Now that HUNT is done with his story.....

[mebco09]

Here is my OIL Idaho Moose story....

I originally thought that I was non-selected when I checked the online drawing results for Idaho last May.  I figured the envelope I received a few weeks after the drawing was my refund check, so I threw it in the pickup for the next time I went to the bank.  A few days later, while I was standing at the counter at the bank, I opened the envelope and almost fell over.  Apparently the online results were wrong and inside my envelope was a moose tag for unit 1-2!

Summer got busy and I couldn't do enough scouting (never can), so I felt pretty unprepared.  I am a member of the Huntin fool and the information that I obtained from other members who had hunted the unit in the past was pretty valuable.  All of the Huntin fool guys had hunted basically the same area, all were sucessful, so that was where I started.

The weather was probably too warm for the first couple of days, but on the third day of the hunt, the rain moved in and things started moving around.  As much as I hate road hunting, there was a good deal of driving to/through clear cuts and glassing.  Using the pickup and 4 wheeler was really a good way to cover all of the clear cuts.  Drive as far as I could, then ride as far as I could, then walk.

Each day got better, no moose on the first day, a small bull and a cow on the second day, a 30+ inch bull on the third day along with a black bear that I snuck up on and watched for half an hour tear up a stump and eat grass. 

On the fourth day, the weather was cold and wet, near the end of the day, I was still-hunting a clear cut, periodically calling, when I spotted what looked like a small fir tree with some branches sticking out on either side, the closer I looked, I realized that it was a large moose "hiding" in plain sight.   He was looking straight at me, with this little fir tree blocking my view of his body.  I grunted at him to try and get him to move, he didn't.  I started to shift my position to change my angle when he took one side-step and exposed himself just enough for me to see what I was shooting at.  Here is the result:











   

[mebco09]

Here is another:

[pianoman9701]

nice bull and story. Thanks for sharing.

[gaddy]

congrats, looks like some real fine eating there.

[jackmaster]

dude that is sweet, that is my life time goal is to crack a moose, i really want a yukon but would be very happy with a shiras

[mebco09]

Total spread is 45", nice brow tines, paddles are a little weak but pretty symetrical.  The haul out and field dressing was a bitch,  I shot him at around 5:00, we were out of the woods by 11:00.  All of us were concerned with grizzly bears, so much so that two of us did a lot of the field dressing and one guy stood guard with the shotgun and 00 buck.  The woods get pretty spooky at night and in your mind every noise sounds like a griz.  Overall, it was a great hunt and just another reason to love the state of Idaho.   

[HUNT]

Congrats on your bull!  He's a dandy.   Idaho is a great state to hunt OIL species!

[bucklucky]

Very Nice bull, congrats!!!

[jackelope]

Nice job on a great bull.

Post a pic in here if you get a second.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,84465.0.html

[blackveltbowhunter]

WTG!

[Ridgerunner]

Man moose hunting is a blast!  Looks like a good bull for sure.

[Hornseeker]

Very NIce! Congrats!!!!

[madmack76]

awesome want one

[Huntbear]

Congrats on a nice moose...

[elkspert]

nicely done!!!

[724wd]

super cool!   

[rosscrazyelk]

very cool. Congrats

[manfromspam]

very nice bull 

[gunnarnewt]

nice bull congrats!

[shanevg]

Now that's how you tell a moose story! 

Great bull!!!  Nice double brow tines and good width. Definitely one to be proud of.

I literally laughed out loud when I read how you found out you got drawn. That is hilarious! 

Any sign of wolf or grizzly activity over there?  I know that's a great moose unit but I keep wondering how long it will stay good with the increase in predators.  I definitely need to start applying soon!

[mebco09]

Any sign of wolf or grizzly activity over there?  I know that's a great moose unit but I keep wondering how long it will stay good with the increase in predators.  I definitely need to start applying soon!

As far as wolves, the game department says that they are not a concern up there yet like in the Lolo area. I saw some pretty big tracks North of the Myrtle Creek Game Preserve on a side trip that I took, that either were big labs or wolves, hard to tell.  They are probably going to be a problem in the future. 

We were sure that there was something big in the woods on our pack out, whether it was a grizzly or not, who knows. (might have been a chipmunk).  It was so dark and the woods are so thick.  The game dept. biologist strongly recommended taking bear spray along (I chose to bring a .44 instead).  The Cabinet Mts. where the Nevada guy got killed by a grizzly/his partner, are just on the other side of the valley, so you know they were up there on the Pack River side.

As far as applying in this unit, if anyone is seriously thinking about it, send me a PM and I will tell you why I pulled this tag.  I have learned a few insights on how Idaho's system works for non-residents.  In certain units, the odds are way better than published.  This was my first time applying in ID.

If anyone on this forum pulls this tag and needs a helper, or some info on where to go, I would be glad to help out.  I am a little sad that I can never pull this tag again, but would love to help someone else.

[Timber_Hunter]

That is a great bull, congratulations!