Rufous' Huckleberry Moose hunt

[pendoreilleadventures]

WAcoueshunter tou are correct about the score as you can see in the picture of the bull that was killed on this thread there was only one brow tine which killed it for score if it has a single brow then the measurement stops where the brow tine leaves the main beam. So anyone hunting moose watch out for  that single brow tine could be the differences for a book bull or just a nice bull. Most of the time you will lose at least 6 to 10 points or more in deductions if the bull has a double brow one one side and a single on the other or up to 15 to 20 if the bull only has two single brow tines so shoot for a double brow tine on each side. hope this helps if you want to talk moose give me a call I can help you out names Brian 509-998-0268.

[Rufous]

I am planning to go up again this weekend to do some more scouting for moose in my hunt area. Wish me luck, Brian.

[Ridgerunner]

Good luck and lets see some pics of some big bulls when you get back. 

[Rufous]

I had a really good trip. In total I saw 10 bull moose and 4 cows. I also learned the roads better and learned which roads to avoid. I almost got stuck a couple times way back in where no one would likely have found me. It was scary! Sadly none of my photos turned out. Looking forward to moose season, Brian.

[billythekidrock]

We can't wait to read about it. Thanks for the update.

[Ridgerunner]

Well lets hear about those bulls you found, were they good size or smaller bulls?  It is killing me that the season is just over two weeks away, I am dying to get out there and see some big bulls.  Were they rutting with the cows yet?

[Rufous]

The first bull I saw was Friday night a bit after sunset. I was driving out a road looking for a place to park (I was planning on sleeping in the back of my truck). I came around a corner and looked up into the clearcut above the road and saw a massive black shape. I got the binocular focused on it and verified that it was a bull. It was only about 200 yards away but it was getting quite dark and it was hard to tell how big it was. Looked like a better than average one though. It just stayed there for quite a while as I got set up to fix dinner. Then the next morning I glassed across a big canyon and saw the biggest bull of the two scouting trips. He was with a cow but it was a long ways off and it was 630 in the morning so still not very light out. Again hard to tell how big he really was but it was obvious to me that he was a nice one. Then a couple hours later that morning I saw two more bulls very near eachother and they were both small, one of them especially. Today I saw two small bulls together and two other bulls together one of which was quite small and the other looked pretty good. Two other bulls I saw today were by themselves. One of those was so so and the other looked better than average but he was behind some brush and I never got a really good look at him. So only one that really impressed me of the ten bulls I saw. I did not hear any cows moaning. One of the small bulls this morning made some grunts when I got close to try to photograph him. Brian.

[Bean Counter]

So does their droppings look like elk droppings? I was off Hunters-Springdale a few weeks ago.  I saw a whitetail buck, but no moose or elk. I'm wondering if what I saw and thought was elk sign was actually moose... anybody?
 

[tlbradford]

What a great excuse to get more pics of my kid on here.  Thanks Bean Counter.  Here is my little one learning about moose poop. 




This was after she helped me scare away a Tom this spring by banging the striker against the pot.  Then she tried using the striker like her coyote calls, but that didn't work either.  Oh well, it is a great memory to file away.



For you 49 and Huckleberry boys, I will be up there early next week talking to the bus drivers and will let you know if I get some good leads.  Ridgerunner.  I haven't seen anything on Mica that tops that Cheney bull yet, but I will keep on looking.

[BellBoy08]

RUFOUS,

I HAVE BEEN UP IN AREA SCOUTING EVERY WEEKEND AND HAVE ONLY SEEN COWS AND ONE SPIKE BULL. I HAVE BEEN SEEING MORE ELK THAN MOOSE. WE HAVE CONCENTRATED AROUND WAITS LAKE AND DEER CREEK UP TO RED MARBLE MNT. I KNOW THEY ARE THERE SOMEWHERE. WE DID GET 2 NICE WHITETAIL BUCKS WITH OUR BOWS WHILE SCOUTING SO IT HASNT BEEN FOR NOT.

