oldgoat
WKR
Filled my Colorado Cow Moose Tag Sunday! Hunted opening day with one failed stalk, wind switched directions three times in just a few minutes and got winded last second! Didn't hunt the second day as I had to be to work for three days before my vacation started and wanted to make sure I had time to take care of her properly. Went back up Thursday. Friday morning I spotted her with 2 bulls and a calf, thought the calf was bigger than it was and decided to take her if able. All of a sudden the calf starts walking on a course that would bring it within a few feet of me and things really started getting Western in a hurry as the bulls and the cow started rushing at me as the calf neared me because they knew I was there but the calf didn't. Thought I was going to half to shoot a frontal on the cow but she finally stopped and turned broad side. I aimed and shot and I watched in horror as my arrow came off fish tailing hard left, I hit on a good line but extremely high in the top of the shoulder. I looked down and my arm guard had slipped down to my wrist and I'm guessing I caught it with the string when I shot because this bow set up is extremely forgiving and I always have good arrow flight! Off they went with my arrow flailing in her side. Found a tiny drop of blood about 60 or 70 yards which gradually improved then disappeared about 325 yards as there crow flies according to my GPS. Couldn't find the arrow which dumb founded me considering how close she walked to some sturdy trees on that side of her body. Watched for her the rest of the day with no luck and looked for my arrow some more with no luck. Next morning headed back up same drainage with no luck and started back down and ran head on with her calf at about 30yds, finally spotted her just a little farther away but couldn't see the side I had shot the day before and didn't want to shoot a different cow as there were several around. Started jockeying around to try and get a look at other side of her and got busted, but did figure out it was the right cow. Played cat and mouse with her for a little bit but didn't want to pressure her out of the area, needed to wait till terms were on my side. Next morning headed up again and spotted a cow and calf very near where I had shot the first time but there was no arrow visible, but before I could discern through my binoculars if she had a wound, she moved into the timber out of sight. I look back behind me towards camp for some reason and see another Hunter coming and as he neared I realized it was a friend of mine that I didn't know was there, he had come in the night before to elk hunt. He knew I had a moose tag for that unit and had seen my cow right by camp with the arrow in her and had come looking for me or whoever it might be that was moose hunting. We went back, found her again and I was able to close and shoot her again, the shot was just a little low but I think I must of hit her in the heart because she just walked a little ways, few yards and laid down. I closed and shot her again, she jumped up went a little farther and I emptied my quiver into her to try and expedite the end of the suffering. If you've never moose hunted and cut one up for yourself, it's hard to fathom just how big even a cow is, the quarters were close to my height(5'11") a bone in front quarter without the lower leg weighs almost fifty pounds and yielded 25# of trimmed meat. Tendons I don't even pay attention too on a deer are a 1/4" thick on a moose and probably wouldn't go through my grinder!
Equipment Specs: Toelke Lynx 50#@28" drawn to 31". Goldtip Kinetic arrow with 1" aluminum footer. Used both Cuthroat and Valkyrie broadheads 250gr, making total arrow weight 638gr and they fly about 175fps.
