2021 Moose Hunt

Catchfish

WKR
Joined
Jan 21, 2019
Messages
375
I was really looking forwards to our moose season this year. No early hints were planned, and I didn’t get to moose hunt last year because of a shutdown at work. Our freezer was out of moose from 2019 and it was actually needed this year from a freezer perspective.

Camp got set up before season, with help from a friend visiting on vacation along with my hunt family doing their share as well. Was only going to get opening morning in before having to head back to work for a week. Opening morning came and went saw a couple cows and a lot of hunters. Didn’t see or here of any moose dying in the area.

Do my week at work and hear about moose starting to fall in the general area. I try to avoid the weekends and hunt weekdays so Wed head out for a couple of days and 1st morning father in law dropped the hammer on a 61” moose 3x1 bt. Big guy for our area, and a healthy moose, body was not very large though and he smelled rutty and it was very early. I was interested in what bill would come and take his cows?

The are kind of died off and didn’t see much activity for the next few days. Finally got a lil bull action saw a fork, and a 3x3 bull jousting one morning. Then got into a nice paddled bull that was 2x2 and figured he was close to 50 but not there. The other bull was wide but had really skinny paddles and was also 2x2 on the bt. I had to go back to work and then I was using some vacation time to get back out.

Went back in during a motor restriction season and got onto the skinny palmed bull 3 days in a row he was everywhere and had him really close one evening. Grunting and destroying trees at less than 5 yds. It was suppose to be getting cold so I was excited to see what was going to happen. Lil coursin was able to pop a spike and we hung it in the woods until the motor restriction loosened to haul it out.
 

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Catchfish

WKR
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Jan 21, 2019
Messages
375
Continued....

Hauled the spike out and got cleaned up in town and took care of some chores on the home front. We split the meat in camp. Shooter gets half and the the other half gets split by the other hunters. I had already cut my share from the big bull, cleaned up a hind quarter from the spike and headed back out.
The motor restrictions were still off so I was hauling water and some gear into camp and decided to detour. I rode right into a group of cows sleeping. I got off and started to scrape and look through the trees with my binos and I could hear cows moaning in the distance. I turned to go up the hill and bumped right into the bull at 25 yds and he was big. He ran into some alders and I could only see his rack. Appeared to be 2x2 and and laid back. He had a pretty identifiable rack which I noted and wanted him to clear the bushes. When he did he was running. I tried to circle and get him to come back but never saw him clearly again I could hear 2 bulls grunting in the trees but they never appeared and it got dark. Went to camp and the motor restriction were going to kick in for the rest of the season.

Woke up and it was cold 26 degrees and headed out. Walked to my calling area and was watching a few cows moaning in a swamp. Then I heard the sound of antlers on antlers which sounds so good. I started to head their direction and started running into cows. I lost track of how many but there was at least 10. I saw a flash of horns in the trees and saw that they were sparring back in a small arena but were surrounded by cows. I tried sneaking in and couldn’t get through the cows when they all started heading south. I backed out and looped around to a long clearing in front of them. I was trying to get to a couple of birch trees to hang out when I looked up and saw a bull clear the trees headed right for me at 145 yds. Saw 2x2 Bt good palms, bases looked good, straight and small slope down on the beams. Decent points on the palms laid back a lil would like more. Looked like he has 30” between the bottom of the palms on the inside. Then a cow walks behind him and he turns around headed to the trees. I decide I was going to take him.
To be continued.
 
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Catchfish

WKR
Joined
Jan 21, 2019
Messages
375
At this point I put a round into the chamber, scope covers are up and I look at him through the scope and he’s standing there. I take a breath and let it fly and see the bull jump up and take 2 big lunges and he’s in the trees. I listen and don’t hear anything, move to my left and see no bull but the cow is still standing there. Give it a few minutes and I’m feeling good, no moose is sprinting away. When I look over in time to see him up and running full speed to the east and he’s gone. I circled around nice and wide, see the cows and they aren’t panicked at all. I figure he’s still in there, 20 minutes later and I saw cows scamper from the trees and see them all look back and here thrashing. I figured he just tipped over. Went to my original shot location which I had marked and start going to his original shot location to mark and look for blood. That’s when I see 2 more cows to my West I’ve cut the distance from 150 yds to 60 when the bull pokes his head out and is now headed east. I pull up for a shot and think is this the same bull???
 
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Catchfish

WKR
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Jan 21, 2019
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375
I watch the bull turn and leave me and notice it limping on its front right shoulder. I realize I must have missed forward and busted a shoulder. But the bull is moving pretty good and not laboring. I decided to follow quickly Basically sprinting after it and catch it in a small clearing heading away from me at a very hard angle. I moved up from the shoulder not wanting to hit it in the ass. I swung up to the back of the head and squeezed. The bull folded like it had been struck by lightening. I continued my run up figuring i more than likely hit it in an antler. The bull was down and didn’t kick one more time.
 

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Catchfish

WKR
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Jan 21, 2019
Messages
375
This is when the fear set in,
I realized this was not the bull I thought it was. It did have several good indications that it was a 50”+ bull. But was not the bull I saw the night before, quick check showed he was over 50 in several directions for many points. Fish and game sealed him at 52” officially. We gutted and quarter him to hang i the field until the season was over.
 

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Catchfish

WKR
Joined
Jan 21, 2019
Messages
375
Went back to try and relax but the next day the weather turned and so did the next few days forecast. I made the decision to get the moose out of the woods there was going to be to much moisture. Got a hold of my brother and with the help of a few sleds we backpacked and pulled the moose out to the truck. We got it home and it is now hangin in the garage ready to be cut up and stored in the freezer.
Hope everybody enjoyed the write up I understand it was long and cut up but it was a great season and I pounded this area waiting for it to pay off and was rewarded for it.

Thanks
Jacob
 
Joined
May 28, 2019
Messages
17
I was really looking forwards to our moose season this year. No early hints were planned, and I didn’t get to moose hunt last year because of a shutdown at work. Our freezer was out of moose from 2019 and it was actually needed this year from a freezer perspective.

Camp got set up before season, with help from a friend visiting on vacation along with my hunt family doing their share as well. Was only going to get opening morning in before having to head back to work for a week. Opening morning came and went saw a couple cows and a lot of hunters. Didn’t see or here of any moose dying in the area.

Do my week at work and hear about moose starting to fall in the general area. I try to avoid the weekends and hunt weekdays so Wed head out for a couple of days and 1st morning father in law dropped the hammer on a 61” moose 3x1 bt. Big guy for our area, and a healthy moose, body was not very large though and he smelled rutty and it was very early. I was interested in what bill would come and take his cows?

The are kind of died off and didn’t see much activity for the next few days. Finally got a lil bull action saw a fork, and a 3x3 bull jousting one morning. Then got into a nice paddled bull that was 2x2 and figured he was close to 50 but not there. The other bull was wide but had really skinny paddles and was also 2x2 on the bt. I had to go back to work and then I was using some vacation time to get back out.

Went back in during a motor restriction season and got onto the skinny palmed bull 3 days in a row he was everywhere and had him really close one evening. Grunting and destroying trees at less than 5 yds. It was suppose to be getting cold so I was excited to see what was going to happen. Lil coursin was able to pop a spike and we hung it in the woods until the motor restriction loosened to haul it out.
Did you guys go through a drop flight company for your moose hunt??
 
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