Roadlesshunters 2018 Adventures "Moose tag in hand"

RoadlessHunter

Active Member
Messages
568

Finally got out for my first scouting trip this year. I have been busy with everything, but hunting related activities.

I drew moose in Wyoming with just 4 points, so it was definitely a random tag with tall odds.

This year will consist of my wife, my two oldest sons, and me, so that makes 4 hunters with general deer and elk tags and a few cow tags.
 
We are off to a good start with two bucks in three days on the Utah general season bow hunt.


This buck decided to run down to the bottom of the canyon before he died. Definitely a top end buck for this unit.

12386img7199.jpg



My brother with a 2x2 with an almost drop point
77936dropperbuck.jpg
 
Wow opening day craziness in Wyoming. We had just left the four-wheeler and SUV at a location that we could exit the hunt area the next night essentially leaving an option for a big loop. We had traveled 5 miles and the truck started to smell bad like something was leaking. Then the transmission stop working 2 miles from the end of the road. It was 1:00 am and I used the transmission last leg to back off to the side of the road in the middle of no man?s land. We set the tent up and went over our options. My dad and I started the 5 mile walk back to get the four-wheeler. By the time we got back to the tent and in bed it was 3 am. I set the alarm for 4 because we had two 30 minutes trips to get all 5 of us to the trial head riding 3 deep each trip on my little four-wheeler. Well I didn't wake up until 6:45 and it was already shooting light. This was the first time on and opening day I was still sleeping after shooting light. We just kept a positive attitude and figured we would be setting up for the evening hunt.

Well after hiking 7 miles we had only encounter a couple little bucks. The morning beat down on the deer herd had already taken place and we didn't have any part in that action. After spotting 7 bucks with no shooters even for my 13-year-old, we started to think the day was going to be a bust. We headed to a spot that we had scouted and found a few nice bucks during the summer. I spotted a medium sized four point. The 13-year-old was ready for his first buck and set up for the shot. We had to wait 10 minutes for the buck to feed out of the cliffs. I ranged the buck at 300 yards. My son got buck fever and shot over the first two shots. I told him to aim lower and smack the buck hit the dirt or I should say the rocks.

It's a nice 4x5 with good brow tines. This is his first buck and he couldn't be happier. We had to pack the deer 5 miles to get to the vehicles.

http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/43709201809151850241.jpg


Up next my 12 year old got it done. I will post that story in my next post.
 
34628buck.jpg


First day second weekend found us hiking to one of our favorite locations with an early 4:30 am start. Paul My 12-year-old wanted his first buck and size wasn?t a factor to him. He did pass on a 20-inch 4x4 first thing. We spotted a couple bucks on the far ridge as they fed into the trees. We decided to hike to the top of the peak to get a better look at the bucks. It took us half the day to make the top of the peak. I have always dreamed of climbing to the top of this peak and it had become a reality. I spotted the 4x4 as we looked off the top of the peak into the pine trees. I could see he was a 4 point and about 23 inches wide. He was bedded at 340 yards, but was too small that far back in the mountains. We all took a big nap and woke up later to find the buck had walked around the hill. I left my dad and wife on the ridge to watch for bucks that might try to sneak around us when Paul and I walked around the ridge. I soon spotted two different bucks out in front of us at 150 yards. A 30 inch 4x4 and a tall heavy 26 inch 4x4. I told Paul to get ready, but not to shoot. If he shot them in that spot they would have rolled 500 yards down thought the cliffs and ledges. The buck took off running and crossed the ridge. We chased them to the next canyon, but never caught up. At this point Paul and I walked out the next basin where we could rejoin the rest of the group. We had hiked most of the way out and the sun was just about to go down. I looked up on the ridge and spotted a buck. I made some noise thinking it was a small buck. When it turned its head, I was surprised to see a 30-inch buck looking our way. I got Paul set up and told my wife to shoot it if Paul missed. Paul did miss, but my wife could find the buck. My son was having a had time finding the buck in the scope for a second shot, so I grabbed my gun and got it up just as the buck disappeared. He got away unscathed.

The next weekend we headed to a different area. At first light we spotted a nice looking buck out feeding on the hillside 4 miles from the truck. Paul took three shots, but shot over him on all three. The buck had enough and disappeared into the heavy timber. We followed the buck up the hill and jumped him out of his bed about 3 hours later. Paul made a great 80 yard shot, but in the excitement forgot to get the gun firmly planted on his shoulder. Look close in the picture and you will see he scoped himself pretty good. I was celebrating his first buck and he was holding his head with blood going everywhere. Paul is very happy with this buck and we were exhausted after a five mile pack to the truck.
 
We headed for the high country and set up a base camp in the middle of our hunting zone. It rained all night long Wednesday night and was still raining when the alarms went off at 4:30 am. We decided to sleep longer and head for the moose units. After 5 mile of road hunting for moose we rounded a corner and spotted a 40" wide moose, but he didn't have much for palms. We let him go and found another moose 100 yards off the road 10 minutes later. He was around the 35 mark an had good palms, but still had lots of velvet and didn't give us much of a look. We headed down the road a little further and ran into fellow Monster Muley (Sirzonkalot) cutting up a moose with his two sons. We stop to talk and they seemed like some nice guys having lots fun hunting Wyoming. They told us what they saw in the area.

