Old Friends and Big Moose
- Thread starter Bambistew
- Start date
Nice. I walked up on a just shot bull that was laying in the same position once. Just as much rifle was about to touch his eye he stood up. All of a sudden I'm standing 2' from a wound bull with big antlers that could have easily reached me.
The best thing about ol great friends is that you can start off a conversation like you saw each other yesterday when it was actually 20 years. And nothing better than hunting to get good times started
The best thing about ol great friends is that you can start off a conversation like you saw each other yesterday when it was actually 20 years. And nothing better than hunting to get good times started
Great Hunt. Great story. Great bull. Congratulations to all involved.
CPAjeff
Well-known member
Congrats on a great bull!
Bambistew
Well-known member
The shot was a perfect top of heart. I think he just fell into that hole and it was in such a configuration that it kept him upright. It was a giant PITA to get him off his front legs, we couldn't get any leverage, and had to roll him uphill. I forget how much moose butchering sucks every time I kill one.
The spread, using a straight edge and wall is 55 and its not obvious. I figured he'd go 50-52 when I looked at him. My buddy said he would have been too nervous to take that risk. The 4th brow was not obvious unless we would have had good light and a spotter, along with time. Any bull tags are a beautiful thing.
Gellar
Well-known member
Awesome!
MarvB
Well-known member
Great bull Ivan, glad you found him and he was salvageable!
Carl 9.3x62
Well-known member
Awesome. Crazy how light colored his hide is. Is that common up there?
Hem
Well-known member
Local paper had an article today on the heightened bear activity and how best to stay safe.
The same ole standard...hang up meat 10' up 4' out...but now a new one, stash meat or carcass a HALF MILE from camp.
Hope you follow these guidelines Bambi, offered by the MT F&G brain wizards.
The same ole standard...hang up meat 10' up 4' out...but now a new one, stash meat or carcass a HALF MILE from camp.
Hope you follow these guidelines Bambi, offered by the MT F&G brain wizards.
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
Congratulations on a great looking bull! Thanks for sharing the photos and report. Those fall colors look stunning.
shoots-straight
Well-known member
Wonderful hunt, writeup and moose to boot.
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
Bambistew
Well-known member
Bears are a little different here. They tend to get shot if they hang around. Residents don't need a tag. Some areas you can shoot two. Meat was about 200 yards from camp next to the strip. Food was un the tent bacon was in a cooler outside tent. Beer was in the shade next to tent.
Bambistew
Well-known member
They are much more brown than a shiras. I thought his legs were a lot darker than most I've shot, however. Pretty old bull I think. I wish I would have grabbed a front tooth to age. Guessing he's 7-10. Really heavy bases, over 9 inches
Salmonchaser
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2019
- Messages
- 2,433
Well done, all the way around. Great story.
BradA
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- Joined
- Jan 23, 2021
- Messages
- 1,027
Truly living the dream after being in Alaska this past august it’s like a drug to be able to hunt every year up there I couldn’t imagine. I seen your post on the gram congratulations again. How was your sheep season? I didn’t see any post on that.
Bambistew
Well-known member
Thanks. Congrats on the ram, I'm glad it came together for you.
I didn't go sheep hunting. The sheep population is in dire straights, and we will see the lowest harvest on record this year, after the lowest last year. Success rates for even guided hunts this year is approaching sub 40% in many areas, where it used to be 75%+. I know of a couple guys that didn't even see rams this year... A friend of mine hunted with this daughter in the youth season in my spot. The saw 4 sheep in 5 days. We usually see 60+/- in a 10 day trip. They also flew the area before the season, and didn't see much at all. its not a legal ram thing, its a total lack of sheep in general. Guides are not canceling hunts either... and they know damn well what the population and chance of harvest is like.
The first of many meetings on sheep management will be in a couple weeks. Its going to be an interesting winter/spring thats for sure.
I think there was 3 rams killed in TMA this year. They gave out 10 tags, and used to give out at one point 150. ADFG counted 26 "FC" like rams in the entire TMA unit, and spent a lot of time looking. They used to shoot 50-60 rams out of TMA. DCUA tags will get chopped way back, and I wouldn't be surprised to see 19C close. I think there was less than 20 rams killed there this year, but final numbers won't come in for a few weeks. The norm was 90% success for NR and 90-100 rams a year. I think NR success was 40% last year.
I have no idea what I'm going to do next year. I really missed mountain time this year, but I can't really bring myself to shoot one unless its a old ram. Winter of 2021-2022 was worse than 2012-2013, and the spring lingered on in many areas into June. There are hardly any old rams killed this year, and we're shooting 6-7yo like they are going out of style. Once this last winter catches up with that harvest rate, we'll be in the sub 200 rams or less killed a year. Its going to get ugly. Pre full curl requirement in the early 90s we were shooting 1200 rams a year.
Irrelevant
Well-known member
Glad you found him and without spoilage. Great bull man
