Troutslayer
Well-Known Member
So I went out for round five. This was a solo mission. I spent a day hunting the road accessable parts of my area but they were full of snowmobilers and ATV traffic. The next day I backpacked in to a more remote part of the area about five miles on a trail which is an easement across private property. This trail leads to where I had been seeing the bulk of the moose in my area. As soon as I hit the border of USFS I was exhausted and I set my camp and relaxed a little while. I then packed up my food for 5 days and my evening hunting supplies and started walking up the trail to where I intended to hunt and to find a tree to hang my food in. Before I could even find a tree I looked up on a sage covered hillside and there was the biggest **** moose I had seen in 15 days of hunting. I dropped all my gear and inched in for a better shot, the wind was perfect, and I got within 175 yards, laid out prone and made a shot. I heard the whack of a hit but he took off running. I could not see where he went as there was a little plateau up there. I hurried up that hill and you can imagine what was going through my mind, thinking that maybe it was a bad shot or who knows what. When I crested the plateau he was bedded down about 30 yards from where I shot him, and he was trying to get up but I wanted to keep him right there on that plateau. I had to put two more in him to get him to die. My first shot would have been sufficient as it was right through the front quarter. I got on my cell phone and called an outfitter who I had already worked out a deal with, $400 to pack it out, maybe more depending on where I was in the backcountry. I went to town skinning and quartering and around midnight two packers showed up with four mules. As soon as they lifted a quarter they said "no way, too heavy" so we had to split each quarter and get them loaded. By 4 AM we were at my truck and now I am home. The packers were awesome considering that there was no moon and they hadn't ever been on the trail before, I gave them the best tip I could afford.
Packing in a couple of weeks ago
This is the kind of country I was hunting
I saw about 13 moose altogether, 8 or so bulls, like I said before, most would run from me before I could get a picture or anything.
Sorry, no grip and grin. I was alone. He is 49" at greatest spread and has 10 points on one side 8 on the other. I am stoked. Don't know if he's going to make B&C yet but should be close I think.
Things I learned:
1. Gerber saws are total junk and not up to the task of quartering a moose.
2. Bring along one of those moldable tripods so you can get a shot of yourself and your moose.
3. You have to cut a moose in 9 pieces to pack it out on mules.
4. Persistence pays off.
Packing in a couple of weeks ago
This is the kind of country I was hunting
I saw about 13 moose altogether, 8 or so bulls, like I said before, most would run from me before I could get a picture or anything.
Sorry, no grip and grin. I was alone. He is 49" at greatest spread and has 10 points on one side 8 on the other. I am stoked. Don't know if he's going to make B&C yet but should be close I think.
Things I learned:
1. Gerber saws are total junk and not up to the task of quartering a moose.
2. Bring along one of those moldable tripods so you can get a shot of yourself and your moose.
3. You have to cut a moose in 9 pieces to pack it out on mules.
4. Persistence pays off.
Nice bull.
