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If you would like to see other pictures of the rack, they are available at the dallasnews.com website... I enjoyed the guide's advice to reduce scope magnification for ease of target acquisition in the dark...

Trophy moose was 'bigger than a horse'
10:33 PM CST on Saturday, November 22, 2003

By RAY SASSER / The Dallas Morning News

Mark Rose of Highland Village has hunted lots of big game, mostly whitetails in Texas and a couple of pronghorn antelope in New Mexico. In September, Rose, at the urging of his brother, Gary, went to Alaska on his first big game hunting adventure and bagged the 15th biggest moose ever reported to the Boone and Crockett Club of North America.

"My brother has hunted all over the world, and he talked me into taking my hunting experiences to another level," said Rose. "We spent three years planning this hunt."

Mark Rose drew an experienced guide, Bill Burwell, a Utah native who has guided clients to 60 moose in his career. The day before the Alaska moose season opened in mid-September, the outfitter flew his hunters out to spike camps in a light plane.

Rose was the last man scheduled to be dropped off, and the weather turned sour before the flight. Rose and Burwell had to wait until opening day. It didn't seem like a good break, but it worked out fine.

Butch King Wildman Lake Lodge, where they chose to hunt, covers 600 square miles of dense alder thickets and open, boggy meadows. It may seem like heaven to a moose but, as Rose discovered, it's more like hell to a hunter.

Finally in the field, Rose and Burwell set up their spike camp, then hiked to a vantage point to glass for game.

"We had less than two hours of daylight left when we started looking," Rose said. "I didn't even take a rifle with me. You can't fly and hunt the same day in Alaska. We kept seeing the flash of sunlight off an antler in the thick alders about a half mile below us in the valley. The moose finally stood up where we could see him."

Burwell immediately told Rose it was the biggest moose he'd ever seen. The two men made their way back to camp, and Rose spent a fidgety night waiting for daylight. Early the next morning, the two hunters were again at their vantage point and the big bull moose was in the same spot where they'd seen him the previous day.

They made their way down the mountain, fought through alders so thick they seemed to have been woven together, and crossed a raging stream. They then spent six fruitless hours looking for an animal that weighed nearly 2,000 pounds and never saw him.

The next morning, they repeated the routine. They didn't see the big bull, but they saw two others, including a good moose with antlers that were 70 inches wide. Burwell asked Rose what he wanted to do.

"I've got six more days to hunt," Rose said. "We'll keep looking until we find the big one."

That happened on the fourth hunting day. When they arrived at their vantage point just after daylight, the giant moose was in the same spot where they'd first seen it.

Courtesy photo
Mark Rose's Alaskan moose had the widest antlers of any moose officially scored for Boone and Crockett records. The antlers weighed 68 pounds.

This time, they took a different route as they approached the animal, hoping he would not hear them coming through the alders. The strategy worked. The hunters walked within 100 yards of the huge moose, and Rose made two good shots, killing the animal quickly.

"I was shocked at how big he was," said Rose. "His hooves were seven inches across. He was bigger than a horse. We took photographs, then spent the rest of the day caping, skinning and quartering the carcass."

Rather than leave the carcass for bears to find, Burwell pitched a tent next to the mountain of moose meat, placing the cape and the antlers 15 feet from the tent.

As Rose settled into his sleeping bag, Burwell turned on his flashlight and checked to make sure his rifle was fully loaded, then suggested that Rose do the same.

"Turn your scope down to the lowest power," instructed Burwell. "We may have some action tonight. It we do, it's going to be close."

Luckily, no bears discovered the moose. Two more guides were flown in to help with the chore of packing meat, hide and antlers. The job took two days. After the 60-day drying period required for official scoring, Rose's moose scored 247 7/8 B&C. It is expected to go into the record book as the 15th biggest Alaskan moose ever officially scored, the biggest reported since 1999.

It ranks ninth in the Safari Club International records, which use a slightly different scoring system. At 80 3/8 inches wide, the antlers are the widest entered in B&C. The enormous antlers weighed 68 pounds.

Beyond the obvious cost of his hunt, Rose's Alaskan adventure continues to be expensive. Rose is remodeling his house to make room for the huge trophy, and he's already booked an Alaskan Dall sheep hunt for 2005. Rose's trophy moose will be displayed in the Wildman Lake Lodge booth at the Dallas Safari Club Show and Convention at Market Hall on Jan. 8-11.