from my truck. I could have really been in trouble. I have no water purification backup and may buy a SteriPEN for the future. I could have used the SteriPEN on stream water.
3) I ran out of batteries. I always carry extra AA batteries as most everything I have uses them. I also make it a point to carry out what I bring in to the woods. I had 6 extra batteries I brought in a baggie. The WRONG baggie as they were the expired batteries from previous hunting.

I did a quick inventory and had 2 headlamps ready to go (they use different batteries) so I could descend in the dark. I had one small flashlight with 2 marginal AA batteries not strong enough to power my camera. In essence, I was down to the 2 batteries in my GPS. If the GPS went down I could use my ball compass so I was ok there.

On my descent down the white trail I intersected several other trails that weren't marked on my GPS. Looking at the topo made decisions easier to get me down the hill while continuing toward my truck. 2 miles later I ended up in an area where I hunted the previous weekend. By 3:45PM I was 1/3 mile from my truck in the woods. I was so tired and thirsty I headed for the road. Hobbling, I reached my truck at 4:10PM.

LEARN from my mistakes: Wear the right clothing for what you have planned. WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER !! (I now have a water bladder for my pack.) Know what you have in your pack and make sure you have a back-up plan.

I ended up hiking 6.25 miles with a total ascent of 2545 feet. Beautiful scenery but not so fun when dehydrated. My day of hunting turned into a long hike holding a rifle.

Hemal Nodes - Deer

My friend Gary and his wife Beth went to visit their kids in Alabama.  Beth took a hunter safety course so she could go deer hunting.  On her bucket list was go hunting and shoot a deer.

She went hunting with her son-in-law and took her first deer, a doe. Congratulations Beth …

Once field dressed they called me about the deer insides asking about dark nodule like things running along the spine in the fat.  Through the years I haven’t posted pictures of deer being gut or pictures from the butcher to keep my blog family friendly.

However, they sent me a picture that I did want to post to show you what they saw in case you ever see this.

In my years of hunting I have never seen dark nodules before.  I sent the picture to my hunting buddies (we hunt NH, MA, and VT) and none of them have seen this either.  Gary said their son-in-law had taken 2 deer from the same area the previous year with no sign of this.

Gary described most of them as the size of engorged ticks and seemed to be filled with blood.  They also appeared to be only in the fat and not the meat.

The internet can be a good thing but can also be a wild goose chase.  Was it CWD … Not to keep bringing it up but Anthony, who shot at and missed an 8 point buck this year, came up with hemal nodes as a possibility along with some other search results.  Gary also asked if the meat would be edible?

I reached out to NH Fish & Game and sent them the picture asking if they could tell us what we were looking at.  A quick pause here:  NH Fish & Game protects, conserves, and manages more than 500 species of wildlife, including 63 mammals, 18 reptiles, 22 amphibians, 313 birds, and 122 kinds of fish as well as thousands of invertebrates.  In the past they have been very good at responding with good information.  Kudos to NH Fish and Game.  I would encourage you to call your States Fish & Game Department if you have critter or wildlife questions like this also.

The Deer Project Leader from NH Fish & Game responded with the following:  "You were on the right track.  These do appear to be hemal nodes.  They’re normal structures found in ruminants like deer, are intermediate between spleen and normal lymph node tissue, and don’t indicate disease. I also sent the picture to the veterinary pathologist at UNH (University of New Hampshire) and she agreed that they are hemal nodes.  She is not a food safety expert, but thought the tissue appears normal and should be safe to eat if handled appropriately.  I hope this information was helpful."

More internet searching confirmed hemal nodes do not taint the meat.  I was wondering if it is genetic or demographic?  From searching it appears hemal nodes are genetic.  It says hemal nodes are normal anatomical structures and are important filtering organs for animals’ circulatory systems, and they are typically trimmed out with excess fat during processing.  They are normal lymphoid organs in an animal’s body.  Hemal nodes are usually ovoid (being larger than a pea), maroon or black in color, and may be either solid or fluid-filled. They resemble a very small spleen or blood clot, and are also called accessory spleens.  

I'm not sure why some deer appear to have them and others don't.  I am going to connect up with my local deer butcher and ask if he has seen hemal nodes in our area and will let you know what he says.  

In any case I wanted to show you this picture in case you ever see hemal nodes in your deer.

