KHunter 2022 ID bull and CO cow moose hunts

[Chromanz]

Kirby,

Great hunting brother
Last year I got my bull on November 6th
The weather is changing and you will see more and more moose in that unit. They come out of sand creek WM area down the river. Keep on the river and you’ll get a big bull.

Christopher

 

[Khunter]

Well best laid plans….Not exactly shocked but the cow was not in the meadow when we set up 30 min before legal shooting light nearby and moved in once could see well enough.

As there were lots of tree and willow patches sprinkled about the area that was kinda marshy and had beaver ponds.

Trying to be slow and careful we slowly poked around the area and glassed to see into the pockets of willows, clumps of pines and open terrain.

@Lonnie58 suggested and we then set up so I was watching one area of meadow to the south and west and @Lonnie58 was watching to the South and East to see if the cow might stand up or otherwise step out where we could see her. We could barely see eack other so we could signal if a moose was spotted. The overarching assumption in this pre rut period was “she can’t be far from where she was at dark”. and that with a slim two-day hunt window “we needed to exhaust this fresh sighting before moving on”

We sat for a little over an hour with no sightings and I started getting antsy and studied the aerial photos to see whe she may have moved to.


lots of perfect moose habitat connected and nearby to our position. So seemed logical the cow could easily feed out of our view and be in near identical “moosey” habitat close by.



We decided to make a slow loop still hunting through the area before relocating to areas we scouted and really liked about 20 miles south. The clock was already ticking in my mind for this short weekend hunt that odds say should yield tag soup.

As we still hunted the area, about 30 minutes later we ran into a gal sitting against a tree with a muzzleloader and a tripod shooting stick. Turns out she was not hunting moose but, doe deer, Super nice and had a brief chat and mutual well wishes. She also said her husband was posted up hunting doe nearby.

We continued on our way and told her we were just going to finish a loop in the area then leave.

 

[Khunter]

A couple minutes later @Lonnie58 whispers there’s a moose! I swivel to my right see nothing and he nudges me and says and points “there”. Almost right in front of me is ‘the’ cow moose staring at us intently and mostly covered by a tree with chest and head exposed and strongly quartering to and looking edgy and ready to bolt. Clearly out of bow range? at what I guessed was 60-70 yards but Lonnie ranged at 56 yards and we had no cover at all to close the distance. Hmm..that would be a poke with a bow but especially quartering to makes it a no go and a photo opp instead.

For the last week, maybe more, I had been irritating everybody including @Dinkshooter and a couple other HTers who would listen to my internal struggle to decide whether to swap the archery only tag that runs Sept 10-30 for a muzzle tag that runs Sept 10-18 as I balanced two strongly competing thoughts:

‘only 2 days to hunt and really wanting to put a moose in the freezer so I could return to the ID totally chill and take my time enjoying hunting with my brother and seeking an outsized bull for the area and be at peace if I do not get one.’

Versus

‘I am passionate about bowhunting as it is what really turns my crank and if I succeed it will be my 4th Colo archery moose, Bull and three cows’

I would not even be in this mental quandary for me to twist my mind in knots over if my brother had not obtained a muzzleloader this summer and brought it along to the ID short range weapons hunt ‘just in case I want to ‘get off my high horse and set aside the bow to bag a bull in a spot close to unfriendly property lines (which is most of the ID unit it seems)’. Literally kinda was losing sleep trying to make up my mind. On Thursday afternoon I even packed my tag to the archery range that is 3 miles from the parks and wildlife office for a final tie breaker. See how I like my 50-60 yards shooting and then maybe make the intelligent decision to swap for the muzzle tag if my distance shooting was not as good as it needs to be for a very low odds two day hunt where any single opportunity (like the one I was in the midst of) needs to be cashed in.
Well here is my four arrows at 60 yards with a 3 inch bullseye….so clearly a bowhunt!

 

[Bullshot]

Those Piledrivers are grouping nicely. Good choice for moose!

 

[Khunter]

And yet I was still all twisted inside on what I ‘should do’ bow vs. smokepole.

