Unit 6 cow moose scouting

I went up to Walden to do a little scouting. I love that town. It 's the way CO was . Everyone is nice & friendly. Everyone told me where they ghave been seeing moose. Can't wait till Oct 1st. I just hope she is still close to the road----I REALLY dont want to pack a moose out.

Nice! Good luck!

You should do just fine up there

Good luck! The wife drew a season choice bull moose tag. We'll be up there this weekend for the archery opening weekend. Any suggestions on where any bulls are hanging out?

ColoradoBob said:

I went up to Walden to do a little scouting. I love that town. It 's the way CO was . Everyone is nice & friendly. Everyone told me where they ghave been seeing moose. Can't wait till Oct 1st. I just hope she is still close to the road----I REALLY dont want to pack a moose out.

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Hey Bob, was up there all weekend. A good buddy of mine shot a decent little bull last night, he is tickled with him. Seen quite a few cows, I'll also be up there for the rifle hunt as a good buddy of mine has a rifle cow tag. We'll stay in touch via text but I do have some good info for you.

Bob, I really meant it when I said I’d come help you pack it out. What I didn’t mean to do was break my ankle first!

I'm getting excited about this hunt. Can't wait. I'll be camping at the Bockman campground. Bob

Hope you're healing up Fred. You can pick my brain if you decide to hunt 6

BeanMan said:

Bob, I really meant it when I said I’d come help you pack it out. What I didn’t mean to do was break my ankle first!

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Sorry to hear that Fred. Will you be healed up in time for your fall hunts ?

oilcan said:

Sorry to hear that Fred. Will you be healed up in time for your fall hunts ?

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I should be. I have a pronghorn doe in eastern Colorado in October so that is a gimme regardless of the ankle. I have a buck and B list cow 3rd season that I’ll hunt no matter what. We’ll see how deep I can go. I’m assuming it will be healed by then but I will have lost a bunch of conditioning. I was going to hunt archery elk but now I think I’ll buy an OTC bull tag for 3rd season.

BeanMan said:

I should be. I have a pronghorn doe in eastern Colorado in October so that is a gimme regardless of the ankle. I have a buck and B list cow 3rd season that I’ll hunt no matter what. We’ll see how deep I can go. I’m assuming it will be healed by then but I will have lost a bunch of conditioning. I was going to hunt archery elk but now I think I’ll buy an OTC bull tag for 3rd season.

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I’ll be there 3rd season with Buck and cow tag, let’s hope for some weather this year.

oilcan said:

I’ll be there 3rd season with Buck and cow tag, let’s hope for some weather this year.

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If you get any kind of weather before then those mature bucks will be in Wyoming already. Early migration in that area.

ColoradoBob said:

I went up to Walden to do a little scouting. I love that town. It 's the way CO was . Everyone is nice & friendly. Everyone told me where they ghave been seeing moose. Can't wait till Oct 1st. I just hope she is still close to the road----I REALLY dont want to pack a moose out.

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Haha I was just telling my wife if you wanted to see what most of Co was like 20-30 years ago, Walden is it! Great little town, spent a bit of time up there, Love it. Good luck on your moose hunt!

Fishslap said:

If you get any kind of weather before then those mature bucks will be in Wyoming already. Early migration in that area.

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I should’ve made myself more clear. I’ll be in Colorado the same time not that area.

Still no pic. Someone PM it to me and I’ll blob out faces and post that ****. ******* vaginas around here….

I spent a summer working on a ranch near Hebron when I was 18. The boss let us go into Walden on Saturday nights “to do laundry”. Summer of 1979.

I'm back-----I'll do a hunt recap tomorrow. Great time, Great area---met forum buddies there----Great guys.

One of the best hunts I've ever had.

Yes---I'll need someone to post photos

ColoradoBob said:

Yes---I'll need someone to post photos

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My apologies. I’m not sure how my reply got into your thread. It was meant for a thread in the Nevada forum.

