jwatts
Well-known member
I figure as much info and intel I have gained from this forum, it would be bad form not to post a thread on my upcoming cow moose hunt. I became interested in pursuing a moose several years back. I always thought that was solely an Alaskan adventure. But, from reading here, other forums, and skimming the draw odds for all of the Western states, I saw that a cow moose tag was obtainable for a non-resident. I started buying Colorado points and, in the back of my mind, started planning to use those points sometime in the future.
Fast forward to mid-2021. A few friends and I try to make a hunt out west each year. In 2021 2 of us made the trip to Nebraska for turkeys. That meant when the time to hunt big game rolled around; I found myself wanting to be in the mountains or sage flats chasing something other than the whitetail I was going to be pursuing at home. Those moose points crept back into my mind, and I studied odds and units. I settled on a few different options and dug deeper into those, finally deciding on what I believed offered my best odds at a tag and, ultimately at a shot at a cow moose.
Application season rolled around, and my hunting buddies and I devised a plan. Looking at past draw results, we figured that I could apply for moose and have my results pretty close to the close of the WY antelope/deer application period. If I was unsuccessful, we would all apply for a WY antelope unit that we should all be able to draw. I threw my name in the hat and waited. And waited. And waited. Here we are, the day before WY applications are due, with no results.
Let's talk about bad timing for a minute. I work on an offshore oil and gas facility. We had a COVID outbreak around this time, and guess who tested positive the day before WY ended? This guy. I had to quarantine and wait on a medivac, which meant there was a good chance I would miss the draw results for Colorado for a few days. We talked it out, and the other guys put in for antelope, and I just hoped my name was pulled for the cow tag. If I didn't draw my moose tag I would be the camp cook and small game shooter. It turned out I was able to get back on land just as the results were posted. I got my tag. Now the other guys were waiting to see if they pulled their antelope tags. They did. That meant that in October, myself and one of the others would make the drive from Mississippi to Colorado to hunt moose. Our other friend is making the drive from Montana to help us out. After the moose hunt we'll be headed toward Wyoming to fill their antelope tags.
So, here we are. I have a moose tag in my pocket, a ton of gear packed and ready to load in the truck, and a few weeks to wait until I can get back into the mountains and try my hand at moose hunting.
Fast forward to mid-2021. A few friends and I try to make a hunt out west each year. In 2021 2 of us made the trip to Nebraska for turkeys. That meant when the time to hunt big game rolled around; I found myself wanting to be in the mountains or sage flats chasing something other than the whitetail I was going to be pursuing at home. Those moose points crept back into my mind, and I studied odds and units. I settled on a few different options and dug deeper into those, finally deciding on what I believed offered my best odds at a tag and, ultimately at a shot at a cow moose.
Application season rolled around, and my hunting buddies and I devised a plan. Looking at past draw results, we figured that I could apply for moose and have my results pretty close to the close of the WY antelope/deer application period. If I was unsuccessful, we would all apply for a WY antelope unit that we should all be able to draw. I threw my name in the hat and waited. And waited. And waited. Here we are, the day before WY applications are due, with no results.
Let's talk about bad timing for a minute. I work on an offshore oil and gas facility. We had a COVID outbreak around this time, and guess who tested positive the day before WY ended? This guy. I had to quarantine and wait on a medivac, which meant there was a good chance I would miss the draw results for Colorado for a few days. We talked it out, and the other guys put in for antelope, and I just hoped my name was pulled for the cow tag. If I didn't draw my moose tag I would be the camp cook and small game shooter. It turned out I was able to get back on land just as the results were posted. I got my tag. Now the other guys were waiting to see if they pulled their antelope tags. They did. That meant that in October, myself and one of the others would make the drive from Mississippi to Colorado to hunt moose. Our other friend is making the drive from Montana to help us out. After the moose hunt we'll be headed toward Wyoming to fill their antelope tags.
So, here we are. I have a moose tag in my pocket, a ton of gear packed and ready to load in the truck, and a few weeks to wait until I can get back into the mountains and try my hand at moose hunting.
