Small Moose

newguy · Oct 16, 2021

Just wanted to follow up on my moose hunt. Ended up with a small one after quite a few days of looking. Saw a few other small ones and my brother found one that was mid 30’s or so but I was not with him and we were not able to relocate him. All in all a pretty tough hunt

Got a tip on here about a nice one that was hanging out in the alfalfa right before the season that I was going to try and find, but I ended up getting the dumb virus right before I was going to go so I gave up on that plan. All in all it was a neat experience, but we figured out that the best way to locate them is from the truck and all that driving around wore me out much more than hiking or backpacking ever has.

Thanks to everyone that provided input.

On a side note the meat from this thing has been absolutely fantastic, I am a little worried I won’t want to eat deer anymore.

Mark

whiteantlertip · Oct 16, 2021

Best eating size you can get , congrats on your hunt !

LIK2HNT · Oct 16, 2021

No such thing as a small moose!! Smaller antlers maybe.
First time you walk up to a moose you just shot your thoughts are; what did I get myself into. A lot of work but very rewarding.

Blank · Oct 16, 2021

That's a perfect size for the table. Congrats on a successful hunt, and even finding a bull on some huntable land. You put in your time, and succeeded.

Now you just have to buy a Super Tag application each year, to draw and get a monster moose to go with it.

newguy · Oct 18, 2021

Thanks for the replies. Yes I have learned that even a small moose is a big moose. Does anybody know how much one ways? I was guessing around 1200 pounds but obviously it is just a guess.

Did a euro on him and even with the small horns I thought it came out alright.

Mark

JPblind · Oct 18, 2021

Great moose!! A lot of hard work on those guys. Euro came out great! Did you do it yourself?

Sparks Shooter · Oct 18, 2021

Congrats on your hard-earned success. Lots of meat and a cool trophy!--------SS

brdhuntr · Oct 18, 2021

newguy said:
Thanks for the replies. Yes I have learned that even a small moose is a big moose. Does anybody know how much one ways? I was guessing around 1200 pounds but obviously it is just a guess.

Did a euro on him and even with the small horns I thought it came out alright.

Mark

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In my experience most Shiras are about the same as large bull elk. By the time you get the legs off, and rib cage make them look bigger. And the meat is the best, with elk a close second in my opinion.

newguy · Oct 18, 2021

JPblind said:
Great moose!! A lot of hard work on those guys. Euro came out great! Did you do it yourself?

Thanks, we skinned it and boiled in camp to remove the brains so we could get it across state lines, but had it finished by a taxidermist.

Mark

BrianID · Oct 18, 2021

Congratulations on the moose. They are big animals when you walk up on one.

I agree that driving around and looking for animals is more exhausting than hiking around. I think I get mentally recharged by hiking around and sitting in the peace and quite of the mountains. Driving around and looking for animals can be enjoyable for an hour or two but after a couple days it gets really old.

SS! · Oct 18, 2021

Nice table trophy!!

Ranger1 · Oct 19, 2021

Congrats on some great eating and great experience.

twdjr · Oct 20, 2021

Congrats!

OutdoorWriter · Oct 20, 2021

Way to go.

Oh, and there ain't no such thing as a "small moose."

Blank · Oct 20, 2021

Thinking about "small moose". reminded me of a story. My friends Dad always went camping for deer and elk season with some old friends. They put up wall tents and stayed for two weeks. He drew a moose tag for the unit they hunted in, and never told his buddies, in order to surprise them.

Driving into the normal spot, they passed a really nice bull moose, and he said he should shoot it, and they could have it all eaten in two weeks and no one would know! He kept talking about it , as they unloaded their camp from the truck and when he got down to his gun case, he took his rifle out and loaded it and started back to the bull moose. When they asked him what he was doing, he said "Going to get that camp meat!" He walked back down the road, and dropped it dead in its tracks, right next to the road. His buddies were shocked and mortified, and scared to death they were all going to jail. Then Ted started laughing, pulled out his tag and made it legal. The whiskey really flowed that night, and yes, they ate most of it for two weeks!!!

BradA · Oct 20, 2021

Hey bigger then the moose I shot! Which I have never shot one so congratulations on your moose I’m sure it was a great experience

OutdoorWriter · Oct 21, 2021

My reference to a "small moose' harkens back to when I shot mine in BC many years ago. Only my Slavey indian guide & I had the privilege of dealing with it after it hit the ground. And we were both skinny little dudes.

We skinned one side, & I can still recall the effort it took to turn it over so we could skin the other side. We would raise it a bit, then use stout branches to hold it up. Then we would do it again until we got it to a tipping point.

458win · Oct 25, 2021

Nice bull! A good shiras is around 1000, that bull is probably in the 850-900lbs category. They are pretty much on par with a big bull elk. Congrats on a fine bull and some of the very best eating you will have anywhere.