OK, Run knows the story. Too tired tonight to write much but here is a photo. First pic is an As He Lay shot and the second is with my Dad.
Only saw two moose, one small one and this guy. Saw him about a mile or further away when he bedded. We approached to get a better view and try to work him for the bow shot. Well, as we moved toward him, he apparently got up and moved toward us. When we next saw him, he was about 350 yards across a deep ravine. We cow called, he looked and turned away... man they can walk fast even when apparently not disturbed. We watched him walk away and out of sight up the valley.
So, we waved to get my dad and his guide to meet us back at the horses and then rode up to the top where we had been watching the bull. We ate lunch and glassed a while when we saw hte bull wander back down and bed down again about a half mile away. After twiddling our thumbs for a while, I told the guide I'd like to try working closer to see if we could make something happen. These hillsides and meadows are covered with thick willows and short conifer tree patches. We rode down into the valley and across past a pond. We headed up a very wet, rocky, moss and lichen covered steep slope. I worried for the horses a bit. Near the top of the slope, we flushed six ptarmigan as we entered a line of trees.
As we came to the edge of the thicker trees, the guide jumped off his horse indicating he saw a flash of antler. I jumped off as well, undid my pack, removed my bow and slapped the camera on. We moved forward and got a good look at him bedded down quartering away from us. The guide ranged him at about 320 yards. He cleared a spot on the side of a tree to rest his rifle to give me a place to shoot, I told him I still wanted to try with the bow and let's move to the next set of trees 50 yards closer. I thought this might work as the very light breeze was in our face and the bull was facing away.
Just as we moved past the tree the guide had cleared, the bull stood up for some reason... command decision time, me to the guide, "give me the gun!" I line up on the tree as he reminds me I need to chamber a round, oops. Look through the scope, the bull is starting to walk. To myself, "Why is he so small? It must be a low power scope on this little .300 short mag..." Aim behind shoulder, try to stop shaking so much, aim again, squeeze, Bang - Whup. I don't see it but my dad sees him stumble through the binoculars. The guide says shoot again, I can sort of see him in the brush as he turns slightly toward us, Boom -Whup, cycle action, "shoot again" says the guide. The bull has now turned 180 degrees and all I can see is an antler and a pice of his rear end, aim where shoulder should be, Boom - Whup! Guide takes gun, loads two rounds and goes flying across/through the brush. I grab my bow, turn the camera on and try to keep up. Man this guy can run for a shorty, maybe 5'6" tall. I could hardly see the bull at the last shot let alone after it so I just followed as best I could.
As I lumbered through the brush with the video going, I moved to the left so we would cover more area. I could not imagine, as I ran, how we would ever find him in this thick stuff. I also sort of hoped, if he was still alive, i might yet get to sink an arrow into him. Alas, it was not to be as the guide hollered here he is from about twenty yards away. I got there as the last breath left this huge, beautiful animal's body. Of course, he ran into a little draw when he fell on his face.
My dad and his guide saw all of this happening, but did not see him go down as he went slightly behind some trees, from their perspective, after the third shot. Unfortunately, the other guide had turned his video camera off seconds before I fired as he was sure we were not going to get close enough for a shot with the bow... guess he was right.
My guide went to get the horses while I took a few As he Lay shots, thanked the bull, and then cleared some brush for the upcoming photo shoot. After a half hour or so, the gang was all there, we took a bunch of photos, and got to work "blowing up" a moose, otherwise known as a Swamp Donkey.
It turned out, all three shots were solid hits with the first center punching and double lunging him.
Here also is my BS pic with the bow.
