Once In a Lifetime

Way to go Montana Wildlife Federation and Montana Sportsmen Alliance for supporting a bill that will take conservation dollars away from moose, sheep, and goats.

Where the hell was Wild Sheep Foundation in opposing the bill in the Senate?
 
I
North Dakota offers once in a lifetime hunts for bighorn sheep, elk, and moose. These hunts are only available for residents and thousands of people apply each year and a very few are drawn. Having applied unsuccessfully for decades, I found myself in disbelief when I beat the odds and drew an "any moose" tag which carries odds of 0.6%-1%, depending on unit. I was first notified in April by email and I was shocked to say the least.

I soon found out that drawing a once in a lifetime tag in North Dakota brings out the best in people. Lots of offers to help came in as others found out I drew a moose tag. Throughout the summer people contacted me with information and advice on my upcoming hunt. One piece of advice came from a gentleman I know and respect who held the tag a few years prior. He told me, "You are going to have an amazing time with this tag! There's not another hunt like this in the state. Enjoy it!"

A two day scouting trip in August was made primarily to get an idea of what the unit looked like, the roads, camping locations, and also to see some moose. Temperatures near 100F and drought conditions were present and I wasn't expecting to see many moose but I still felt the trip was going to be productive. The first day didn't produce any moose sightings but I did see some sign. There were moose in the area!

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Early in the morning on my second day of scouting I turned up my first moose. A bull! While not the caliber of bull I was interested in shooting, it was a sign I may be in the right area.

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Not long after, I saw a couple decent mule deer.

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Later that day I saw moose number two and three.

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No more moose were seen on the scouting trip but the trip was worth it and I had a good idea where I wanted to start when season opened.
really enjoyed reading about your hunt! Congratulations
 
Just found this in my wanderings on HuntTalk - great write up and fantastic moose. I've gotten a couple up here in Alaska but no bulls so far - hopefully I can find an equally good bull myself this year!
 
Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

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