Opening morning bull. We glassed him for a while and decided he wasn’t what I was looking for on day one.
My favorite hunting buddy joined me for the first few days while her parents watched our hoard.
The scenery was beautiful.
We saw at least one moose every day.
We were sneaking in on this guy when he decided to head our way after finishing his bath. We hadn’t seen him just heard him splashing. I didn’t want him between us and our truck so I had to run him off. He got as close as 8 yards.
I found a lot of wolf scat filled with moose hair. Which probably explains the change in moose population from a few years ago.
Camp was comfortable other than the mice! The wife hates mice and resulted in some long nights.
This little forky was harassing the cow and calf. He was tempting as he was above and close to the road he just needed a lot more antler.
This is the bull I ended up shooting. He was not quite big enough to shoot that far and deep. This was about 8AM
I ended up cutting his tracks around 5PM still following the cow and calf but in an area where if I caught them I could get him out alone. I tracked him for about 1/3 of a mile and caught him in the clearcut. I snuck down the skid trail and watched him move up hill towards the skid trail. I ended up shooting him at ~30 paces (he was standing about where the “play” button is on the video). He went about 70 yards down the skid trail and headed for the brush. I tried to anchor him with a shot to the neck and shot his left browtine off but it spun him and he died in a convenient location
I didn’t post their picture but a young couple that I had been running into who were also moose hunting stumbled into me after I shot him. They gave me a ride back to my pick up. And then they helped butcher him. We had him quartered and loaded in less than an hour and a half. It was a blessing to have the help!
He was definitely big enough to shoot that close to vehicle access!
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Thanks! It’s a Remington 700 in 7mm SAUM. I stuck it in a high tech specialty’s stock and Atlasworx DBM. For up close I shoot 120 TSX and a magazine in my pocket with 162 Amax for the long stuff.
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Nimrod1949: Great work on that Moose! Including getting the tag and then getting the Moose right on the road where you can drive to it. Thanks for sharing. Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
I was hunting alone at that point since the wife had to go home. My self imposed “rules” were close to a road and not in the water. Luckily for me in the “road” was where he landed. Technically it isn’t a “road” in idaho and I didn’t shoot him from the truck.
I helped two guys butcher an in the “road” bull the day before I shot mine that was a jump out and shoot deal. I’d been hunting 9 days and they kill a bigger bull their first day out. But that’s hunting
Nice work.. He is about like the last bull I got in 1996.. Like you I was able to drop him in an old logging road.. My late wife killed one there in 2002 about the same spot.. Where they are is awful important when hunting alone.. Thanks for the show..
I found a lot of wolf scat filled with moose hair. Which probably explains the change in moose population from a few years ago.
About 15 years ago, my partner and I drew bull tags between Ashton and Yellowstone. We saw quite a few cows and we both got a decent bull. About 5 years ago, after the wolves moved in, he drew a cow tag there. He finally got a cow late in the season but he said it was the only one he saw.
We usually hunt in unit 48. There are wolves there but the moose population seems to be growing. Most of the one's we've seen, though, hang low near popular hiking trails which wolves seem to avoid.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
Nice. I'm glad you got him on a logging landing. I live in that area and if they are in the timber or in that brush there it can be awful to get them out. The brush and timber in that area can be really nasty. Looks like things worked out well.
My knife #1 (Ingram style skinner). One of these days I’ll get caught up and make myself a new one or two. The other guy had a Havalon and knew what he was doing! I learned better methods for the gutless process.