Art Vandeley
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Good stuff, looking forward to seeing more.
2015 MT Moose
- Thread starter onX Hunt
- Start date
onX Hunt
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Got a call this morning in bed! We had a sighting of a close to 50 incher with 2 brows on one side and 3 brow tines on the other. He was chasing a cow across a road yesterday. I'll be up there tomorrow to investigate.
Muledeerjunkie,
I will write up a more detailed review of the three trail cameras I used next week. I did use Browning, Cabelas, and Moultrie all in the $100-$130 price range.
Muledeerjunkie,
I will write up a more detailed review of the three trail cameras I used next week. I did use Browning, Cabelas, and Moultrie all in the $100-$130 price range.
LCH
Well-known member
Those are some awesome pictures. Looks like you're definitely focused on a game-rich area.
fishing4sanity
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Captivating adventure so far, looks like it will have a great ending. Best of luck.
onX Hunt
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Update 9/20 back in Missoula. Note the unopened beer that will be joining me on each outing for my moose.
onX Hunt
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Day 1 September 17th
Got up and ran the little guy to daycare and said goodbye for a couple days. Went back to the house and packed up the gear and tent camper and waited for my cousin Tim to make the drive down from Great Falls. We got loaded up by 10 am and headed up to Thompson Falls. We headed up Prospect Creek to find a camping spot and ran across these crossing the road! What a great start and we were pumped.
We headed up Cooper Pass and setup the tent camper and quickly got some gear ready. We jumped on the four wheeler and headed up to a spot I had set a trail camera. We hiked down to the pond and setup and called for 30 minutes. We checked for sign but didn't see anything very recent.
Making a plan.
The setup.
We loaded up and headed out to grab the truck and finished the night traveling some new roads. Saw some deer, turkeys, and grouse but no elk or moose the rest of the day.
Got up and ran the little guy to daycare and said goodbye for a couple days. Went back to the house and packed up the gear and tent camper and waited for my cousin Tim to make the drive down from Great Falls. We got loaded up by 10 am and headed up to Thompson Falls. We headed up Prospect Creek to find a camping spot and ran across these crossing the road! What a great start and we were pumped.
We headed up Cooper Pass and setup the tent camper and quickly got some gear ready. We jumped on the four wheeler and headed up to a spot I had set a trail camera. We hiked down to the pond and setup and called for 30 minutes. We checked for sign but didn't see anything very recent.
Making a plan.
The setup.
We loaded up and headed out to grab the truck and finished the night traveling some new roads. Saw some deer, turkeys, and grouse but no elk or moose the rest of the day.
onX Hunt
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Day 2 September 18th
Rainy Day today. Did a hike up Evans Gulch road for a couple miles. We found plenty of old moose poop on the gated off road but nothing very fresh. We did a quick descent to the creek bottom and followed the Evan Creek trail back out. Had some lunch sitting on the Highway and had one black bear cross the road during lunch. The animals seemed pretty comfortable crossing the Prospect Creek Hwy 437 road. Did another 1.6 mile hike up the Blossom Lake Drainage did a calling session but nothing came in. Hiked back out and decided to finish the evening driving around covering some country. We made it up Dry Creek and over to Cabin City, then to Randolph Creek and over the divide into Crow Creek. Right at 8:10 pm about 5 minutes before shooting ended we ran into this guy.
I was able to call and get him to stop and come back up the road a little ways. Little perfect 3 point on each side. No deductions and perfectly symmetrical just needed another 100 inches of horn! He was curious for a little and then headed down the road always and finally headed into the forest.
Our goal of seeing 1 moose a day had been a success so far.
Rainy Day today. Did a hike up Evans Gulch road for a couple miles. We found plenty of old moose poop on the gated off road but nothing very fresh. We did a quick descent to the creek bottom and followed the Evan Creek trail back out. Had some lunch sitting on the Highway and had one black bear cross the road during lunch. The animals seemed pretty comfortable crossing the Prospect Creek Hwy 437 road. Did another 1.6 mile hike up the Blossom Lake Drainage did a calling session but nothing came in. Hiked back out and decided to finish the evening driving around covering some country. We made it up Dry Creek and over to Cabin City, then to Randolph Creek and over the divide into Crow Creek. Right at 8:10 pm about 5 minutes before shooting ended we ran into this guy.
I was able to call and get him to stop and come back up the road a little ways. Little perfect 3 point on each side. No deductions and perfectly symmetrical just needed another 100 inches of horn! He was curious for a little and then headed down the road always and finally headed into the forest.
Our goal of seeing 1 moose a day had been a success so far.
stillkickin
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Keep those posts coming, the suspense is killing me!
onX Hunt
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Here are a couple trail cam pics from the pond in day 1. Didnt find any Elk or Moose on this pond this summer even though it looked great.
Going for a swim.
Sneaky guy.
Mr. Bear made several appearances
Going for a swim.
Sneaky guy.
Mr. Bear made several appearances
onX Hunt
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Here are a few stills from the the video camcorder for Day 2. Day 3 will follow.
Heading up the closed Evans Gulch Road.
Planning a route down to Evans Creek Trail using the aerial imagery base layer.
Lunch break bear.
Sunset
Heading up the closed Evans Gulch Road.
Planning a route down to Evans Creek Trail using the aerial imagery base layer.
Lunch break bear.
Sunset
Man, I hope people appreciate how much work that is to turn game up in that country, especially an animal as nomadic and spread out as a moose. They're there, but good luck guessing where or being able to hunt that spot.
