Against all odds: my 2023 season

[txco]

Some campers had spent the night where we wanted to glass. So Instopped and talked to them while my buddies hiked up the hill to glass. While were talking I see a moose in the timber. Hes working his way into the bog and it ends up being the two bulls from the previous night. I take my bow and head off after them.

 

[txco]

What ensued was a big game of cat and mouse. I kept trying to circle and stalk in on them but they were feeding in the willows into the wind. It was tough paralleling with them in the timber while being quiet. At one point I had a staring contest with a bull at 25 yards through the last couple pine trees. I got to 50 yards while they sparred. Eventually they moved off up the drainage and my friends picked me up and we went to get ahead of them.

 

[txco]

So we ran in the moose near where the road crossed the creek. I jumped out while my friends kept driving. The moose were working towards me when a car drove up stopped and the moose spooked up the ridge.

 

[txco]

So I went up the road to meet my friends and regroup. While there we caught sight of a moose coming over the ridge to us. The two bulls were coming to us around the ridge. We figured lets see what happens and I grabbed my bow and worked up the hill slowly in front of them. As they came around the corner they kept their eyes on the truck and sparring and started walking right towards me.

 

[txco]

At 30 yards they split around some trees and one moved above me and one kept coming right at me. I was waiting for the first shot at either bull.

 

[txco]

The upper bull eventually cleared some trees and turned mostly broadside, quartering to slightly, I drew settled the pin at 20 yards and released.

 

[txco]

And it looked like a perfect hit! The bull ran about 60’yards downhill and stopped. He bedded down then the other bull got him back up. He moved a little further but stopped. After a few minutes he got the wobble and went down!

 

[txco]

Turns out the slightly quartering uphill shot got one lung and exited through the liver. Regardless it worked and my shiras moose was down!

 

[txco]

 

[txco]

 

[txco]

 

[txco]

We celebrated with a cup of coffee and took plenty of pics. Then we got to work butchering. Largest animal weve ever broken down and I cant imagine an alaskan moose almost twice as big.

 

[txco]

Plenty of meat and we cut the ribs out whole too.

 

[JCS]

Thanks for taking us along

 

[txco]

What a hunt. This was the bull we found thursday and called in saturday morning not to mention saturday evening. So it was fun to have a little history with him.

Im ecstatic. He taped about 39” outside spread with some great points. Now were in elk camp further south with some friends trying to help them out. Ill check my bull in today and fish and scout for deer. Heading home tomorrow for 2 weeks and then on to idaho.

 

[GoGriz]

View attachment 291873

Congrats and great story!!

 

[seeth07]

What a hunt. This was the bull we found thursday and called in saturday morning not to mention saturday evening. So it was fun to have a little history with him.

Im ecstatic. He taped about 39” outside spread with some great points. Now were in elk camp further south with some friends trying to help them out. Ill check my bull in today and fish and scout for deer. Heading home tomorrow for 2 weeks and then on to idaho.

Congrats, that's a nice respectable Shiras and glad you were able to get it done!

 

[txco]

Thanks for following along! Extra thanks to khunter for his knowledge of the unit from his cow hunts and others who have been super encouraging and helpful.

 

[txco]

Congrats and great story!! Have you had a chance to tape those antlers yet?

About 39”

 

[txco]

Oh and we cooked some backstrap and a rack of ribs last night at my friends elk camp on an open fire in the rain. Just fantastic stuff right there.