CNEdeer307
FNG
In June of this year my Old Man hit the Washington State Hunting Lottery drawing a Once In a Lifetime moose tag after 33 years of applying maxed out at 28 points. With the Washington State draw debacle he had initially drawn his third choice unit in the northern part of the state, however a few weeks later our hunt was shifted south to his first choice unit near the Spokane area. We felt fortunate he not only maintained his moose tag, but was given his preference in units as we had heard from many other hunters who had been teased with quality hunts only to have them taken away due to a drawing system error. The next three months were spent doing lots of homework and talking to anyone who could have potential information on moose in the unit combined with hours of practice our calling and scouring onX Maps. After finding a pocket of moose in a seldom hunted corner of the unit we had turned up three nice bulls that we planned on chasing for the first 10 days of the season. With a few hard days of hunting behind us on the evening of the third day we were blessed enough to harvest what is one of the larger Shiras moose I have ever seen on the hoof. I can honestly say I can count on one hand the times I've seen my Old Man cry and two of which have now been on accord of a moose. It's not often a once in lifetime tag presents you with a once in a 100 lifetime trophy, especially in a unit that had sported relatively low success rates in the last 5 years and given we had no initial intentions of being overly selective with harvesting a bull. This hunt and the time shared with my father and the close friends who helped out has resulted in memories that will truly last a lifetime, and I am grateful to have such a driven and knowledgeable mentor in my father, who deserved (earned) every moment of that hunt.
For those interested in the tape, prior to the 60 day drying period the bull scores 166 ⅛ Boone and Crocket with a 47 ⅜ outside spread. And 356 6/8 SCI. which should roughly put him around #11 or #12 all-time for the State of Washington.
For those interested in the tape, prior to the 60 day drying period the bull scores 166 ⅛ Boone and Crocket with a 47 ⅜ outside spread. And 356 6/8 SCI. which should roughly put him around #11 or #12 all-time for the State of Washington.
