Look at me, look at me... I drew a moose tag.

[littlebighorn]

I drop my vanilla zinger right on the dirty floor mat… damn!

Eating dirty vanilla zingers is what successful moose hunters do! It's a good omen.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

You almost shaat your pants, then decided to get taco bell to seal your fate?

 

[Dave N]

You almost shaat your pants, then decided to get taco bell to seal your fate?

Had to clear the way for round 2!

 

[Gellar]

As I am driving to the evening spot, I am noticing the is a significant amount of traffic and people about. As I get closer to my evening destination, I realize there is a huge race this weekend, thousands of people running through the heart of the the best elk and moose country in the middle of Muzzleloader season… because why not…

Had this happen to me last year on opening day of muzzleloader season. Friday afternoon they staked the course. Saturday morning I was 5 miles from the truck, probably 7 from the start of the race and I could hear the loudspeaker and horn starting the race.

 

[sneakem]

I'm driving along eating my gritty dirt vanilla zinger... I look into another beautiful moose meadow, nothing... continuing on... and then Holy , bull moose, right off the side of the road. And not just any bull moose, I recognize this one... Lock up the brakes, pull off the road... bull trots into the trees. As I am frantically grabbing my gear from the back seat, I hear him grunting off into the trees. I've got my gear and jogging through the trees, trying to catch sight of him leaving the county. I make it about 80 yards and "Muaaahhh", he grunts, he's standing there staring at me, 60 yards away. I slowly kneel and pull the muzzleloader from my shoulder. I reach into my pocket to grab my load tube... are you Effing kidding me... I changed pants... the load tubes are in the pocket of my other pants...

 

[sneakem]

I'm about to be sick, when I remember there are two tubes in the top of my pack. I weigh everything out so I had preassembled 4 tubes of powder and primers before the hunt. I put two in my pocket to hunt and two in my pack as an precautionary. I slowly slip my pack off as he eyeballs me... he grunts... I grab a tube and pull on the cap, it sticks... then pulls free... and the powder erupts in to the air. I distinctly remember the sparkle of the powder in the sun, like throwing a handful of glitter into the air. Normally a super cool cat when then deed is being done, I remember my heart racing at this point like the first few times I hunted as a child. I told myself to calm the hell down. I reached for the last powder tube, the bull still standing staring at me. I pulled the tube out, held it vertically, gently twisted and pulled the cap. I distinctly remember the stare down past my barrel as I poured the powder down the barrel, loaded the bullet, pushed it down with the ramrod. I'm in disbelief that he is still standing here, watching me fumble through the process. I break the breech, place the cap, close the breech and rest the gun on the frame of the pack. I now pull the hammer back and square the sights on him as he is head on to me.

Now.... I have never killed anything other than targets with a muzzleloader, mainly because I generally archery hunt. With a rifle I wouldn't hesitate to take a frontal shot, nor would I on a smaller animal. This is a huge animal I thought, I have literally one shot, I want it to be the best shot I can get. So I wait.. sights centered between his shoulders and the stare down continues.

 

[sneakem]

The wind starts to get shifty, it blows directly at him. He lifts his head, his nostrils flare like pie plate openings. He does this half horse neigh/snort/blowing sound which is what I assume is the game over sound. I watch as he starts to step back, he is slightly quartering toward me at this point about ready to bolt. I figured this is likely the last time I will ever see this bull, either watch him run away or pull the trigger. Not an ideal shot by any means, but I have literally worked my entire summer for this moment. I pull the sight into the meat of the front shoulder and pull the trigger.... BOOM!

 

[Addicting]

Not having that muzzleloader primed where it just needs a cap/209 is making me cringe reading this. I’m hooked into the story, but man am I shaking my head at you.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

 

[sneakem]

Not having that muzzleloader primed where it just needs a cap/209 is making me cringe reading this. I’m hooked into the story, but man am I shaking my head at you.

Personal preference man. I don't even chamber a rifle round until I'm ready to shoot. Nor do I walk around with a knocked arrow... ever. After 20 years of guiding and numerous instances of almost being shot by accidental discharges, that's the way I roll. No animals life is more important than mine...

 

[Addicting]

Personal preference man. I don't even chamber a rifle round until I'm ready to shoot. Nor do I walk around with a knocked arrow... ever. After 20 years of guiding and numerous instances of almost being shot by accidental discharges, that's the way I roll. No animals life is more important than mine...

I get it with rifles, I am the same way. A muzzleloader barrel is just a storage device no different than the tubes you carried the powder in. Either way..

Now back to the story, Paul Harvey is about to roll in his grave from this distraction.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I get it with rifles, I am the same way. A muzzleloader barrel is just a storage device no different than the tubes you carried the powder in. Either way..

Now back to the story, Paul Harvey is about to roll in his grave from this distraction.

So you'd carry one primed but maybe be worried about a potential bullet failure?

Let's see a moose!

 

[Addicting]

So you'd carry one primed but maybe be worried about a potential bullet failure?

Let's see a moose!

Let me clarify, to me a primed muzzleloader is powder and bullet seated. No ignition source is present. That is carried in the pocket until it’s time to shoot. Fault my terminology all you want but that is how I know it after 20+ years. When I learned, there was no primers, it was a #11 cap.

Enough side bar, story please.

 

[sneakem]

Anyways.... The shot goes off, I don't even remember there being smoke and the bull bolts.... like he was shot out of a cannon. No stagger, no evidence of being hit, just on a dead run through the trees. Being my first time ever popping anything with a muzzleloader, I guess that I expected more from a Thor's hammer smashing through meat and bone at 60 yards, even though the angle was less than ideal. I jump on the tracks immediately, thinking there is no way I missed an animal the size of a bus at 60 yards. The tracks were easy to follow, a 1000 pound animal sprinting through the woods.... 100 yards.. no blood 200 yards... no blood. Tracks slowing... another 50 yards... I can seeing him standing at the edge of a meadow watching me follow him. He turns into the meadow and walk away, albeit with a slight hitch in his giddy-up. Maybe?? He starts grunting as he walks across the meadow. He grunts as he goes... He walks another 200 yards, I start to follow, he casually looks back at me and continues on grunting across the meadow. Only what I thought was a grunt, sound more like a cough now, but still not a drop of blood. He walks another couple hundred yards to the edge of the meadow, looks back at me, then walks down to the willows in the bottom. He stands there, coughing... I am sure that I hit him at this point.

He walks out of the willows, and lays down in the edge of the trees. He starts to fill up and choke. I am torn at this moment, I had only dreamed that I would actually connect with this animal. I spent an entire month searching every corner of every drainage near his summer ground trying to turn him up. I had passed a great bull earlier in the hunt in hopes of getting a giant bull. But at the same moment I watched him struggle to take his last breath and was heart broken that he tried so hard to live... To his feet, staggering to the ground, back to his feet, back to the ground... I didn't have a round to finish him. I'm certain had I waited he would have likely expired at the first spot but I was nervous about the shot and the lack of reaction. watching him die was hard...

As I walk up there is not a drop of blood anywhere, not out of a hole, not out of his mouth... shocking to me...

Anyways, you'll have to forgive me for the lack of good field photo's, turns out taking solo pictures with a moose is quite difficult.... The bull I nicknamed Spooner... with a crap ton of luck and being in the right place at the right time...

 

[sneakem]

 

[Oak]

He will be a booner.

I stand by this. Congrats on a great bull! What a whopper. You sure put the time in for that one.

 

[sneakem]

 

[sneakem]

 

[Addicting]

That is a gorgeous bull! Congrats

 

[DFS]

Incredible bull. Congrats