.460 S&W Magnum - Smith & Wesson

I went to the range this weekend.  There were 6 people at the 50 yard range when I arrived.  2 were leaving so I used their stand.  When the range went cold and I set up my targets to shoot pistols and my Springfield 87M.

The 4 guys that remained must have had a dozen pistols of all shapes and calibers.  Once we were all set down range we went hot.  The first pistol I heard go off to my left was the Model S&W500.  With a 4 inch barrel it made more noise than my .44 Magnum ever did.  It was impressive.

I stopped shooting and went to check it out.  It was a nice gun. We started talking about hunting.  I said I hunted a few times with my .44 Magnum but had never seen a deer when hunting with it.  I told them the .500 was nice but the S&W .460 had the best handgun hunting ballistics so that would be my choice.  One of the guys piped in and said … OH, that’s right here ...

They had the Model 460V Revolver with a 5 inch barrel.  They told me to shoot it and handed me 5 rounds.  I know the ammo is expensive ($3.35 a round) so I said thanks but one round will work for me.  They said you don’t get the feel for the gun with just one round so shoot all 5.  I was told the gun had a light trigger so they suggested I shoot single action.

I put 5 rounds in the cylinder and got ready.  The grip felt very nice.  Since I shoot a .44 Magnum I am fine with large frame guns with some kick. 

They had a dueling tree with 4 inch plates set up 15 yards out.  Anticipating a light trigger I made sure I was aiming at what I wanted to shoot before I put my finger on the trigger.  As I started to squeeze the trigger I thought to myself “I wonder ho …” BANG” … w much pressure I will need before the gun goes off?” … and that answered my question. 

Now, to back up a minute there were 2 things.  First, when I was told about the light trigger I should have dry fired the gun to get the feel of the trigger pull before I loaded up.  Second, I should have asked if I could shoot at the 4 inch steel targets before I shot to make sure I wouldn’t blow a hole through the steel.  There are various grades of steel and thicknesses so you need to make sure the steel you are shooting at can accommodate the caliber you are shooting at the distance you are shooting.

So what happened?  Well, this dueling tree had six 4 inch plates and was set up 15 yards in front of me.  When you hit a plate it will swing 180 degrees from side to side, right to left or left to right.

In this case the top plate was on the left, the other 5 plates were on the right.  For my first shot I aimed at the second plate from the top on the right side (3^rd plate down from the top of the tree).   Because the .460 had so much power, and perhaps being so close, when I hit the 4 inch plate it swung from the right to the left with so much force one plate above and the two plates below also swung around to the left side.  The force of the plate going from the right to left 180 degrees caused 3 additional plates to swing around.  No kidding ... 4 plates turned with one shot of the .460.  "Jerry Miculek look out!!!"  hehe ... There were now 5 plates on the left and one lonely plate on the bottom right.  I was impressed.  The round didn’t blow a hole through the steel either which was lucky for me.

They were impressed that I was able to hit the 4 inch plate with my first shot of this BIG revolver I hadn’t fired before.  At the 50 yard mark there was another steel plate set up.  I hit that with my second shot.  What a great round and a great revolver.  The trigger pull was not a problem for me but I thought it felt too sensitive for a gun this powerful (personal preference).  For hunting I would probably increase the pull a bit especially if wearing gloves.  I would love to try the .460 again at the 100 and 200 yard range.  The .460 ballistics say that distance wouldn’t be a problem.

Assessment: The S&W .460 revolver has Bark and a HUGE BITE ... I WANT ONE ... 

Hunting Adventures - 2022 - Black Bear

For the opening weekend of rifle season, we were deer hunting in Enfield at Mike's house.   For the second weekend, we headed to Moultonborough.  Mike arrived Thursday afternoon so he could take an evening stand.  I drove to Moultonborough Thursday night as I took Friday off.  I was about 10 minutes from David’s house when I realized I forgot my hunting boots. NUTS.  Rick was coming up Friday morning, so he grabbed them as he headed north. 
 
I missed the Friday morning stand with no boots.  Since I was up early, I took a couple sunrise pictures from David’s house.  One is from the bedroom window and the other is on the deck.  I took a couple drone pictures a few weeks earlier. 

Rick showed up late morning, so we ate lunch and headed out.  We decided to hunt Red Hill (aka the Sahara).  I was dropped off a half mile from Mike and started into the woods.  There was snow on the ground, and it was crunchy.  I walked a bit and found a good spot and a rock to sit on.  I was in the hardwoods and kicked out the leaves and snow so I could take a few steps without making any noise.  The sun felt good as it was cold with some wind.  I was sitting on a hill so to my left was uphill and to my right was downhill.  I felt I had several good shooting lanes.
 
