lightmag
10-07-2010, 09:04 AM
So as some of you know my season has had a slow start, elk didn't pan out as i hoped, i've been out hunting with 2 different buddy's that had bull draws in different areas and seen nothing and have hunted hard locally on my own seeing numerous moose but nothing legal. Here is a brief re-cap of my season and how persistence paid off.
Started off heading out aug 30-sept 3 with a buddy and his LEH for Bull moose, 3 days of hard hunting produced zero moose and zero sightings.
Next was hunting the opening 3 days of the season for elk camping with my brother, we hunted hard, put on leg miles and had zero success except a nice shed from the bull we were hunting from last year and we saw a beauty 45" + Moose, no LEH!!
Next was a 4 day trip north with my best friend for LEH bull moose again, 4 days of up at 5am, hiking, sitting, calling, quadding and again, no moose and no sightings? all we saw were 3 wolves that eluded my rifle!
so back to town to hear of all the moose and elk shot by our friends?? So me and my brother decide to head out to 7-16 oct 1st opening calf day to try our luck. Well all day hunting and as luck would have it we saw not 1 but 2 DRY COWS??? again heading home empty handed.
So now i'm staying local to save $$$. 1st morning out my brother and i call another mature bull moose in!! again NO LEH! head down the road and surprise... cow and calf and calf is not open in this area, lol.. imagine that.
2 days later out solo i see a cow at 1st light in a block, stick around calling, no small bull! move on, hike and call, hike up a draw and.... bang crash??? MOOSE... oh, cow, calf again, NO bull???
out that evening with my 6 year old daughter sticking to the quad because it's hard to hike with a 6 year old. 4:30pm, sunny, shooting grouse, come around a corner..... MOOSE... TWO MOOSE.... bino's up.... COW..... calf!!! unbelievable.
cool experience because my daughter got a close encounter with the moose and we shot 6 grouse, we both had a great evening together.
Take a day off to catch up on sleep and hang with the family. Next morning I'm out solo again.. out calling, hiking and into my honey hole block calling... what's that?? a answer?? yep sure enough wuh wuh wuh .. bull coming?? sit down and hear he coming at a run towards me through heavy willow... no paddles that's good.... comes into 70-80 yards facing me in heavy heavy willow, 10 more yards and i will be able to ID him.... what? he turns and silently leaves!!! wind was swirling and he must have winded me!!! home i go.
next morning grab my best friend and head back out to this spot with the small bull. As per google earth we take a back hike into the top side of the valley where there is better visibility and sit and start calling. 30 minutes nothing...45 nothing... then......waaaaaaah waaaaaaah cow calling?? WTF this cow continues calling constantly for 20 minutes? we decide to hike in from the other side again to see if a bull comes into her, end result, no moose!
we head out to the truck, it's 9:30am.. jump in go for a driving, head up this road that goes by a swamp..... MOOSE.... TWO MOOSE.. out we go.... cow......not again, CALF!!! now i'm getting annoyed, i say where are the small 2pt's that are usually hanging around?? we look around.. nothing anywhere! back to the truck, drive ahead to turn around and head home and MOOSE... HOLY S****T 2 POINT!! out of the truck.. 50 yards and he's running.. i grunt, he stops BOOM.. humps up starts running, i grunt he stops.. BOOM...he humps up again and starts walking slowly towards the swamp!! NO NOT THE SWAMP.. 1 to the hump and it's all over! my 1st ever 2 pt.. they do exist, lol...
so that get's you up to date on my season to date... now onto helping my best friend and brother get their moose and then..... BIG MULEY TIME!!!
the 300 WSM 165gr TSX's performed great at 50 yards, lol.. 3/4" entry holes, both shots hitting ribs and destroying lungs and exiting 3 inches apart with big bleeding 2-3" exit holes.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/dentonjohnson/2ptmoose004.jpg
4x4 the truck into the block, lol, quad was at home!!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/dentonjohnson/2ptmoose006.jpg
Started off heading out aug 30-sept 3 with a buddy and his LEH for Bull moose, 3 days of hard hunting produced zero moose and zero sightings.
Next was hunting the opening 3 days of the season for elk camping with my brother, we hunted hard, put on leg miles and had zero success except a nice shed from the bull we were hunting from last year and we saw a beauty 45" + Moose, no LEH!!
Next was a 4 day trip north with my best friend for LEH bull moose again, 4 days of up at 5am, hiking, sitting, calling, quadding and again, no moose and no sightings? all we saw were 3 wolves that eluded my rifle!
so back to town to hear of all the moose and elk shot by our friends?? So me and my brother decide to head out to 7-16 oct 1st opening calf day to try our luck. Well all day hunting and as luck would have it we saw not 1 but 2 DRY COWS??? again heading home empty handed.
So now i'm staying local to save $$$. 1st morning out my brother and i call another mature bull moose in!! again NO LEH! head down the road and surprise... cow and calf and calf is not open in this area, lol.. imagine that.
2 days later out solo i see a cow at 1st light in a block, stick around calling, no small bull! move on, hike and call, hike up a draw and.... bang crash??? MOOSE... oh, cow, calf again, NO bull???
out that evening with my 6 year old daughter sticking to the quad because it's hard to hike with a 6 year old. 4:30pm, sunny, shooting grouse, come around a corner..... MOOSE... TWO MOOSE.... bino's up.... COW..... calf!!! unbelievable.
cool experience because my daughter got a close encounter with the moose and we shot 6 grouse, we both had a great evening together.
Take a day off to catch up on sleep and hang with the family. Next morning I'm out solo again.. out calling, hiking and into my honey hole block calling... what's that?? a answer?? yep sure enough wuh wuh wuh .. bull coming?? sit down and hear he coming at a run towards me through heavy willow... no paddles that's good.... comes into 70-80 yards facing me in heavy heavy willow, 10 more yards and i will be able to ID him.... what? he turns and silently leaves!!! wind was swirling and he must have winded me!!! home i go.
next morning grab my best friend and head back out to this spot with the small bull. As per google earth we take a back hike into the top side of the valley where there is better visibility and sit and start calling. 30 minutes nothing...45 nothing... then......waaaaaaah waaaaaaah cow calling?? WTF this cow continues calling constantly for 20 minutes? we decide to hike in from the other side again to see if a bull comes into her, end result, no moose!
we head out to the truck, it's 9:30am.. jump in go for a driving, head up this road that goes by a swamp..... MOOSE.... TWO MOOSE.. out we go.... cow......not again, CALF!!! now i'm getting annoyed, i say where are the small 2pt's that are usually hanging around?? we look around.. nothing anywhere! back to the truck, drive ahead to turn around and head home and MOOSE... HOLY S****T 2 POINT!! out of the truck.. 50 yards and he's running.. i grunt, he stops BOOM.. humps up starts running, i grunt he stops.. BOOM...he humps up again and starts walking slowly towards the swamp!! NO NOT THE SWAMP.. 1 to the hump and it's all over! my 1st ever 2 pt.. they do exist, lol...
so that get's you up to date on my season to date... now onto helping my best friend and brother get their moose and then..... BIG MULEY TIME!!!
the 300 WSM 165gr TSX's performed great at 50 yards, lol.. 3/4" entry holes, both shots hitting ribs and destroying lungs and exiting 3 inches apart with big bleeding 2-3" exit holes.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/dentonjohnson/2ptmoose004.jpg
4x4 the truck into the block, lol, quad was at home!!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/dentonjohnson/2ptmoose006.jpg