Grand Mesa moose

fuzzyvelvet

Active Member
Messages
537
I am considering applying for the archery cow tag. I have heard it can be difficult to fine a cow. Would you agree with this statement? Which side of the mesa would you say is best. Whats the advantage of the later rifle hunt would be better? If this isn't a great option which other units should I consider?

Thanks,

Fuzzy
 
I had the 42/421 archery cow moose tag last year. Hunted hard and saw like 14 different bulls, never saw a cow moose. If I had to do it over I would try a different unit. The moose in 42/421 are not in "normal" moose habitat. They get into the nasty thick oak brush and will not move unless pushed hard. The amount of muzzy hunters, archery hunters and bear hunters was unreal. If you do draw I can show you locations where the bulls were. I hunted over 15 days of the season from an hour before sun up until dark every day.

I had 40 other guys all with my card looking for a cow moose. None saw a cow. Several saw bulls.

I am not sure later is better. The idea is that later the leaves fall and snow on the ground would make them easier to spot. I could see that being a huge advantage, but last year the harvest did not show much of a difference...
 
If they're in that oak brush elks96, a lot of those leaves don't drop till the winter winds, or later. I could see that makein it a tough hunt.




#livelikezac
 
Can?t really speak for cow hunting, but typically the earlier the better for moose from what I've found. Moose in late August and early September aren't as nomadic and you can typically keep tabs on them from week to week. Come early October when the rut kicks the bulls become very nomadic and cover a lot of country each day looking for cows. It's not uncommon for them to move 10 plus miles in a day.

Coloradoboy
 
>I had the 42/421 archery cow
>moose tag last year. Hunted
>hard and saw like 14
>different bulls, never saw a
>cow moose. If I had
>to do it over I
>would try a different unit.
>The moose in 42/421 are
>not in "normal" moose habitat.
>They get into the nasty
>thick oak brush and will
>not move unless pushed hard.
>The amount of muzzy hunters,
>archery hunters and bear hunters
>was unreal. If you do
>draw I can show you
>locations where the bulls were.
>I hunted over 15 days
>of the season from an
>hour before sun up until
>dark every day.
>
>I had 40 other guys all
>with my card looking for
>a cow moose. None saw
>a cow. Several saw bulls.
>
>
>I am not sure later is
>better. The idea is that
>later the leaves fall and
>snow on the ground would
>make them easier to spot.
>I could see that being
>a huge advantage, but last
>year the harvest did not
>show much of a difference...
>

^^^^^
This was just about my same experience on my Archery tag. Saw a Bull or so almost every day, and never saw one Cow. It was a very dry year, though. I did scout some cows during August, but come Sept, couldn't relocate them.

Beaver Creek drainage and Hightower mountain were where I consistently found Moose, scouting and hunting.
 
>Can?t really speak for cow hunting,
>but typically the earlier the
>better for moose from what
>I've found. Moose in late
>August and early September aren't
>as nomadic and you can
>typically keep tabs on them
>from week to week. Come
>early October when the rut
>kicks the bulls become very
>nomadic and cover a lot
>of country each day looking
>for cows. It's not uncommon
>for them to move 10
>plus miles in a day.
>
>
>Coloradoboy


Not Un-Common for Bulls to move 20 miles in a day!








I know so many people in so many places
They make allot of money but they got sad faces

It Ain't Easy being Me!:D:D:D
 
Looking like I drew a cow today. I used to archery hunt elk east of Vega and saw plenty of moose, but that was 5 years ago. I applied for archery but might switch it to rifle.
 
I'm curious how you can switch weapons after the draw. I've never applied for Moose so not sure how it works.
 
>I'm curious how you can switch
>weapons after the draw. I've
>never applied for Moose so
>not sure how it works.
>


Moose tags are not broken into individual tag quota's by unit and weapon. There is only a unit quota and you get to pick what weapon you would like to use. If you start with archery, you can switch it to muzzleloader, and then switch it to rifle as long as you do each switch before the season starts.
 
>Looking like I drew a cow
>today. I used to
>archery hunt elk east of
>Vega and saw plenty of
>moose, but that was 5
>years ago. I applied
>for archery but might switch
>it to rifle.


If I had it to do again, I would do exactly that, if only to avoid all of the ridiculous numbers of Deer, Elk, Bear, Grouse hunters in the field in Sept. It was a zoo the entire time I was up there.
 
>>I'm curious how you can switch
>>weapons after the draw. I've
>>never applied for Moose so
>>not sure how it works.
>>
>
>
>Moose tags are not broken into
>individual tag quota's by unit
>and weapon. There is only
>a unit quota and you
>get to pick what weapon
>you would like to use.
>If you start with archery,
>you can switch it to
>muzzleloader, and then switch it
>to rifle as long as
>you do each switch before
>the season starts.

Wow like I said never have applied for Moose but that's a great opportunity if you can draw a tag and are able to get the time off to take advantage of it.
 
>Be a lot cooler if you
>could hunt every season by
>specific method until you fill
>your tag :)


Agreed.... I'll never draw one, but that would be fun and take some stress to of it.
 
>Be a lot cooler if you
>could hunt every season by
>specific method until you fill
>your tag :)

Be a lot cooler if I could draw a tag.?


#livelikezac
 
90353img6329.jpg
 
Didn't see any near Hightower which is where we camped. Years ago that is where wee saw them consistently. We put a lot of miles on looking for sign, but things just seemed too dry. So we went to Mesa Lakes after the weekend, and found a cow and a bull right away.
 
>I am considering applying for the
>archery cow tag. I
>have heard it can be
>difficult to fine a cow.
> Would you agree with
>this statement? Which side
>of the mesa would you
>say is best. Whats
>the advantage of the later
>rifle hunt would be better?
> If this isn't a
>great option which other units
>should I consider?
>
>Thanks,

How many points are you planning to drop for that area?
>
>Fuzzy
 
The CPW officer I talked to said they made the later rifle season to help hunters, with the leaves fallen they think it would be easier. I chose muzzleloader because I didn't want to hunt in 2' of snow. And yes 30 cow tags made it pretty easy to draw.
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-02-19 AT 09:39PM (MST)[p]Thanks Nocohunter; I will look into that. Where abouts were you seeing them?
 

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