Wayne in BC
New member
I was awake and listening to the ring-a-ling.... splash! of the mousetrap an hour before dawn, then the came the sound, just like the last few seconds of a fire siren winding down , i smiled as i got out of my sleeping bag to light the lantern and stoke the fire, that is what i had wanted to hear.
As i put kindling into the stove, "Joe" said, what the heck was that noise? Moose i said, a cow looking for her prom date. From the sleeping bag came.....they rattle and make splashes? Is there one that close?! Now i knew he had to have heard the Cow Moose call as the "mousetrap" of course had fallen silent before she called. There are cattle out there too? He asked. Being at a bit of a loss for words with this self described "experienced hunter" and declining to answer i pointed to the 5 gallon plastic pail in the corner of the tent, take a look i said.....
"Joe" (name changed to protect the guilty) who was not overly dumb, but naive and a bit of a bullchitter, i figured it out fast when he said....man! ....you got to patent that! I replied that i could not even take credit for it and it was too simple to even think of "patenting" The "mousetrap" had been developed by numerous trappers, farmers, and other country folk years back. It consisted of a plastic or steel 5 gal pail with a piece of smooth wire across the top. You punched a small hole through the center at both ends of a soda or beer can, ran the wire through it and making a couple crimps in the wire at each end of the can so it would stay in place, then smeared peanut butter all around the outside of the can.
Mice would smell the peanut butter and climb the stick or board leaning against the pail, then jump the 6 inches or so onto the can....which would spin, dumping them into the 8 inches of water in the bottom and they were done! You only needed to dump the drowned mice now and again. It held lots and solved the problem we always had with mice and other critters trashing our food and chewing the expensive leather tack!
He was fascinated and still muttering about there being a way to patent it as i started the bacon on the warming stove, then went out to grain the horses, greeted by several happy and anxious nickers! I would have to explain about the "cattle" soon i figured.......
We had sat down to eat when the cow called again. Darn! Said "Joe", i thought we would be in a real wilderness setting, it sure seems remote and we heard Wolves but why the cattle?.....
Much more politely than i wanted to, i began to explain that a Cow Moose sounded much like a cow "cow", Hereford, Angus, etc. She only sounded like that when she wanted a "prom date", thankfully he picked up on that, then added....but i want a Bull......
Another inch of snow had fallen overnight with the temp not quite freezing, making conditions perfect and quiet walking. I was starting to think about how nice it was going to be to wind up this hunt early
I hated being told, that my client was "very experienced!" The plan changed a bunch now! No problem with inexperienced hunters, part of the job, bullchitters tho....
Now i was concerned with the possibility of "buck" or "bull" fever. far too many hunters can punch little neat holes in a paper target, even at astounding ranges, but game!? you all know the rest of the story on that. Yes i was worried some.
Me leaving the horses hobbled had Joe puzzled as we geared up and walked out of camp. I explained that Moose were within a half mile and we did not need clomping, farting, jingling and snorting horses now, they were for covering ground.
Traveling into the wind we hiked nearly a mile in a half circle to where there was a semi open area on the edge of a small willow swamp. Barely light now, i again cautioned him to silence and began the "con game" hands cupped around my mouth and....AAWWWWWWWAAAAAaaaaaa! Joe looked oddly at me but said nothing. Then seconds later came a series of low grunts from a 100 yards or so south of us, kinda wimpy ones, a young Bull. That was ok, if the big guy was around he would be quick to "horn" in to make sure the "kid" did not get the girl!
A startled hiss in my ear as i saw a young paddlehorn Bull trot out of the timber 60 yards away, there is my Bull! Shhh i whispered, thats just a baby.... Joe...Is he legal? Yes i whispered but you will get a much better one, trust me.....Joe....he is BIG!....me....nope. Joe seemed unhappy a bit as the young Bull walked in circles, grunting, and looked for the object of his desire right where he just KNEW she was, he was only 40 feet away from us now and my hunter was at least dead still, but vibrating some. I was used to this procedure from greenhorns, which i now knew Joe was. It is tough to handle as they will shoot anything legal and some that are not, then bitch to you later that their "Trophy" aint a trophy. I kept one eye on him.
Five minutes of watching the young opportunist Bull, (they will rush headlong to a calling cow, hoping to get some action before the big old school bully shows up
) wander about....then from maybe 100 yards back in the timber......UGHHHHH...UGHHHH, hard to describe but deep, loud, always seems so close, like right THERE!! and makes your adrenaline spike!
Joe actually lunged, droppping his rifle and sliding off his perch on a log where i had put him, Jeez! He said loudly and i knew the morning was over as the sound of brush breaking came from the area where the mature Bull was....
continued......
