Hunts On Outfitting Podcast

Two Moose, Two Provinces, One Unforgettable Season

• Kenneth Marr • Season 2 • Episode 100

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Smell the musk before you see the antlers. That’s how Ethan knew the bull was close in a New Brunswick hellhole, wind in his face and alders shaking. What followed was a ten-yard window, a steady hold, and the kind of follow-up discipline moose hunters preach: shoot till they’re down. Then we trade thick finger bogs for long Newfoundland vistas, crossing by boat at sunrise, glassing cows stacked across the valley, and listening to a cow bawl so hard she towed a bull into a perfect 165-yard heart shot framed by brush and ocean.

We walk through the full arc of a two-province season: how twelve trail cams and salt sites narrowed the map, why September shifts bulls overnight, and how timed grunts, raking, and silence can tip a standoff. Ethan breaks down his move from a .30-06 to a 6.8 Western with 175-grain loads, the importance of sturdy scope rings and clear glass, and the practice that set his ethical range at 350 yards. The takeaway is simple and serious: confirm zero, know your dope, manage wind, and make the shot clean.

You’ll also get the parts that make moose hunting addictive: the gas station crowd around a tailgate, a tractor winch threading deadfall, Argos crawling into country that looks flat until it swallows a bull whole, and guides who light up when hunters bring knives, curiosity, and respect. We compare body size and behavior between New Brunswick and Newfoundland, talk calling cadence that pulls ears from kilometers away, and reflect on why a short, high-stakes season heightens every decision.

If you live for big game stories grounded in woodsmanship, actionable calling tips, and honest gear talk—plus a few laughs about blown eardrums and “poor man’s pudding”—you’re in the right place. Subscribe, share this with a hunting buddy, and leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify to help more folks find the show. What would you have done at ten yards in the alders? Let us know.

Check us out on Facebook Hunts On Outfitting, or myself Ken Marr. Reach out and Tell your hunting buddies about the podcast if you like it, Thanks!

Welcome, Guest Intro, Episode 100

SPEAKER_01

This is Hunts on Outfitting Podcast. I'm your host and rookie guide, Ken Maher. I love everything hunting, the outdoors, and all things associated with it. From stories to how-tos, you'll find it here. Welcome to the podcast. All right, ladies, gentlemen, thanks for listening to the podcast. If it's your first time on here, welcome. If not, welcome back. We're happy to have you listening. We're fired up. We've got a great episode for you today. We've got Ethan Stiles on. Ethan uh hasn't been on for a little while. He's been uh busy hunting, working, and we're really happy to have him back. He's told us some deer stories before, but this time he's telling us a tale of not one, but two moose. This year is his first year with his own tag and moose hunting, and he gets moose in two different provinces, successful in both. And I'll tell you, you won't be able to see it because I it's not filmed, but I could see it in his eyes as Ethan's telling these stories and reliving them and just the excitement, all that. But you know what? You're gonna be able to hear it. You're gonna hear it in his voice as you uh the memories come back to him and the excitement and how much fun he has. And uh I'll tell you that there's some heart pounding moments that you guys are definitely going to appreciate listening to and uh and and hearing from him. Also, I just want to say it's no secret that I love and appreciate and feed Enookshuk Dog Food. And Nookshuk had another great year this year. They supported more than 400 dog sport events and welcomed over 300 plus new and trusted resellers across twelve countries. And also there's a really big event, uh, the Ididerod. I think it's the Ididerod. Um, it's the it's a uh I think that's how you say it. It's a dog sled race, and that over 80% of the dog of the finalists were powered by a nookshuk. So I mean, if it's good enough for those dogs, it's definitely good enough for yours here. My dogs, they look great, they have nice shiny coats, their teeth look amazing, they're healthy as can be, and um it just gives them the energy to keep going, keep hunting, keep doing what I need them to do and what they love to do. And uh, you know what, even if you've got a dog that you just take out for walks and everything, they've got dog food for you because you're gonna want your best friend, your family pet good and healthy as well. So it doesn't matter if your dog's out there pulling sleds or hanging out with you on the couch, they've got a brand for they've got a blend for you, and uh highly recommend looking them up. Trusted resellers all around uh North America and other countries, and uh they're gonna be able to hook you up. So thanks for listening. Uh we're real excited to uh to talk to Ethan, so let's get right to it. And this is also a very uh big milestone for us on Hunts on Outfitting Podcast because this is episode 100. And some of you might be thinking, Ken, are you doing anything big or special for uh your hundredth episode? And besides having a great guest, we're not. Uh episode 104, which was pre-recorded already this past weekend. That's gonna be the big celebration one. We've got all seven of the original uh guests on that are the frequent flyers. We've got some giveaways, some shit talking, all kinds of stuff. You're not gonna want to miss it. Episode 104. Oh, and if you were looking to get a hold of us to maybe come on the podcast or suggest somebody for it, or just reach out to me, you can email me, hunts on outfitting at gmail.com, or you can find us on Facebook, Hunts on Outfitting, or find myself on there, Kenmeyer. Feel free to reach out. Some of you guys have been, it's been great talking with you from all over. Ethan, I'm happy to have you back on. You've been on the podcast a few times before. You're one of the first uh you were in the top first five episodes, I think. You're like the second or third when we first started almost two years ago.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So that was cool talking about deer. But Ethan, you had you had a good hunting season. I did. You got some moose, you got a nice buck. We're gonna talk about the buck another time, but you got a really good one. Yeah. Um, and then uh you got your moose here, and I remember messaging you when you got it. I'm like, man, that's nice when you're like, yeah, it'd be a good podcast. You're like, but wait till I get back from Newfoundland. Yeah. So I did, patiently waited. Here you are. Um do a quick introduction for you. What would you describe yourself? You're a lawn care extraordinaire guy during the summer and a lawnsman slash driller in the winter driller in the winter. You do do her all and then you can hunt in between. That's right. Um, so Ethan, let's so uh people know this listening to it. You got to go you hunted in New Brunswick and Newfoundland this year. You got moose in both provinces. Yeah. Uh people know that are from here know this, but if not, so the way it works in New Brunswick, it's a lottery system. You have to put in for your tag, you apply for the wildlife management zone that you want to hunt in. You might you might not get it. The odds are uh I mean, I know people that have gotten theirs what twice in four years, and I know people have gotten theirs once in 18 years.

SPEAKER_02

I was a second second guy, second gun on the my buddy's license.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, right. So okay. You didn't he got it.

SPEAKER_02

He got it, and he got it in the zone with the lowest amount of tags in the province, too. His second year applying, he got his got his license. Second year. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so how it works here too, if you pay, I don't know, was it 80 bucks? Yeah. You can go as a second gun with the original person. I didn't I okay, I thought you'd gotten it. So is him. Okay, yes, right. Um, so you can go as a second gun with the person that got their license and you pay eighty bucks. You get to carry a rifle yourself. Yeah. Uh, but you've got to be within seeing distance basically of uh of the person. And seeing distance doesn't count binoculars. No. Like without the aid besides glasses. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um and it just helps split the you know firepower and kind of cover the same area, but uh two sets of eyes on two different directions.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, you know, you got some extra firepower too for it and everything.

SPEAKER_02

Lucky for me, I was the one that got to see the bull first.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, we'll get to that. So he got it, and you knew you're going hunting, so I'm gonna start a little bit from the beginning. You started to gear up for this, knowing you're going on the hunt, so you got a new rifle. Yeah. What did you get?

SPEAKER_02

I got a 6'8 Western.

SPEAKER_01

6'8 Western.

SPEAKER_02

Browning.

SPEAKER_01

So tell us. I don't know much about that round. It's a newer, it's it's a newer round.

SPEAKER_02

It's like a the new and improved 270, pretty much. It's kind of more of a that's how they're marketed? Yeah, they're not super popular in the East Coast where we're at. It's more western, I'd say elk gun.

