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The Unicorn Hunt, or The Save The Moose Campaign, 2017

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Location
Geraldton, Ontario
We first decided to conduct a moose hunt in this area after we discovered it with the Outers Club. We had determined that the road into the lake was so bad that nobody would be going into it. We cut a port down into a creek that led into Faubert, and did an exploratory trip a month ago.

The best plans can often be wrecked!

We left early Friday morning to get in early and hunt on Friday. After lugging all our stuff down the port, we paddled for about an hour, dragging over three beaver dams, and arriving at camp around 2:00. Tents were up, stoves burning, and hunting canoes ready by 3:00.

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The end of the port, with a mound of gear.

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My pals

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Paddling the 20 footer downstream

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Coffee Brewing, just warming up before we head out.

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Snowtrekkers pre-warming

At 3:05 we heard the whine of an outboard motor, and sure enough, a couple of guys were coming down the lake. They stopped in at our camp, and told us that they drove to the end of the lake last night, and that it looked like there had been another party there last week.

Oh well…….over the next three days we paddled every tributary coming out of Faubert. Spectacular scenery, but not one fresh sign of moose. Between the outboard motors, ATV’s and abundance of people from Southern Ontario, the moose had flown the coop!

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Triple cold smoked bacon makes the whole trip worth while.

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Pulling up a beaver dam on Saturday as we hunted a tributary.

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Chainsaw Rob racing by us in his slick new solo.

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Dan joining us about 6 k back in the bush.

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The whole area is in a burn. We climbed a small rock face and could see for miles.

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On our way back from hunting, we found a wreck of an old cabin.
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Obvious bushmen like our good pal Robin, as we quickly found a cold handled frying pan.
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When we lifted up a fallen down wall, we found the trapper’s permit.

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Shortly after that we found an old fishing net, so we assume it must have been an Anishnabae family that trapped back here 30 or forty years ago.

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With no moose in sight, we started fishing. This was one of the smaller walleye we caught.

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Monday morning we loaded up to take off. A bit lighter this time now that all the beer had been consumed!

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Pulling back up the big beaver dams was a chore on the way back.

Not sure where we will go next year, but it is becoming apparent that there are very few places that people can’t find and get to anymore. Google earth, Bing, GPS’ and ATV’s have made the wilderness a very small place!
 
I feel your pain memaquay. Add early archery & black powder seasons and by the time general rifle comes along four to six weeks may have passed by the time you head to into the wild places. I drew a Elk/Moose tag for Dec. Seasons started Aug 28.

A Unicorn hunt indeed - I like that title.
 
looks like a dang good time in spite of the moose and crowd situation.
 
Look like you had a good time and that is some what important, I mean for us meat is the important thing and a good time is second lol... It is getting harder up here too to get away from the crowd. more and more people are coming up and look like they all want to be hunters... Most of them don't have a clue... They will learn!

Next time instead of lake, go upstream of a shallow winding rock garden creek, that usually slow down people to get up there!!

Or a river that has some good ww will help too!!

Cheers
 
It's interesting, two years ago when we checked out that area, it was loaded with moose. When talking to those guys from southern Ontario, they told us how a couple of years ago, they used google earth to find a spot that came close to the river, then they cut a 600 meter port in and motored and dragged their boats up into that lake. They drove 18 hours to get there. There were several parties like that within a 20 mile radius of where we were hunting, which under normal circumstances, would be considered very remote.

There's a lot of things contributing to the decline in moose in Ontario right now. The deer are moving into our area, and bringing brainworm with them. There are many unregulated hunts that occur all year long. I think the party hunting system is a bad idea too. Most groups from S. Ontario will arrive with anywhere from 10 to 20 people, all hunting with only one adult moose tag. They set up like an army, beating the bush and water ways until anything left alive has been scared into permanent hiding.

I'm not sure what is going to happen in Ontario but most areas have seen a 20 % population decline in moose in the last ten years, with some areas experiencing up to 50% decline. The biologists seem to feel that global warming is the real culprit.

