fozzy
10-13-2008, 12:13 PM
My Wife Nadine and two friends were drawn for shared bull Moose in
8-08. We have been hunting there for a few years for Mule deer and started entering for the LEH Bull draw.
The week started off good with two deer shot on Sunday. Mike had been hunting for 11 or 12 years with no sucess so far. He came out for two days and Doc brought him to a spot that I call my lawn chair spot. A place in the timber where a few trails intersect. Within a few minutes of settling in Mike had a nice fork for his first Buck. Later that same day Shane spotted a 3x2 that was big enough for him to pull the trigger and put in the freezer. With an LEH Moose tag to fill yet he was still on the prowl and as luck would have it saw a real nice buck that he called Buckzilla at about 25 yards that he could only make faces at. He said it would have easily been one which would he would have had mounted. With his uncle as a taxidermist I can only imagine what it felt like having to pass it up. :) Sometimes you have to be prepared to eat tag soup and hold out for a bigger one.
My Wife Nadine has hunted off and on with me for a few years but never cancelled a tag. Last year on our Elk trip she passed up a few smaller island deer saying that she wanted a bigger one. We were sitting in a blind we had made in the "lawn chair" spot and had been seeing only does filter though. At one point when she was having a little snooze I heard a deer trip or stomp it's foot beside me. I could not see the deer but knew something was there. I whispered to wake her up a couple times and finally got her attention. When she came too and looked in the direction her eyes lit up and she nodded it was a "shooter". Her rifle was pointing the wrong direction and in the process of switching it around the Buck was gone. We hunted that spot a couple more times but just didn't see the number of animals that we normally would. I think since one was shot there already they could smell/sense something was up. The Doe's would come in close and feed around us and carry on which is nice to watch anyway.
While walking out from the timber and back to the truck Nadine took a spill and scratched up her scope. We knew we had to put it back on paper to be sure everything was ok still. Tuesday afternoon we left camp to go do that and phone her parents and check in. There is a place at 6000ft that I have phoned home from before. We found a short gravel pit with a good backdrop to check the zero. One shot on on paper confirmed that it was still fine.
We carried on up to call home. We tried and tried to call out, the phone showed service but no dice. We had gone down a short spur road and turned around to head back. Nadine exclaims MOOSE. We park the Hilux and gave chase on foot. The Bull gave a short shot opportunity that would have been a neck shot and then dissapeared down and into a timber filled draw. We jogged along in hopes that the Bull would come back out the other side or we could see him again. Just like a gift from up top he came through the timber and stopped fully broadside and watched us. I coached her "behind the shoulder, behind the shoulder".... boom. The 308, loaded with my handloads of 150 grain Accubonds barked just once. I said just wait as we watched him trott a few feet (closer to the next road) and pile up. Wow what a rush! And to see her reaction and the look on her face was priceless.
The two of us were able to pull the Moose to the road and we managed to radio a couple of the guys back at camp and they helped get the Moose into the back of the Hilux whole. Now that was a sight. :) Back at camp we skinned, halfed and hung the Moose and hit the hay just after 2am.
Throught the week the guys were seeing 20-30 doe's each but not many bucks. Jared spotted a Bull Moose that would have been awesome for him to fill a portion of the shared LEH. The bull was just too far away and dissapeared back into the timber. Jared also had a close encouner with a nice Buck that gave him the slip and dissapeared back into the safety of the timber.
Wednesday Rob shot a 4x3 that had snuck up on him and was trying to make a getaway. The rest of the trip we saw more Doe's and on the last evening while hunting with Jared I saw one deer just at dusk that I'm sure was a nice Buck out at 300 yards. So between that one and Buckzilla two to look forward to for next year.
8-08. We have been hunting there for a few years for Mule deer and started entering for the LEH Bull draw.
The week started off good with two deer shot on Sunday. Mike had been hunting for 11 or 12 years with no sucess so far. He came out for two days and Doc brought him to a spot that I call my lawn chair spot. A place in the timber where a few trails intersect. Within a few minutes of settling in Mike had a nice fork for his first Buck. Later that same day Shane spotted a 3x2 that was big enough for him to pull the trigger and put in the freezer. With an LEH Moose tag to fill yet he was still on the prowl and as luck would have it saw a real nice buck that he called Buckzilla at about 25 yards that he could only make faces at. He said it would have easily been one which would he would have had mounted. With his uncle as a taxidermist I can only imagine what it felt like having to pass it up. :) Sometimes you have to be prepared to eat tag soup and hold out for a bigger one.
My Wife Nadine has hunted off and on with me for a few years but never cancelled a tag. Last year on our Elk trip she passed up a few smaller island deer saying that she wanted a bigger one. We were sitting in a blind we had made in the "lawn chair" spot and had been seeing only does filter though. At one point when she was having a little snooze I heard a deer trip or stomp it's foot beside me. I could not see the deer but knew something was there. I whispered to wake her up a couple times and finally got her attention. When she came too and looked in the direction her eyes lit up and she nodded it was a "shooter". Her rifle was pointing the wrong direction and in the process of switching it around the Buck was gone. We hunted that spot a couple more times but just didn't see the number of animals that we normally would. I think since one was shot there already they could smell/sense something was up. The Doe's would come in close and feed around us and carry on which is nice to watch anyway.
While walking out from the timber and back to the truck Nadine took a spill and scratched up her scope. We knew we had to put it back on paper to be sure everything was ok still. Tuesday afternoon we left camp to go do that and phone her parents and check in. There is a place at 6000ft that I have phoned home from before. We found a short gravel pit with a good backdrop to check the zero. One shot on on paper confirmed that it was still fine.
We carried on up to call home. We tried and tried to call out, the phone showed service but no dice. We had gone down a short spur road and turned around to head back. Nadine exclaims MOOSE. We park the Hilux and gave chase on foot. The Bull gave a short shot opportunity that would have been a neck shot and then dissapeared down and into a timber filled draw. We jogged along in hopes that the Bull would come back out the other side or we could see him again. Just like a gift from up top he came through the timber and stopped fully broadside and watched us. I coached her "behind the shoulder, behind the shoulder".... boom. The 308, loaded with my handloads of 150 grain Accubonds barked just once. I said just wait as we watched him trott a few feet (closer to the next road) and pile up. Wow what a rush! And to see her reaction and the look on her face was priceless.
The two of us were able to pull the Moose to the road and we managed to radio a couple of the guys back at camp and they helped get the Moose into the back of the Hilux whole. Now that was a sight. :) Back at camp we skinned, halfed and hung the Moose and hit the hay just after 2am.
Throught the week the guys were seeing 20-30 doe's each but not many bucks. Jared spotted a Bull Moose that would have been awesome for him to fill a portion of the shared LEH. The bull was just too far away and dissapeared back into the timber. Jared also had a close encouner with a nice Buck that gave him the slip and dissapeared back into the safety of the timber.
Wednesday Rob shot a 4x3 that had snuck up on him and was trying to make a getaway. The rest of the trip we saw more Doe's and on the last evening while hunting with Jared I saw one deer just at dusk that I'm sure was a nice Buck out at 300 yards. So between that one and Buckzilla two to look forward to for next year.