SPEAKER_01

They real nice flat shooting. Yeah, it's good for long range and is it more flat shooting you find than like say the 270? Yeah, I yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I really I've used a 30 aught six for the last eight years, and this gun is I really, really enjoy. It's nice.

SPEAKER_01

So this gun here, how many grains?

SPEAKER_02

Uh I shoot 175.

Gear Talk: New Rifle And Setup

SPEAKER_01

Okay. That's uh yeah, okay. So it's pretty similar to the 270. So you got that gun, got it all ready, sighted in, good to go. Yeah. Um walk us through the beginning of the hunt you guys pre-season scouting, what was going on there?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, when I found out he got his license, he was kind of new to hunting, so he asked me and my other buddy to help him.

SPEAKER_01

Point him in the right direction.

SPEAKER_02

Kind of put I probably put twelve different cameras out, kind of all over really twelve. Yeah, yeah. Different areas and bogs and just the big woods wherever, and then we kind of narrowed down two or three spots that we knew would be good, and that's that's how we got them.

SPEAKER_01

So with the twelve cameras, were you getting moose on all twelve?

SPEAKER_02

We were, but it's the same as deer hunting. You get early summer, you'll have different moose, and then we a couple spots we didn't have bulls. Where I got that moose, we didn't really see bulls there up until the first of September. So the other places we said we're probably gonna hunt in August when we were seeing the pictures of all the bulls, they were gone come September. Yeah. And then the rut, they weren't there. So we Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So I mean, did you have were you just putting these up on random game trails or did you have salt like sales?

SPEAKER_02

Mostly salt and then some like game trails in and around.

SPEAKER_01

50-50?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Six and yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

So we would just kind of check. I usually go up once a week, check them, and every couple weeks, and then once September came, I did some good scouting and I found some nice bowls I actually seen on foot.

SPEAKER_01

So that was Yeah, because you had some pictures too you put up before the season of like some big ones. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, like the week before.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And then we seen some real big ones just driving out on the roads at night, too. So that was another.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah. Um, so the terrain that you're hunting in, because some people listen to this, you know, I know in Alberta, Saskatchewan, they're hunting moose out in you know, wheat fields and stuff. But here, primarily you're looking at choppings and and bogs. Right. They're into wet stuff.

Scouting Strategy And Terrain

SPEAKER_02

And the mostly zone we hunt here, there's not that a lot of the choppings are getting growing up, and there's not many bogs. Just small little pockets, kind of like finger bogs up through the big softwoods.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So how how did you guys kind of narrow in just just from the scouting?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, just the scouting, and then we've found a lot of like early rut sign in one area, and we hunted that area for the first few days, and then we had some close. We my the other guy almost got one, had it responding, couldn't get a shot. Then I had another one the next day, also couldn't get a shot.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And we seen I passed up a cow the first morning, and then he passed up a cow the second last morning. We wanted to get a bull.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, well, let's talk about that you guys' plan going into it. So a second gun where you're like, we shoot in the first thing we see, and he's like, Hell no, we're bull big bulls only.

SPEAKER_02

First day was first few days was big bulls only. We weren't even gonna shoot a smaller one. That was kind of the whole time we were trying for it was his license, so we were hoping he was gonna get it, but it kind of because it's it's a five day season.

SPEAKER_01

I was wondering, it used to be three. Three imagine the pressure. That's why it's not well, you know, you hear people going out on a hunting, like it's all about the experience and all that. It's like, man, you might not get drawn again for 18 years. You got three days before, now you got five days. It's like I want some blood.

SPEAKER_02

And you really try to soak it all in and enjoy it, but at the same time, it's you got a lot of time and effort into it, and you don't you don't want to go home empty-handed, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01

Because I I still know some people this year, it seemed like a good year, but they did, you know. It's yeah, yeah, it it's not like deer hunting, like, ah, whatever, I'll have a tag next year.

SPEAKER_02

When you do get some blood, it's probably one of the best feelings in the world. Yeah. It's just like it all came together.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. But the pressure is on, especially having that short of a season and how it's just a lottery tag.

SPEAKER_02

And it was the last morning, so that was when you guys were in the last morning, so last morning.

SPEAKER_01

What was his hunting experience prior to going into this? Because you said he was newer.

SPEAKER_02

He duck hunts.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

He likes to he just kind of did like some small game, and then he was applying for moose, and then I now he got a deer this year too, so I'd say after the But before shooting the moose, he'd never shot a deer, never shot a bear. Nothing, just small game.

SPEAKER_01

Well, what did he have for a rifle?

SPEAKER_02

He was using a 300 short mag.

SPEAKER_01

Short mag? Yep. Yeah. Um, all right, so you guys were on the last day.

SPEAKER_02

Last day.

SPEAKER_01

Walk us through that morning. Were you guys like shitting yourselves basically? Well, we were gonna make it happen.

SPEAKER_02

There was one hellhole of a bog. It's kind of like small finger bogs. You basically start at the bottom and you can kind of work your way up through, and it was just terrible deadfall, trees down, and then like small little pockets of bogs where there was 20-yard openings or 10 yards, like it wasn't much. But I had scouted it a couple times previous in the summer, and there was good sign then. And then I checked it out kind of like the couple weeks before, and there was some more still good sign. And it was quite far off the beaten pass. So we said before the season, I kind of said as a joke, the last day of the season, if we don't have a moose, I'm gonna go in there.

SPEAKER_01

Right in the old hellhole. Right into the hellhole.

Five-Day Plan And Pressure For Bulls

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Once it's we'll figure it out. Yeah. So that's what we did. We went up that morning, and I kind of went up one one way of it, and he kind of went up the other, and we just picked our way up through. But I had my other friend Austin with me, and we're kind of picking up through, and you could there was some real fresh signs, so I thought, yeah, this is good. And then I'm calling too. I've like low cow kind of cow moans and then deep grunts. Yeah, and have you practiced? Yeah, I was practicing quite a bit.

SPEAKER_01

You live in the village here, so were you doing it outside?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I'd go on the back out in the back 40.

SPEAKER_01

Everyone's like, did someone just hit a dog? Yeah, what is going on?

SPEAKER_02

Just start moaning for the for the neighbors. Yeah, yeah.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So we were picking our way up through and the wind was blowing. That was we kind of we could have started on the other end, but we had good wind. The wind was blowing at us, so we started at the bottom and went up through. And we got to uh like probably like the third kind of finger before we got to the bigger bog, and the wind was blowing in my face, and I could smell the bowl before I even real musky.

SPEAKER_01

Because like the lucky thing here is we do have a short season, all that, but it's normally prime rut. Right. That's the lucky thing here.

SPEAKER_02

And it was a little like they weren't super they weren't coming to the calls. The any luck we had with them, like the two previous ones that we were talking with, we had to go to them. Okay, they weren't coming to us. So that was when we realized, okay, we really have to get on one and kind of get it quick. Because the one before I kind of gave him too much time. Like we went back and forth, and he was raking, I was raking.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

He drunk, I drunt, and then I kind of let I let him be for a while and he got real mad, started antler knock like he was beating his rack off trees. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So don't break him. Yeah. And he had a cow with him.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, yeah. So that was the other Yeah, they're with them. You're gonna you're gonna have a hard time pulling off a lot, can't you?

SPEAKER_02

I just thought if I left them, maybe I could get them that night, but we went back that night and it didn't work. So yeah, when we went in the last morning, I said, Um, it's Hail Mary, basically. Yeah, I'm getting he says one thing backward charging in there like a couple of banshees. So when I finally smelt them, I turned around and whispered to my buddy, I said, There's a bull close for sure, and he never really moose hunted much, so he was like, What is that smell? I said, That's a mature bull for sure.

