Douglas Moose

[fishngamereaper]

After years of applying and helping a few others with tags in the mean time I finally get to carry my own tag around....don't mind that it's a cow tag ...all the meat without the hassle of all those antlers 
Have a pretty solid game plan in place. I helped my buddy get a bull in the unit a few years ago so got some jump off spots.
If any of the bull tags holders are on here I'm willing create a contact and share any Intel on bulls we run across throughout the season...
LMK...

[Falcon]

  : Congrats.   

It was 2015 when I pulled my Douglas bull tag back in 2015.  I remember you giving my some good advice.   It paid off on a great hunt.   Best of luck on your cow hunt.   Look forward to the story and pics

[MADMAX]

After years of applying and helping a few others with tags in the mean time I finally get to carry my own tag around....don't mind that it's a cow tag ...all the meat without the hassle of all those antlers 
Have a pretty solid game plan in place. I helped my buddy get a bull in the unit a few years ago so got some jump off spots.
If any of the bull tags holders are on here I'm willing create a contact and share any Intel on bulls we run across throughout the season...
LMK...

Congrats on the tag bud

[horsemenole]

After 20+ years of putting in  I finally drew  one of the coveted Bull tags in this unit for the early hunt and I would love any help
Making good on it. I’m still in a little shock after all the years of letdowns.

[Devinshoe]

My 2023 Late season Douglas tag.

[Dan-o]

Congrats!

Cow moose hunts are a blast.

[link]

After 20+ years of putting in  I finally drew  one of the coveted Bull tags in this unit for the early hunt and I would love any help
Making good on it. I’m still in a little shock after all the years of letdowns.

Congrats again on the tag. Use the search function on here and you should find a bunch more info. Anyone ever tell you you look like the Macho Man Randy Savage?

[TriggerMike]

After years of applying and helping a few others with tags in the mean time I finally get to carry my own tag around....don't mind that it's a cow tag ...all the meat without the hassle of all those antlers 
Have a pretty solid game plan in place. I helped my buddy get a bull in the unit a few years ago so got some jump off spots.
If any of the bull tags holders are on here I'm willing create a contact and share any Intel on bulls we run across throughout the season...
LMK...

If you need any info, send me a PM. I had one of the bull tags last year.

[westside bull]

After 20+ years of putting in  I finally drew  one of the coveted Bull tags in this unit for the early hunt and I would love any help
Making good on it. I’m still in a little shock after all the years of letdowns.

Congrats again on the tag. Use the search function on here and you should find a bunch more info. Anyone ever tell you you look like the Macho Man Randy Savage?

ohhhh yeah dig it!!!!!

[link]

Horseman ole needs to start his own thread. OIL 2024, Quest for Bullwinkle. We'll need updates on this once in a lifetime opportunity. God bless.

[tgray]

After 20+ years of putting in  I finally drew  one of the coveted Bull tags in this unit for the early hunt and I would love any help
Making good on it. I’m still in a little shock after all the years of letdowns.

I got some inside info. Just what you’re looking for. Only a small fee

[fishngamereaper]

So just wanted to update this..

With the good "successful" hunt threads we need the other side of the spectrum...the untold stories.

I was going to write up something inspiring and we'll thought out but, well I don't want to

One week in early Oct yielded zero moose sightings.
Two separate week trips in Nov yielded one bull sighting and one cow... which was day 17 for me in the unit. Poor visibility, mixed with a rushed shot, and a damn larch resulted in a miss.

Then the snow's came and resulted in downfall's, near truck disaster's, lots of shoveling and limited access.

So, about 20 total days , nearly 4000 miles on the truck, 1000 of those on dirt roads, over 100 miles on foot, and hundreds of hours on the glass...
I'll be grinding my tag and mixing it with some pork fat hoping it eats well.

I was pretty bummed for a couple days,  but in retrospect it's probably a good thing I didn't fill the tag. The moose population in the Douglas is dismal. I won't speak for anyone but I know several of the tags will be unfilled.
DFW would be wise to reduce the tags in that unit to maybe 2. One early one late. And no cow. Sadly, and it shouldn't be an expectation with these hunts to see animals, but it is. Waiting over 20 years to hunt something you'd like to have at least a few "opportunities"...
Or not.....

[Caseknife]

That is a bummer, Greg, was wondering how you did.  Pretty sure that I would have got a text if you were successful.

[fishngamereaper]

That is a bummer, Greg, was wondering how you did.  Pretty sure that I would have got a text if you were successful.

 
Yes sir you definitely would of.
You almost got the text when we buried the truck up Van Stone for two hours 

Appreciate the Intel you shared throughout the hunt tho...much appreciated.

[MADMAX]

That sucks bud
It’s sad as you stated to wait 20 + years and put in the effort and our herds are in
that bad a shape.
 Do you think its predators or ticks or both ?

[highcountry_hunter]

Man…that’s rough. Did you spend much time up Joe creek/Strauss creek/rogers mountain? Every trip I made up there grouse hunting this past September there was moose galore on each one and I didn’t even get out of the rig


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fishngamereaper]

That sucks bud
It’s sad as you stated to wait 20 + years and put in the effort and our herds are in
that bad a shape.
 Do you think its predators or ticks or both ?

Probably both in conjunction with some really weird habits
Cutting tracks in the snow became our go to and it became obvious they'd do everything possible to avoid roads. Running the thick stuff that even deer avoid.