So I drive to the CPW office and tag in hand walked up to the counter. The helpful attendant is standing there waiting for me to hand over the tag and I tell him, “I need a minute”. Gotta look over the work/hunt calendar one more time before I decide. He said, kindly, I will be right over here if you need me, just let me know. LOL. I realize this is all absurd to anyone but me, but it is in fact a meaningful and memorable part of this hunt story and process that will stay with me long ofter the hunt so you you get to suffer it too.

The CPW folks had a good laugh and reminded me I still had another day to swap it back (ugh!) when I turned over the tag and swapped it for a shorter season muzzle loader tag and ensuring I was locked in to a two-day hunt with no reprieve if we do not tag out.

So here is the tail end of the KHunter Colo Cow Moose hunt:

56 yards ( I did not know this yet and in my mind it was simply a close shot albeit with open sights. A quick look with binos, shows yesterday’s big mature cow moose strongly quartering to the right staring at us, ready to bolt.Head and part chest including shoulder fully exposed and rest covered b y the tree.

I was walking around with shooting sticks already fully extended for a standing shot but raise the muzzleloader for an offhand shot. Dumb! I have almost no practice with the gun and immediately set the shooting sticks and go through a practiced routine that is actually a lot like a bow shot: Line up rear peep with front ring, keep centered, aim for spot on chest, verify ring alignment and bang! Flop, drops like a stone! Woohoo!

Wait, the cow is kicking a bit and seeming to be trying to get up. Lonnie keeps a close eye as I quickly pour in a fresh vial of powder, stuff a 300 grain copper Thor bullet and swap in a new primer. Then walk deliberately to the moose ready for a quick shot if needed. Finish shot to the head and we had our cow moose at 8:55 am opening morning. Happy does not even scrape the surface of what I am feeling.

We made a plan to cover a ton of country on scouting day and to find and sit on a cow if we spotted one. Worked like a charm, this time.

 

[Dsnow9]

Nice work! Glad you were able to get one even if it was sent with your bow!

 

[seeth07]

Heck ya! Clearly you are addicted to moose hunting so am i!

 

[Scott85]

Heck yeah!!! Congrats!!!!

 

[Wallydeuce]

Well done! Congrats on a freezer full of great meat.

Nicely done!

 

[Scott85]

1 down 1 more to go!!

 

[Pahoundsman]

Great plan, and well executed. Congrats on your moose. Now get back to Idaho

 

[Southern Elk]

Congrats!

 

[huntin24/7]

Nicely done! You’ll eat well this year. Good luck getting that bull in ID now.

 

[Shortbowshot]

Good job sir! Enjoying the story.

 

[vanish]

Well done pivot there.

 

[Khunter]

Some additional photos. Not shown but shoulda is using the brand spanking new battery sawsall to cut out entire ribs both sides in one piece. Always wanted to try that so looking forward to smoking those soon.

No better sight than a happy helper processing and packing a moose. Thanks @Lonnie58 ! It was a blast.









We were just starting to pack first load to truck, Lonnie in this photo, when the doe hunters come by offering their shiny new and empty game cart. We took it off their hands and returned it to their camp that afternoon. I will take them some moose steaks soon to show appreciation. Did not pack a scrap of the moose on my back, save for the one incisor I need to take to CPW for required check in. I tell ya when things are all running your way just keep smilin’ and rolling with it till the tide turns. Just an extraordinarily perfect day in every possible way.




Me and @Lonnie58 still pretty dumbfounded by our great luck. Sure we had a plan that was a close match to how it unfolded but one and done on moose before 9am opening morning is an event to celebrate and appreciate.

 

[Big Slick]

Looks as thou there is a new “Moosie” in town! Congratulations, sir! Well done.

 

[seeth07]

Some additional photos. Not shown but shoulda is using the brand spanking new battery sawsall to cut out entire ribs both sides in one piece. Always wanted to try than aso looking forward ro smoking those soon.

We need to moose hunt together i think...

 

[txco]

Awesome! Congrats!

 

[WNC2500]

Congrats @Khunter