SPEAKER_01

That's a that's a nice bull.

SPEAKER_02

That's a nice bull.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So we I grunted again and then I did a small cow call, but it was pretty windy that morning, so you couldn't really hear much. So that was another it's good for the moose because he heard me come, but I didn't hear him, which is probably good for me because I didn't have time to get too excited. Yeah, and I was just two minutes after I said to my buddy about smelling it, there was kind of a like a big brook to get across. And I actually was like stopped and I'm trying to look at the brook how to get across it, because I don't want to get my it was deep over the boots.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So then I kind of broke a branch and I grunted, and it wasn't as soon as I grunted, he grunted. And he was 20 yards.

SPEAKER_01

Your friend or the the moose?

SPEAKER_02

No, the yeah, yeah. I think he grunted after, but he's like, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So he gave he couldn't meet he still was trying to process the old musk dior. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

The musk dior had him laid out, so he didn't know what to think about that. And then when he grunted, I grunted back, he grunted again, and I thought, okay, but it was like you couldn't see. It was just so thick, thick.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Old alders and like tall grass, and so I kind of stopped and just thought about it for a second about how am I gonna do this and make this work? So I grunted again and he grunted. I said, Okay, I he's coming. And then I heard him coming face at me, but I could kind of see trees moving at this point. He's heard a raking, so I knew okay, he's right there. So then I tried to process this quick and you're still thinking of your wind, yeah, all that too. So yeah, and I knew I had good wind because the grass that was I'm in the grass, it's blowing right at me, so yeah, I know I'm good.

SPEAKER_00

Perfect, yeah.

The Hellhole Bog Decision

SPEAKER_02

And then I kind of left him just for 20 like he grunted and I didn't grunt for a second, and then I said, I'm gonna wait. Just I waited 30 seconds, and I did a just a little grunt back, and he instantly grunt. So I said, Okay, he's coming. And then I'm still looking, I'm looking straight, and I thought, ooh, that's a tough shot. So I you could you see you see his antlers? I could just see like the bushes moving. I didn't know I was assuming it was probably a big bull, but I couldn't really tell. So then he's still just grunting, and I'm not I just kind of went silent for a second, but I cut into the woods a bit, like kind of to the left of him, thinking that if if he doesn't hear me, he's gonna go to where I was just calling from. So if I can and normally if I had someone else with me that was calling, he could have stayed back and I could have snuck around. Yeah, my buddy was just there for the ride.

SPEAKER_01

So he was he was still like he's like, Man, that must I can't believe he smells like this.

SPEAKER_02

I'm shooting and calling at the same time, so it's kind of trying to set yourself up. But I got kind of cut in and I got in behind the alders, and then I didn't grunt, I just left him be and he's still coming. And then he started raking again, and then he kind of stopped, and I could just see like one board, and I thought, well, it's a big bull.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

He took like two more steps, raked again, grunted again, and I'm just I wanted to say something to him. I wanted to get him going a bit more, but I said I better just let him do his thing because he was he was mad at this point. When I went silent, that's when he was done. Then he was mad, super mad.

SPEAKER_01

I was like, Oh, you got nothing to say now?

SPEAKER_02

He thought I was bailing him.

SPEAKER_01

Was that trying to like lecture your buddy? Like, you need to learn how to call it. No dear.

SPEAKER_02

He was just, I didn't even, I don't think I even looked at him. He was just following me like a little puppy, basically, because it was he knew this is going down.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, this is going down. There's a big moose in here somewhere.

SPEAKER_02

And then I at this point he I can see his boards, and I thought, holy, this is this is a big bull. Yeah, and I'm like, I'm also at probably like 15 yards from it, and it's in the alders, and I'm in the open, but there's one hole that he has to walk through, basically, and he was like, I don't know, 10 feet from this hole, and I'm still just trying to keep myself together. Like it was I was getting pretty excited. Well, first moose too, and I'm like, holy frick.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, because this is your first moose hunt.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, like I've hunted moose before, but I've never actually been on the license. So that was my first time with a gun.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And I come up with the plan in my head, I said, there's if there's one big tree he's gotta go behind before he steps into like a two-foot opening. So I thought, when he as soon as he gets behind that tree, the gun's up, and if he keeps going, I'm I'm gonna get him as quick as I can. Yeah, so then he stopped again right behind the tree, and he just completely bent like two big trees over. So that watching that through, I'm just like, this is it was crazy. That was some of the coolest stuff I've ever seen. Unreal.

SPEAKER_01

And he's still like low grunts, and then you experienced some of the best of what the moose hunting woods has to offer.

SPEAKER_02

That was some of the best. Yeah, you couldn't ask for better than that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So as soon as he got behind, then he started raking at all this. So I got the gun up and I was just I was ready. Safety off, and I just you I'm looking through the scope and you can just see his boards kind of step into the scope, and I thought, oh, it's going down. And I just found the front shoulder and gave him one, and I you could he hunched forward real hard and kind of stumbled.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, whoo, I got him. And I just as soon as I could think, he was still standing, another hit him again, turns, he's kind of staggering, hit him again, third shot.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

Wind, Calling, And Scent Of A Bull

SPEAKER_02

And then I kind of went blank for a second, and then after the fact, my buddy Austin's like, You were like uh in another world for a second, you kind of looked blank, and the next thing I know, you had another clip in the gun, you're shooting again. He said, You just grabbed it, threw it on the ground, you held it.

SPEAKER_01

They I I've heard this saying before, I can't exact exactly remember how it goes, but they said the difference between like, you know, just whatever, a hunter and like a true killer is how most guys I know, and I was like, I actually do that too. Once they shoot something, they're they're low. And that's well that's what I yeah, that's why they do that, is because you're prepared and ready, ready to do it and just as a true, yeah. Not necessarily yeah, hunter, killer, but like yeah, like I said, in a good way, is just you're ready to go. Yeah, because you want that animal done as quick as possible, just paying a respect for it and everything. But I know I've been remember on our moose hunt, uh I I was taught too and told because they're so big and tough and everything. Just shoot till they're down. Yeah, shoot till they're down. That's what I was.

SPEAKER_02

And that thought was definitely going through my mind too. Yeah. So I I I had the spare clip with me in my binocular harness, and I just it was more for insurance. I never thought I was gonna need to need it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I dropped my threw it on the ground, and I had the other clip in, and he's still he's kind of staggering. And I hit him again, fourth shot, takes another step, hit him again, fifth shot. Holy. And I'm like, anyway, I then he's like, it's still this is like I'm making it sound like it was like a two minutes of me shooting at it for this. It's like not, it was just as fast as I could put that bolt in and find him. I just kept finding the shoulder, bang. Yeah, and I find again. He's still kind of walking, walking, then he starts cutting in the I just threw one more Hail Mary at him, and I don't even know. That's uh there was five holes in him. There was a group, like a probably a six-inch group behind its shoulder of that. Like it was so once we got it skinned, and I seen that, I'm like, I felt pretty proud of myself. I'm like, that's some good shooting. And the once, anyways, he I get him that one under pressure, like that.

SPEAKER_01

The military, if they get listened to this, like we're gonna give that boy a call.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So I then once it was kind of all settled down. First of all, I have a uh muzzle break on my gun. Oh, okay, and it's loud, like two shots is okay. And it was just like I was just got done in a gun battle. I couldn't hear. It's like, we got him. It's like what? Yeah, ringing and going. He's running. No, we got him. Yeah, yeah. So I was just deafened. That didn't help any. Then I'm like said to Austin, like, like, did I hit it? He's like, dude, you were smoking that thing. I'm like, well, like it just kept going. It just kept taking away.

SPEAKER_01

Well, he was so wound up and everything. I mean, that's adrenaline for you.

