Backcountry Moose Rut Hunt
"In mid-September I headed to Alberta, Canada for my first moose hunt. On this hunt, I was shooting a 452gn arrow tipped with a 125gn Iron Will Single Bevel broadhead, IW 25gn SS HIT insert and IW 25gn Impact collar - a combination that would prove itself in the field.
Our base camp was a six hour horseback ride into the mountains across some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen. Day one started off quiet until we found a record book bull bedded on the edge of the willows. We made a plan for the evening and worked our way from 600 yards to within 60 yards over the course of two hours. Unfortunately, we were never given a shot opportunity and eventually the bull moved off with his cows as our shooting light faded. That night we sat around the campfire sharing stories from the day as the Northern Lights danced above us.
Day two found us climbing to the top of the ridge to glass some new country. Although we saw several moose, we couldn't locate a shooter bull and headed off the mountain with enough time to hunt our way back to camp. Halfway down the trail we spotted the bull from the previous day. This time my hunting partner Danny was up and we made another play on the giant bull. Light was fading fast as we made our way through the willows wearing black to pose as a challenging bull. As we closed the distance, the bull lost interest and simply turned and walked away. Another win for the moose.
The winds picked up on our third day making calling challenging. The day was mostly uneventful and after an afternoon of calling patiently from the valley, we saddled up and rode to an area we expected to be windy, but was surprisingly calm. We tied off the horses and continued over the ridge top and worked our way to the edge of the valley. Our calls echoed in the stillness of the valley - everything just felt right. About a half hour had passed and we were getting ready to move to another location when we heard the faint grunt of a bull moose. My guide Rhett and I looked at each other as a second grunt confirmed what we had both heard. Rhett quickly moved back up the trail to call while I tucked myself alongside a spruce as the bull closed the distance.
A white paddle flashed as the bull emerged from the pines and started working his way up through the willows in search of the cow. I ranged the bull at 60 yards, but the bull was on the move and never offered a shot. As the bull moved out of sight I quickly worked my way towards Rhett. We could see the tips of the bulls' antlers below us as Rhett continued to call, but the bull refused to come any closer. The bull turned and started walking away from us, finally presenting me with a broadside shot. The bull reacted to the shot and took a few steps before stopping again just out of range. We pushed through the willows closing the distance and once we hit the 100 yard mark I drew back and picked a spot well behind the shoulder on the slightly quartering away bull. The shot broke clean and the arrow passed through the moose from the near side liver to the opposing lung with the broadhead sticking out right behind the opposite shoulder. The bull took its final steps as it crashed through the willows in its final resting place.
The bull measured 53" wide with 9 points on its right side and 11 points on its left side. I am beyond thrilled with this animal and the performance of the Iron Will components. Thank you for the countless hours of research, development and engineering required to make the precision archery components that give archers the confidence to perform at the highest level. This was an adventure I will never forget."
— Marc Alberto, @bowhunting.life