[fishngamereaper]

Man…that’s rough. Did you spend much time up Joe creek/Strauss creek/rogers mountain? Every trip I made up there grouse hunting this past September there was moose galore on each one and I didn’t even get out of the rig


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yup multiple times...
Until the snow came...they eventually all got pretty sketchy. We did spend a day up Joe when the first snow came and only cut one set of tracks...
They also had a ton of deer and elk road hunters so I think that was a big factor in changing behavior patterns.

[jrebel]

Sounds like you have it one heck of a go…..sorry it didn’t work out for you. 

[boneaddict]

Thank you for the report.  I’m sorry it wasn’t a more positive one for you.  It is humbling to know these tags aren’t a gimme even with max effort.  A true hunt.

[hunter399]

Man that sucks.
I can say without a doubt,that you are correct.
Moose population just isn't what it was 10 year ago.

[Falcon]

Sorry it turned it that way.   Ten years ago when I had my tag, I was told the moose population was struggling.   To hear your story tells me it’s a bad situation with the moose population.    Glad you gave it your all.   You didn’t leave anything on the table.   

[Harbor_hunter]

You gave it your all, that is a fact!  The population in there is not good.  Was eye opening for sure. Thanks predators and our state's awesome predator management!! Fewer tags would not be a bad idea and with reducing a few bull tags, dump the split season and let the bull hunters go Oct. 1-Nov. 30th.  That extra time is needed!  With as bad as the population is though, it almost makes you feel bad to take a moose! 

[bearpaw]

I've thought about this quite a lot the last few years. I disagree with lowering tag numbers, that just leaves more for the wolves to eat, that are out there eating moose 24/7/365. Let hunters hunt while there are still a few moose to hunt, any moose a hunter may take is compensatory at this point, it most likely would end up as wolf scat anyway. The only way to fix the moose decline is with a wolf decline! 

To the OP, sorry to hear you were unsuccessful.

[fishngamereaper]

I've thought about this quite a lot the last few years. I disagree with lowering tag numbers, that just leaves more for the wolves to eat, that are out there eating moose 24/7/365. Let hunters hunt while there are still a few moose to hunt, any moose a hunter may take is compensatory at this point, it most likely would end up as wolf scat anyway. The only way to fix the moose decline is with a wolf decline! 

To the OP, sorry to hear you were unsuccessful.

I partially agree.. although for every wolf track we saw , there was equally as many cat tracks.
But I think the state needs to re assess "selling" moose hunts as an OIL opportunity. (Not realistic I know)
When you talk to the bios they want people seeing animals. That's part of the experience.
There's no guaranteed hunts and success isn't a given, but you gotta have a population that is healthy enough to at least give a person a few chances. Not around every corner but at least every 100 corners would be nice  ...Like the bio up there said,  she was like just keep doing what your doing and eventually you might see something...

I know other units are way more productive...so maybe it's just Douglas. And I'm just complaining 

And I was totally willing to tie one up for you guys if I found a good one...even had the rope ready.

[sjhgraysage]

Reaper,
Sorry to hear that you were not able to take a moose.
I had a Kettle Range moose permit in 2019 and spent 12 days over the course of the season with out seeing a bull I would shoot.
I only saw 2 tiny bulls on the first or second day I hunted, then no bulls after that and very few cow moose as well.
Sometimes the weather is not conducive, I had guys say wait til it snows, but it never snowed for me.
(I did take a week to take my son to Wyoming for a deer hunt during the season, but I don't regret that one bit.)
It does happen, but that does not make the disappointment much easier. 
Best of luck in the future.

[TriggerMike]

Dang! I was pulling for you. At least you had the opportunity.

[teanawayslayer]

Sorry to hear you didn’t fill your tag. That’s rough after all the years of waiting. I’ve been on two moose hunts in the bordering unit. Aladdin. First hunt we went six days without seeing a single moose. Saw a cow day 7 and killed bull on day 8. The second was a year later. Bull was killed on day 2 maybe 500 yards from where the bull was killed the year before.  We only saw 2 moose the second trip. It wasn’t what I was expecting for a once in a lifetime tag. There’s only three that I put in for Douglas and Aladdin aren’t in the three. My advice is do your research prior to putting in for these tags. Just because they hand out tags doesn’t mean there’s good numbers of moose. I guess on a better note, you can draw a moose tag again.

[fishngamereaper]

I'll be in Idaho soon enough so my moose adventures will continue 

I'm ok with the lack of harvest.
I do feel for all the bull tag guys that had to eat the tags...

Douglas use to be good. I've been recreating in the area for the better part  of 20 years.
Buddy had a bull tag 10ish years ago and we saw 3 bulls in a day had a half.

It's just not what it used to be...and probably never will be again.

[teanawayslayer]

I'll be in Idaho soon enough so my moose adventures will continue 

I'm ok with the lack of harvest.
I do feel for all the bull tag guys that had to eat the tags...

Douglas use to be good. I've been recreating in the area for the better part  of 20 years.
Buddy had a bull tag 10ish years ago and we saw 3 bulls in a day had a half.

It's just not what it used to be...and probably never will be again.

sad but true. They all used to have good numbers. But those wolves are sure pretty to look at

[Practical Approach]

Your story sounds identical to mine this year in Selkirk.