SPEAKER_02

Thinking about it after, like this the third shot, it was done. And that's what he would stop, like to do his final brass basically. And when I hit him again, he would take another step.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

Ten-Yard Encounter And The Shots

SPEAKER_02

And then he'd basically, by the time I reloaded, he already took two more steps and he'd stop again and I hit him again.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So that's what I basically just drove him into the bushes where he fell. Yeah. Like he only went 10 yards. He was going down. You just gave him a couple of the first shots, it sh like went straight through, right through the lungs.

SPEAKER_01

But no, it was not bad. Something that big and how thick it is and everything. You don't want to be like, you don't know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

After the first the first two was good, there was no bushes, but the rest of them, I was still, it was there was bushes, and anyway, I didn't know. So then I said to him, like, well, it has to be dead. So we I didn't really even wait. It it was I was already so close, but I said, uh, let's just go look. So I took a step over the brook, and that's how I realized I was only 10 yards away from it.

SPEAKER_01

I remember, yeah, when you had the picture on Facebook and stuff, and you're yeah, it was like 10 yards. 10 yards. Holy shit.

SPEAKER_02

So that's what I looked at, or I said, Austin, stay here, and I want to look where I shot it. So he stayed there. I got found a spot. I finally found a way to get across a deep brook, too, after the fact.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because it I said about me trying to figure out how to get across this brook.

SPEAKER_01

It's like if I just run through, I can get past it.

SPEAKER_02

Actually, I think I didn't even care at that point. I just went right to my boots are gonna get white. I don't care.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I got over and I looked back and I'm like, there was blood right where I hit him the first shot.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And I looked at him and I'm like, holy man, like it was yeah, 10 yards is that's that's close.

SPEAKER_01

Especially for something that size. Yeah, that size. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Big bull. So when he we went over and looked, and then there was blood, and then there was just blood everywhere. I thought, okay, yeah, it's it's good. And then I just peaked kind of where I last seen him, and he was pretty much laying upside down. So that's what there it looked like a massacre, man. There was blood everywhere. So that's why I thought, well, I was hitting him, and then once we got the guts out of him, his lungs.

SPEAKER_01

What'd your buddy say that that was the license holder?

SPEAKER_02

Well, then they heard the shooting, obviously. So they were like, What? The funny thing is, is they're like we were close, but he said it was like two guns going off. That's what they were like, well, it's obviously Ethan, he's right there, but then they're like, There's two guns because it was he said like the the first two was like one, two, and then it was the there wasn't much delay between the third, fourth, and fifth.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So they're like, oh, that was two guns. So then they're freaking out. They're like, nice, someone just shot a moose right there. Yeah, this is awesome. Right in the hellhole. Yeah, right in the hellhole. Because they were just kind of like behind me, beside me type thing, and then like just through the bushes a little bit.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So it was close, but that's what they were like.

SPEAKER_01

Then I yelled, I'm like, I got one, and then they're like You're probably yelling the rest of the day because you thought probably thought you're talking normal, your ears are still ringing.

SPEAKER_02

I was complaining all day, and they're like, Grow up, like, dude, I'm not joking. My ear I couldn't hear, I blew my eardrum completely. Really? Yeah, it was not good.

SPEAKER_01

Go to go to registered effort.

SPEAKER_02

What zone?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, we got it in uh zone 18.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, 18. It's like, is this guy okay? Yeah, no, it was good. And then they were like, What'd you get? I said, Oh, four point. And he's like, Oh yeah, they were pumped, and then they get over there like, that ain't a four point. I'm like, nope, that ain't a four point. What? Oh shit, that's not our moose. Then the best part, we got it, we're celebrating, and I'm like, uh, I'm not sure how far off the road we are right now, like off the nearest dirt road basically, to get it out. Yeah, yeah. Pull my phone out, and I'm I drew a line on one of the maps, and it was five hundred yards out through the hellhole.

SPEAKER_01

Through the hellhole. That's 500 yards in a field's not very far. No. When you're in a swamp, hellhole, woods, alder, bush, thing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's but luckily, thank the Lord, it was kind of where he where he I got him, there was a lot of good hardwoods, like big there was some hardwoods on the other side of the bog, and it was open. So it was just basic clean up some deadfall.

SPEAKER_01

And we did you use your side by side?

SPEAKER_02

No, we used a tractor actually.

Recovery, Extraction, And The Gas Station Crowd

SPEAKER_01

Oh, you guys got a tractor in there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we got the tractor like pretty close, and then we had like a hundred foot like uh logging wind in the back.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So we got got the guts out of them and got them kind of flipped around and we poked a hole through, and there was like at this point we had all of our dad, yeah, because that was the coolest part of the hunt. There was three 23 or four 23-year-olds that went.

SPEAKER_01

You guys did it. And we didn't happen.

SPEAKER_02

So all of our dads hunting stuff too, but they're like that was we wanted to do it.

SPEAKER_01

So to prove that you're you're a man.

SPEAKER_02

That's right. Yeah. So once we called them and they're yeah, our real boy, real man.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And that's what people live for that hunting. So there was like probably 12 people there by the like the end of it. So it was we had lots of hands, but we got them winched out, and then we got him up on the back, lifted them up with the log collar, and just picked our way.

SPEAKER_01

You guys got real lucky then getting him out.

SPEAKER_02

It was good. Like said and done, we were maybe like maybe two hours.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's not bad.

SPEAKER_02

It wasn't bad. It went, it went really good. Yeah. Then we got him out to the road and unhooked him, turned the tractor around, picked him up, drove the pickup on, or we picked it up, cleaned it all out, got him because when you drag a moose out, you know you get a bunch of row in there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So we got him out, threw them in the back of the truck, and that was the There you go. And then the the fun part, the funniest part, my buddy, well, he never hunted, so it's like a thing around here. If you go to the local gas station with a moose in the back in moose season, yeah, everyone's gonna stop. You're like the it's insane. Yeah, you're the man of the town. Yeah. So we we're I was coming out the road before that and I said, Well, we gotta pull in the gas station. I don't know, we got something random. And gum. Yeah, gum or whatever. We go in text and I he I was joking with him, like, we're gonna go in the store and come out, there'll be 20 people at your truck. And he didn't believe me, he thought I was just pulling his leg. We go in, come out, there's literally 20 people around the truck. Couldn't even get out of there. Yeah, we were like, I was like, Hey man, we gotta get it.

SPEAKER_01

We're gonna have to start hitting people.

SPEAKER_02

So we just basically backed up and left, but yeah, that was uh it was a good that was well it was a hell of a moose. Yeah, it was a big bull, and it was uh just a way to like to get it walking and calling and for him to respond and get super aggressive and oh you you couldn't ask for more. No, no, you like said you the moose woods gave you the full experience. And especially that I guess it would have been the Thursday morning I had the other bull that I was pretty upset that I didn't like I I felt I felt like I let him down too. I'm like, man, I should have had that, but I just wasn't I should have gone in. He had the cow with him, I should have should have gone in more after him. But anyway, I worked out yeah, it worked out in the end. But after that, I'm like, yeah, next time I get an opportunity and I have one respawn, I'm gonna make it work.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that was it was awesome.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, that is uh yeah, that's a good story. Yeah. You guys, yeah, final hour kind of thing almost.

Comparing Moose Energy To Other Hunts

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the last final day. The last morning, I think I got him at like 7 25, and legal time was whatever, just before 7, 6.50 or whatever. So I basically I guess it I had two options that morning. I there was a real fresh pisshole on the side of one of the dirt roads, and that's where I had the mishap with the other one, and I couldn't get him out. So I checked that like we before we drove in to hunt, and I said, we'll go, I'll drive by and I'll just look in it quick. And there was no fresh sign of that night, and then there was the ground, we had some rain, so the roads were pretty soft. I said, Well, if we can find fresh tracks, we'll wait till daylight and then we'll go in. So didn't really see nothing there, and I thought everything's pointing to go into the hellhole for the last day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So that was And it was meant to be.

