Guide Randy Erasmus pulled out this moose rack for me. As if Alberta’s bears aren’t reason enough to come hunting here, there is some outrageous moose action as well. This rack is a bit on the small side, Randy said, around 40 inches or so.

Plenty of hunters take 50-inch trophies (or larger) when they hunt these areas. The key is to get away from the crowds, said Wally Mack, the outfitter we’ve been bear hunting with. His moose camp is a long 23-kilometer haul on ATVs from the trailhead.

“All the locals hunt here, but they’re hunting for meat,” Mack said. “If you can get away from them and get way back in the woods you can find some real fine trophies.”

Hopefully I'll see that for myself. I’ve made plans to come back to Alberta in the fall (though not with Mack who is booked solid until 2010) and hunt the Swan Hills area.

—John Snow