I want to thank you for the outstanding Moose Hunt that you guided my brother Alan. The entire operation that you run is by far the best outfit that I know of. The crew that you have employed from the guides to the cooks are some of the nicest and most respectful people that I have ever encountered in my hunting travels. The accommodations are very comfortable and the food was terrific. I plan on hunting with you again and would welcome anyone to call me for a reference on your operation.
CHINBERG1
I would like to share a brief recap of the events as they occurred on the hunt:
I’m 52 years old and I was blessed to be introduced to hunting and fishing by my father at a very early age. My father started my twin brother Alan and I out in the outdoors when we were five. We accompanied him fishing and hunting in Northern New Mexico and received our first shotguns at the age of ten years old. My dad was a terrific role model and taught us everything about the outdoors. I learned at an early age that the outdoors was where I wanted to spend my free time. We started out on small game and worked out way up. We were very fortunate to experience hunting and fishing in Northern New Mexico. Alan and I spent considerable time backpacking for Mule deer and Elk in Northern Idaho. We had the good fortune of having met a very dear friend in Lewiston Idaho who showed us a very remote area that harbored a very good elk population. We only saw a handful of hunters in ten years of backpacking. Alan and I were successful and we had the rewarding experience of doing it the hard way. We also have hunted elk and whitetails in Montana with some great friends. I have also been on a guided elk hunt in New Mexico and was lucky enough to harvest a 7 x 7 that scored 355 BC.
We arrived on Sunday mid day and met Justin Richins who was going to film the hunt. Alan, myself, Justin and Daniel loaded up out gear and hit the road for a short drive to a pull out where we unloaded the Polaris Ranger. Daniel informed me that a very large bull had been seen a couple of days earlier. This was the bull we were after as Daniel felt that it would score very high in the record books. We hiked into a canyon and started glassing a very thick dense oak brushed hillside. We had a very large bull elk and a couple of cows walk out of the thick brush a couple of hundred yards away. It was really cool to watch them feeding across the ridge. Daniel took off on a long hike around the canyon to try and locate the bull. Later that day Daniel thought he caught site of a Bull Moose in the thick brush across the canyon. The sun went down and we hiked back to the Polaris. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner back at the main camp and swapped hunting stories with some new friends and other hunters Ken and Tom. It was great to hear the stories and share our experiences. The next day I was worried that we might not find the large bull that Daniel had seen, Alan calmed me down and said we would get him and not to worry. The next day Daniel and I split up from Alan and Justin and started glassing. We jumped a small Bull Moose and it was amazing how he just melted away in the brush. This country is really deceiving as the brush is very thick. Daniel and I looked in several canyons and as I was looking down one finger Daniel spotted the Bull we were after. We quickly glassed the bull for confirmation and backed away over the ridge. Daniel gave Alan and Justin hand signals and waved them over. We then eased our way over the ridge and I set up my 300 Weatherby on my Harris bipods. I was shooting 180 grain Nosler partition bullets. We ranged the bull at 310 yards at about a forty degree angle. Justin set up the video camera and Daniel said take him when your ready. Daniel was calming me down saying take your time you can make that shot all day long. I slowed my breathing down and timed my shot between heartbeats. I drilled the bull in the shoulder and he spun around a maple tree. The brush is very thick and very tall, it is almost impossible to crawl through. The bull started for the brush and I drilled him again through the shoulder. Then the bull spun around and collapsed. I don’t even remember sliding the bolt back and forth. It all seemed like slow motion. Daniel, Justin and Alan started yelling about how big the bull was. I remember this humble feeling that came over me and how fortunate I was to be able to harvest this tremendous moose. We took alot of pictures and Daniel drove the Polaris Ranger down the mountain right to the bull. We hooked up a block and tackle and jerked it into the back of the ranger. It was amazing to see this huge bull in the back of the bed. Alan and I decided right then to sell our quads and buy a Polaris Ranger.
CHINBERG2
I have just received the official score from the Safari Club International and the moose scored ‘SCI score 424-5/8 and BC gross 180-1/2 with a net of 172-1/4. which places it 7th in the top ten all time Shirus Moose. Number 6 is 425-1/8” and this includes Moose in Canada too. UNBELIEVABLE when you think of the odds of harvesting this moose. The bull is number 1 for Utah is SCI, and will scored extremely high in Boone and Crocket too. I want to thank everyone that helped and especially Daniel for this outstanding experience
It was awesome having my brother Alan along at my side to enjoy the hunt and experience the thrill of ten lifetimes. We will never forget this event and I’m sure when were sitting in our rocking chairs later in life this story will always come up.
I would like to dedicate the harvest of this Bull Moose to the young men and women serving in our armed forces around the world that protect our freedom and provide us with the privilege to hunt and fish.
Sincerely,
Bruce Chinberg