SPEAKER_02

I parked the bike and started walking.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And I didn't once we got it felt like a long way out, but I remember just setting everything down and just running back of the bike. I'm like, Oh yeah. Oh, this is the best feeling ever.

SPEAKER_01

Just skipping.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I was definitely I probably ran 500 yards in about a minute to them hurt with uh pep in your step. Yeah, you know, like the the elf. Yeah. When he's going through the perk, they're just swinging. Yeah. That was me going through the hurdle. That was just wide open.

SPEAKER_01

Well, yeah, you talk about adrenaline. Whatever whatever you guys took from the moose, you put in yourself. Huh. Yeah. No, that's uh yeah, that's a good story. Like I said, you yeah, what an experience.

SPEAKER_02

And I really enjoy deer hunting, and I said that I'm like, I don't like while we were hunting that week, I'm like, I love deer hunting, but just like to get to get you don't get reactions out of deer. No. Like you do that.

SPEAKER_01

You start calling for deer like that, you're not you're gonna scare everyone out of there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's right. So it's it's cool to it's everything every hunt's fun in its own way, but it is some cool to get a moose acting like that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. That's even like uh it's not quite comparable, but um the turkey hunting. Yeah. Just like calling them and them answering and moving, you know, like just I like the interaction part. Whereas the deer, see like most of the time you're just sitting there, you're just waiting.

SPEAKER_02

That's all.

SPEAKER_01

But with the moose, elk, you know, turkey, things like that. Yeah. The interaction, the calling, you're doing something towards getting them in stuff, right? Like I like, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's it's so cool. I'm definitely hooked. I was hooked before, but I'm even more hooked now. That was yeah, it was addicting.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that wasn't the end of your moose hunting for this year. No, that was just the start. Tell me, tell me about the Newfoundland, because I know you talked about going to Newfoundland last year and you're like humming and hawing, then you didn't, then this year you kind of planned on going, and then you you found it you're going second gun, so you're like, I don't know if I'll go, and then you're like, you know what, I'm I'm gonna do it, right? Yeah, screw it.

SPEAKER_02

So then what did what got you think you just wanted to go moose hunt, shoot your own moose is why you're like Well, I was supposed to go the previous year, but I ended up going to North Carolina on the for the hurricane.

SPEAKER_01

Right, working as a linesman, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I was it was I don't know, we had th almost three weeks before we were leaving. I'm like, oh yeah, I'll be back, should be back. We usually only go two weeks at the max or whatever. Well, unlucky for me, it was three we didn't get back for like 25 days, so basically they were getting hold of it.

SPEAKER_01

It was real unlucky for North Carolina.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, really, yeah. I should shouldn't say it like that, but yeah. So that's what I said. I I gotta go. Next year I'm going. I just uh whatever happens in life, I'm going moose hunting. I don't care.

SPEAKER_01

So that was and even once I found out I was going here, I thought what hurricanes come through next year I'm going to moose hunting.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it was pretty pretty good opportunity to go. Yeah. Especially to say you got two of a bull in other province in one year is a pretty cool thing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so uh walk me through have you had you been to Newfoundland before?

SPEAKER_02

I've been there, but I've never gone moose hunting there.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But my friend and his family go, like it's they've kind of his dad's gone for 20 some years, so they know the outfitter really well and the area and yeah.

Camp Life, Outfitters, And Culture

SPEAKER_01

So what outfitter did you guys go with?

SPEAKER_02

Uh we went to North Side Outfitters. It's in Caudroy Valley.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. North Side?

SPEAKER_02

North Side.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Very, very good group of guys. Super fun. Kind of treat you like family, good food.

SPEAKER_01

That's the Newfoundlanders.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's it was unreal. And if they ever offer you poor man's pudding, it's called.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Not pudding, pudding.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Poor man's puddin.

SPEAKER_01

What I've I've been to Newfoundland many times, I've not heard of that.

SPEAKER_02

I seen it and I thought, what the heck is that?

SPEAKER_01

How poor do you gotta be?

SPEAKER_02

That's what I thought until I took a bite of it, nearly fell off the chair. It was so good.

SPEAKER_01

Really? What is it?

SPEAKER_02

Cake?

unknown

Oh.

SPEAKER_02

And it's got like brown sugar melt. It's unreal. Oh yeah. That's what That's a Newfoundlander thing. Yeah, I couldn't believe it. I we were still there and I asked the cook, I'm like, anyway you can make some more poor man's pudding before we leave. And she hooked us up with a fresh batch on the last night. Oh yeah. And then sent us with little care packets, too. So that's pretty good. They looked after us. It was it was awesome.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, because Newfoundland, um, what we look for to go hunting here, that's the whole province. Yeah. It it's a moose hunting mecca. Like it there's so many moose there. There is a lot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But what was really opened my eyes is the the size difference of the bodies of the like the moose from there to to here.

SPEAKER_01

Here's bigger.

SPEAKER_02

We have a lot bigger bulls here. Like they've they have big bulls, but their bodies of the bulls are not not nearly the same.

SPEAKER_01

No, I remember I was talking with uh with a friend of mine before you went, we were saying about you know, you got a really nice bull here, and I said, I follow a lot of outfitters and stuff in Newfoundland on social media. Yeah. And I said, I I see way bigger bulls take a heat. I totally see what Ethan gets. I said, because I doubt it'll be bigger than the one he got here. The odd time you do see some big ones there, but not this much. No, no.

SPEAKER_02

I think a lot of it is there. It's so open. Like it's hard here, we can get right in on them. Yeah, a lot of times they call them from three kilometers away.

SPEAKER_01

But I wonder if if if some of the areas it I mean, there's a lot if it's over hunted or what, because like the bulls just don't seem to get it.

SPEAKER_02

Well, they do. There's a lot. I believe the the butcher shop in Caudroy Valley, I think they do like eight or nine hundred moose a year.

SPEAKER_01

Wow. And that's just that one like there is a lot there, the population's not in jeopardy, but I just wonder if they just don't let the bulls get that.

SPEAKER_02

I think a big problem is the ratio of cows to bulls as well.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

Moose Numbers And Body Size Differences

SPEAKER_02

Because we seen the first day well, the first day I seen one bull and I shot it. And then we didn't see that one. I guess that's sorry, that was the second day. But we seen, I think oh man, like thirty cows probably. Really? Like just like we go to a lookout that you can see five kilometers, and you'd be just with your binoculars kind of glassing, and you'd see oh, two cows there, there's two cows there, and then like no bulls. Which was there's bulls there. They've they got a lot of nice bulls, and they got bullshit we were there, so they're still there, but it was just I couldn't believe the to see the moose. Like it's just like I guess for us in New Brunswick, it's the deer.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and certain areas of New Brunswick anyway.

SPEAKER_02

So you can go for a drive around houses and stuff and see yeah, 40 dozen kids, and yeah, like same thing, the odd buck, maybe. Same as moose there. There's little holes, and that's the other thing about Newfoundland is you it looks open like, oh, I can see for miles. Yeah. But then you see a moose and you're you can see the whole you can see its feet, the whole moose. And then you blink your eye and it's gone.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

It just goes into a hole.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And then you blink again and back out.

SPEAKER_01

It's not, yeah, no, it's it's not as flat there as it as it appears.

SPEAKER_02

It looks flat, but it's crazy. So that's the other thing. There's a lot of holes that the the bulls were hiding in.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So that was, yeah, that was it was to be able to experience it both within a couple weeks to see New Brunswick versus Newfoundland, it was I know it's pretty cool. It's it was its own experience of hunting both places. So that's what I think I enjoyed hunting here in New Brunswick more.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Just because it was like the the zone I was hunting in was it's kind of where I grew up. So yeah. To get I that's like a dream hunt to have shot a bull like that off the mountain back there and be able to bring it out to my house and show my parents. Yeah, yeah. That was uh that was the coolest.

