SurfCutter
New member
After John had told Larry and I how his hunt had gone and both of us being true hunting buddies gave him the full understanding that only friend and hunting buddies can give , from full disbelief to "it was your fault and fully called for it to happen to you " ....The next morning Larry and I set it up that we would make sure John got the same spot to hunt and all but hit the trail running to make it so ...
Well for me I had the pleasure of seeing the herd of does pass by me on the not more than 5 yards away up wind of me this and other small critters of the wood doing what they do made for a great day and wonder full hunt . It was only when I backed up and headed back out to the truck at the end of the day did I fully believed John ' s moose tale .... I meet him on the trail and if he was pale the day before from his tree dance he was bleached white now ..
John not happy with our taking off and leaving him "the spot" made the best of it and made for the top of the hill by passing the open area he had sat in for a step higher up the hill and off what he had hoped was far enough away to not have any chance of running in to his new "girl friend "
To his good luck he found a very large rock that was level with the next step and up over looking a heavily used deer run . Climbing up to the next level he found that the rock had a small 8" ledge that ran around the face of this rock at the top and dropped a full 30' straight down to the step below . What was even better so he thought at the time was the rock was shaped like a perfect chair almost like it was cut that way and a tree that had grown in just the right place and way to make a perfect foot rest ....
The day was again was just the right temperature and it was not long before he was comfortably seated and soon fast asleep.
He woke up an hour or two later to the feeling that something was not right and looking down the hill on the step below and up wind of him was ...Yup Momma Moose ,
She was standing at the bottom of the rock and peacefully stripping bark from a tree with her front teeth and pealing it off in two wide grooves starting at 12-13' up ...
She did this for a few minutes and all that time John sat and watched her closely , it was not long before JR, showed up and took his turn at eating the tree they moved farther alone the step feeding until they had gotten about 45 yards away before Mama and baby turned and headed up the hill to the top .
John watched them and figured he was home free until they had gotten to the top and started to come back across the top. Yup ! You got it Mama got even with John down wind of him and stopped dead in her tracks and turned and looked right at him .
She then snorted and came on down the hill like she meant business JR headed for parts unknown at this point . John grabbed his rifle and with out even thinking headed for the down hill only the find he was trapped out on the ledge , having stayed on the same side of the tree and not going around it like he had done to come up the hill . Turning around to face the moose he now was hanging out over this drop off and no escape possible and all he could do the hang on to his rifle .
Mama moose did not stop until she had both feet placed on the very spot John had just been sitting and was looking him full in the face not 3' feet away and only half a step away from being able to push John out in to space and the straight drop to the step below .
Mama sniffed and snorted and turned her head one way and the other and then as if she figured out "Oh.. I know this guy he's the one I danced with the other day " She having satisfied he was not a problem turned around and went back up the hill and followed off the the direction that JR had taken .
Gathering his gear John headed down the hill to the trail and waited their until one of us showed up to tell us of his hunt ...
That happened to be me ,,, After telling me all this and getting the " Ya ...sure it did " John said " OK Smart A*s ..Come with me and I will show you !"
So we dropped off our extra gear and with just our guns we head up to the spot where he said it happened .... Well after seeing the tree were Mama had her feed I then let him know I now believed him (not that I did not the first telling but I was not going to let him know that ...)
Next Story: Crushed Nuts and not on Sunday ....
