The Big Bull Moose!

This past week Tom's been out everyday making places to set traps this trapping season. He has them EVERYWHERE..... He said he doesn't remember where all he fixed up but it gave him something to do.

Yesterday Tom came home so excited....his eyes bulging and breathing really funny...the same way he does when he has a big buck in his scope.

He got off the 4-wheeler saying he had the most ultimate of ultimate experiences in his whole life. This was truly the ultimate-ist!!!! (I have no idea where he got that word from but it kept coming out of his mouth.)

Apparently he stopped on the main trail (logging road) just before the trail flooded from a large beaver dam. On the other side is a spruce swamp. This is a road used by loggers in the winter for logging as the swamp goes for miles before hitting high ground. So they can only use it when it freezes over.

Anyway he was scouting out a place to set traps.... He looked across the flooded trail and seen a REALLY BIG BULL MOOSE. He said it had to have just lost it's velvet as the horns shined a very bright gold. " It was the most beautiful, breath taking sight I have ever seen." he said. "It stood out so brilliantly against the spruce back ground and the horns just shined..." he repeated.

I mumbled something about except the first time he laid eyes on me when he kept repeating the words "ultimate-ist and beautiful"....... Apparently he wasn't hearing a word I was saying...I looked at him and could see his eyes were glazed over as he stared off like he could still see it crystal clear." It was the most ultimate sight I've ever seen....." he kept repeating. "If I never see another moose as long as I live, it wouldn't matter as this was the ultimate."

Than he went on to say he made his famous, well practice moose call. (We use to moose hunt in Canada) The bull answered and started to follow the sound. That's when he seen the smaller bull.

He crept closer to the beaver dam , next to the swamped road and hid behind a big poplar and some spruce trees. He sat well hidden and crouched down. The bugs we driving him crazy so he lit a cigarette. He continued to make his call.

His heart was beating hard and his breathing heavy as the BIG BULL went splash.... "I could hear the sound of him coming through the water toward me. He was still grunting. " he said not blinking an eye as he still held his stare. " He crossed the beaver dam like he was walking on pavement. Now he is looking at me to see if I was getting the picture. " He crossed like it was nothing. Like he was walking on hard ground!!!!"

I was saying things like WOW! and HAH! and COOL! and I wished I was there! He heard that.... The part where I said "I wish I was there"

"When the MOOSE stopped, he was close enough for me to see his lips curl as he continued to grunt." Than I quit calling as I was afraid the Bull would realize I wasn't a cow." Tom said his eyes looked like soft balls. "They were huge." He could hear his every breath....... "It was the ultimate of experiences." he continued with his story. "THAT"S when I said to myself, OH WHY couldn't she be here with me..... I really said that to myself"....... and he repeated it a few more times.........

I said..."Yeah darn it! I always miss out on the cool stuff." "Yeah Mom, but you have an important job taking care of me and the girls. I'm just lucky I guess that I get to see all this cool stuff. And this was the coolest and the ultimate-ist. Thank you LORD for this great experience " he said with his head bowed.

"Just be happy for me that I get to do all this cool stuff." OUCH! AD SUCKS!

Than Tom finished his story. "I stood up and the bull wandered away. He didn't run or anything...just wandered off. I went back to the 4-wheeler and here the small bull had come out behind me.......He stood on the trail for a moment and wondered off too."

"I was so excited that I drove as fast as I could home to tell you about it..... I wished you could have been there with me!"

That statement made it okay with me that I wasn't there...... as much as I wished I was ..... I really miss him! But I'm happy when he's happy and watching him tell one of his stories with such excitement and passion....is priceless!