This is from Buck and Gloria Buchanan. They are friends of mine that live in Galena, Alaska. Gloria is 68 years old and this is her first Moose. Evan is the grandson. 1500 lbs on the hoof!!!! Nothing goes to waste in the villages. Ummm, I can taste the Moose head soup now.
stu


Please read the narrative before you watch the U Tube video. I wrote up the narrative before Jon edited the video for size. The video will make much more sense if you read the narrative first.............Buck

Wednesday, Sept 21, 2011

WARNING: A moose gets killed in this video “Gramma caught a moose” I hope to send you.

A lot of the natives use the phrase caught a moose rather than shot or killed a moose. They also don’t usually say they are going hunting; they might say they are going for a boat ride or go camping. It is considered bad luck to say you have intentions of actually hunting game.

Gloria has been “jonesing” to shoot a moose for a couple years now. She has been packing my 300 Weatherby for at least the past two seasons. She has shot it numerous times at targets and she does, and always has, shot well. I have a 45-70 lever gun I pack. On this hunt only Gloria aka Gramma and Evan were armed. Jon was armed with his video camera and I with knives and binoculars.

I’ll try to give you a blow by blow narrative of the videoed hunt as there is a lot of whispering and clicking and some grass and blue sky as Jon is trying to help Gloria with her rifle.

The hunt takes place at a grass lake (dry lake) about 3 or 4 miles by boat across the Yukon River and then up Jack slough. Gloria, son Jon and grandson Evan are in a small patch of alder brush around 80 yards from the edge of the clearing to the dry lake. I am just at the edge of the clearing with binoculars. I didn’t see the moose as he came out of the willows ready to fight until Jon motioned horns with his hands making a horns gesture. I was then able to pick him up in the binoculars.

You will hear some clicking at the beginning of the video. This is when Gloria tries to chamber a round and doesn’t close the bolt completely and then tries to put another round on top of the one that is partially chambered. She doesn’t have much experience with bigger bore rifles and the forces necessary to operate the bolt. The result was a partial jammed gun. Jon helps Gloria clear the jam (more clicking) while Evan gives his rifle to Gloria and then after Jon gets the jam cleared, they switch back to their own guns.

Okay here goes the narrative:

Clicking….jammed rifle

Jon says “now grab ????”..........

Jon says “he’s coming Mom”……….more clicking.

Jon says “Evan give Gramma your gun”.

Gloria whispers to Evan “Is yours ready? Is it cocked?”

Evan whispers to Gloria “Yours is ready now Gramma”.

Jon says “Mom, we are going to bring him in closer”. Jon had been raking brush and doing a few grunts and this guy was looking for a fight.

Jon says “Wait until he gets on the other side of these trees Mom”

You will see the moose beating up the brush.

Jon is raking the brush.

Moose is beating up the brush.

Jon “he’s coming…….let him keep coming…..Let him come closer…” Jon gives another grunt.

The moose is smacking his gums [a rutting behavior] and flashing his antlers.

Jon says………”OK Mom right in the shoulder”

You hear Gloria shoot and very quickly Evan shoots. Gloria hit it in the shoulder and Evan the front legs. Then Gloria lets out a big sigh.

Jon “Good shot you guys………Way to back her up Evan”.

Jon says “Get ready…..guns on safe….”Gloria says “not on safe”…Jon says “keep it up in the air…..walk toward it Evan” I (Buck) say “He’s not dead”

Gloria says “is he getting up?”

Jon says to Evan “keep working your way over there”

Evan says “I don’t know where he is”

I say “Evan he is right behind the tallest tree” (Evan had a big bush directly in line with the moose)

Bossy me says “Everyone be quiet he will stiffen up” I don’t want Evan to get to close too quickly unless he can see him well enough for another shot.

I say “move real easy………..you both hit him…..I could hear the ker-plock, ker-plock.

Evan says “do you want me to shoot him again?”

I ask Evan “can you see to shoot him Evan?” He says “yup” I say…”shoot him in the head or neck and then say just a minute and I’ll come give you a rest” Evan says “No I got it Grampa, I got it and shoots”

Jon says “game over”

This was a VERY cool family experience. Jon took pictures and then we started butchering. The moose was shot around 7:20 PM. We had him skinned and cut into nine pieces and in game bags by 8:30. A older native fellow and his grandson came about the time we were skinning and gave us a hand. He is a very nice guy we know from church. Jon gave him the brisket, heart and kidneys. He even wanted to take pictures of Gloria with the moose and her sawing off one of the antlers (which you have to do on a subsistence hunt).

Jon, Evan and Gloria went back yesterday afternoon and packed and drug (with a moose drag I made) the pieces to the boat and then home. It was 312 steps (Gloria steps) to the boat.I have a cold and felt crummy so I didn’t go on the pack.

Since Evan shot a moose ten days ago, Jon gave this moose away to a fellow teacher who hurt his back and couldn’t hunt; part of it to the teacher’s native neighbors and a front quarter to Jon’s neighbor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYSgo3PVmDU

Very cool man! That's awesome!

Awsome!! Congrats!!!

nice catch!