Going into this years moose draw I was way below max points but a couple years ago had decided to start putting in for the lowest tier units. I guess the worst ones. Figured it was the only way I'd draw and I'd rather hunt a "bad" unit than never hunt. I don't think I'd have ever caught up to improve my unit much. So this year I knew I'd have a pretty good chance at drawing and I did. Before I put in I asked my friend and brother if they'd go with me, I'd need their help and they did and made the hunt.

The unit was a 4 hours drive or so we went over set up my small camper and hauled horses. The first day looked like this and it was great. Passed a bull that morning and saw a cow.





The next morning it was raining and snowing but turned into a pretty good day after that. Passed a yearling bull that day.



The next several days we knew the weather would be bad. And it pretty much rained and snowed the whole time. We ended up getting a hot tip on a bull and headed over there. Found his tracks and starting tracking on foot. Pretty quick we ran into a cow and my brother thought he saw another one but couldn't tell what it was and then we also heard some branches breaking. The brush was pretty thick at least by Wyoming standards. The cow ran off and we'd lost the tracks and actually were at a little of a loss of what to do. We started heading back in the direction we'd come from. For some reason I kept looking behind us and about the 4th time I did that caught the bull sneaking off like a dang whitetail. He'd been hiding, let us make a full circle around him and then decided to Vamoose. I literally sprinted about 100 yards to where I saw him.

Coming into the meadow I saw him about to disappear into the trees. I had time for a very quick snap shot at around 100 yards going from a sprint to a stand still and he was on the move quartering away and headed into a bunch of big Christmas trees. My brother had been with me but hadn't seen the moose. When I began my sprint I didn't bother saying anything thinking he'd figure out what was going on and he did. After the shot he walked up the rest of the way to me and asked if I'd got him. He still hadn't seen the moose. I said I didn't know, it had been amazingly fast and I'd had very little time to go from running to shooting. Plus I'm old, fat and short, prone to spraining ankles, and usually only run when I'm out of ammo.

There was a little snow on the ground and we made our way to where the bull had disappeared. Just through the trees there was a small patch of snow that was scrapped off the dirt and I wondered if he'd stumbled there. Then I looked and saw him down under some trees. At that second he stood up. All I could see was hind end so I shot trying for the hip joint. Still he was up. I moved directly behind him and spined him at the base of the tail. At that he fell. It is something to watch a bull moose fall close up. One more finisher and he was done. At this point I was out of ammo and my brother had my pack with the extra ammo. He told me later he thought oh great, he's out of ammo and the bull is pissed.

This was my first moose hunt I'd ever been on. And besides seeing a few road killed moose from a moving car I'd never even seen a dead one. Never been on a buddy's moose hunt. Total moose hunting newbie.

He fell against a log, it's right behind him. Besides moving his head a little that is pretty much how he fell.







It was a skosh wet.



No giant, probably not even a big one, but it was great and my brother and friend of over 20 years were there.

And the pack out was a piece of cake.

I used my Echols Legend in 300 win mag with a 6x36 M8. 200 partitions. Pretty much what I shoot everything with. I'm boring that way.

The partitions were a total failure. I found two, one was a little over 100 grains and one a little under. The lighter one I found just under the spine forward of the pelvis, when I was getting the tenders. Shot distance was about 20 feet. The other had penetrated probably 2/3s of the bull I think it was my first shot and it was just under the skin. Probably should have used a berger or vld.... or something cool and new.



We stayed up until close to 11 that night in the camper eating supper and telling lies. Was a great time. The next day we headed home. Probably will never be able to hunt moose again. Glad this time was so good. Thanks to my brother and friend.

Damn nice bull, trip, pics and write up!! Grats

Sounds like you had a good time, that's what counts. By the way, very nice moose.

Great job and nice moose! There is nothing like walking up to one and seeing how big they are laying there....

Success!


Congratulations!

Mike

Congratulations! Great write-up. Thanks for sharing.

Congratulations all the way around.

Congratulations

Hell Yeah! Great job! 👍🏻😎

congratulations, what a fine time!

Well done.

Great bullwinkle!

Nice write-up and pics too!

Thanks for sharing!

-Jake

It doesn’t get any better! Congrats!

That's signature line material there....


Nice bull! Cool story. Sounds like a fun hunt.

Congratulations! I’d love an adventure like that.

Nicely done - particularly with the pack-out being a piece of cake!
Congrats on your moose.

Congratulations that’s an awesome moose!

"The partitions were a total failure. I found two, one was a little over 100 grains and one a little under. The lighter one I found just under the spine forward of the pelvis, when I was getting the tenders. Shot distance was about 20 feet. The other had penetrated probably 2/3s of the bull I think it was my first shot and it was just under the skin. Probably should have used a berger or vld.... or something cool and new."

Sarcasm?

Great story. Can't wait to hunt one one day. Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful animal! Awesome story.

Congrads on a Fine Bull!

The bull probably laughed himself to death when he found out you were using partitions.

I think you killed a gorgeous bull, congratulations on what sounds like it's probably a once in a lifetime deal.

Congratulations Ralphie! Great story and pictures. I was truly surprised that this was your first moose. Moose hunting is really a neat experience. To those that think “backpacking” an elk out is tough....try packing-out a moose! When I first moved to Kemmerer, Wyoming in ‘85.....it seemed there was a moose behind every bush.

