ILoveBusch
FNG
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2019
- Messages
- 59
This year I had pulled a coveted North Dakota any moose tag! Now I am extremely fortunate to, not only have drawn the tag, but I have access to an amazing allotment of habitat that is open to hunt (bow only). This is a once in a lifetime tag here, and I have been treating it as such. I have some great company for this season, and am extremely excited to get out and spot/stalk or call a nice bull in. There are great numbers of moose in central ND, and with limited seasons, and predators (trains, trucks, and a couple hunters). I have a few good bulls located, see attached, and was just curious what anyone had as far as size to these bulls. I based my guesstimates from this forum (and other sources), so I figured it would be fun to get your guy's thoughts on how big these two moose where. I, personally, am not one to get hung up on score, but this will likely be my only bull moose hunt. Hopefully I will be able to confirm or deny your guesstimate in early September!
Any info specifically on ND moose habits, rut dates, would be greatly appreciated.
**Update**
I had run ins with both bulls that I had been watching in the beginning of the archery season, but was not able to seal the deal. I headed to Idaho to elk hunt for 9 days in the middle of the season (I bought that tag before I drew the moose tag). Once I got back I would find the bull, but never really get an opportunity. The final weekend came around and I had finally located the long-tined bull in a corn field. I watched him all day Friday and Saturday while I was working on getting permission to hunt that field. Once I was got permission I didn't see him until last light on Saturday.
Sunday it took me a while to finally locate him back in the same corn field. I went in around mid-day to try to call him out, but he was not responding to (or hearing) my calls at all (wind was 20-30 mph). Once he finally stood up in the corn, I decided to go into the corn to get a better spot on where he would bed to try to sneak on him. Once he bedded I worked my way through the rows slowly until I heard the bull grunt. I held still and saw a cow at about 30 yards that got up, she headed south with no knowledge of me being there. Meanwhile this bull was with a second cow about 40 yards to the north of me. That cow started moving north and the bull followed (grunting non-stop). as I paralleled the bull and he disappeared over a small knob. Once I got to the knob, that cow was less than 20 yards away from me and was now moving south. I found an area that a moose had previously trampled the corn to give me about a 10 yard shooting lane perpendicular to the corn rows. That bull was coming down the absolute perfect row and I figured I would have a 10 yard broadside shot... However, once this bull's head came into the opening he turned and looked directly at me (I was at full draw at this point). Instead of continuing down the row he was, he decided to take my shooting lane directly at me. As he got closer, grunting, with love in his eyes, I began to get quite nervous. He hit the 15-20 FOOT mark and I finally decided to shout "Hey" a few time to try to get him to turn away, he to another step or two, 10 feet - I was not willing to find out how much closer he would get so I set the arrow into his chest. I was fully prepared to hit the dirt if he ran forward, but he backed up a couple steps and began to trot off. I cut through the corn and grunted at him, he stopped at 20 yards, broadside, at the top of the hill where the corn was shorter. I sent a second arrow and buried it to the fletching right behind the front shoulder. He took off, and I watched him for a while until I lost sight of him. The blood trail was massive so I knew he was not going too far. I shot him at 5:20, and when I got back to my wife who was glassing the whole ordeal, I spotted him walking through the corn and finally go down at 6:06. We let him go for another hour until I got on the blood trail and found him dead - over 500 yards from where I shot him with my second arrow. The frontal shot hit his left lung, and the second shot was a good double lung shot. This was a truly once in a lifetime experience, on a once in a lifetime bull. As it turned out, he was not the same bull I had been watching, he was bigger. I had never even seen this bull before. The spread on this bull was 53 1/4" and he has an amazing set of fronts on him. I am still in disbelief how it all went down.
Any info specifically on ND moose habits, rut dates, would be greatly appreciated.
**Update**
I had run ins with both bulls that I had been watching in the beginning of the archery season, but was not able to seal the deal. I headed to Idaho to elk hunt for 9 days in the middle of the season (I bought that tag before I drew the moose tag). Once I got back I would find the bull, but never really get an opportunity. The final weekend came around and I had finally located the long-tined bull in a corn field. I watched him all day Friday and Saturday while I was working on getting permission to hunt that field. Once I was got permission I didn't see him until last light on Saturday.
Sunday it took me a while to finally locate him back in the same corn field. I went in around mid-day to try to call him out, but he was not responding to (or hearing) my calls at all (wind was 20-30 mph). Once he finally stood up in the corn, I decided to go into the corn to get a better spot on where he would bed to try to sneak on him. Once he bedded I worked my way through the rows slowly until I heard the bull grunt. I held still and saw a cow at about 30 yards that got up, she headed south with no knowledge of me being there. Meanwhile this bull was with a second cow about 40 yards to the north of me. That cow started moving north and the bull followed (grunting non-stop). as I paralleled the bull and he disappeared over a small knob. Once I got to the knob, that cow was less than 20 yards away from me and was now moving south. I found an area that a moose had previously trampled the corn to give me about a 10 yard shooting lane perpendicular to the corn rows. That bull was coming down the absolute perfect row and I figured I would have a 10 yard broadside shot... However, once this bull's head came into the opening he turned and looked directly at me (I was at full draw at this point). Instead of continuing down the row he was, he decided to take my shooting lane directly at me. As he got closer, grunting, with love in his eyes, I began to get quite nervous. He hit the 15-20 FOOT mark and I finally decided to shout "Hey" a few time to try to get him to turn away, he to another step or two, 10 feet - I was not willing to find out how much closer he would get so I set the arrow into his chest. I was fully prepared to hit the dirt if he ran forward, but he backed up a couple steps and began to trot off. I cut through the corn and grunted at him, he stopped at 20 yards, broadside, at the top of the hill where the corn was shorter. I sent a second arrow and buried it to the fletching right behind the front shoulder. He took off, and I watched him for a while until I lost sight of him. The blood trail was massive so I knew he was not going too far. I shot him at 5:20, and when I got back to my wife who was glassing the whole ordeal, I spotted him walking through the corn and finally go down at 6:06. We let him go for another hour until I got on the blood trail and found him dead - over 500 yards from where I shot him with my second arrow. The frontal shot hit his left lung, and the second shot was a good double lung shot. This was a truly once in a lifetime experience, on a once in a lifetime bull. As it turned out, he was not the same bull I had been watching, he was bigger. I had never even seen this bull before. The spread on this bull was 53 1/4" and he has an amazing set of fronts on him. I am still in disbelief how it all went down.
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