First animal

Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
8
Location
Washington State
My boy passed hunters ed when he was 8. My wife and I decided that we were just going to put him in for special permits to build points up until he was 12. Even though he tagged along with me from 2 years old on we both thought that 8 was still too young for him to try to harvest a animal. So 2010 came and he had two points so i still thought it was a long shot for him to draw any of the permits that i was putting him in for. Permit results day came and i was blown away that he was 1 out of 10 youths that drew a antlerless moose tag. With all of us excited, we totally forgot about our decision of waiting until he was 12.

We took him shooting every weekend up until his hunt and he was driving tacks with his .308 @ 100 yards. We took 1 scouting trip over a week before season to get a look at the land and to locate some moose. Everywhere we researched and got tips from was bone dry. All the sign we found was older and the few people we saw in the areas said they havent seen any moose. We headed back home with the same knowledge we left with.

We got back to the unit the day before the opener, while we were filling up our trucks a local came up and asked what we were hunting for. I told him that my 10 year old drew a moose tag and intantly the guys smiled. He threw us a huge bone and told us a area that was over looked. We headed there in the moring and instantly there was a cow in the road eating alder tops. I got Jeremiah set up and looked at his gun and it was doing circles. I held him off and the cow took off. This went on all weekend with the cheap shooting sticks i bought. I just couldnt get him steady enough to take any shots.

Halloween weekend we headed up back over in hopes of him filling his tag. This time i put a harris bi-pod on his rifle. We pull into town and instantly we got bad news of IEP closing the gates only allowing walk ins and atvs. While our quads are still in Idaho on a elk hunt it looks like we are stuck to our boots and packframes. We head back to the gate where we saw all the moose prior and in the snow leading up to the gate are fresh moose tracks.

We get to the gate and our getting our frames on and everything together when my boy says dad theres a moose in the bushes. It was alittle breezy so i just thought he was seeing things so i continued getting stuff together. He convinces my wife that there is a moose and she goes with him to take a peek. I then see her signaling to me to get the gun loaded that it is a moose. I put two shells in and extend the bi-pod out and hand it to my boy. With its front end in the alders i cant tell if its a cow or not. I sent my wife up and around to get in front of it to see if it has horns or not, not thinking on hows shes going to tell me i get my boy ready. All the sudden she yells its a COW.

As luck would happen it turned on a dime right at us and then down the road, it was a staight away for about a 100 yards and then it cut a 90. I sat my boy down, got right behind him and told him to get ready. I let out a grunt and to my disbelief it stopped in its track and turned broadside at a hundred yards. Before i can say a word i hear the gun go off. Now i am completely froze up and cant even tell him to load another round. The moose took one step and then started kicking snow. Perfect shot behind the shoulder and it never left the road.

We gutted it over the bank and some elk hunters pulled the moose the hundred yards to our truck with their quads and we loaded it whole with a winch. Took it back to our inlaws and used the tractor to hang it up.

book14_zps15c91261.jpg

DSCN3226-1.jpg
 

Shrek

WKR
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
Messages
7,069
Location
Hilliard Florida
Congratulations ! 100 yards from the truck and in the middle of the road!? Too much. His hunting expectations are in the stratosphere now! Lol.
 
Top