Between my wife and I, we’ve taken four. It would’ve been five, if I’d used a “larger caliber” weapon on February 4th 1990. The ‘88 Honda Accord I was driving ( my future wife’s car), never even knocked it down. Higher mass weapons are a plus when taking moose! It’s a long cold drive from Bondurant to Kemmerer, on a February night, with a no driver’s side window and a “busted” windshield! memtb

Congrats - heck if a nice bull!!

He looks big to me

congrats on a nice moose.
A dead moose seems to me to show the bullets performed at least good enough. Surprised they didn't retain a bit more weight.

Great hunt and story.

Would you relate the entrance and direction of the partition in the first shot which traversed 2/3 of the bull?

Conglads on a nice Bullwinkle

There might be a little sarcasm in my post about partitions. I see several different kinds of bullets every year successfully kill elk. For myself though I love the partition and am not planning on changing and was completely happy with how they killed this moose.

My non exact estimate of 2/3s of the bull was an entrance just forward of the hip on the left side and up against the skin in the right shoulder area. It was impressive. My brother found that one while he was pulling the hide for me while skinning. I did not open up the the rib cage/gut area. I almost never do.

I've killed a lot of elk with these and almost never find bullets. But this moose was a little bigger and pretty tough shots too given the extreme angle of my first shot and the high impact velocity of the others.

Very, very well done!! Big congrats! Bucket list item for me.

This just gives you more time to go with me when I draw!

Awesome Bull Congratulations! No way you killed that without wearing Kuiu!

Nice Bull Ralphie! There's a small handle of posters that I know it gonna be really good when I open their thread. You didn't disappoint. Congrats!

As per your usual that’s an awesome story congratulations on a fine bull I’d be really stoked!

Very cool and nice bull!

Awesome, looks like big’un to me.

That's simply fantastic, thank you VERY much for sharing your hunt! I would dearly love to draw a moose tag here in MT...

Aside, I was in Jackson (Hole) on Friday and Saturday. Friday was beautiful, woke up to snow Saturday. Heading through the Park next to the Grovont just to the South of the airport I saw, perhaps, the biggest Shiras bull I've ever seen.

I freaking love moose.

BTW, some purty horseflesh in the photos too...

A great adventure.
Nice bull.
Thanks for sharing.
I'm helping a friend try to find a bull with his once in a lifetime Idaho tag right now (on weekends).
We've passed several small bulls also, but we are having fun and it's a long season.

Nice bull and good story. Damn Partitions.

Very nice bull!!!!

Thanks for the comments.

Brad I saw a bull north of the airport Sunday. Driving by with my bull in the pickup. 😀





This cracked me up. Besides my boots which I had to sell a kidney for and promise the other one after I’m done with it, most of my gear isn’t too bad. STP sales, pranas on amazon sale. And I think it’s pretty good stuff.

That's the best line I've read all year.

Awesome moose! Thanks for sharing the story.

Cool hunt, great write up, and great bull!

Great Bull, great write up and pictures . Congratulations. Well done

OUTSTANDING!

Congrats on the bull, and I really appreciate you sharing the photos and the story of your hunt.

Guy

Nice bull and great story - congrats!

Great bull, and great write up! Moose hunting is one of the most fun hunts there is. Hope to do it again one day before I have to call it good

Thanks for sharing the hunt with us. The story reminds us on how it really happens most of the time!
Pretty country and a very nice bull to boot!

Congrats....great bull

That was EXACTLY my thought when I read that!

In your truck was his cousin, formerly known as "alive"

That's the "moosiest" valley I've ever been in... while living there, my high count was 17 different moose in one day.

Great story. Thanks for sharing! Looks like you worked your butt off for that one.

Nice pics! Congrats on a great hunt/adventure. Thanks for sharing!!

Great bull, cool story!

Congrats all around!

Todd

That was a great write up about a great moose - thank you for sharing the story and pictures.

I grew up with horses, but that was a long time ago and I don't have horses now. So I pictured myself looking at that moose on the ground. Then looking at my back pack. Staring at the map some more. Then back at the moose again .... "... how many trips is that going to take ?? " : - )

congrats ! thanks for sharing the pictures,Pete53

I have seen a lot of Wyoming moose and that one is much better than most.

Great bull and story. Congrats!

Congrats. And used the correct partition. Though a Barnes lilkely would not have lost as much weight. LOL.

I love moose for some reason. So much that it cut into our start of elk hunting and I'll likely never kill an elk now.

Congrats again!

Same here... I only hunted them once in AK.

Nice!

Moose are one of those animals that definitely leave an impression when seeing one up close the first time. Even a shiras, they’re simply massive.

Congratulations.

Very nice ! No such thing as a small bull moose.

Nice Shiras moise. Get him scored, especially SCI. He is not small.

Seriously?

Enjoyed that read, thank you.

Congrats on the Wyoming bull! They seemed to be thriving in 37. Great story.

Beautiful country and animal. Congrats.

Again, thanks for sharing your moose hunt with us.
Very nice moose, congratulations.

Congrats on your moose and hunt....glad it went so well for you guys.