It was late in the morning at this point so we made the fairly long drive back to our deer zone. We were deciding on which area to hunt as we had encounter two bucks in the 30-inch range earlier in the hunt. We decided on a group of bucks that I had missed the week before. I headed up the canyon and my dad walked up the bottom to watch the action from below. I had to make 2400 feet of elevation to get the level of the bucks. I made the climb and just as I started around the hill to look for the bucks it started raining. I eased into the canyon and spotted nothing right off. I made my way down to a tree and sate down to watch the canyon. I had 2 hours to sunset and figured the bucks would feed out before dark if they were still in the canyon. I sat for about 5 minutes and then I spotted two bucks that had fed out into a clear strip between pine patches. The buck looked good and the season was getting late. I ranged the buck at 238 yards and settled the cross hairs on the buck and fired. Just like always, i shot over the top of the buck. They both ran down the hill and all of a sudden the clouds dropped and it fog up my scope and the deer disappeared into the clouds. One of the bucks headed around the hill to his escape route. This was the same route the 30-inch buck used the last trip to get out of the canyon. At this point I settled on the remaining buck and fired. He fell and rolled down the hill 20 yards. I had broken his back and I quickly finished him off. At this point I wasn't sure which buck I had shot. It turned out be the smaller one, but I was still happy to get a buck. I packed half the buck out that night and we went back for the rest of the meat the next day with my dad. This was Buck number Three that we packed out for the deer season. My dad has been referred to as our horse, since he can't ever draw, but still comes along for all our hunts.

After this we headed up to the area above Daniels to hunt for moose. The MM'er said that area would be good, but we saw only a handful of small moose in that area. After a morning looking over the moose and the burn area from the Roosevelt fire, we headed back to the south side of the moose unit. I had decided I was willing to sacrifice a little size for close to the road. We set camp up and headed out to find a moose. We drove 20 miles and saw one cow moose. When we got back near our camp a guy asked us if we were hunting moose and said he just saw one with good palms down the road. We head one mile up the road and found my bull with a yearling bull 67 yards below the road. The rest is history as it's not hard to shoot a bull moose once you find the one you want. We cut him up and made the 100-yard pack trip to the truck with all the meat. It was one of the best trips of my lifetime. Not often do you head to the mountains with a moose tag in your pocket.

I'm still working on my elk tag, but a short summary of my elk hunt. I passed on a 3x3 bull opening morning and a spike on the third day. My two sons have a special late season tag, so hopefully they can get their bulls later. My wife didn't get a chance to hunt elk this year.

8645420181006183355.jpg


3069120181006120515.jpg


Self Completed Euro mounts, I just need to glue on the noise parts of the moose. I broke them off while pressure washing.
My buck to the left, Paul's buck in the middle and Hyrum's on the right. What a fun season and they got to hunt with their 69 year old grandpa.
45423moose.jpg


A couple that I didn't shoot. Look at those palms on the second one LOL!!!
 
We competed the Wyoming elk hunt for my two boys. The first day we hiking about two miles from the truck. We hadn't encountered any elk to that point. We found lots of tracks, but they were a few days old. We rounded a point and sat down to try and spot some bull elk. After 20 minutes, I spotted a 320ish bull feed on a ridge about a mile north of us. We made a plan and headed down the hill and then up a draw that took us to the opposite side of the ridge from the bull. The plan was to hike to the top of that ridge then peek over and shooting him. By the time we reached the top of the ridge the bull had fed around to the piney side of the ridge. We split up, one son with me and the other with my dad, and tried to push the bull into each other. The plan didn't work and the small escaped without us seeing them. At this point, we regrouped and decided to cross the basin and head to the top of the ridge. Half way up I spotted a small bull that was 800 yards away. We passed him up to look for bigger elk on the other side of the big ridge. We figured we would go after him on the way back, if he was still bedded on the ridge. After a one-hour loop and nap under a big pine tree, we found ourselves looking at that same bull still bedded in the same spot. We started the stalk and my dad stayed back a little, so he could see the entire hill side. We closed the distanced to 250 yards. We set my sons, Paul and Hyrum, up on shooting sticks for the shot. They both fired and the elk didn't move, so I told them to aim right in the middle and shoot. They both fired again and still nothing. Then Paul, my 12-year-old, fired a third shot and the elk jumped up and ran about 10 feet into some thick trees. We didn't see him come out. After a 20-minute hike up the hill in snow, we found him close to where we had disappeared and Paul had made a great double lung shot on the elk. The bull is a small 5x5, but the smile in the pic tells a story of itself. Paul was excited to get both an elk and buck deer the first year he could hunt. We hunted hard the next two days of our trip with Hyrum, but we couldn't close the deal.

473152pauls.jpg
 
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom