Moose Camp Prep: The Long Trek Into Our Northern BC Hunting Shack
Getting to our moose shack takes a truck, three tin boats, a side-by-side, a quad and about 16,000 steps door to door. A few days before the season opened, my boy Tanner and I made the trek in to get camp ready. We hadn't been back in a while, and the country had changed on us.
The trip started with a beaver sitting right on the road about a kilometre in. Once it figured out its only way home was back across the road, it came straight at us for a second. Then I took a wrong turn I'd forgotten about and burned 20 km going the wrong way. We picked off grouse along the trail all day, so at least dinner was sorted.
The quad was loaded so heavy it was hard to keep on the trail. I could only hold 20 to 30 km an hour, and we had about 90 km to cover before dark. Then we hit the real problem. Forest fires had come through since my last trip, and the bridge had burnt out. Going around would have cost us hours, so we picked a line down an old creek bed, through the burnt slash and back up onto the road on the far side. It took some back and forth, but both machines made it.
The river that's normally raging was low enough to walk across after the drought years. When we reached the water for the second boat, we spotted two moose way off. With wind coming up and only a 5 horse on a 12-foot tin, we kept going. Up the lake it turned out to be a bull and a cow. The rut was just kicking off, and that bull would not leave her. We could have walked up on him, but the season wasn't open yet. We know where he lives now.
From there we portaged every piece of gear by hand to the third boat, which took us into camp. We left at 5:15 in the morning and rolled into camp at quarter to nine at night, roughly a 14-hour day. Fire in the stove, cabin shoes on, and fresh grouse strips for supper.
Daylight showed how close we came to losing the place. The fire burned right up to the cabin and killed nearly every tree around us. There's a tiny patch of green left, and it's the patch the cabin sits in. Grizzlies are the other constant out here. Every year or two one rips the roofing down rubbing its back on the warm siding, so we brought in tin to armour it. One year a grizzly came walking down the beach straight toward the fire while we sat there, and a warning shot was the only thing that turned it.
Partway through day two you'll hear an original song my cousin wrote in memory of his dad. It fits that place.
Day two we put over 50 miles on the boat and shot a couple more grouse for supper. Day three brought a heavy downpour, camp chores, firewood, and fresh tracks that look like a sow grizzly with a cub. Camp is ready. Next comes the hunt.
Lessons from the trek in
Scout your access before the season. A burnt bridge found on opening week costs you the hunt; found on prep week, it's a detour.
Load light enough to drive. An overloaded quad caps you at 20 to 30 km an hour, and daylight runs out fast.
Fire country changes every year. Old roads, bridges and landmarks may not be there. Expect to pick a new line.
Grizzly-proof the camp. Tin on the walls and roof beats rebuilding every year or two.
Glass while you prep. We found a rutting bull days before the opener, and now we know where to start.
The route in
Four legs plus a portage, about 14 hours, from 5:15 a.m. to quarter to nine at night.
Truck to the lake, then the first boat across
Side-by-side and heavily loaded quad, about 90 km at 20 to 30 km/h, including the creek-bed detour around the burnt bridge
Second boat, 5 hp on a 12-foot tin
Portage all gear by hand to the third boat
Third boat into camp
Chapters
0:00 The trek in begins
0:18 Beaver on the road
0:48 Wrong turn and grouse on the trail
2:19 Overloaded quad, racing daylight
2:52 Burnt-out bridge
3:46 Creek-bed detour through the burn
7:35 Low river after the drought
8:08 Moose on the lake: a bull with a cow
9:54 Boat transfers and arriving in the dark
11:17 Into the shack, grouse for supper
13:57 Morning cabin tour and fire damage
15:24 Grizzlies and the roof
16:15 The warning-shot story
16:55 My cousin's song
21:36 End of day two
22:08 Day three: rain and camp chores
25:06 How close the fire came
26:15 Fresh sow and cub tracks
Want the story from the trapline every week? The Trapline Report is one email a week from the bush this season.
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