All that work will pay off in a big way, looking forward to following along on this one!
All that work will pay off in a big way, looking forward to following along on this one!
onX Hunt
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Day 3 we got up and decided to drive all day long. Not a decision I wanted to make but seemed like the most efficient for covering new country and seeing if anybody had info on Moose sightings.
We headed up Crow Creek and ran into this little guy.
I left a couple notes and business cards on likely looking vehicles with my contact info. I have one good lead so far and will continue leaving notes throughout the hunt. Everybody was very helpful that I talked to.
Ran into quite a few people cutting firewood at the top of the Crow creek divide. Went down the other side to Randolph creek and filmed a couple mule deer.
We went all the way up Randolph creek to the state line and left a couple more notes on elk hunters vehicles. Came back down and did a loop from Saltese to the Lincoln 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar and had a burger and fries. Headed down to De Borgia and up Thompson De Borgia road to the Continental Pass and junction with Dry Creek again.
We used the aerial imagery on the phone quite a bit to look for clearings and which roads we wanted to travel on.
After coming out on Dry Creek we turned east and headed up Cherry Creek road to Eddy Mountain Lookout. Covered some great country but didn't see any fresh sign. We saw lots of turkeys down low and whitetails everywhere.
Finished the day heading back up Prospect Creek and up Crow Creek again. We ran into 5 cow elk right at dark but we didn't see any Moose today.
We headed up Crow Creek and ran into this little guy.
I left a couple notes and business cards on likely looking vehicles with my contact info. I have one good lead so far and will continue leaving notes throughout the hunt. Everybody was very helpful that I talked to.
Ran into quite a few people cutting firewood at the top of the Crow creek divide. Went down the other side to Randolph creek and filmed a couple mule deer.
We went all the way up Randolph creek to the state line and left a couple more notes on elk hunters vehicles. Came back down and did a loop from Saltese to the Lincoln 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar and had a burger and fries. Headed down to De Borgia and up Thompson De Borgia road to the Continental Pass and junction with Dry Creek again.
We used the aerial imagery on the phone quite a bit to look for clearings and which roads we wanted to travel on.
After coming out on Dry Creek we turned east and headed up Cherry Creek road to Eddy Mountain Lookout. Covered some great country but didn't see any fresh sign. We saw lots of turkeys down low and whitetails everywhere.
Finished the day heading back up Prospect Creek and up Crow Creek again. We ran into 5 cow elk right at dark but we didn't see any Moose today.
onX Hunt
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Day 4, September 20th
We got up and had about 3 hours to check stuff out before we wanted to pack up and head back to Missoula. We drove out Cooper Pass road to Prospect Creek and then decided to head up Wilkes Creek for the morning. Some more great country. All of this unit is pretty much heavily timbered, with some older timber harvests that are so thick you couldn't see a moose in them most of the time. The country is almost impossible to glass as well. We headed up the east side of Wilkes Creek and ran into a little blue grouse.
I decided to do one calling session in a likely spot, along the road I know, but I would deal with how to legally shoot the Moose after he decided to come in. I will have to do some more research to make sure I'm clear on the rules for shooting on a road like this. basically I could never see the Moose again once he left the road so it's gonna be tricky getting a shot if a situation like this presents itself.
Anybody have an input on shooting/hunting from old Forest Service roads like this?
We drove back down about half way and ran into some fresh Moose poop in the road. We didn't remember seeing it on the way up and it was super fresh so he must have crossed sometime while we were up there.
Ran back to camp and ran into 10 cows and a nice bull elk right on the forest service road. Hunters had been in and out of this road everyday and here they were grazing in a little meadow next to the road with a back hoe in it right by the Highway!! Tim jumped out and followed them for a ways but they knew what was up.
Ran back to camp and pulled the camper down and headed back to Missoula.
I'll be headed back up this week after work. Hopefully as the leaves drop in the creek bottoms and the Rut heats up the sightings will increase.
We got up and had about 3 hours to check stuff out before we wanted to pack up and head back to Missoula. We drove out Cooper Pass road to Prospect Creek and then decided to head up Wilkes Creek for the morning. Some more great country. All of this unit is pretty much heavily timbered, with some older timber harvests that are so thick you couldn't see a moose in them most of the time. The country is almost impossible to glass as well. We headed up the east side of Wilkes Creek and ran into a little blue grouse.
I decided to do one calling session in a likely spot, along the road I know, but I would deal with how to legally shoot the Moose after he decided to come in. I will have to do some more research to make sure I'm clear on the rules for shooting on a road like this. basically I could never see the Moose again once he left the road so it's gonna be tricky getting a shot if a situation like this presents itself.
Anybody have an input on shooting/hunting from old Forest Service roads like this?
We drove back down about half way and ran into some fresh Moose poop in the road. We didn't remember seeing it on the way up and it was super fresh so he must have crossed sometime while we were up there.
Ran back to camp and ran into 10 cows and a nice bull elk right on the forest service road. Hunters had been in and out of this road everyday and here they were grazing in a little meadow next to the road with a back hoe in it right by the Highway!! Tim jumped out and followed them for a ways but they knew what was up.
Ran back to camp and pulled the camper down and headed back to Missoula.
I'll be headed back up this week after work. Hopefully as the leaves drop in the creek bottoms and the Rut heats up the sightings will increase.
ihuntelk
Member
Looking good Matt. Keep at it. Loving the read so far.
-Cade
-Cade
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