Jay Link's Russian Moose Story

I hunted the moose you see in the photograph in Russia, on the Kamchatka Peninsula with Bob Hodson's Sable Expeditions out of Anchorage Alaska. I took the moose in Early December 2001 on a 14-day hunt. My brother and I flew from Petropavlosk via helicopter to the hunt area, where we stayed in trappers' cabins. We would leave each morning via skis and ski all day looking for tracks, or for moose. On average, we skied about 15 miles per day. Game was very scarce due to the very heavy, early-snow conditions.

In two weeks of hunting I saw 13 moose, and my brother saw only two. The area we were hunting is very remote and has limited access. Hence, moose have the opportunity to reach maturity. The genetics are some of the best in the world.

My moose is a monster, I was extremely lucky to ski up on him. It was a difficult shot for my .338 at 350 yards, because he was bedded behind a drainage with only one foot of his back exposed. We could see his antlers sticking out over the drainage. One shot spined the moose and he never got out of his bed. It took me and my two guides, Igor and Dimia, 40 minutes to ski to the downed animal.

This was one of the toughest hunts I have been on through my travels around the world. I refer to the hunt as a 'tough man's contest,' rather then a hunt. It was a great experience. My brother Troy will be returning next year. As to the score of the moose, it should end up somewhere between 550 and 600 points SCI. It has huge mass and extremely wide paddles, with 20 points on one side and 18 points on the other.

The cost of this hunt was about $20,000 not including trophy shipment or taxidermy. The high cost is mostly because of the remoteness of the hunt area. - Jay Link.

(Postscript: You can reach Bob Hodson of Sable Expeditions at: Tel. 907-561-7267. Fax 907-561-1027.)