Horn Seeker
New member
Ive got a good feeling you are going to find him...
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
MT Moose Unit 104
- Thread starter sra61
- Start date
FAIR CHASE
Well-known member
I know this unit very well. Moose were quite common up until approx. 6-7 yrs ago but have become much less so in each subsequent year.
Good luck and stay in the fight.
Good luck and stay in the fight.
sra61
Member
Lucky Number 37
Day 37 proved to be eventful! I had talked to two different deer and elk hunters on Day #34, Thurs. 11-20-14 that said they had seen moose tracks in this one drainage with a gated road. I had been up in the general area in the summer so I knew where it was. I hunted the area on Day #35, Fri. 11-21-14 and saw what looked like moose tracks in the old snow, hard to tell for sure, but it looked good. I took Sat. off, getting a little burnt out, needed a little rest. So Sunday, Day #36, I went over and hunted a few different places mostly just road hunting checking out a couple of places I hadn't been before, it was kind of nasty rain and snow mixed and game wasn't moving. I had planned to stay the night at the cabin at Bull Lake Sunday night so that I could get a good early start for this morning. So today which was Day #37, I forgot to set the alarm and overslept! I was an hour late getting started. So I started walking at least an hour and a half after first light. It was clear and calm and was a nice quiet walk. I was thinking about how beautiful it was with the fresh 4" of snow and how I really couldn't complain at all with this season, whether I found a bull moose or not.
I just walked slowly and glassed where I could and watched the brush, and semi open spots that had been logged. I was about a mile and a half from the gate and had only seen a couple of fresh deer tracks so far, but I wasn't quite to where I had seen the moose tracks on Friday yet. I got to the intersection of a small side spur rd. and looked in the brush to my left, and something looked funny. As I focused, I could see that it was actually a bull moose standing in the dark timber and brush, covered with snow completely camouflaged.He never moved a muscle.
This is where he was standing. Behind this brush.
I have no doubt he would have let walk right past him if I hadn't spotted him. I could see he had a fair spread and looked okay to me considering it was the first bull I had seen in 37 days of hunting! It took me about 2 seconds to decide to shoot. So I swung the .338 off my shoulder and flipped up the scope caps, found a relatively open spot on his chest and shot. It was a little bit of a brush shot, which I suspected would be the case, in this country. He was standing in brush up to his chin! That's why I decided to work up the 225 grain Barnes TSX load for the old .338. At the shot he took off trotting across from rt. to left. I waited for an open spot and shot again just to be sure. Moose never really react unless you hit them in the hump, but that wastes shoulder meat, so I wanted an insurance shot in there. He went about 30 yards and went down. He's definitely not a monster, but for the only bull I've seen in 37 days I think he's by far the hardest won trophy I've ever taken. He's 42" wide and just had one brow tine on each side, so he won't score well, but I just don't care. He's got that same chocolate color as the elk and muley. I love moose meat, and he was in good shape, and have no blood shot waste so I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I skinned the top side and walked back to the truck to get the game bags. I went back and finished quartering and skinning, and got all of the meat bagged up in six bags. All I have to do tomorrow to finish is to cut the head off. We'll have two trips in and out with the horses. Of course there is supposed to be a bunch of snow so the drive over from Kalispell with the loaded horse trailer may be slow and slick.
Here's some pics
Selfie
Day 37 proved to be eventful! I had talked to two different deer and elk hunters on Day #34, Thurs. 11-20-14 that said they had seen moose tracks in this one drainage with a gated road. I had been up in the general area in the summer so I knew where it was. I hunted the area on Day #35, Fri. 11-21-14 and saw what looked like moose tracks in the old snow, hard to tell for sure, but it looked good. I took Sat. off, getting a little burnt out, needed a little rest. So Sunday, Day #36, I went over and hunted a few different places mostly just road hunting checking out a couple of places I hadn't been before, it was kind of nasty rain and snow mixed and game wasn't moving. I had planned to stay the night at the cabin at Bull Lake Sunday night so that I could get a good early start for this morning. So today which was Day #37, I forgot to set the alarm and overslept! I was an hour late getting started. So I started walking at least an hour and a half after first light. It was clear and calm and was a nice quiet walk. I was thinking about how beautiful it was with the fresh 4" of snow and how I really couldn't complain at all with this season, whether I found a bull moose or not.
I just walked slowly and glassed where I could and watched the brush, and semi open spots that had been logged. I was about a mile and a half from the gate and had only seen a couple of fresh deer tracks so far, but I wasn't quite to where I had seen the moose tracks on Friday yet. I got to the intersection of a small side spur rd. and looked in the brush to my left, and something looked funny. As I focused, I could see that it was actually a bull moose standing in the dark timber and brush, covered with snow completely camouflaged.He never moved a muscle.
This is where he was standing. Behind this brush.
I have no doubt he would have let walk right past him if I hadn't spotted him. I could see he had a fair spread and looked okay to me considering it was the first bull I had seen in 37 days of hunting! It took me about 2 seconds to decide to shoot. So I swung the .338 off my shoulder and flipped up the scope caps, found a relatively open spot on his chest and shot. It was a little bit of a brush shot, which I suspected would be the case, in this country. He was standing in brush up to his chin! That's why I decided to work up the 225 grain Barnes TSX load for the old .338. At the shot he took off trotting across from rt. to left. I waited for an open spot and shot again just to be sure. Moose never really react unless you hit them in the hump, but that wastes shoulder meat, so I wanted an insurance shot in there. He went about 30 yards and went down. He's definitely not a monster, but for the only bull I've seen in 37 days I think he's by far the hardest won trophy I've ever taken. He's 42" wide and just had one brow tine on each side, so he won't score well, but I just don't care. He's got that same chocolate color as the elk and muley. I love moose meat, and he was in good shape, and have no blood shot waste so I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I skinned the top side and walked back to the truck to get the game bags. I went back and finished quartering and skinning, and got all of the meat bagged up in six bags. All I have to do tomorrow to finish is to cut the head off. We'll have two trips in and out with the horses. Of course there is supposed to be a bunch of snow so the drive over from Kalispell with the loaded horse trailer may be slow and slick.
Here's some pics
Selfie
Kaitum
Well-known member
Attaboy! Way to keep after it, a hard won trophy for sure. An elk, a big mule deer, and a moose in one season.... I assume the chest freezer lid will need a couple bungee cords....
Gerald Martin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2009
- Messages
- 8,643
Wow! Wow! WOW! Glad you stuck with it and made it happen. That's a really good bull and especially for how few moose are in the unit. A huge congrats!
sra61
Member
Yeah, we have two already full. Now we're gonna have to finally dig some of those old elk and deer capes out and get them to the taxidermist!
sra61
Member
Thanks man. This has been a long season. But it has been a very rewarding one too, in more ways than one! Your counting coup thread is a great one by the way.
Steelbendin
New member
So glad you got a moose! Thanks for sharing your hunt throughout the season it's been a great read! Hope to kill a moose one day.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
Congrats! What a great moose hunting season!
Nameless Range
Well-known member
What a season and a great moose. Congratulations and thanks for taking us along.
LCH
Well-known member
Way to keep at it! Congrats on all the fine critters you've taken this season.
MHMT
Member
Pretty awesome season! Congrats!
Firedancer
New member
Congrats
MKotur325
New member
Nice Bull! Way to hang in there!! Congrats on a Fantastic Season!!
