2012 - Three decades at Moose Jaw Lodge

November 13, 2012 • Voyageur Press

It started with six young friends that all had something in common—they love the outdoors and an adventure.

Marvin Blom and the Snickers brothers—Scott, Steve, Tim, and Brandon continue to hunt at a location they named Moose Jaw Lodge near Alborn, Minnesota. “It was 33 years ago,” said Steve, who was 26 years old at the time. “We enjoyed coming out here just for the adventure and the fishing.”

Now, the five guys are passing the tradition on. “Each of us has one son, hunting with us,” said Tim, “and they all got a deer this year.”

Marvin’s boy Mike bagged a 10-pointer; Scott’s boy Nathan shot a nice 8-pointer; Tim’s boy Reid shot a 7-pointer; Steve’s boy Ryan shot a fork and a doe; and Brad’s boy Drew came up empty (so far). 

Steve noted that it isn’t the best deer hunting property in the area. “But we get a few deer every year.”

Five deer is the goal the group likes to reach each year. They reached that year's opening weekend. “Five deer split five ways and it is up to the owner of the shack to distribute to their sons,” shared Scott. 

“Everybody including the boys have half a deer, so if we don’t get any more, we will be just fine,” noted Marvin. “Some of the guys are still waiting for a nice-sized deer.”

“But there will be more,” added Brad.

Over the years, there have been a few big bucks shot at Moose Jaw. After 33 years, the guys have two log books filled with notes. “Our record keeping has slid over the years,” Steve shared. “I think Scott shot the buck with the most points.”

Scott recalls the year he shot a 14-pointer. “Yep, that year Hap Johnson beat me out for the most points in the Big Buck Contest. He had 15 points.”

Scott would eventually win a local Big Buck Contest (Clip Joint) with a 203-pounder. “I won $200 in the contest, but it cost $300 to mount the deer,” he recalled.

The guys all agreed that Tim has shot the most deer. “He has the most productive stand,” said Scott. “Then he gave it to his son (Reid).”

The history of Moose Jaw Lodge goes way back to when the Snickers boys and Marvin were kids. According to Steve, visiting the remote lake (Round Lake) was an adventure back then. 

“We used to come out here as kids and fish the lake,” said Scott. “It all started when we were old enough to carry a gun and leave the house by ourselves.”

As kids, they all snowmobiled on the old logging trail and eventually the day came when they all decided to build a hunting shack. The oldest boys were 26 at that time (Steve and Marvin) and they decided to build near their favorite fishing lake. That year, while hauling the trusses into the woods by tractor, they discovered a dead bull moose in the lake.

After they dragged it to shore, they made a decision to call the DNR and report their finding. “At that time, we were worried about the brain worm the moose might be carrying,” recalls Steve, “so we knew the DNR would want to examine the brain on a dead moose.”

The group also wanted to request keeping the horns and they would call their shack Moose Horn Lodge. 

That didn’t happen.

They returned, only to discover the horns were gone. “We went back to scavenge around the next weekend and found the two bottom jaws,” Scott shared. “We nailed them on the front of the shack and Marvin made the sign. We called it Moose Jaw Lodge.”

 The original six members of Moose Jaw Lodge included Marvin, Scott, Steve, Tim, cousin Bruce Lind and Al Fosness. “Al and Bruce eventually gave up their share and Brad is married to Al’s daughter, so he got his share,” said Steve. “We thought about adding that sixth guy, but we decided to leave it at five.”

The hunting tradition for the Snickers clan didn’t start at Moose Jaw. They had a tradition with their father Carl before that. Carl brought friends up from the Twin Cities and Duluth to hunt. “Back then, they used to meet at Louise and Pete’s (Char Mars) for cinnamon rolls and coffee and planned their strategy for the day,” said Scott. “The standers go here and the drivers go here.”

Steve still recalls his dad gutting all the deer for his friends. “One time I asked my dad why he never gutted my deer,” said Steve. “‘Well, you never asked,’ my dad replied.”

The hunting tradition will most likely continue at Moose Jaw, especially considering the success the boys had this year and in the past. Reid still recalls his favorite year when he shot two bucks in the same sitting. This year, he’s smiling again.

Mike shot the biggest deer at camp this year and had a little fun with the gang. He came back to the shack and told the guys he shot a nice swamp doe, “So we expected a little Bambi,” said Steve. “He was up in his old man’s stand who was back at the shack playing cards.”

“I didn’t win at cards either,” Marvin said.

That doesn’t matter much to Marvin. Since he is getting up there in age he enjoys hanging out at the shack, cooking breakfast and fetching the paper. 

The best part for Marvin and the four Snickers brothers is watching a tradition being passed down.



“The boys love it out here,” concluded Marvin.