[PA BEN]

Does anyone have Rufous phone #, I have a line on a good Huckleberry Bull!!!! PM me with his # ASAP

[PA BEN]

Got a hold of him

[Rufous]

Thanks PABEN for the tip. I talked to your friend. He did not have the guys phone number with him. He will talk to the landowner tomorrow. Hopefully I will hear from the landowner tomorrow before I leave so I can figure out where his property is on my computer mapping software. I am heading for Spokane tomorrow and will stay the night with a friend. That friend and I will go up Wednesday morning to start my moose hunt. I need to be back in Walla Walla on Sunday so that I can be ready for making wine on Monday when we start our grape harvest. Then it will be the usual 80+ hours/week for several weeks. Brian. Cell phone 509-520-2612.

[Hornseeker]

Go gettem Brian!!!

[Rufous]

Well gang I finally have a moment to post a photo and quick write up of my hunt. Through this forum I heard of a monster moose and was taken into the area by a local fellow on Tuesday evening just hours before the opener. He showed where to glass from and where he had seen the monster bull. I went back into Spokane to hook up with my friend who was going to join me on the hunt. He had a Bible study at his house that evening so we had to wait to go to camp on opening day. We got into the area at about 10 and found Finnman and his entourage at the exact same spot we had planned to glass from. We were rather shocked to say the least. A huge unit to hunt in and only 8 tags given out and two of us are after the same bull. We hunted that area Wednesday and half of Thursday and after seeing no really big bulls (though we were confident they were there it was just too thick to really see much) I decided to go hunt the area I had done most of my scouting. So we broke camp and headed for my other area. We drove around some, checking spots where I had seen moose previously to no avail and then set up camp. Friday morning my buddy and I split up and he saw a cow with two calves but the fog prevented me from really being able to glass the clearcut I was set up on. After the fog cleared I spotted a smallish bull from a long ways off. We drove around to where he was last seen but could not find him. We drove the roads more that day and still hunted through a bedding area that I had seen a bull on my first scouting trip but again did not see any moose. We ended up spending Friday evening back at the clearcut where I had seen the small bull in the morning. Late Friday evening I saw an even smaller bull at about 700 yards away. I moved in his direction as I could hear bull grunts. I did some cow calling and heard more grunting and brush breaking. I saw the small bull coming in to my calling which was exciting. Another bull was also grunting but neither committed and came all the way. I think they got my sent as they were below me and the thermals were going downhill at that late hour. It rained hard and blew hard Friday night and Saturday morning. My tent was flapping in the wind most of the night and it was hard to sleep with all the noise of that going on. We had to be back in Spokane as my friend had a prior engagment planned of some other friends coming to visit and as I had to be back to work Monday morning to start the grape harvest at the winery I was feeling some pressure to fill my tag. I knew that I might be able to go back in mid November with my brother who also drew the Huckleberry tag with me but I was not certain that my boss would let me go again after harvest and even if he did I knew it would be a big undertaking to kill two moose in one week when my brother is able to go in mid November. So when I saw the bull I took I decided he was good enough and got it done. We were driving down a road near camp which cut through a clearcut. It was rainy and a bit foggy but we stopped to glass and up at the top of the cut I saw this bull with a cow. I got the spotting scope on him and decided to take him. He was 490 yards away so I got prone with my bipod and put my 500 yard aim point (I have a Leupold 3.5-10 with the Boone and Crockett reticle) on his chest and fired. He was obviously hit and he ran toward us downhill but he was quickly obscured by the brush. We headed up the hill toward where we last saw him but could not find him. There was no blood as it was rainy. I decided to go back to where I had shot from and direct my friend to where the bull was at the shot but as I was going back down through the cut my buddy found the dead bull. The Barnes 180 TSX from my 300 Win Mag did the job. Even though it was not the biggest bull it was certainly the biggest bodied animal I had ever walked up on. It seemed huge. It took us 8 hours to get all the meat and the cape and head back to the truck. What a day. We made it back to Spokane in time and I am now back in Walla Walla with the meat in a cooler. It was a good hunt and I am happy with my decisions. I am also happy that Finnman's wife was able to connect on such a great bull. I have never been that much of a trophy hunter and got somewhat carried away in the planning stages. When I found that I was racing another hunter to the glassing spot for the monster bull it just took the glamour out of trophy hunting for me. I was much happier off in no man's land hunting on my own. Here is a pic of me and the bull.