SPEAKER_01

It's it's neat though with Newfoundland. Like uh were you guys on a boat a little bit?

SPEAKER_02

Like a little we were on a little boat at uh they have two, so they have Northside Outfitters, and then he has Gary Abay, it's called Outfitters.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

So he it's the same guy, but he has two different so we actually went to Gary Bay was the other place. And normally they go to to Northside. So one's by boat and the other one you can drive to. So this one you have to take a boat kind of up the coast and then you go up into like a cove and they have a real nice camp. And then in the morning you get on just like a little John boat and you go across the the bay, yeah, park it, and then they have all the like the bikes and argos and stuff. It'll just kind of they're staged over on the other side. Oh yeah. And you park the boat, get on the bike, and you go way, way back, way back up in the hills and start looking for moose.

SPEAKER_01

That's the main mode of transportation in Moose Country up there, isn't it? Argo?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and they're getting big with the Can M six, I don't even know what six by six. Six by six four-wheeler.

SPEAKER_01

Oh quad.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, with I I don't even know what you call it, because it's a it's a to me, it's a four-wheeler that has six wheels.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, it's four wheeler uh with the little dump box on it. Yeah, I thought those, I was looking at those for the box.

SPEAKER_02

That's a big thing that they're getting into now. Yeah. And that's what they like, they take the hunters kind of on the on the bikes, and then there'd be one of the guides or just a guy at the camp that would bring the Argo behind, or he'd the Argo would take the moose out, but we kind of hunted off the bikes. Oh, okay. Because the Argos are like a they're slow. Yeah, yeah. And it's like riding a bull. Oh, yeah. Like just you feel everything. Yeah, feel everything. If you're in the back with your gun or in the guns in the case, even it's just you're bouncing and going.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But they're great for when you get off the beaten path and they gotta go bushbanging with it. You can pretty much water, I mean the amphibious.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So that was uh it was cool to take the boat in in the morning. You're going in at like at sun, sunrise, and the steam's reason rising from the water.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

It was cool.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So um, yes, tell me about yeah, how did the hunt go there? So the first day you guys going out, you look in cows everywhere.

Boats, Argos, And Big Country

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I guess the first day we got there, we took the boat in like that morning early. We got settled in by noon, then we went out for the afternoon into the evening hunt. Yeah, we seen a pile of cows, and then kind of there was one one real nice spot that was you could see forever, but we went there that night and did some calling and the the wind was bad. And the there was cows down in, so we said, Well, the guy said, I know another good spot. They called it Radio Radio Hill, I guess it was.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So we went like just the radio tower. Oh, there's like you get cell service in one spot and the whole 4,000 acre area that whatever. Like there's so we went to this. We left the other spot and we went out and then we walked up to this lookout and we got up on the lookout, and there was just a random cow just like 15 yards below us. Like we didn't even see it. We kind of were looking at everything else, and it made just a noise. We look and it's just right there. So then she took off. So we just did a cow call like to her.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And then a cow, like I don't know, 300 yards way down in this valley. She called back. And it the cow that we were calling at just ignored us and just walked away. So then we were like, holy shit. So we called at her and she was just bawling like really crazy. So that's what we're like, oh yeah, this is good. So then we would like kind of ball back, she would ball back at us, and we kind of went back and forth, but then we heard a bull too. Yeah. He kind of chimed in with a couple grunts. And at this point, it's like, hey, she's coming up the hill. So then we were calling, and same thing, kind of let her do her thing. Yeah. And you'd hear just like I've never to hear a bull here do its thing grunting, but we never had cows respond like that.

SPEAKER_01

No, I I can't think of hearing cows responding to hear people telling me about that too, here hunting as cows.

SPEAKER_02

And when you're like, when we first like I first heard it, it it sounded like it was you or I calling with her hands. Like it was just it was crazy. Terrible. Yeah, no, it was good. Like to it sounded just as real as anything, like it was the coolest thing to actually hear it. So then when we called back and then she called again, it's like, wow, that like that's what it sounds like. That's literally what it I couldn't believe it. Like you've I've heard them ball before, but I've never actually heard one do like she was losing.

SPEAKER_01

Responding and and going.

SPEAKER_02

And I'm guessing it was kind of territory when we and it worked out that the way that that there was already a cow there, so there would have been sent from her there, and we're calling, and she's blow us, and the cows blow us, so it was like perfect.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

Cow Vocalizations And The Perfect Shot Window

SPEAKER_02

And then kind of this, I don't know, it might have gone on for two minutes, and she covered some ground because it when she first started, she was deep. She came up the hill, and you could see a nice little eight-point bull coming right with his head just jammed right in her ass. Oh, yeah. Yeah, so I was like, Oh, I thought, well, it's only the yeah, I guess this was the second night. Like, well, I hummed and hawed, I'm like, frigg, I don't I want to what the guide says, he's like, I was like, What do you think? Oh, buddy, it's up to you. Yeah, he said, Oh, it's up to you. He said, I'd shoot her. I'm like, right, or I'd shoot him, whatever. I'm like, Wow. And then they kind of now did they know when you came what you'd just gotten. Yeah, they they knew. So that's what he was like, well, we'll try. I said, I don't, I'm just scared to hunt. I don't really I if I get a big one, cool. If not, I don't know. But you'd show them the what you just shot, you'd run so you start there. Never seen anything like that. No, there's they've at Gary Abay, they've took some really big balls. Big monsters. Yeah. So that was the yeah. So then she came up and he came up and then she turned and he turned and then he stopped. I'm like, oh man. I looked at him and I'm like, do I really want to end this right now? Thought, well, then my buddy that Tim was with me, he was like, shoot it, shoot it. And I'm kind of like, freak, I don't know. I like it was just so cool. And then I kind of thought, like, wow, this they just came in on a string.

SPEAKER_01

And then maybe you can happen again. Yeah. Is that what you were thinking?

SPEAKER_02

I was thinking that, but I'm like, that was this is and it's going through my mind, like, this is another crazy experience of moose responding. And it's also off like the most gorgeous lookout you could ever imagine. You can see the ocean way in the back, and like it was just perfect. Yeah. And he was it was like 165 yards, he was broad, just perfectly broad side, stalled. Yeah, and there was some bushes and stuff, and he was just in like a God-given hole that was like just asking to get shot.

SPEAKER_01

He was just basically like target spray paint on him, like kind of give you a wink, like it's okay, buddy. Give it to me. You can give it to me.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and she just stood there and I thought, whatever, I'm doing it. And then I kind of said, I could he actually he took like just like a quarter step ahead, and you could see his shoulder. I seen the shoulder open right up, and I'm like, oh, I'm gonna try to stuff on right now right into the heart. So I kind of took my time, got lined up, touched it off, and he just hunched, didn't even move. And you could see he was like, and then I was gonna give him a I was thinking about the previous time. I'm like, let's just wait. Like, I waited just a second to see because I was like, I think instead of going through a box with it, they were like, Yeah, going through another. I think it cost me$25 in ammo to shoot one moose. So I said, I'll we'll just take it easy on this one. And they're like, give it another one. And I said, I aim for the heart. And then they're like, Well, and then just as soon as they like we were kind of communicating, it was like eight seconds, he just got the stinky leg and just flipped right over, dead.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_02

And I'm like, Well, I definitely hit the heart. Yeah, so we get that's the other crazy thing. I went like we knew he was dead. It he was he fell right over. Yeah, so I went down in, couldn't find it. Because it's you think the tux over there, if anyone's been to Newfoundland, it looks like it's just a little field. Oh yeah, no, it's it's it's like shit, yeah, up to your head. Yeah. So I get down in. He's where I got him was in the tux, which was crazy that like it didn't look like it. So I go down in, I can't find it. And I'm like, Well, I swear it was right here, and then they're looking, they're like, Go over to the left more. Oh, the guide's back. Yeah, they were back, so that's like I'm not going in there. I was like, Are you sure it was over there? He said, Well, I think it was, and yeah, sure enough, I took like eight more steps and basically stepped right on it, like it just fell into you couldn't, it fell right out of sight.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, really. Yeah, well, you know, because moves are so big, you see them standing up out and that stuff. Like you said, it looks like a field, but you yeah, you get a person in there, and you quickly realize it's no, no, it's not that. Yeah, it was you know, there's a bunch of shit in there. It was crazy.

