Buffalo Hunt

[Silent Wolf]

Well gang, I guess it is time for me to sit down and well.......... Share with ya, what is in with a Buffalo hunt..... Some good things happened then some bad things that having me thanking, whoever it was watching over us that one day.. Hence the reason I haven't posted anything yet!!!!!!!!!!

The trip well started off on a bad note, as my uncles hunting buddy had to bail out for family issues. Can't blame him on that, then my Bro-Inlaw well he is a city pumpkin bailed. So it was just my uncle and I that headed for the North.

After gearing up on the Rock, we headed for the first stop in the long drive for a lay over in 100mile. Gassed up there as the further north you go well the more to get it up the hoop. Grabbed the trailer more gear and the ATV, man the amount of gear needed is unreal. Lucky I had my uncle that has been up there before to help me along with the gear end of things.

I didnt come to think the drive was going to be that bad, but OMG driving the Pine Pass at night time, never will I do that drive again. With the amount of Moose and Elk on the road at night in that part of the world ugh.... I came close to smoking a monster bull moose that had to have a spread 50" if not bigger across.

With all the driving behind us, we got to the air strip a day before the tag Nov 19th. We started to set up Camp when all of a sudden we hear a plane flying low. Yep it was the guides plane, I guess he was out flying to see how many of us where setting up at the air strip along with flying to see where the herds of Buffalo where.

Once we had our saggy wall tent set up as one hunter was making fun of our wall tent. Both my uncle and I said to each other, who cares if it is saggy it is keeping us out of the weather. We where doing it Native style as my uncle put it.....

Nov 20th first day of the tag, off we go, into the back woods. Well damit, around 11:30hrs our ATV has an issue, close to 20miles back in the bush. She will not come out of "R" and go back into Drive, lucky for us, a group stopped by to help us. I kick myself I wasn't able to get his name, but thank you once again!!!!!! The person on the sled stayed with us and helped get us back up and going. We didn't see anything Buffalo close that day, loads of Elk up on Chicken Mountain. The buffalo we did see where 5miles away and looked like ants on the hill side. My uncle said lets go get them, I told him you have got to be nuts, that is well over a 6hr hike up that mountain to even get some what in rifle range.

Nov 21, we met up with a father and son and there friend, so we teamed up that day so if we where able to see some buffalo we could work all together and get them out quicker. No Buffalo this day just more dam Elk everywhere you look on them mountains.

Nov 22, the father and son stopped by our camp to hook up with us, be we had ATV issues again, the cold in the night was draining the battery on the ATV. So we told them we would hook up with them once we got going. No more the 10minutes after they leave, we got the ATV going. Off we go, my uncle is driving, we come around a corner, here is a sled, smoking away two guys standing there with the look on there face like we need help. So my uncle and I ask if they need a hand or a tow back to the air strip, as my uncles rule is "YOU NEVER LEAVE A PERSON BROKEN DOWN IN THE BACKWOODS" It blew us away the amount of people going by saying thats a tow job. NO SCHAT, you scum. So we rig up a tow line and off we go, a couple of hours later we get them back to the air strip. For now they are thankful, just like my uncle and I on the first day...... By the time we have the two guys back in there camp it was getting to that point in the day when you don't want to nail a buffalo. So we stop back at our Saggy Wall Tent, grab the chainsaw and water jug. We head back in the bush aways, to grab some creeek water, on our way back we run into another person on a sled, we BS with him for a bit. He had his truck and camper out at the air strip but was staying at the lodge, he advised us he would rather have stayed at the air strip. Off he goes to get his stuff and more fuel, we cut a couple of dead standing Spruce trees down. As we get to the gate here is a truck pulling up to the gate. Yup it is a CO, thinking oh I never have any good luck when I see them, yep and still don't.

Well the CO runs up to my uncle, as I was off the ATV walking to the gate as I was making sure the trees got through the gate. My uncle tells the CO I'm the one with the tag, but to when we left camp after dropping the two guys off, my uncle took my pack off the ATV which had my hunting Lisc and Buffalo papers in it. The CO ask's why am I carrying a firearm, I advised him I have the gun for protection out here. He ask's where is my hunting papers, I stood looking at the ATV speaking French for a minute. I advised him my pack is back in Camp but I have my PAL on me. The CO says that isn't good enough for out here, I advised him I not in the act of hunting so I don't need my Hunting Lisc, I have the right to protect myself and my uncle out here and a PAL is all I need. The CO was a cocky SOB, that I still might write a letter to his Uppers on. He then goes on to say if I saw a buffalo now I would blast away on it, I said BULL$#!T he goes oh come on you will, I spoke French to him for a minute saying it is to late in the day to even think about shooting 15:30hrs. He lets me walk back to camp to grab my pack, but funny he never checked the action of my firearm. On my way back to camp I meet up with the guy we met earlier and he advised he is having to go back to see the CO also. Once I grab my pack and head back up the knob is speaking to the other guy giving him a $250 ticket, so I'm thinking here we go again. Lucky for me I got a warning ticket, thanks CO for your name and ticket number......