My hunter in front of tent day one noonish, more snow and he is contrite......
[attachment 40416 tent.jpg]
As i put kindling into the stove, "Joe" said, what the heck was that noise? Moose i said, a cow looking for her prom date. From the sleeping bag came.....they rattle and make splashes? Is there one that close?! Now i knew he had to have heard the Cow Moose call as the "mousetrap" of course had fallen silent before she called. There are cattle out there too? He asked. Being at a bit of a loss for words with this self described "experienced hunter" and declining to answer i pointed to the 5 gallon plastic pail in the corner of the tent, take a look i said.....
"Joe" (name changed to protect the guilty) who was not overly dumb, but naive and a bit of a bullchitter, i figured it out fast when he said....man! ....you got to patent that! I replied that i could not even take credit for it and it was too simple to even think of "patenting" The "mousetrap" had been developed by numerous trappers, farmers, and other country folk years back. It consisted of a plastic or steel 5 gal pail with a piece of smooth wire across the top. You punched a small hole through the center at both ends of a soda or beer can, ran the wire through it and making a couple crimps in the wire at each end of the can so it would stay in place, then smeared peanut butter all around the outside of the can.
Mice would smell the peanut butter and climb the stick or board leaning against the pail, then jump the 6 inches or so onto the can....which would spin, dumping them into the 8 inches of water in the bottom and they were done! You only needed to dump the drowned mice now and again. It held lots and solved the problem we always had with mice and other critters trashing our food and chewing the expensive leather tack!
He was fascinated and still muttering about there being a way to patent it as i started the bacon on the warming stove, then went out to grain the horses, greeted by several happy and anxious nickers! I would have to explain about the "cattle" soon i figured.......
We had sat down to eat when the cow called again. Darn! Said "Joe", i thought we would be in a real wilderness setting, it sure seems remote and we heard Wolves but why the cattle?.....
Much more politely than i wanted to, i began to explain that a Cow Moose sounded much like a cow "cow", Hereford, Angus, etc. She only sounded like that when she wanted a "prom date", thankfully he picked up on that, then added....but i want a Bull......
Another inch of snow had fallen overnight with the temp not quite freezing, making conditions perfect and quiet walking. I was starting to think about how nice it was going to be to wind up this hunt early
I hated being told, that my client was "very experienced!" The plan changed a bunch now! No problem with inexperienced hunters, part of the job, bullchitters tho....
Now i was concerned with the possibility of "buck" or "bull" fever. far too many hunters can punch little neat holes in a paper target, even at astounding ranges, but game!? you all know the rest of the story on that. Yes i was worried some.
Me leaving the horses hobbled had Joe puzzled as we geared up and walked out of camp. I explained that Moose were within a half mile and we did not need clomping, farting, jingling and snorting horses now, they were for covering ground.
Traveling into the wind we hiked nearly a mile in a half circle to where there was a semi open area on the edge of a small willow swamp. Barely light now, i again cautioned him to silence and began the "con game" hands cupped around my mouth and....AAWWWWWWWAAAAAaaaaaa! Joe looked oddly at me but said nothing. Then seconds later came a series of low grunts from a 100 yards or so south of us, kinda wimpy ones, a young Bull. That was ok, if the big guy was around he would be quick to "horn" in to make sure the "kid" did not get the girl!
A startled hiss in my ear as i saw a young paddlehorn Bull trot out of the timber 60 yards away, there is my Bull! Shhh i whispered, thats just a baby.... Joe...Is he legal? Yes i whispered but you will get a much better one, trust me.....Joe....he is BIG!....me....nope. Joe seemed unhappy a bit as the young Bull walked in circles, grunting, and looked for the object of his desire right where he just KNEW she was, he was only 40 feet away from us now and my hunter was at least dead still, but vibrating some. I was used to this procedure from greenhorns, which i now knew Joe was. It is tough to handle as they will shoot anything legal and some that are not, then bitch to you later that their "Trophy" aint a trophy. I kept one eye on him.
Five minutes of watching the young opportunist Bull, (they will rush headlong to a calling cow, hoping to get some action before the big old school bully shows up
) wander about....then from maybe 100 yards back in the timber......UGHHHHH...UGHHHH, hard to describe but deep, loud, always seems so close, like right THERE!! and makes your adrenaline spike!Joe actually lunged, droppping his rifle and sliding off his perch on a log where i had put him, Jeez! He said loudly and i knew the morning was over as the sound of brush breaking came from the area where the mature Bull was....
continued......
My hunter in front of tent day one noonish, more snow and he is contrite......
[attachment 40416 tent.jpg]
