So after weeks of planning and scouting in order to prepare for my once in a lifetime moose hunt, it only took me 2 1/2 hours into opening day to put him on the ground!
It started at daylight with my dad and me leaving camp to go to the check out the south side of the unit I had yet to scout. The plan was to glass over a few clearings I had seen sign in on the previous scouting trip. Due to thick fog the glassing was a no go. I decided to just go straight over and check out the new area. On the way down to the river drainage I saw a huge moose track chasing a smaller set of tracks. I intended to call from the landing right below there but my dad decided that would be a great time to light up a swisher sweet!!! So needless to say I didn't call and we went on to do a little scouting. After seeing nothing but another hunter it was time to go back and pick up my brother in law who was meeting us in town with car that couldn't make it into the mt's.
We took the same road back to camp so I decided to stop where I saw the tracks and do a little calling. I made sure my dad didn't light up again and had peeled off his jacket he had been smoking in! I followed the tracks down to the edge of the brush and made a soft cow call. Within 10 seconds I heard an answer!! I was not 100% sure if I was hearing things or not, so I let out another call. Sure enough he grunted right back. I ran back to get my dad down with me and told him I had a bull responding and he told me I was nuts. So called again and instead of the grunt, he did this weird barking/snorting sound! I can hear the brush moving so I know he is coming my way so I get down on one knee and wait to see which trail out he is going to take. At about 10 yards from the edge I can tell he is going to come out right in front of me and give me a 25 yard shot. Then he stops! I can see his breath coming up over the edge but he is just standing there for what seems like hours, but I know it was not more then a minute. I let out a real soft short cow call to see if that will coax him up over the edge and into sight. Sure enough I see tops of his paddles coming up my way. Instantly I know he is a shooter even only being 2 1/2 hours into my hunt. I make my self stop looking at his antlers and focus in his front shoulder waiting for him to crest all the way over. He makes it 3/4 of the way up slightly quartering away and stops to look around for the cow that doesn't exist. I take that chance to put a 300 grain flat nose from my 45-70 right through his heart and lungs!!!!! He whirls around and heads down the trail he came from but didn't make it more the 25 yards before tipping over. The whooping and hugs between my dad and I start as soon as he hit the ground!
It was a great hunt that I will always remember with my dad right next to me as I harvested a trophy of a life time. My brother in law was truly understanding about me ending the hunt before he was able to join us after driving over 400 miles to be there. So to make up for it I took him bear hunting the next couple days!
It started at daylight with my dad and me leaving camp to go to the check out the south side of the unit I had yet to scout. The plan was to glass over a few clearings I had seen sign in on the previous scouting trip. Due to thick fog the glassing was a no go. I decided to just go straight over and check out the new area. On the way down to the river drainage I saw a huge moose track chasing a smaller set of tracks. I intended to call from the landing right below there but my dad decided that would be a great time to light up a swisher sweet!!! So needless to say I didn't call and we went on to do a little scouting. After seeing nothing but another hunter it was time to go back and pick up my brother in law who was meeting us in town with car that couldn't make it into the mt's.
We took the same road back to camp so I decided to stop where I saw the tracks and do a little calling. I made sure my dad didn't light up again and had peeled off his jacket he had been smoking in! I followed the tracks down to the edge of the brush and made a soft cow call. Within 10 seconds I heard an answer!! I was not 100% sure if I was hearing things or not, so I let out another call. Sure enough he grunted right back. I ran back to get my dad down with me and told him I had a bull responding and he told me I was nuts. So called again and instead of the grunt, he did this weird barking/snorting sound! I can hear the brush moving so I know he is coming my way so I get down on one knee and wait to see which trail out he is going to take. At about 10 yards from the edge I can tell he is going to come out right in front of me and give me a 25 yard shot. Then he stops! I can see his breath coming up over the edge but he is just standing there for what seems like hours, but I know it was not more then a minute. I let out a real soft short cow call to see if that will coax him up over the edge and into sight. Sure enough I see tops of his paddles coming up my way. Instantly I know he is a shooter even only being 2 1/2 hours into my hunt. I make my self stop looking at his antlers and focus in his front shoulder waiting for him to crest all the way over. He makes it 3/4 of the way up slightly quartering away and stops to look around for the cow that doesn't exist. I take that chance to put a 300 grain flat nose from my 45-70 right through his heart and lungs!!!!! He whirls around and heads down the trail he came from but didn't make it more the 25 yards before tipping over. The whooping and hugs between my dad and I start as soon as he hit the ground!
It was a great hunt that I will always remember with my dad right next to me as I harvested a trophy of a life time. My brother in law was truly understanding about me ending the hunt before he was able to join us after driving over 400 miles to be there. So to make up for it I took him bear hunting the next couple days!
