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I booked a moose/black bear combo hunt with Alberta Big Game Hunts. We arrived in Alberta to record high temperatures of 80-88F all week versus the normal 50F, or so. This made seeing game very tough. Mike and his staff, however, were only more motivated to not let the weather keep any of us hunters from getting our dream trophies. I spent the first couple of days bear hunting and then we started moose hunting. The first morning, my guide Jeff called in a bull to 35 yards from me, but he didn't offer me a clear bow shot before he got 10 feet from Jeff and spooked. Next, an enjoyable (except for the heat) evening hunt with the outfitter, Mike, didn't offer any bulls, but was an excellent scouting mission, as well as an opportunity for Mike to share his knowledge with me about moose hunting and the wildlife in Alberta. Having scouted the area, we floated the river the next morning and found the fresh moose tracks along the river that we were seeking. We grabbed our gear and headed uphill. Long story short, Mike found the ideal spot to call and had a nice 50" bull come to 30 yards, but I missed the shot. With much moose sign in the area, we went back that afternoon to call from the same spot. As we were just removing our packs, we heard a bull call. Mike called back and the bull RAN to us and I didn't miss that 15 yard shot. Literally within two minutes of starting our afternoon hunt, we had our moose. Not a big boy, but a trophy for me.

In summary, extremely hot conditions were overcome with hard work and knowledge by the outfitter. Three bulls called in during my four hunts. That's an enviable track record anytime. Great people and, oh yeah, great food.

As for the bear hunt: two bears shot. One was easily P&Y at 20"+, 7.5', 500+ lb. The other 350 lb. Hot weather made it hard, as the bears went nocturnal. But I had good locations and natural set-ups off fields to work with. When the bears did decide to come in during waning daylight, Mike and Jeff made sure that I was there to get them.