Nov 23, The day, yet again the ATV was dying with the cold, so we fuel it up along with the Generator. My unlce trys starting the Gen set, nothing so I give it a couple of pulls nothing. So he gives her all of a sudden we hear a funny pop, we look down, the Gen Set is glowing she is fully on fire, the fire came out the intake. 5000watt Honda is now on fire 2 feet from the wall tent, my uncle is dragging it, I'm kicking snow on it trying to put it out. The flames are now all the way around the Gen, I ran back into the tent, grab the 5gals of water. Luck would have it the only night it didn't turn into a block of ice, I start dumping water on the Gen I have flames on my hands my uncle has flames over 2feet high on his the snow is on fire. My uncle puts his hands into the flames to shut off the gas as the gas lines melted and we had flames spraying down from the tank... In all I would say the Gen was burning for a good 1 1/2- 2minutes, she should have blown on us. The ATV was close by fully fueled with 2gals sitting in the back box, in the wall tent we had a 20lb bottle of propane. The back of my truck had close to 50gals of gas if not more in the back of it... The west end of the air strip would have been a fire ball if all the gas blew...

That was the final straw, that happened at 08:20hrs and we where breaking camp by 10:00hrs.

So that is my Buffalo Hunt, at least we are alive to hunt another day as there is always next year.

SW

[K-1]

Quiet Puppy ,, Sounds like You had a trip to remember, your next trip for Buff. will only get better. Glad you got back in one piece.

[sawmill]

Son of a B$TCH!!!!!!!!Sorry your trip was so crappy.Glad nobody got hurt.And as for the CO......well

[Cariboo]

Sounds like quite the adventure there Rob.

At least you got to spend a few days out hunting which is more than I was able to do this year.

[Silent Wolf]

This was my only time this year, as I thought to myself, I dont need loads of game meat. As i could have gone to the Boo for a deer hunt, but thought I hate wasting meat or giving away to people that dont thank you so.........

I will be back up there again, my uncle and I are planing a Moose and Elk hunt up there for maybe next year.

Hunting to me isn't just about killing or getting something, it is going to new places and enjoying what this Province has to offer all of us. I will look back on this, as this was my first time getting to do a real hunt with my uncle. Some 20+years in the making, and I'm glad we finally got to do a hunt.


SW

[Fraink]

Good there is two kinds of luck or you woudn't have any at all !! Sorry to hear of all the mishaps SW, hope you get to try this hunt again. The CO seemed a bit overzealous, every guy in there helping out on the hunt should have a gun, as two guys that were there in dec. had an incounter with a Griz and lost their meat.

[CanuckShooter]

Originally Posted by Silent Wolf

I will be back up there again, my uncle and I are planing a Moose and Elk hunt up there for maybe next year.

SW

It sounds like you spent almost as much time in transit as you did in hunting camp. Maybe next time you'll be a little better prepared to deal with some of the adversities you will face from time to time while making long distance hunting trips....and it's too bad that buff tag didn't get put to use.

[Silent Wolf]

For me this was my first ever hunt like this staying out in the bush, over a nice warm house. So I had lost to learn, and now have it saved in my head for the next time. Plus it has been well over 12years that my uncle has gotten out hunting, as he said even he fought got stuff. This is the only way my uncle will hunt, staying out in the bush. The next time, we will not take gas from the Rock, as he told me last night that he had a can of gas with ice in it, so out of 12 5gal cans of gas we had to fill the Gen Set with the one from the Rock that had water in it.... Lesson learned....

Bring on NEXT YEAR's HUNT.........

I love it up there, the views are unreal........


SW

[Turbo Al]

Sorry to read about all the trouble you had. Previous to my injury I did not go into the bush without at least pepper spray. You are at no fault whatsoever for carrying a rifle esp up there. I was followed (stalked) by a bear for over three Km and all I had was a chainsaw and no gas for it -- bear had already destroyed my camp and gas cans. WHAT on earth was the warning ticket for???? Glad at least you got out with no serious injuries and there is always next year. I hope I can at least walk a bit by then.

Al

[Gatehouse]

Your story is very sad to hear....Better luck next time you get a bison tag

[johnengland]

too bad you didn't have a vid cam with you would of made a great vid
one for the memory books makes hunting fun
your keeping it interesting

[Rock Doctor]

Sounds like quite an experience. Hope you have better luck on your next trip.


RD

[Elkhound]

Sorry to hear that Rob......Lloyd told me you had a bad trip but didnt give me details. Was waiting for you to message me to tell me you were back.

[Silent Wolf]

Elkhound, I was waiting to tell you when we three meet for Coffee!!!

I'm back so let me know when we all can get together!!!

Rob

[O-E-M]

Hey Rob, that's an amazing story! Good to be alive eh ;-)
Why on earth did the CO give the other guy a $250 itcket? I feel the CO insulted you by insinuating that you would shoot a moose after dark. So yeah, by all means, write that letter man. If nobody complains, these kinda guys will just go on being cocky and agressive. Better luck next time!