First time Mooser

Flatlander · May 27, 2019

Alright folks somehow I managed to land myself an Idaho moose permit the first time I ever applied. I knew the odds when I put in and was pleased that the expectation was within 5 years I should have a good chance at a tag. However I was shocked to pull a permit my first time ever applying.

My tag is for unit 64. I know the area a little bit from when I went to school there. I also know the wildlife manager and have been in touch with him. I plan to hunt 9/29-10/9. Hopefully this hits a good portion of the rut.

For those of you who have done this before, what do you wish you had known ahead of time? What methods did you use: calling? Spot and stalk? Wandering through creek bottoms? Also any tips for after the shot? There will likely be only two of us max. And there is a chance I will be solo, do I have a prayer on my own if I am close to a road?

Blank · May 28, 2019

Good unit with lots of moose. Tried to get it for my AZ friend. Your timing is good, pray for cooler weather or even rain. Plenty of roads to drive, get on high points and glass sage/quakie valleys first and last light. Cow calling will work well then. Learn to judge and score-not all great bulls are wide. Good luck

Oregonbased · May 31, 2019

Hunted Unit 4 in 2017 and believe we started hunting Oct 1st and ended up harvesting a 41" with my bow on the afternoon of the 3rd day. I went guided as I had never hunted moose nor did I know the area and didn't want to risk my OIL tag a bust..1st day we drove around in a pickup and didn't see a single one. This led to frustration as I had no clue we would be road hunting. The guide said that covering ground will result in eventually catching one cross the road. I told the guide I would rather see less or take a smaller one by actually hunting on foot than being in a truck. Day 2 we walked down old roads and called. We saw a cow..Day 3 we called in 2 small bulls off an old road and that was all it took to get me hooked on moose hunting. They were in prime rut and came in on a string like a turkey. That afternoon at another location we hiked into we let off a a few cow calls and heard a faint response deep below in the drainage. The bull came in on a string and I was able to let an arrow fly at 17 yards with a double lung hit and a dead moose less than 70 yards away. Tips- Hope for snow/weather, google lots of photos to help judge and shoot the 1st bull you are happy with as that is all that matters. As I write this I am looking at my bull on the wall and couldn't be happier. Not sure if I provided any info to benefit you, but that was the short of the long to my experience and I would go back in a heart beat just to get up close with these amazing animals again.

Flatlander · May 31, 2019

I'm also from AZ. I am happy to share my experience with him so he is ahead of the curve when he does draw the tag. Been practicing my cow calls.

JDECK · Jun 1, 2019

PM sent

tworivers · Jun 11, 2019

Cow calls are good but when there are multiple bulls with hierachy, the bull grunt has been what has worked best.

Shot mine last year with bow at forty yds.... just using bull grunts.

RIP Lil Bro' "Huntnfever"

diablo · Jun 14, 2019

Congrats - should be a fun hunt! I hunted shiras for the first time a couple years ago in WY. I archery hunted for about 8 days then hunted with a muzzleloader for another week before killing a good 40? bull. Some things I learned:

Moose are not like elk or deer - they can be few and far between and tough to find. I saw sign all over but they where really tough to spot in the timber.

Most that I encountered weren't real spooky. The bull I shot just stood and looked at me from 60 yards.

My bull wasn?t nearly as big (body-wise) as I anticipated. I've killed elk that were bigger. Don?t get me wrong, theyre big and I wouldn't have wanted to kill one in some of the places I hunted for them - but they're not like their northern cousins. My 10 year old son and I handled it.

Other than bears, I've never shot anything that died so quick. 10 steps and down.

Of course, this is my experience on one WY bull - your mileage may vary.

Good luck - they are a cool animal!!

_______________________________
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beards - boys and women. I am neither.

Flatlander · Aug 26, 2019

Well I went up to the unit in July and drove the roads, met with a couple landowners and talked to the game warden. Since then I have contacted the guys at Mountain Archery to see what their setup is like, seems they have much more inventory than when I lived there 10 years ago. It made me much more comfortable knowing that there were some resources available if I have any archery trouble.

We only saw 3 cows on our scouting trip but we weren't looking for moose real hard, mostly getting to know the unit again and looking for moose country.

Everyone keeps telling me to wait a few days for a big one, hopefully I know what that is when I see it. The game warden has been sending me pics and keeping me updated on what he is seeing.

Another new wrinkle is that AZ just enacted new CWD regulations and it looks like I need to get my skull cleaned, hide fleshed and bone out all the meat before coming home. I have a taxi lined up to help with the skull and fleshing. I don't hunt out of state much and I am curious how others have handled the taxidermy for such large animals, have it taken care of in ID where its killed with a taxidermist i dont know as well or bring the pieces and parts all the way back and have someone I know do it here. Seems like an AZ taxi may not have a lot of experience with moose. But hey, that all may be getting the cart ahead of the horse, or donkey in this case.

Blank · Aug 27, 2019

Jared Poole, Bare Bone Taxidermy and Skull Works right there in Swan Valley.

Answer all your questions and do everything you need.

Flatlander · Sep 21, 2019

6 days until departure. I am starting to get a bit excited, if not a bit nervous. Looks like it will be mostly solo.

The logistics are starting to come together, tires are checked, a pile of coolers are occupying the man cave, rifle is sighted, broadheads are sharp.

And... IDFG sent me an email reminding me that Unit 64 is considered a grizzly unit, so there is that.

Onelegwonder · Sep 22, 2019

Good luck flatlander! Looking forward to seeing your pics and hearing of your adventures.

BAKPAKR · Sep 23, 2019

Good luck on your hunt! I think you picked a pretty good date range. I hunted nearly the same dates in western Wyoming last year and things were picking up by the middle of my hunt.