Behind me, the terrain dropped down to a ravine with a stream and then up a large hill.  I sat facing southwest and would occasionally stand and turn around to face the ravine and hill northeast.  There were shooting lanes looking across to the hill if I saw or heard a deer.  I circled the rock I was sitting on from where I shot the bear.

At one point I stood, turned around, looking at that hill to the north when I saw what looked like a bear.  I raised my rifle so I could look through the scope.  It was a bear.  I put my scope on 9 power and looked again. The bear was looking right at me but was not moving.  Now, bears have an excellent sense of smell and excellent hearing.  Their eyesight is not so good.  As I faced the bear the wind was blowing at around 10 o’clock so it could not directly smell me.
 
The bear was 100 yards out.  I had a 4-inch diameter tree next to the rock so I slowly moved so I could lean up against the tree for support. 

I had a bear tag, so I aimed for the center chest, and bang … the bear went down.  It got up and started walking slowly downhill and bang … another hit.  Come to find out the bear had a den at that spot.  The first shot was 10 feet higher up and away from the den.  The bear turned and started walking parallel to the stream away from the den.  It let out 3 death moans and stopped behind a tree.  I watched for a few minutes with the only movement being the bear's head occasionally moving from one side of the tree to the other.
 
I didn’t want it to suffer so I walked down toward the ravine maybe 40 yards closer.  I used the crotch of a tree to line up another shot and bang … the bear was put down.  I circled the bear behind the tree.

I sent Mike and Rick a text.  Mike was hunting a half mile away, so I waited for him to arrive before approaching the bear.  Mike took the following short videos of the event.  Rick was a couple miles away and dropped down the get his truck and head over.

Now, field-dressing a bear is the same as a deer.  FYI … I have timed Mike field-dressing a deer in 5 minutes.  His back was sore, so he said I was on my own.  He said, “Don’t make me take off my jacket Bri!” 
 
I filled out my tag, attached it, and started to field dress the bear.  Mike poked fun at me when the only knife I had was my ESEE 6.  Yes, it has a 6-inch blade.  Very sharp but BIG.  Mike did help a bit by holding the leg of the bear but he kept saying “Don’t you cut me … Don’t you cut me with that thing!”  Hmm … Maybe I should have given him a little nick to keep him quiet!  HeHe.  Rick arrived and had a smaller buck knife I used to finish the job.
 
We used a rope and a thick branch for the drag out of the woods.  We were ¾ mile from Rick’s truck. Once we went down the ravine and up the other side it was mainly downhill.  The snow on the ground made the drag a bit easier to maneuver around the blow-downs, etc. It was 17 degrees Friday night so thankfully that kept the bear cold so the meat wouldn't go bad.

FYI … In NH you don’t go to a check station with a bear as you do with a deer.  There is a number to call on the Fish & Game website and a digital form to fill out for a bear.  A conservation officer called me and we planned a time and place to meet.
 
Saturday morning, the Conservation Officer that showed up is one that I have seen on Northwoods Law - NH.  We chatted and filled out the paperwork.  I was all set once he checked and tagged the bear.  He said it looked to be 130 pounds and said it was a nice average bear.  It would have been a bit heavier if there was more food in the woods. (No acorns or nuts in the woods this year)
 
I hunted for a few hours after the bear was checked then headed out of the woods to go to the butcher that afternoon.  On my way out, Sevey arrived and was heading into the woods.  As we talked we saw 2 bald eagles fly over us.  They were flying together a couple hundred feet up and going pretty fast.  I wished I had my camera.  

I called the butcher before I arrived.  He said he would skin the bear when I showed up so I could take the bear hyde to a taxidermist.  The Butcher told me the net weight for bear meat is around 30% of the total once field dressed, skinned, and with the fat all trimmed off.  You don’t eat bear fat and there's a lot of it!

More deer hunting Sunday morning then headed home in the afternoon.
 
Monday night I brought the bear hyde to the taxidermist to have a head and shoulder mount made.  I also got a text from the butcher saying the meat was ready. 
 
Tuesday night I headed for the butcher.  I had ordered Bear Tenderloin, sausage, and backstrap. 
 