Finding The Bull In Tuckamore And Heart Shot

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, we got him, and then that was I said I was like to them, like I'm I aim for the heart, and they're like, let's get the guts of it. I said, I gotta see what the heart looks like. And sure enough, the heart was blown right. You hit him perfect, yeah, perfect, right in the center of the heart, and just blew it up.

SPEAKER_01

That's awesome. Yeah, so you practiced and you knew your rifle.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I knew I common sense, but I don't think a lot of people know they don't, and it's what frustrates me too, because it's like you especially moose hunting.

SPEAKER_01

You owe it to the animal.

SPEAKER_02

You do. It's like if you got like, don't shoot if you know you're not gonna kill it. Yeah, I don't know. That's not huge style.

SPEAKER_01

I heard that this year deer hunting. Remember somebody else like, oh, you know, where'd you shoot it? Like, I don't know, I just shot it. It's like they got it, but it's like, well, should you have shot if you weren't even No, you should shouldn't for sure.

SPEAKER_02

And I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that I just wounded an beautiful animal because I I'm stupid and lazy and didn't sight my gun in.

SPEAKER_01

I know, I know. It's it's it's sickening.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah what the famous saying is, well, it was hit when I put it away every time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, but when they were pulling it out, or they didn't know that their wife dropped it cleaning or something like that, or whatever.

SPEAKER_02

It fell off the bike. Yeah. That's what it was in a case. Yeah, it was in a case until the thing doesn't even hit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Oh no, it's people don't.

SPEAKER_02

They don't and even like I hunted here two weeks previous, and the I sh killed the moose with it, and I still before we left, I went out and shot like eight.

SPEAKER_01

You did your due diligence with it and stuff. No, it's good.

SPEAKER_02

Shot from like a hundred yards up to three fifty. So that was like my cap. I knew I'll if one's out at three fifty, I'm confident that I knew how to adjust my scope. I had all the stuff lined up. So if you I got a steiner.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. Uh what's their logo look like? Is it blue?

SPEAKER_02

It's like blue, yeah. Okay. Like I think it's like kind of a box blue steiner.

SPEAKER_01

With white lettering? Yeah. Maybe right. Okay. Yeah. I don't know. Very clear.

SPEAKER_02

It's a nice nice scope. Yeah. So that was it's that's yeah, I think that's another thing. Don't cheap out on a scope.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I know. I I've kind of cheaper with the screen.

SPEAKER_02

Guns will shoot, but I find I've had cheaper scopes when I was younger and I They fog up and shit.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_02

And they'll get knocked off easy, so that's what I thought if I'm gonna get a good gun for everything, deer, moose, whatever, I may as well.

SPEAKER_01

Even your your people don't think about it as much. I don't think sometimes your scope rings are important. They are because people like, oh it's whatever, it's a little mountain bracket, but it's you want those tough.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you do.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Till it's loose.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Your sc scopes turned a quarter inch and you're shooting at the moon.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. We know somebody like that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So that was uh that was that one. But we had three three tags, my tag, and then they had two others. So that the other guys just one never shot a moose before, he didn't care, he just wanted to get a cow.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_02

And then the other guy, same thing. But I guess, well, we got three moose the first day or second day. Second day. First full day, second day hunting.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

Ethics, Practice, And Optics Matter

SPEAKER_02

So we got a I guess it was a spike horn bowl that morning when we were all going up in, it was way up on a ridge. Kind of like it was a long ways up. So we stayed back, but then the other guys went up and then they kind of they parked and they snuck up through. And we're laying, I'm laying on the ground just looking through my scope. My buddy's using my binoculars, watching it, and I we didn't think that he could see the moose, and I'm just watching it through the scope, but it was like just dead silent, and then I'm watching this moose through the scope, and all I see is just the backside of it blow out. And then he realized you accidentally pulled the trigger. Oh crap, and that's three. And then I heard the echo like three seconds later, like just the way we were like down in the valley versus him him up on the hill. Yeah, it was like the and then the moose is running and it's cold in the morning, there's steam blowing out the side of it. I'm like, man, that was wild to see that whole thing go down. Yeah, and I don't know if he could even see that we were still watching him.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because we seen him walking in, then the moose heard him, and that's what when I'm watching it, the moose ran like eight more steps right up, like I don't know, 50 yards in front of him. So he basically just as soon as he seen the moose, he up and shot. But we're all watching the moose, not him, so we didn't know. Yeah, so just to see the like just the impact, yeah. He was using a 300 wind mag too. And it hit it, and it just yeah, I was like, wow, that was crazy. And then we seen the moose just like flip right over, fell into a big hole. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01

So I gotta ask. So when you you shot your moose and you guys went down there and all that, were you like, well, uh, pumped. No, but where you were like, it's uh, you know, he's gotta worry about getting it out now. I'm sure I know you helped it.

SPEAKER_02

That's what I was like, you want me to gut it? And then he was like, Well, you can help. I'm like, I don't mind, because most like they get a lot of guys that they they don't help at all. No, and most most guys won't gut it, so that's like to me, that's the part of the fun. Yeah, get your hands bloody.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I've got a buddy that uh Jesse does bear guiding and stuff, and he said, It is rare that once the bear's down that they will help anything. Like even handy a knife, right something, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That's what we kind of and like to I've gutted a lot of deer and stuff, and then the odd moose, but to see like I'm like, I want to watch how this guy does.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, he was probably efficient.

SPEAKER_02

He was. But the funniest thing was is he had from the previous he never got his uh new knife or something. Knife was just like a butter knife, just his doll knife. Really? Yeah, but he was super cool, so it was funny. I he used mine and then he just made like two seconds quick work and oh yeah, pulled the guts out of it, and then he had a doll knife, uh the guide. Well, he had like one of the replaceable blade ones, okay, but he left them there way back on the bike or something. The knife he had didn't have a new blade.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I was like, oh, just we had sharp knives anyway, it wasn't a big deal. He was like, so we're reading like, oh, I don't care. It's funny. Just don't get any blood on it.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it was good.

SPEAKER_01

But getting it out was it he just got it what slap it on the left it overnight actually.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, because it was kind of getting the other guys, because we already filled the other two tags, so they already went back out, and it was just me, him, and my buddy Tim. So that's what we waited, and then we left the moose, went back out that night, and then came back in the next morning and got them out.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, with the Argos. With the Argos, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Which was kind of fun. We got like an extra bonus the next morning to go, and we seen more moose that morning too.

SPEAKER_01

So that was cool. But tell me what the guides were telling you before we started the podcast because we talked about guiding and hunting and all that, how they were saying it's nice to take people out that hunt hunt.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's what like to take like just a couple of local hillbillies basically that just enjoy hunting. Right. It's like rednecks, you could say. Yeah, they they had a lot of fun with us because it was we just like to hunt. It's just our passion.

SPEAKER_01

Would a would they take out um what do you call them, yuppies, fancy pants?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, like a lot of suit tie guys that like fame famous people, yeah, very successful people that like to hunt, but they don't have time or the some of them have not that suit and tie people uh you know can't do it.

SPEAKER_01

I'm just saying, but there's a there's a sometimes a type where they just they pay to go on a hunt. They don't really hunt themselves.

