{"id":21267,"date":"2024-10-29T07:58:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T12:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sail.ca\/blog\/?p=21267"},"modified":"2025-05-29T09:37:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:37:37","slug":"moose-hunting-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sail.ca\/blog\/moose-hunting-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"A Moose Hunting Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":21274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[210,201],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moose-hunting","category-hunting"],"acf":{"post_flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text_content","content_anchor":false,"anchor_link_text":"","text_content":"Every hunting morning is special. The dawn delivers it, a big tank of hope filled with possibilities.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nI watch the shoreline unfold, my eyes still glued from a short night's sleep. If all hunting mornings are special, this one stands out because it begins with the unparalleled Restigouche River crossing, and because this is my first day out moose hunting in the coulees along this mythical river. It's hard to get my mind off the fact that it was here, more than 10 years ago, that Hook\u00e9 was born.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"Hook\u00e9\"<\/a>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content_anchors_list","anchors_section_title":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_content","content_anchor":true,"anchor_link_text":"A privileged access to a prized hunting area","text_content":"

A privileged access to a prized hunting area<\/h2>\r\nMoose hunting in New Brunswick is a rare opportunity. Tracking the king of cervids here, even for a resident, is a matter of good fortune\u2014only some 5,000 permits are issued through a provincial lottery system. This tight control results in a renowned hunting experience, with a balanced and abundant herd of mature bucks. I owe my presence in the Land of the Giants to S\u00e9bastien Hodgson, owner of Restigouche Cottages, who once helped me catch my biggest salmon to this day and has now offered me a non-resident hunting permit and access to his beloved territory.\r\n\r\nThe Restigouche River shatters one's sense of proportion. This wide, clear-water river flows into the Baie-des-Chaleurs, in the heart of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Near Kedgwick, right where I'm standing, its streams are bolstered by the influx of the Matapedia and Patapedia rivers. In the company of local guide Hugo Terrasse, I set out on the other side of this forest for the first time, a forest I've so often watched with curiosity during my fishing days."},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_content","content_anchor":true,"anchor_link_text":"Moose territory","text_content":"

Moose territory<\/h2>\r\nHugo knows every coulee and knoll in the territory we're surveying together. He moves forward with confidence. My first steps in the forest were marked by an observation: the strength and vitality that characterize the river are carried over into the vegetation. The trees exude health, the underplantings are abundant and the species are diverse. It's an ecosystem that spells \u201cmoose\u201d with bold letters. In the first light of the morning, the moan of a cow moose echoes in the distance, pulling me back to the present moment. My guide glances at me and points in the direction from which the call seemed to come. I nod. He moves closer to me and then explains how we will change our course to get closer. His confidence energizes me as I sharpen up my focus. I always double my efforts to stay focused when hunting with a guide. Because first of all, there's a lot to learn from someone who spends that much time observing animal behaviour in the forest. And secondly, after a few hours spent tracking, it's easy to get lost in thoughts and become dead weight. Whether you\u2019re out hunting or fishing, things can move very quickly, and you always have to be ready.\r\n\r\nAs we enter a fir forest, we discover a small tree whose bark has been stripped off. The fresh sap and damp bark on the ground suggest the male was here less than 48 hours ago. We slow down the pace, but my pulse accelerates. Hugo pauses for ten minutes, trying to provoke a reaction out of the buck by strumming his moose paddle. All my senses are awake, and I try to anticipate where the moose might come from. The tension eases gradually while Hugo's calls are answered with a thick silence from the forest."},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_content","content_anchor":true,"anchor_link_text":"Harvesting the king of the forest","text_content":"

Harvesting the king of the forest<\/h2>\r\nWe pick up where we left off. The sun is high in the sky now, but the temperature remains crisp. The coniferous slope gives way to a vast deciduous plateau, where we spot signs of fresh grazing. As tracks on the ground confirm we're on the right track, my guide points to his left: \u201cMoose,\u201d is what he mimes with his lips. Over the sound of my heart beating its way out of my ears, a crunching noise signals the presence of a large animal. I stand behind a tree as my guide moves off to my right. Antlers appear in between two trees. Each time I encounter an animal of this size this close to me, I am amazed. The way they so quietly move around fascinates me.\r\n\r\nThe moose slowly moves towards us, defying Hugo's provocations. He's not the biggest, but if he grants me a window of opportunity, I intend to take it. He's a mature, grown-up specimen from which I'll be able to feed my family and loved ones. He's facing me, looking in Hugo\u2019s direction, who's positioned himself to make him turn around. As he gets closer, he exposes his vital zone to me. I prepare my shot, carefully aiming, then pull the trigger.\r\n\r\nKneeling before the King of the Forests, I always think of my father, who died in a collision with a moose. I tell myself that, from above, he must have played his part in all my lucky encounters with this creature. As I shake hands with my guide, I thank him for showing me the other side of the Land of the Giants and for strengthening the intimate bond connecting my existence to the Restigouche River. Every hunting morning is special, but the ones that reward our efforts mark a turning point. Every game harvested attests to the fact that, in the forest, you have to believe, over and over again, that anything is possible."},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_content","content_anchor":true,"anchor_link_text":"Tips and equipment for a successful hunt","text_content":"

Tips and equipment for a successful hunt<\/h2>\r\n