so being new here Id thought I would share one of my favorite moose hunts that I did a write up for, hope you enjoy Something about moose that has always fascinated me. Could be there size could be the pure survival of them in the harsh environment they live in. I have always enjoyed watching moose and love hunting them.. My chance at harvesting a moose started some years ago with the announcement of Alaska drawing permits and seeing that I drew a north slope arctic moose tag. To some this is not a trophy area but having hunted this area for other species I knew it held so pretty decent bulls. This hunt had an added element as it was an archery only area and the area I would be hunting was more or less wide open tundra with small areas of willow along the river bottoms. The planning stage begins.. So how does one if lucky pack out what could be a critter well over 1000 pounds in some of the toughest walking country Alaska has to offer....simple, enlist the help of a few unsuspecting friends . Made a call and invited two of my great friends from the lower 48 and another from here and in return for helping I would help them caribou hunt since it was the same area. The time arrived, it was middle September the time I chose so the bulls would be responsive to calls and likely chasing cows. Off we went. Joining us were a few other caribou hunters so it was destined to be a great hunt. We got to the hunting grounds and no sooner did we cross the pass and we started spotting caribou dotting the hills but I had moose on the mind.. We got to an area that I had hoped would hold moose and set up camp. That night we discussed plans and decided that my friends would set out and try caribou on their own while I tried for moose. I put all my eggs in one basket and decided to hunt a river bottom which had plenty of cover to hold a moose but if not then likely I would be out of luck. It was an area of will about a half of a square mile littered with scrub brush and thick stands of willow, perfect habitat for moose.. I played the wind and scouted for fresh sign. Found sign but nothing too fresh. I did try some calling but never got a response. The weather was also fighting me as it was unseasonably warm.. Then finally caught a glimpse of something and got lucky and found a cow then another and then a third. There has to be a bull here so the ole heart took some extra beats... but the surprising part is that I never did find a bull that day.. Knowing patience was key I decided that a big bull had to be in that willow somewhere and I just had to wait him out.. Meanwhile the caribou hunters were fairing much better, they had no problem finding caribou, their only problem was closing the distance.. Between them they had several stalks each but kept getting busted. With moose hunting slow I told them I would try to help then a bit.. So the next day after checking the honey hole I became a caribou hunter.. There were herds running round like crazy. We got in front of a herd and it couldn’t of gone much better except for the unfortunate bad shots that missed their mark.. Being the good ambassador I am I kept the cussing to a minimum..lol All kidding aside they had lots of fun with those caribou and did pretty well for being a couple of gun hunters.. Back to moose.. We got up pretty early and weather was cold, very cold. I headed down to my honey hole like every other day but this day would be different... You ever hear the saying I would rather be lucky then good...well lets just say I am a firm believer.. I came to crest of a small hill and all of a sudden there it was, not just anything, but a big bull moose standing in the middle of the tundra.. WOW the heart went a flowing.. It was an any bull hunt but I guessed him to be in the 50 inch range which intensified the beats of the heart, not a trophy to everyone but to me it was world class,,,BUT.. Reality set in...how in the world do you stalk a bull moose that stands many feet above anything within 100 yards of him.. There had to be a reason he was there. I knew those cows had to be around but just didnt know where.. The only available cover was some scrub brush about two feet tall or so that would let me get inside a 100 yards then I would try to use a cow call to lure him in.. I start thee ole belly crawl and its not so easy with a bow but Im on a mission. I get to about 125 and all of a sudden a loud CRASH...the ground shook a bit and I look up.. Holy Sh&T there is the reason the bull is standing there and its looking down at me, snot dripping out of her nose,steam blowing... Oh crap in my concentration on the bull I never seen the cow bedded in the bushes in front of me and neither did some other folks that were watching from a distance. Well the jig is up..now what... The cow was not to spooked since they are used to people hunting there but not for them She did the best favor she could of ever done for me... she left behind me, opposite the bull. Now I was in between the bull and her. The bull now knew I was there but he obviously didnt have all his mental faculties about him.. He started pacing closer...I started ranging...closer he came..I ranged him and also a bush that was in my comfort zone... cow was walking away... bull was getting nervous......come on moose just 10 more yards....pacing...few more yards.. im getting ever so pumped....then he stepped on the bush I ranged turned a bit and I drew back...took aim and Whack...he went a runnin but right at the cow and right passed me.. I seen the arrow go in a bit low but well in the kill zone.. I wanted insurance so I ran over to the bluff that he ran down and he was standing there looking back but didnt look as hurt as I thought so I let another go.. Off he went towards some brush by a river. I sat and watched as he went in the brush but he never crossed the river. Meanwhile my friends caught up and we gave the bull a bit of time.. We circled around and finally found him...right in the river.. not the best place but we got him.. I just harested my first Alaskan bull moose with my bow.. We drug him as best we could to the bank gave a minute of silence out of respect and got to work...boy were my friends mad when I put those quarters on their backs...lol Good times ....great friends... great hunt.. In the end my buds did not score a caribou but one of them did manage to get a little blackie before heading east.. Something about bowhunting those big moose…
Awesome! I like moose hunting, I have yet to shoot a big moose like that with my bow. All the ones I shot were little guys compared to that, congrats! Great eating too.
