Success! Montana unit 102-50 Eureka moose tag drawn!

[jeffpg]

Well, I've been in the points running from the gitgo, having applied the first year they were available and every year since, and I finally hit a tag. I also put in for sheep and goat but perhaps they will come later.
I hunted moose successfully in Idaho back in 2008 so I have a bit of experience with them. All I really know about the unit is that it's in the NW corner of the state and is supposedly one of the better units in the state, with some thick timber and both roadless and logging road areas.

If anyone here can offer any info on what to expect or point me in the right direction I would be grateful.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Legend]

nice work. I would plan on doing some scouting. My friend had a tag up there and it was pretty hard to fill.

 

[owengohunt]

Well, I've been in the points running from the gitgo, having applied the first year they were available and every year since, and I finally hit a tag. I also put in for sheep and goat but perhaps they will come later.
I hunted moose successfully in Idaho back in 2008 so I have a bit of experience with them. All I really know about the unit is that it's in the NW corner of the state and is supposedly one of the better units in the state, with some thick timber and both roadless and logging road areas.

If anyone here can offer any info on what to expect or point me in the right direction I would be grateful.

Thanks,
Jeff

Prepare for it to be either thick or heavy with blowdowns in most places. Your gunna have to go pretty high in elevation most time to find them. I'm not at all a person with a ton of knowledge on moose, but I know a thing or 2 about them from seeing them during summer and hunting season up here in Eureka. Congrats on the tag!

 

[Elkchaser24x7]

Well, I've been in the points running from the gitgo, having applied the first year they were available and every year since, and I finally hit a tag. I also put in for sheep and goat but perhaps they will come later.
I hunted moose successfully in Idaho back in 2008 so I have a bit of experience with them. All I really know about the unit is that it's in the NW corner of the state and is supposedly one of the better units in the state, with some thick timber and both roadless and logging road areas.

If anyone here can offer any info on what to expect or point me in the right direction I would be grateful.

Thanks,
Jeff

Curious how you did, I had that tag 10 years ago and my Dad 14. Both harvested. Any luck?

 

[jeffpg]

I hunted hard for 3 weeks including during the rut while camped in the heart of the best moose country in the unit, and I never saw a live moose. I helped a local guy pack a decent 4 year old bull out that he stumbled upon a few miles hike from our campsites. He had hunted for 2 weeks before I got there and knew the country well but only saw/heard the one bull. There were a lot of wolf tracks everywhere I went. I thought the snow would really make a difference but it actually revealed just how few moose there were in the area.
It was tough to lose 20 years worth of points and not even have a truly enjoyable hunt out of the deal. Oh, I made the best of the situation and drove and hiked a lot of pretty country but to not ever really feel like you were in the game due to such a scaricity of critters was somewhat disappointing on a 20 year tag that I had max points in. I really thought the unit was misrepresented by the source I used and I'll be more careful when making my hunt choices on what are basically once in a lifetime hunts, as this was touted as a top unit, when it actually used to be before the wolves had their way.
It's all good though, you can't hit a grand slam on every hunt, and these kind of tough ones make us appreciate the better ones!

 

[mt100gr.]

I hunted hard for 3 weeks including during the rut while camped in the heart of the best moose country in the unit, and I never saw a live moose. I helped a local guy pack a decent 4 year old bull out that he stumbled upon a few miles hike from our campsites. He had hunted for 2 weeks before I got there and knew the country well but only saw/heard the one bull. There were a lot of wolf tracks everywhere I went. I thought the snow would really make a difference but it actually revealed just how few moose there were in the area.
It was tough to lose 20 years worth of points and not even have a truly enjoyable hunt out of the deal. Oh, I made the best of the situation and drove and hiked a lot of pretty country but to not ever really feel like you were in the game due to such a scaricity of critters was somewhat disappointing on a 20 year tag that I had max points in. I really thought the unit was misrepresented by the source I used and I'll be more careful when making my hunt choices on what are basically once in a lifetime hunts, as this was touted as a top unit, when it actually used to be before the wolves had their way.
It's all good though, you can't hit a grand slam on every hunt, and these kind of tough ones make us appreciate the better ones!

