Now that meat is cut up a little about the hunt. I was there a total of 12 days got there early to set up camp on the sat before opener and to scout first night we went up as it was snowing to have a look see until it got dark out. On the way back down we had trees that came down blocking the rd and of course my chainsaw was at camp but I did have a 12k winch on the front of my truck luckily. We cleared 16 trees just to make it back to camp! Next morning we set of Into an area off tacoma creek side snow was at or above 2ft and I was plowing, made it 7 miles before we had to turn around cleared 31 trees off the mainline. Checked some other spots with no luck spotting anything. Day before season went in to check out some areas that were given to us by some fellow hunt wa members which really looked good but didnt spot anything and nothing responded to calls. Opening morning went into an area to call off a spur rd which we had seen bulls in during pre trips. Had two responses right away it's amazing how your heart starts pumping so fast instantly when this happens. We kept calling and it kept responding and moving towards us. I worked my way along a ridge in the direction which he was coming from until I seen him. He was busy taking branchs just below me about 100 yards. But I had no shot only could see paddle and side of the nose. After about a 20m stand off he walks off. We ended up backing out of the area as to not spook him. And try again later in the evening. We came back later and went off a higher spur rd as we get to the top we start to figure out our game plan and we get hit with some big calls from the timber. We spent about an hr calling back and forth but he did not budge. His calls got further away until the sunset and went quiet. The next morning Blsum and I went back Into the area to try calling again and had a response right out the gate. We were calling back and forth for about 25 min when out of nowhere we heard a loud kaboom from a rifle loud enough to ring my ears. Then followed by trucks and people laughing and yelling frustrated and thinking the bull we were chatting with was just shot we hoped in the truck to see what was going on. Started driving all the roads below us and finding nothing we went out on the main rd and up the far canyon to the other side we come around the corner to a bull laying in the rd with people cleaning it. Very nice bull half a paddle was missing. We also realized at this point it wasnt the bull we were chatting with. Fast forward to sunday we have see 3 dead bulls in our travels but no live ones. Calling has not been working since opener. Blsum his dad and hilltophustler had to leave which left me and soady behind. We covered lots of ground Sunday to wed. Wed more soady had to leave for his daughter bday party but left his camper for me to sleep in from wed to friday when he return. So being solo I didnt want to go to far from the truck incase I got into trouble and plus I told soady I wouldnt do anything stupid as know I will end up hiking iij n some remote canyon somewhere, I get up to the top of the peak where the day before I had seen 7 fresh beds. I began to glass the hill sides and the sun came up slowly working my way down the hillside. I do this for a while not spotting anything so decided to roll my truck forward about 100 yards around a bend to get a different angle. As I creep around the corner off the edge of the rd about 10 yards up the hillside a bull pops out and starts running down the road. I quickly hop out and load the gun, I can see that he is a wide mature bull but cant see his fronts he starts to slow to a trot so I cow call and that stops him and he turns just enough to send it threw the boiler maker 131 yards After waiting a few seconds and making sure bull was dead I got ahold of soady and he made a 2hr turn around to help quarter moose. These things are huge but you dont realize how big until your sitting next to one. I'd like to thank my Team dogleg group for helping me with this trip and canceling all your early season to help me get this done I may have the best group of Amateur professional moose callers ever🤣🤣 And A big thanks to all the Hunt wa people who help me with Areas to scout honeys holes and what ever else you may have added along the way. I feel truly bless blessed for the amount of help and support I recieved for this Oil tag. Moose was 8x8 3brow on one side and 2 on the other 44 1/2" wide
Thanks Again
Dirty Mike
