Well first off...Boy did I screw up.
Darn itchy trigger finger
I was not going to be too picky, just wanted an average looking moose for a shoulder mount. (Cant see doing that with this one, so European it is, and a full hide tan)
Saturday morning was the start of my 18th day looking for the seemingly invisible Sherman bulls.(had only seen a couple dinks, and only one response to calling)
The plan was to head into an area that I had been seeing a lot of sign in (and a rancher had seen several decent bulls here while looking for his cattle.)
As we approached a small clearcut I was telling my buddy "this is where the rancher has seen several bulls", when 2 moose appeared trotting towards the heavy timber. I quickly threw up my rifle for a better look, but could only see the bulls right side. With only a second to decide, a million things were running through my mind;...average size, but bigger than any I have seen....it's close to a road/easy pack out....good buddy to enjoy the experience with....I can get a bigger one....$$$$ spent on fuel going back and forth to hunt....etc.....
I have always been more of a meat hunter than a trophy guy, so I made an impulse decision to take him, hoping his left side was comparable. As he entered the timber I took the shot, double lunging him. He only made it a few more steps and piled up.
As you can see in the pics, his left side has some serious issues
Not at all what I was hoping for. He had broken off somewhere along the way and then re-grew very funky. It has some great character, but not what I wanted to notch an OIL tag on.
With that being said, It is what it is, I GOT A MOOSE
and I am still happy with this bull. The entire hunt, although tough, was still a great experience filled with many good memories that I will cherish forever.
Guess I gotta start buying raffle tickets now