The wolves in that area are no joke. I had a few cameras in there last winter. Other than the occasional deer track near human development, predator tracks were about all we saw. Grim deal for moose.

 

[jeffpg]

Yeah, I put a couple of trail cameras up on the moose carcass and got tons of bald and golden eagle pics, along with a single wolf that made several appearances but never actually got closer than a few yards of the carcass. It just sat back and looked into one of the cameras. I don't doubt that it detected the camera. I do know that we certainly left a lot of scent around the kill site. On the morning that I collected the cameras, about 10 days after the kill, a mature black bear made off with the antlerless head. I'm pretty sure I heard it down the mountain below the kill when I made my approach.

 

[Elkchaser24x7]

I hunted hard for 3 weeks including during the rut while camped in the heart of the best moose country in the unit, and I never saw a live moose. I helped a local guy pack a decent 4 year old bull out that he stumbled upon a few miles hike from our campsites. He had hunted for 2 weeks before I got there and knew the country well but only saw/heard the one bull. There were a lot of wolf tracks everywhere I went. I thought the snow would really make a difference but it actually revealed just how few moose there were in the area.
It was tough to lose 20 years worth of points and not even have a truly enjoyable hunt out of the deal. Oh, I made the best of the situation and drove and hiked a lot of pretty country but to not ever really feel like you were in the game due to such a scaricity of critters was somewhat disappointing on a 20 year tag that I had max points in. I really thought the unit was misrepresented by the source I used and I'll be more careful when making my hunt choices on what are basically once in a lifetime hunts, as this was touted as a top unit, when it actually used to be before the wolves had their way.
It's all good though, you can't hit a grand slam on every hunt, and these kind of tough ones make us appreciate the better ones!

Man that is tough. I grew up NW Montana, and in the 90's I would see a lot of good bulls and the occasional "booner bull" in that unit. When I drew that unit in 2011 I had high hopes as well. I hunted more than days (45 with pre scouting) and covered more miles than any other hunt I have done to date. I had the advantage of knowing that unit, locals and still with that intel in my pocket. I only had one small bull capture on a trail cam before season. I ended up on the last day, pure luck, going to area I have never hunted that a friend of friend spotted a bull while cutting fire wood. Though up a Hail Mary and ended up with a bull.
I don't know what the answer is on the decline. With out a doubt wolves have had an impact, but it seems like a more complex problem than just the wolf factor.

Solving Montana's Moose Mysteries

FWP researchers search for answers to help conserve these popular big game animals in the face of rising temperatures, shrinking habitat, and more predators.. By Tom Dickson.

fwp.mt.gov

Here is one of the wolves we called in this year in that unit.Picture on the 2011 bull

 

[CAElkhunter]

That is rough. It can be a really uplifting experience drawing a tag then a swift kick in the balls when things don't turn out how you would expect......

 

[HeavilyArmedHIppie]

That is disappointing to hear that your efforts yielded nothing. I was lucky enough to draw a tag right before the wolves were reintroduced, I don’t even think they give a tag in that district anymore and they used to give 3. I used to see them quite regularly and now I hardly ever encounter them- particularly in western Montana. Sounds like you gave it your best.

 

[mt100gr.]

Quite a few Region 1 moose districts have seen tags cut way back or eliminated. It's a shame - as alluded to above, there is something else contributing to the decline. A lot like the native vs transplant mtn goat population survivability situation (in region 1 especially ). I hate to see those hunting opportunities lost but it's equally disappointing to hear/see ????? when everyone is asking 'what gives'?

 

[5MilesBack]

And wolves always seem to be the common factor. Moose have been thriving in CO, but with the new wolf introduction passing I'm sure that will change everything here.

 

[mt100gr.]

And wolves always seem to be the common factor. Moose have been thriving in CO, but with the new wolf introduction passing I'm sure that will change everything here.

Agree 100%. Additive predation always has an impact. The most accessible prey base will be the first to know - whether it's calves (moose and elk) fawns, adult ungulates, or fern fondling wolf squeezers. Something has to give.