Thursday was Thanksgiving.  Pam cooked up the turkey with all the fixings.  We had bear sausage and kielbasa in the crock pot.  I took care of the bear tenderloin on the grill.

We had Pam, Courtney, Anthony, Sophie, Megan, Matt, Jack, Kevin, Sabrina, and me for dinner.  Kate, Alex, Evie, and Ethan were in Tennessee.  We had a great family time.  I had the bear tenderloin and sausage.  Even my 10-month-old granddaughter had bear.  I went back for seconds to find it was all gone.

 
We all have so much to be thankful for …
 
Now, my hunting buddies say as we all get older, the memories will start to fade, embellishment will start, and the story will change.
 
Hmm … Lets see …

- No … No!  Fish & Game did not say it was 130lbs … they said it was 310lbs! See ...

- The bear was not 100 yards away … it was 1000 yards away!
- Because of my keen eyesight, I did not need a rifle scope. I was using iron sights.  
- Doug was on one of his crazy speed hikes up a mountain when he noticed this bear stalking him.  He panicked as the bear closed in on him.  I ran down the bear, made a Dick Butkus-like tackle, and took the bear out.
- The bear was coming at me … We pounced at the same time.  I used 3 or 4 MMA moves causing the bear to tap out.  Unfortunately, the skirmish tore up my hunting jacket thereby exposing my washboard-like stomach and my barrel-like chest.
- This bear was ready to attack a group of girl scouts on a nature hike in the mountains when I jumped in and saved the day.
- I was up in a tree with my ESEE6 knife.  As this bear came by, I dropped from the tree like JOHN RAMBO ... and had bear tenderloin for dinner.

- I was hunting with Max Michel and Jerry Miculek. (They called us the Three Amigos)  We saw the bear at the same time.  I was able to draw my pistol (Ruger Redhawk) and shoot the bear before their pistols cleared their holsters.
- I spotted the bear and slowly moved toward it.  Once close enough, I yelled, “GO AHEAD … MAKE MY DAY!”  The startled bear turned to look at me and bang.  I came up with that phrase years ago ... I think it was even used in a movie!! 

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Hunting Adventures - 2015 / 2016



I didn’t do a post for the 2015 HUNTING SEASON so thought I would combine a recap with this season.  I had a few good trail camera pictures to post.  The critters are out there.

Friday afternoon we headed to Mike’s house in VT for opening day the following morning.  Anthony was with me in my truck, Kevin in his Jeep and Seth in his 4Runner. (They wanted to go 4 wheeling and get muddy as well as hunt).  Seth’s dad Steve MC arrived around 8PM.  Doug and Stephen K arrived around 8:30PM, Rick and Steve M soon after that.  James arrived also.  We had 11 heading out for opening morning and yes we had 3 Steve’s.

Up at 4:15AM, breakfast, and everyone out the door to their spots.  I dropped Anthony off and headed for Cream Street.  I parked my truck and headed in. 

I started up the ridge when I heard a Shot close by.  I thought it was Stephen K at his stump so I quickly came off the ridge to get a better shot if something came to me.  4 or 5 minutes later another shot close but a bit further away.  I thought Stephen K was in pursuit.  I started heading the same direction.  When I stopped I looked up at the top of the ridge and saw 2 does running the same direction I was going.  I waited a few minutes then headed up the ridge quietly.  I found a good place sit and stayed put for an hour or so.   I finally started moving at the top of the ridge and jumped 2 does.  (Most likely the same 2 I saw running earlier)  I waited awhile and continued toward a big field.  Close to the field I saw a Spike but it didn’t see me. There is a 3 point rule in VT so couldn’t shoot it.  Good size though.

It was cold so late morning I headed over to pick up Anthony for lunch.  Before I arrived Doug and Stephen pulled up and said Stephen shot an 8 point and they dragged it to where I parked. We turned around and picked it up. 

I went back for Anthony.  Anthony fired the first shot I heard that morning.  He had an 8 point come up the hill and walk by 30 yards away.  He raised his shotgun, fired and missed.  The deer took off down the hill and he didn’t get another shot.  Stephen shot 4 or 5 minutes later at his stump. 

He said he was sitting there and an 8 point came running up the hill right at him.  The deer didn’t see him and ran within 8 feet of him.  He said it happened so fast and the deer so close when it ran by the only thing he could do is point and shoot from the hip.  Neck shot with the 30-06 and the deer went down in 20 yards.  Different antlers so wasn’t the same deer Anthony took a shot at. 

