A Northern Manitoba Moose Hunt

By Greg Corbett

On Monday, September 27, 1999 at about 11 a.m., we went to the overflow off the Buntwood River, five miles outside of Thompson. When we arrived there we found a lot of hunters, so we changed our mind and went home.

The next day we decided to go to the Odie River, 22 miles north of Thompson towards Gillam. We set up camp at the Portach, and then decided to go further up river – about 15 to 20 miles – to check for more moose sign. Seeing no sign of moose and with it getting kind of late, we started back.

After we passed the fast water, we stopped to have a cigarette. Sitting in the boat, Dave was watching the left shore and I was watching the right when I noticed a cow standing in the willows about 75-80 yards away. I quietly got Dave’s attention and as he was watching the cow, I quickly turned my head and saw the bull approximately 30 yards away, with nothing between me and the bull but the sky. Without hesitation, I aimed and fired, scaring the hell out of Dave.

The bull went down. After waiting a few minutes to hear any noise (and for Dave to get a heart beat back), we crossed the river to the bank, climbed up and looked over. We couldn’t believe his size. We were ecstatic. When he fell, the bull drove his antlers into the soft ground so far that we had to cut off his head in order to turn him over to clean him.

After gutting, cleaning and cutting him into four quarters, the real work started. We had to haul the meat 15 miles downriver and portage 500 yards to get our prize bull home. We had a lot of work ahead of us, but it was worth it.

Since this was a team effort, it didn’t matter who shot the moose. It was our trophy. The moose antlers scored 219 7/8 B&C points and we were crowned Manitoba provincial champions in 1999. It currently ranks 6th All-time in the Manitoba Big Game Trophy Association Records.