Moose hunting tips

[Packing Meat]

Drew a Colorado bull moose tag, super excited and nervous at the same time. I’ve seen a hand full of moose while elk hunting and that’s the extent of my knowledge. I’ve been trying to look up things like daily routine, elevation, best weapon/season, and calling. I haven’t found anything definitive just general info like bottom of the mountain to above tree line. I’ll probably only be to do weekends and 9 day long trip once the season starts. I’m trying to boost my moose IQ before I head out to scout in an effort to try and save gas. I’d be grateful for any personal experiences, good websites or books.
Thanks

 

[cnelk]

If you go into the Colorado stats, they have horn measurements and drainage locations for moose killed in the past.
It’s a start

 

[Salmonchaser]

Never shoot a moose in the water

 

[Packing Meat]

If you go into the Colorado stats, they have horn measurements and drainage locations for moose killed in the past.
It’s a start

I have looked there and the drainages listed look good from private all the way above tree line. That’s why I’m wondering what a preferred elevation is.

 

[cnelk]

I killed mine at 10,000’
But they are at all elevations

 

[Packing Meat]

WOW!!!! Very nice bull. Congrats. Colorado? Rifle or muzzleloader? Did you call at all? Thanks for posting the pic

 

[cnelk]

Yes, Colorado. Rifle
He’s a Booner
Spot and shoot lol

 

[Packing Meat]

What year? How many days of scouting and hunting?

 

[cnelk]

2009
A couple trips of scouting.
Never saw a bull scouting.

Killed him opening day at noon

 

[cnelk]

Back then we didn’t have the Season Choice tags.
Had to select our method of take upon applying

 

[Packing Meat]

. Things just happen

 

[TheRepeatOffender]

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I pulled a CO Moose tag and it was completely unexpected. Interested to hear about any suggested book or websites - although most seem Alaska-focused, I'm sure much of the info remains the same. I'm just dedicating all the time I can to scouting. I'm going to set up trail cams too. Don't know how much it will help but it will help me getting back out in the area to scout. I'm more focused on learning the units as this will be a new hunting area for me. Feel free to PM me (one I get my post count up) as I'm happy to discuss approach, what I'm seeing, etc.

 

[Laramie]

If you are hunting early season, there will be quite a few at high elevations. By mid October they will be spread out from high to low elevations. Spend time behind glass from vantage points to save gas. They aren't hard to hunt - the hardest part of moose hunting, in most areas, is drawing the tag. Do be mindful of where you pull the trigger. They can be a chore to pack. Beyond that, don't stress and enjoy the hunt.

 

[Dbevans]

Can’t offer much on CO moose but I’ve gotten a few AK moose myself and my dad has been on over 40 successful trips.

Be patient, scouting helps, be a good shot, understand that moose are big, make sure you can shoot while under pressure and fatigued, you can get pretty close to moose (at least I have. Last years was 40 yards the year before that was 25), big moose get big because they are patient if you think it ran away but you didn’t see it, its probably still in there. And again be patient. Billy molls on youtube offers a lot of the same advice my dad gave me

I have more tips and quite a few stories if you’re interested. For calibers I like 308 under 200 yards. People will argue go bigger but my dad got a 65 inch bull with a 243 one shot. But my gram used to make my dad shoot ~ 1000 squirrels every summer in the head for parkas.

308+ will work great. I like barbes ttsx, nosler partitions, sciroccos, A frames, accubonds, federal terminal ascents if I had the choices. But remington corelokts was all my dad used for 20 years. You might want a bigger caliber because of the elevation and as a just in case.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Packing Meat]

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I pulled a CO Moose tag and it was completely unexpected. Interested to hear about any suggested book or websites - although most seem Alaska-focused, I'm sure much of the info remains the same. I'm just dedicating all the time I can to scouting. I'm going to set up trail cams too. Don't know how much it will help but it will help me getting back out in the area to scout. I'm more focused on learning the units as this will be a new hunting area for me. Feel free to PM me (one I get my post count up) as I'm happy to discuss approach, what I'm seeing, etc.

 

[5MilesBack]

Ya, I was disappointed with my scouting trips. I too never saw a bull on any of them. I saw several cows and calves but no bulls. Then ended up shooting a bull the first evening of the archery season. I went back and forth on whether to shoot him, especially on the first day with 29 more days to hunt. But he was there, and I was there, and I had a tag in my pocket.......so I shot him.

After getting him home and taken care of, I went back up and elk hunted with a buddy the rest of the season. I saw several more bulls the rest of the archery season, but they were all smaller than mine so I don't regret taking him early. Although one of them was right behind my camp and I could have just about driven to him. That would have been nice.

 

[Packing Meat]

If you are hunting early season, there will be quite a few at high elevations. By mid October they will be spread out from high to low elevations. Spend time behind glass from vantage points to save gas. They aren't hard to hunt - the hardest part of moose hunting, in most areas, is drawing the tag. Do be mindful of where you pull the trigger. They can be a chore to pack. Beyond that, don't stress and enjoy the hunt.

Thanks for posting. If I hunt at tree line I’ll have a 4mi. Pack out. I’d like to avoid that but I will do what I need to do.

 

[Packing Meat]

Ya, I was disappointed with my scouting trips. I too never saw a bull on any of them. I saw several cows and calves but no bulls. Then ended up shooting a bull the first evening of the archery season. I went back and forth on whether to shoot him, especially on the first day with 29 more days to hunt. But he was there, and I was there, and I had a tag in my pocket.......so I shot him.

After getting him home and taken care of, I went back up and elk hunted with a buddy the rest of the season. I saw several more bulls the rest of the archery season, but they were all smaller than mine so I don't regret taking him early. Although one of them was right behind my camp and I could have just about driven to him. That would have been nice.

What elevation were you at? Did you do any calling? If you have any pics I’d like to see anything. Got real bad MOOSE BRAIN, can’t stop thinking about them big hairy critters

 

[Packing Meat]

Can’t offer much on CO moose but I’ve gotten a few AK moose myself and my dad has been on over 40 successful trips.

Be patient, scouting helps, be a good shot, understand that moose are big, make sure you can shoot while under pressure and fatigued, you can get pretty close to moose (at least I have. Last years was 40 yards the year before that was 25), big moose get big because they are patient if you think it ran away but you didn’t see it, its probably still in there. And again be patient. Billy molls on youtube offers a lot of the same advice my dad gave me

I have more tips and quite a few stories if you’re interested. For calibers I like 308 under 200 yards. People will argue go bigger but my dad got a 65 inch bull with a 243 one shot. But my gram used to make my dad shoot ~ 1000 squirrels every summer in the head for parkas.

308+ will work great. I like barbes ttsx, nosler partitions, sciroccos, A frames, accubonds, federal terminal ascents if I had the choices. But remington corelokts was all my dad used for 20 years. You might want a bigger caliber because of the elevation and as a just in case.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Getting that close are you calling them in or spot and stalk?

 

[Dbevans]

Getting that close are you calling them in or spot and stalk?

Stalking but beware, one time we got 40 yards to a huge bull. My friend took too long to try for a shot (had a 15 second window) and then it ran down the mountain across a river up another mountain and that was the last we saw of it.

To be fair, we weren’t patient. Saw it at 7:30 am while it was moving and eating around and decided for whatever reason to try and get it without it bedding down.

Usually you can sneak to at least 150 yards without spooking them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk