Post by: Roger on November 23, 2008, 09:52:48 AM
I was doing the hunt by myself, as my hunting partners are not able to take the time off from work as I can and still receive a pay check. With the research help for other members here and info from previous moose hunters in the unit I was set to go.
Have to start out with that my body has been having back problems flair up and bursitis in both hips flair up. The cortisone shots are not working as well this time as in the past. What both of these problems results is that I can not be walking around with severe pain. So this was going to limit my ability for hiking.
Got camp setup at dark on Nov. 7th. in the rain, there was about a 1/2" of snow on the ground at camp still remaining from when it snowed earlier in the week.
Having never been there went out the next day to get a lay of the area and the road system. I did see tracks in the higher country on the roads. It is sure brushy everywhere and steep in the high country where the moose seem to be.
Tried some walking the next day and my body sure didn't like that after only a 1/2 mile on a closed road.
Day 3 had some fresh tracks in the dirt so I stopped and looked them over for a while and tried to figure out what they did. After a few minutes I did some cow calling and got a bull grunt back from down below. Spent a couple of hours on the closed road below me but was never able to find him. My body sure didn't like that, I was done hiking for the day.
Went on up the mountain and was looking over a clear cut and there was my first moose on an old closed road only about 300 yards away and it was a funny looking bull. The fog was rolling in and out so had to play that waiting game with the scope. Finally was able to see he had a smaller paddle on his right side and and an about 12" spike on the left going down the side of his face. Watched him until he had enough of me being on the road above him. He sure looked like he was having a hard time walking as he was trying to go off the road.
That afternoon I came around a corner and there in the road was a cow and calf. They ran off the road 10 yards and went back to feeding with my noisy diesel truck stopped there running. They didn't seem to care. Shut the truck down and got the camera and took a few pictures, not very good as there was a lot of brush. So I decided to get out and walk over a ways where there was a little clearing. Did so and the cow turned facing me. I had an escape route in case she tried to come towards me but she just stood there watching me, took a couple a pictures of her from 20 yards.
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11417/119599-R1-19-21_%28Small%29.jpg)
More to come tonight, have meat to work on today.
Post by: Ridgerunner on November 23, 2008, 10:28:34 AM
Post by: arrowflinger on November 23, 2008, 10:41:29 AM
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on November 23, 2008, 11:01:23 AM
Post by: saylean on November 23, 2008, 11:20:19 AM
Post by: PA BEN on November 23, 2008, 03:46:31 PM
Post by: Roger on November 23, 2008, 09:51:23 PM
After working with cutting and wrapping steaks today, guess what we had for dinner? Moose! Tenderloin marinated in Yoshidas' with the vaccum sealer on the BBQ yum, yum! :cue:
Over the next 3 days I did not see any moose, lots of tracks in the high country. On the last day of this 3 day period big winds came up and I was in an area where you could hear trees snapping and coming down. Kind of scary :yike: as I was in an area with a lot of tall timber. As I went to leave the area, I came around a corner and there was a tree across the road. Luckily it was cracked towards 1 edge of of the road and I was able to put a rope on it and get it out of the way enough to get by. As I was getting the rope on it there were more trees coming down, scary :yike:
During this 3 day period my body was not liking the hiking more and more and I made the decision that I had to get my moose by the road. I guess that means road hunting. :'( :'(
The next morning I went back close to the area where all the tress were coming down and up a major road that I had not been on and a few miles up the road it was blocked by 4 huge blow downs. Turn around and back to the last road I passed. Up it and over a ridge and came back down where I was the day before with all the trees coming down. Headed for the high country and was into the new snow that had come down over night, only about 1". Met another rig coming down from the high country and we talked for a few minutes. He told me that he had seen fresh moose tracks in the road and directed me towards them.
When I got there there were tracks all over the road for about a 1/4 mile. As near as I could tell it looked like 2 adult animals. I tried to follow tracks but after following for about 1/2 hour gave up as they got all jumbled up and it was really brushy. I remembered that back up the road about a 1'4 mile there was another small road going off, so I went up there and started up it. It had a pretty rough wash out area so I parked the truck and started walking up the road. Hadn't gone but a couple hundred yards and there was a set of fresh tracks going up the road. Continue and after another couple of hundred yards there a moose off the edge and looking at me from about 70 yards away. Look at him for a little bit and the decision is made.
I give him a Barnes 168 tsx from the 06 in the chest. He comes up on the road and stands there, butt towards me, wobbling and peeing his pants. He then walks off the road giving me another broadside and I give him another in the chest. He disappears into the trees. I walk up to where he went into the trees and see him on the ground about 30' below the road making his last few dieing breaths.
Take some time to refelect in what I have done and thank the man above. Now I think I can get the truck through the wash out area and am able to get the truck there. Get a rope on him and drag him right up beside the road to do the work.
Try to role him up on his chest for picture taking, that's not going to happen buy myself. :chuckle: :chuckle: so pictures are with him on his side.
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11417/119599-R1-22-24_%28Small%29.jpg)
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11417/IMG_0258_%28Small%29.jpg)
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11417/IMG_0255_%28Small%29.jpg)
Try to get him on his back for the gutting with ropes and that's not going to happen. Have to get the come-a-longs out and am able to get the job done. Now to get him in the truck, I've got the tools to do it by myself whole.
Drag him down the road with the truck about 100'. Then use the chain saw winch and drag him up the hill above the road. Get the truck cross wise in the road below him and use the come-a-longs to drag him into the truck. Sounds easy, but there are a lot of details that take a toll on my hurting body.
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11417/IMG_0263_%28Small%29.jpg)
All and all I shot him at 8:40 and was on the road towards camp at 1:30. When I got back to camp, about 45 minutes later, my body was telling me that it didn't like what I had just finished.
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11417/IMG_0265_%28Small%29.jpg)
Got him hung, skinned and quartered by 7:00 that night. It took me a couple of days to recover from the back hurting and I finished up the deer season looking for a deer without any success.
I'm not having the head mounted as a moose or elk are to big for my house and I'm not going to put him in the garage. I'm doing a horn mount with his bell on it also and am going to have the hide tanned, so I took care not to nick it up. The hide weighs 77# frozen in my small freezer that I took.
I do all my own meat cutting and over a couple of days was down to burger ready to grind and steak meat ready to come home for cutting and wrapping. Came home with 330# of meat.
Am I happy with the bull knowing if I waited longer I might have been able to find one bigger? You bet I am, even though I had to basically resort to road hunting due to my body limitations.
Post by: bobcat on November 23, 2008, 09:58:33 PM
Post by: cohoho on November 23, 2008, 10:00:05 PM
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on November 23, 2008, 10:01:07 PM
That moose looks DELICIOUS.
Post by: mingo on November 23, 2008, 10:16:15 PM
Post by: bucklucky on November 23, 2008, 11:10:05 PM
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on November 24, 2008, 12:19:24 AM
Post by: shag on November 24, 2008, 01:30:10 AM
Post by: Alpinegus on November 24, 2008, 07:39:53 AM
:cue:
Enjoy those steaks !
Post by: Ridgerunner on November 24, 2008, 12:52:17 PM
Post by: Bullquest on November 24, 2008, 05:20:41 PM
Way to go! That bull almost could be my bulls twin. I think he's a beautiful bull! He will will eat goood! I got mine out whole with the help of my buddy and I know you must have worked your ass off. Good job and great story. I guess Cisco is the only left to tag out !? Hey, you might want to think of running your round steaks through a cuber. It made a big diff for mine.
Bullquest
Post by: Slider on November 24, 2008, 05:54:53 PM
Post by: YellowDog on November 24, 2008, 08:21:06 PM
Post by: Longbowz on November 25, 2008, 10:48:05 AM
Post by: saylean on November 25, 2008, 10:54:50 AM
Post by: GoldTip on November 25, 2008, 10:59:27 AM
Post by: klikboom on November 25, 2008, 11:02:28 AM
Post by: Roger on November 25, 2008, 12:48:25 PM
Maybe those ways will change with the new hunting cycle regs. coming out next year. I know it was a questions in their questionair.
I want to thank you all for the kind comments. I felt kind of down by having to resort to basically road hunting but you all have brought my spirits up.
Now I need to lucky and draw the Sheep tag.
Post by: rasbo on November 25, 2008, 12:54:17 PM
Post by: mlgunkel on November 25, 2008, 01:14:25 PM
Post by: Rufous on November 28, 2008, 09:18:00 PM
Post by: bowsandhose on November 28, 2008, 09:51:04 PM
Post by: fc2038 on November 28, 2008, 10:09:54 PM
Post by: Charlie on November 30, 2008, 01:25:37 PM