A Summer of Moose and Mosquitoes

[----]

The plan this morning was to be sitting where we last saw the bull at first light. My coffee took too long to perc, so we were maybe 10 minutes behind schedule.

As we were driving to the creekbottom, Kaitum spotted a lone cow standing in a meadow maybe a mile downstream of the bull from the night before.

We both got out and started frantically glassing for another moose, but it looked like she was a loner. After watching her for maybe 15 minutes we both saw another moose at the same time, maybe 400 yard upstream. We just caught a glimpse as he walked out of the meadow into thick regrowth lodgepole. We both instantly thought it was the bull from last night.

Kaitum hung back while I crept down the road towards the big bulls meadow. I was able to glass the area really well, but couldn't turn him back up. It's amazing how that big of an animal can disappear so easily.

WhIle I was deliberating on what to do, Kaitum came driving down the road in a hurry, motioning me to hop in. Evidently a third moose, another bull, swung in and was dogging the cow. It worked out perfectly, and I I had him dead to rights at 100 yards broadside. Just wasn't quite big enough for this early in the season, especially with knowing the bigger bull was around.

We spent another hour or so trying to turn up the big bull, but he has a pretty good jungle to escape in to.

I'm back in town now, waiting to pick up MinnesotaHunter. Kaitum stuck up there with the plan of checking out some other areas. Our plan is to be sitting at that meadow at dark.

 

[Southern Elk]

Sounds like some good action so far.

 

[el unit]

Good luck Randy. I hope you find the big guy. Give me a shout if you need help packin' out.

 

[MooseCaboose]

Won't be long now!

 

[fishing4sanity]

I enjoy following hunts like this one, great scouting pics, great story telling and I'm sure a moose will soon be in a grip-n-grin photo. The down-side is that it makes being a farmer who spends most of hunting seasons in harvest seasons a real bummer. Looking forward to more and good luck!

 

[MTPUBLICLAND]

Sounds like a great time. I also really enjoy following these type of hunts. Good luck out there, I hope to see pics of a big moose on the ground soon!

 

[Kaitum]

Back to civilization but I left Randy in the capable hands of Ross and Barry.

Last night's action may have gotten a bit too close for comfort for Ross. At evening we were at the glassing point that held all the action that morning. A few grunts from a bull filled the valley and it was time to close the distance. Randy and Ross moved in, I stayed back to glass from afar. They found antlers above the willows and moved around for a closer look. After closing the distance Randy let out a cow call. As was recapped around the lantern later that night, they were quickly the attention of the bull's aggression or lust, whatever his intent was. Standing in a sea of 4-6 foot tall lodgepole doesn't offer one much of an escape tree to climb. Sounds like the bull moved in on Ross in little time and kept in pursuit as Ross retreated. Turns out it was the same bull Randy passed on that morning and the result was the same for the bull, he got to live another day.

This morning we were back in the same glassing spot. Not two minutes out of the truck a couple deep grunts from a bull told us it was game on again. Despite four pair of eyes glassing and Randy's most seductive cow calls, we couldn't convince him to show himself. Perhaps he was shacked up with a cow.... We did convince another smaller bull to come in and check out the ruckus. His palms were barely bigger than his ears, he was in no danger of donning Randy's tag. I left the group back at the campground with a big pile of split firewood and game plans to be schemed.

Here's a view from the glassing point.




More western MT moose country.

 

[mmw194287]

Gorgeous country, thanks for the update. Following this one closely.

 

[----]

Some pictures-

 

[----]

Monday night was uneventful. We split up, checked out some new country that looked good with no luck.

Tuesday morning we packed up early and headed towards the opposite side of the unit. Barry drove out to some creek bottoms to check out, while Ross and I hiked into the wilderness to check out a valley I scouted this summer. No moose spotted for Ross and I, although we did watch a fox catch breakfast.

When we met up with Barry he had better news, and had seen a cow and calf. No bull or bull noises in the area though.

Mid day we headed back to town to get lunch and regroup. On the way out we noticed a herd of cow elk getting pushed around by a nice 6x6 in some willows on a bma. Another hunter had already spotted them and was getting ready to stalk. Despite his and Ross' best efforts and team work, the bull made it out unharmed. Ross could've killed a cow, but decided against.

The heat is killing us. We basically have three hours to hunt in the morning and an hour in the evening. Hopefully the forecast changes.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Whoa.

You're upside down.

 

[----]

Posting pictures from the field is the worst. I'll have to post them at the end of the trip.

I'm having serious regrets on not killing the bull I passed Sunday morning and evening. He's 40" wide, but not much for fronts or paddle width. Hopefully we find something that makes me forget about that bull.

 

[Rat Fink]

Keep after it Randy. I am enjoying the hunt so far and wishing you luck on a big bull.

 

[Kaitum]

As Ross mentioned, there's a missing component to your daily attire inhibiting your success.

Posting pictures from the field is the worst. I'll have to post them at the end of the trip.

I'm having serious regrets on not killing the bull I passed Sunday morning and evening. He's 40" wide, but not much for fronts or paddle width. Hopefully we find something that makes me forget about that bull.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

As Ross mentioned, there's a missing component to your daily attire inhibiting your success.

I knew I should have brought one along....

 

[----]

After Barry took off Tuesday night, Ross and I headed into a drainage above a lake, that's a pretty long hike in. (Don't ask why we're choosing to do this hike on the night with the least amount of people in camp).

There's a couple great vantage points that look down into the willowy Valley floor. Ross took one, and I took the other and started cow calling.

Maybe a half hour after I started calling, I heard a twig snap half way down the rock out crap I'm stationed on. As I was still wondering to myself what could've make the noise, a lion hopped out on to the Boulder not ten yards below me. We locked eyes, and it was a little tense for a second. The longer we stayed locked on each other, the more obvious it became that he wasn't at all worried about me. Ears forward, relaxed muscles, no danger. I was able to snap a couple pictures I'll post later. Finally I decided we had had enough bonding time and shouted a couple times, sending him wandering off into the creek bottom.

Ross came up the trail right as the lion was slinking away. Our thoughts were he pushed it into me, which is how I caught him so exposed.

I was still in the process of showing Ross pictures and regal in g my story when we heard as grunt up drainage. The cow calling has worked, and we had a bull headed in.

He was a very nice bull, but didn't show himself until legal shooting light was waning, and was at a distance I wasn't comfortable with.

Very eventful night for no shots fired.

 

[----]

Wednesday morning we hiked back to the same rock outcroppings, ready for first light. We were afraid that the bull from the night before had kept moving down the drainage, and it seems we were right.

A couple hours after first light we decided to split up, leaving Ross at the outcroppings while I ran down drainage trying to cover ground fast putting eyes on the bull.

I did find a young bull, but nothing worth trying for this early in the season.

We're going to spend tonight again on the rocks, hoping the bull appears again. We have reinforcements on the way, so hopefully in the next couple days we can split up and cover more ground and try to locate a couple more bulls.

 

[duckhunt]

Stick with it Randy. A big boy is going to show himself soon.

 

[Sytes]

Good company, good terrain, good scouting. Looks like a great time! Keep at it! enjoy following along. Thanks for the great updates guys!

 

[YoungGun]

Keep it up! Excited to hear the next bit of the story.