We continued hunting the remainder of the day.  Around 4PM Rick shot a 6 point above the VOB.  He was 700 yards from the road and was on the radio looking for help dragging it out of the woods.  Mike, Doug, Anthony and I headed to the area and into the woods with flashlights to help with the drag. 

I must admit it feels strange being in the middle of the woods at night with just flashlights.  I knew the area a bit but couldn’t see past the beam of my headlamp and flashlight.  I couldn’t see the landmarks I know were there because of the darkness.  I did have my GPS and a compass so wasn’t an issue but still felt strange.  They always say if you get lost in the woods don’t panic, remain calm, AND THINK. 

That night we exchanged stories and had 2 bucks (8 point 150lb and a 6 point 160lb) hanging from the deck.  Mike took 2 does during the season.

Rick hunted Red Hill in NH also.  He was up high and saw a stream.  He put his gun down and was on his stomach drinking when he looked up and saw a buck crossing the stream 15 yards away.  Rick got up, gun up, and fired.  He said he must have hit a branch.  The deer ran 75 yards and stopped, turned around, and stood there.  He said it acted like it didn't know where the shot came from.  Rick raised his gun to fire again ... nothing ... forgot to advance another round into the chamber.  (I pause here to say Rick is taking up the bad habits of his brother Steven)  With the gun still up he chambered another round and immediately fired.  A hit to the chest and the buck dropped.  It was a 7 point buck and 135lb dressed.  The second buck this year for Rick. 

On a side note Gary G. keeps telling me to go with them to Alabama and hunt on Beth’s family farm.  He said the deer are like rabbits down there.  Gary’s son-in-law hunts there.  Here are 4 pictures of a buck Tim took; buck in velvet, buck out of velvet, buck in back of truck, buck on the wall.  Gary said come on down. 

I did do a post on Hemal Nodes you can check out.  http://actionshotsnh.blogspot.com/2016/01/deer-hemal-nodes.html

The 2016 HUNTING SEASON had its moments this year.  The guys were bow hunting then muzzleloader season.  Finally rifle season for me. 

Steven and Rick went to Red Hill for muzzleloader.  In the afternoon switched spots and Steven ended up on the swamp trail.  (I had a big buck encounter in 2014 on the swamp trail which didn't end in my favor.)  Late in the day this big 11 point with a drop tine came off the hill and down the trail right at him.  He had a headshot.  Nice deer dressed at 180lbs.  Steven called me and told me he was on the swamp trail by the big rock and asked me if that was my spot??  NICE … Since I was waiting for rifle season I hadn’t started hunting yet.  Steven also took a 4 point buck in MA.  He headed to Vermont with Rick for the last weekend of rifle season to work on a 3rd buck for a trifecta.

Ryan had trail camera pics of a double drop tine he was trying to take during bow season.  He is a meat guy and ended up not being able to pass up this big buck.  This was a 7 point as one point was broken off and dressed at 199.5 on a digital scale. 

Continuing with muzzle loader season Ryan was in his tree stand and decided to use one of his doe tags.  4 or 5 does below him so he shot.  A doe went down and surprisingly the others stayed there.  

Ryan started reloading which can be tough in a tree stand and he couldn't get the percussion cap off.  Rick said on that gun he's had to use a multi-tool in the past.  As Ryan was working on getting the cap off the double drop tine buck showed up.  He finally popped the cap off and put on a new one as the buck was walking away.  He took a 25 yard shot and said when the smoke cleared the buck was just standing there.  Starting to reload again he said the buck took 2 steps, a little wobble, then fell over.  This is a 13 point, double drop tine, and dressed at 180 lbs.  Impressive Ryan ...

I headed to Mike’s with Kevin and Anthony for opening weekend in Vermont.  Anthony was going to the spot last year where he took a shot at a big buck.  Kevin was hunting off the copper mine road.  Doug was to go to Stephens stump.  I was going to the stone bridge.  Mike, Steven, and Rick were heading to Jurassic Ridge. 

I saw 3 does coming off Jurassic toward me on my way in.  A couple hours later Doug pushed a 6 point off the hill and by me.  I heard it and was crouched down looking under tree branches when I saw it.  I couldn’t get my rifle on it.  I saw 4 more does.  Rick took a shot at a buck and missed.  They were moving the deer around at the top of the ridge. 

While bow hunting Stephen took this coyote from his tree stand.  