Three Tags Filled And Guide Perspectives

SPEAKER_02

No, and yeah, and that's what a lot of them don't like maybe they didn't even grow up around it. They just got into it as they're older and they can they like doing it. So which that's the guides, that's their job, they don't mind at all, but it's like a after if you took four groups of guys that don't live for it, yeah, or they're like they they live for it, but they don't want to gut it or like or they're trophy hunting and we just didn't care, we just wanted to get some meat and have fun. Yeah, that's it's a lot less pressure for them too. That and still like it even though it was only a eight-point bowl, it was like we were all just super pumped because the way that they were responding and calling.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that hunt there, I mean, not that you didn't have that when you hunted in New Brunswick, but because I mean you you want to try to get one because your odds of getting one drawn again and all that or slim and everything, but out there, especially you're in a new place and all that, that was more the experience. For sure.

SPEAKER_02

And I had an either sex to have harvest. Yeah. So I could have got a cow or a bull.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I pretty much like I was confident that I was going to shoot a moose that way. So that was it wasn't there wasn't any pressure for any of us really. Yeah. We were just soaking it in and in Newfoundland too.

SPEAKER_01

If you've never been there, it's uh it's cool, it's a unique place. It's very unique. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Just the like you can just see for so far. It's like especially if like some of the moose that are like five kilometers away. Yeah. And it's amazing how they they can hear.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Like if you're watching them, someone calls and you're watching the movies, get you're walking the other way, and then you can see their ears turn and they start coming at you from like four kilometers way down the valley. Yeah, it's just unreal.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So cool.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so the guy, but they they enjoyed having you guys that were into hunting and the hunting, and yeah, it was you had a spare knife. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

No, they had a lot of fun. And they have fun with everyone they go with too, but it's just everyone's I know what you mean. If I was a guy and I'd uh I'd like to take someone like me and my buddies that are just there to have fun too. Yeah. It'd be just you're it'd just be like me and you going, it's just for fun. Yeah. You're just out hunting.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And it's it would be stressful for them to like, especially someone that pays a lot of money to try to get a big bull. And if you're paying, you probably want to get a big bull. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, it and I mean sometimes it doesn't, it's it's hunting, yeah, at the end of the day. Yeah, you can't. But you you want it does help a lot when you have guys that uh understand that too. Because I know when I got I think I I want it more than they do, and I think sometimes that's the problem. Right. But I've been I've been super lucky with the people that I have taken out for various things that like the they they know it's just hunting and stuff, and that's you know, it it it is what it is, and you get what you get or you don't get what you don't get. Yeah, for sure. But it it helps when people realize that because I'm sure they do have clients where they're like, No, I paid the money, like I want a big move.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's that. But uh even he said that a lot of the guys that they do get, they do understand. Like they'll they've uh they were showing me videos of bulls that like guys passed up earlier in the season, like in in the hard rut.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And he told them, like, if you don't shoot this, that you might not get another one, and they said, I don't care, it's fine.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So that was and some guys really don't, and they're okay with that.

SPEAKER_02

They're just totally okay with they're there for the experience too. So it it takes all kinds for sure, and that's what makes outfitters operate is yeah, everyone. You get suit and ties, or you get flannels and jeans. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, yeah, it's the same thing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no it it is cool, yeah. Yeah, it can be. It can be very cool.

SPEAKER_02

Hunting is a very unique hunt. It's uh it's cool. It's it it's it's such a big animal to try to get out to it's that's the big thing when you get them down, you're like, and you're just holding, especially the bull from New Brunswick. It's like yeah, that was my buddy Austin. He's like taking pictures of like when we first got up to it, and I just wanted to get the rack flipped over. I wanted to see it so bad. Yeah, and I'm like, I set the gun down, and I'm like two hands pulling on it, yeah. And he's like kind of laughing. I'm like, dude, you gotta give me a hand with this thing. He's like, What is it heavy? I'm like, Yeah, I can't lift.

SPEAKER_01

It's surprisingly light, believe it or not.

SPEAKER_02

Just the way it was laying, uh, its antlers are jammed in the dirt, so I was like trying to pry it back and pretty put my back out. Yeah, blew my back out.

SPEAKER_01

He's like, Okay, I'll help you. You don't have to yell at me. Like, I'm am I yelling?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, your ears are still blown out. You want to know what's funny about that situation, too, is when we were walking up to it, he's like, You got a bullet in your gun? Like just you do when you walk out to a dead end. And I said, Yeah, I would if I had more. He's like, You shot all your bullets. I'm like, I'm out, man.

SPEAKER_01

So we walked up and was like, You're gonna have to do your karate moves auto if he gets up.

SPEAKER_02

It was so funny. Yeah, it was definitely I don't to top this fall.

SPEAKER_01

I was just gonna say, how do you how do you top it?

SPEAKER_02

I don't know. I think maybe an elk hunt and a like if I could get an elk hunt, a new Brunswick bull, and another nice buck in New Brunswick, I would probably I'd in the same year? Yeah, same year.

Gratitude, Memories, And Filming Plans

SPEAKER_01

Because you you've had some good deer hunting years, and we'll get into your deer hunting story, we'll get into that another time. Eight for eight now and nice ones.

SPEAKER_02

And the last few years I've been kind of going further into the bush and it's been paying off.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So that's a whole other addiction on its own, too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Or obsession. Obsession. Yeah, yeah. Um, but uh yeah, an elk hunt. Yeah. Yeah, because that's that's yeah, I definitely think you should where would you go?

SPEAKER_02

Would you I'd like to go to like I'd like to do it in Canada. Do you think the Rocky Mountains prefer I want to go if not I'd never go to like fields and I want to hunt the mountains.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Something you're you've got to What about you wouldn't go to like Idaho or New Mexico or if like an opportunity kind of came about, I would for sure, but I guess just kind of once I decide I want to go, I'll start looking into it and figure it out.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yes. No, uh Ethan, appreciate you coming on. Uh I've I've been waiting to hear hear this since I've seen the pictures from it, and then you know you're out west working and stuff. So it's like, well, let me know when you're home. I know. I want to hear it, do a podcast.

SPEAKER_02

I love re-retelling the stories because it's like you're reliving the moment of it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I can see it in your eyes when you're telling it. You know, and that but that's what it's all about, right? That's what it's all about. I love when people I can see it looking at you like visualizing it.

SPEAKER_02

I can still picture both them bulls standing there alive is the crazy thing. Yeah, never forget that, especially the big one. I'll never that will never leave my mind for sure.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Getting to watch that.

SPEAKER_01

It's an incredible experience. You're gonna start carrying a GoPro with you?

SPEAKER_02

Were you thinking that actually? Well, we did. My Austin got a video of it, but he was kind of behind me in the like you can see the bull come out, and yeah, I'd really I've been saying it every year, but talk's cheap, but I need to start actually filming some stuff.

SPEAKER_01

It is hard.

SPEAKER_02

It is hard, but all like just everything that you do. It's like to me, it's uh but other people like they want to see that stuff, my friends, family, whatever. It's it'd be cool to have good videos of it. But yeah, I need to figure especially a GoPro would have been really good for that.

SPEAKER_00

For that one, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Like the Insta360 or whatever, because you would have been able to see what I'm seeing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And it was ten yards ahead of me, so I you would have seen that whole thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And it raking and stuff too, like prior, it would have been cool to see that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. You know, it's uh still you got that memory, you got the story out there, and I know many people are gonna hear it now.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's uh that's the whole point of it. So I enjoy it. It's fun.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Awesome. Exactly. Well, Ethan, till next time. Till next time.

SPEAKER_02

Thanks.

SPEAKER_01

Hey, so if you're still listening and you made it this far, uh rating or review on Apple and Spotify would be much appreciated from you.