In any case, us old fellas are going to keep getting out there until we can't, sure is a lot of fun!
 
Thats a lot of gear Rob. I didnt see a kitchen sink, but there was a crapter. Glamping?

The hunting issue is bad here too. We have whole areas closed to moose as they have been pretty much cleaned out. So now only the poachers are getting any. The fishing situation is ugly too. When we first went to the Rice river it was packed with pickerel. Now with the road established it is getting fished hard and they take any thing they catch no matter the size. We have seen guys netting in there too. Consequently, the fishing is suffering now. There is pretty much nothing between the lake and the road any more. It only took three years to do that.

Perhaps a fall deer hunt to thin them out as much as possible. Grouse is fun too. Expand your horizons. You need to recce that port those guys cut...maybe save you some time/work to get in to do some fishing while that is still good. In fact, l know a couple of old ladies that would be interested in that eh.

Christine
 
It looked beautiful. And, woods and bacon just go together. The last college I worked at had a Unicorn Hunter's Society. Maybe you could start your own chapter.

Pringles
 
It looked beautiful. And, woods and bacon just go together. The last college I worked at had a Unicorn Hunter's Society. Maybe you could start your own chapter.

Pringles

Just be careful with google on Unicorn hunting. Its a strange world out there.
 
It's interesting, two years ago when we checked out that area, it was loaded with moose. When talking to those guys from southern Ontario, they told us how a couple of years ago, they used google earth to find a spot that came close to the river, then they cut a 600 meter port in and motored and dragged their boats up into that lake. They drove 18 hours to get there. There were several parties like that within a 20 mile radius of where we were hunting, which under normal circumstances, would be considered very remote.

There's a lot of things contributing to the decline in moose in Ontario right now. The deer are moving into our area, and bringing brainworm with them. There are many unregulated hunts that occur all year long. I think the party hunting system is a bad idea too. Most groups from S. Ontario will arrive with anywhere from 10 to 20 people, all hunting with only one adult moose tag. They set up like an army, beating the bush and water ways until anything left alive has been scared into permanent hiding.

I'm not sure what is going to happen in Ontario but most areas have seen a 20 % population decline in moose in the last ten years, with some areas experiencing up to 50% decline. The biologists seem to feel that global warming is the real culprit.

In any case, us old fellas are going to keep getting out there until we can't, sure is a lot of fun!

That's crazy... And of course overtime you cut a trail somewhere some one else(everybody) will find that trail and use it the following year and then this trail will be use exponentially year after year.... Don't cut trail... Just bushwhack don't let anyone know you were there hahaha...

I mean I can't imagine having to hunt somewhere else than up here, My dad for exemple, they have been hunting the same area for years, with really limited success and the main reason is the same as the one you stated, everybody have access to the bush now with the fancy quads and argos and side by side... Even up here it is becoming a problem, We use to go to a series of lakes that were only accessible with canoes, too shallow in between them to motor, and no trails around them either... A few years down the rd, argos started to get into there... Now it is a real crap show, we don't go there anymore!
 
I just read that main as the highest moose density in the lower 48 it's actually almost as hight as up here!!
 
I just read that main as the highest moose density in the lower 48 it's actually almost as hight as up here!!
I don't know how many lottery winners there were this year but Maines moose hunt is very hard to be a winner in. People try for years. I think 2500 permits were issued It's a big deal when someone gets a permit.
One year there was pandemonium in hubbys office when someone got a permit
Congrats to Robins son in law. One you do get a permit it's relatively common like 98 percent that you will bag a moose . I kove it when a kid gets the first one
That said the population is in decline due to brainworm. There was a video on the news about a moose that had to be put down last night.
On the teslin we met a mama moose with a radio collar. We weren't expecting that but clearly the Yukon is watching moose closely
 
Especially at the end when they showed the raft with all the gear. I thought they had WAY too much gear for a 16' canoe.
 
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