I spent the rest of the season hunting in NH.  I had 2 doe tags for one unit and a buck tag.  That unit was either shotgun or several calibers of pistols.  I decided to hunt with my .44 magnum as I can hit 12 inch plates at 50 yards with my iron sights.  

I enjoyed hunting with a pistol.  The first day I heard a deer in front of me and called it in with the doe blat and grunt call.  I saw its neck through the hemlocks and branched.  A couple more feet to the left and I would have had a shot.  With the branches, I didn’t have a shot.  It ended up walking off so didn’t see it again.  I’ve been second-guessing my decision not to shoot through the branches.  NUTS … 

Another morning while pistol hunting I spotted a bull moose 75 yards up the hill in front of me. I watched it for 15 minutes then it disappeared.  I continued up the hill and jumped him again. He took off to the right at the top of the ridge I was to go on. I didn't follow because I wasn't moose hunting and after a few minutes, I heard him drop over the other side of the ridge and double back to the left. 

That worked out well for me so I continued to my hunting spot to the right. 

An hour later crash, crash, crash … I had my pistol up and ready. Standing there I saw dark brown (a deer’s winter coat is grey. I thought NUTS … the moose again). coming straight at me and closing. I took one step to the left so I could see better only to see a moose calf stop, a cow stop right behind it, and the Bull Moose stop 30 yards from me. (A mature male moose is called a bull, a mature female a cow, and an immature moose of either sex a calf.) 

All three were looking right at me.  I kept my pistol up as they stood there looking at me.  I moved my upper body twice to make sure they knew I was there.  It made me a bit nervous being so close. 

Cows are very protective of the calves and the calf was between us.  The Bull Moose was behind and appeared to be chasing the cow as it was near the tail end of the rut.  I thought to myself if the ears on the cow or the bull go back and they decided i’m a threat, it would only take a few seconds for them to close the 30 yards so I didn't want to holster my pistol to get my camera.  Eek …  

Let me pause here and take a quote from NH Fish & Game about moose.  They say the following ...

"SAFETY FIRST!  While watching or photographing moose, NEVER approach them or allow them to approach you. Always keep a good distance from them and always have a good stout tree or your vehicle nearby. Moose are large, potentially dangerous animals that can run as fast as a galloping horse. They do not always show their displeasure or give any warning before attacking. If they do feel threatened or angry, moose may raise the hackles on their neck, lay their ears back, jerk their nose at you, roll the whites of their eyes -- or just run at you, knock you down, and then stomp on you until you stop moving."

Knowing this, I was next to a rock.  The nearest small tree was 8 feet away and not much to hide behind.  I would hate to have to shoot a moose in self-defense.  I wasn't worried about the calf.  If the cow or bull moose started to come at me I would send a round over their head and head for that tree.  Hopefully, the flash and big noise from my fire-breathing Redhawk would cause them to turn and run off.  If not, oh my ... 

I had 5 rounds in my .44 and another 6 in a speed loader that was in my zipped-up jacket pocket.  NICE …

After about 30 seconds of staring at each other, there was no distress on their part.  The calf then turned left heading away and started back down the hill.  The cow followed the calf.  As the cow started the bull hopped as if to try to mount her.  The cow didn’t stop and the bull followed both down the hill.  Crash, crash, crash, off they went.  All three looked very healthy.  It was exciting seeing the three of them together, and a rush to see them so close to me in the woods. 

The purpose of a wheel gun speed loader is to quickly reload multiple rounds (in my case 6 rounds) at one time into an empty cylinder.  That proved to be irrelevant since my speed loader was in a zipped-up jacket pocket.  Needless to say, the first thing I did when the moose headed down the hill was to go for my speed loader and put it in a more accessible location thinking they could return.  

I did have a camera with me.  I would have had some spectacular pictures but there was no way I was about to holster my pistol.  They were so close and the potential to turn ugly was there with a calf in front of me, a cow staring at me,  and a bull moose still in the rut.

No deer sightings this weekend.  30 turkeys but they don’t count …

James hunted in Iowa and took a nice big buck.  Corn fed I’m sure!

Mike had fresh bear meat in the freezer as Wayne's daughter Emma took a bear in Vermont.  Great shooting Emma!!!

I hunted the remainder of the NH season … the high winds were not in my favor.  My season ended.  I really enjoyed pistol hunting so will try again next year.  I may return with my camera and look for those moose.

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