Time to do a write up the hunt. I really don't know where to start. There are three parts to it.
Let's start with the main reason for the hunt. Fred---- do you remember when we met in Montrose to talk about the antelope hunt a few years ago. Remember my buddy who was like Ralphie on Christmas morning with his Red Ryder. He had brain surgery two years ago removing a tumor. DRs said he might not walk again. He had to learn how to talk & walk all over again. I talked to him at Stanford University when he was just starting rehab. He could barely speak---I asked him if he wanted to go a moose hunt. I had enough points I thought to draw a cow tag. He was all over it--- "I'm there" was all he could get out. He's doing the rehab & is doing great. He went up from Grand Junction--he's doing rehab at the VA there. Just to find the unit & learn about the State Forest State Park. Found the visitor center & made friends with several people up there. Walden is great----you're never a stranger there---you're a friend they just met. He was walking with 2 poles for balance. Then in Aug---the tumor starts to grow back. Now he's in a walker with wheels. We still went--it was a dream for him to be back on the mtn. Opening morning he was at his lookout. He glassed a nice herd of 30 elk with 2--6x6 bulls. The hawks were overhead the entire week. He could hear them doing that hawk scream every day. He gave me the "chills" when he told me he thought his father's spirit was a hawk. Every time he sees one he thinks of his father. He saw them every day----they circled above him.

I took my canvas wall tent. To me half of a mtn hunt is camp. The smell of the tent, campfire smoke, sleeping on cots, getting up in the middle of the night seeing the Milky Way. the big dipper, the belt of Orion. We cooked rib eyes over the coals.


At night we could hear the coyote yelping---there was a den site out in the meadow. He saw the momma coming out of it on the 2nd night. He saw lots of deer----does & fawns were everywhere. Saw lots of forkies & 1 nice buck. He saw the trout rising in the lake at dusk. He was trying to put me on a cow moose so bad he could taste it. But all the time he was saying---I made it---I'm on the mtn. The last night was the best. We turned in @ 8:30. We just got into our sleeping bags & an elk bugled on the ridge behind us. He circled our camp all night long. Bugling his head off. We lay in our sleeping bags listening all night, He stopped about 6:30 in the morning. I think it was the Lord serenading us. You couldn't ask for anything better.


This hunt was never about me getting a moose. It was an incentive for him to do the work---get better & get back to heaven on earth----The Colorado high country.

Part Two. This is to the forum members who helped me. You know this is a great place. Guys go above & beyond to help. The spot you told to go to was spot on. That cow & calf were exactly where you thought they would be. I only wish I could have used your offer of using your ATV & the winch you have on the front. The temperatures up there were in the high 70's to low 80's---blue bird sky--not really moose hunting weather. I got to that clear cut late in the afternoon like you suggested. I walked in about 300 yards----I see a big black blob. My buddy put glass to it & says "There's your cow moose." We are about 275 yards from her. I need a rest. Some aspens were about 25 yards to my left. But she has us pegged. She looks left, then back at us. She does this for a good 5 minutes. Then momma moose stands up. She looks down at us & says "Let"s go." She and her calf trotted up into the pines. I had my chance to punch the tag. A success in my eyes.

Part 3. My buddy & I went up on Gould mtn. We drove up the 2 track in my F150. We top out & then we see tines. Big long tines---3 on each side of the antler. We both thought bull elk. We're in a thick pine regrowth. Thick is any understatement. Then he "grunts." Bull moose---he steps out onto the 2 track. Looks at us at 30 yards. Grunts again. His tongue is a foot long hanging out of his mouth. He is slobbering--- boy is he slobbering. He takes a step & lowers his head to drink from a mud puddle on the road. We can hear him slurping the water in. He grunts again & walks up into the timber. My buddy has this all on video with his cell phone. We get back into camp & there is a father & son from Grand Junction The son he's 25 has a bull tag. We show them the video & their jaws drop. We tell them the story. The most important part was him drinking from the mud puddle. Next morning 1 goes up one way & the other up the opposite way. They meet at the mud puddle. Both say this is the only mud puddle they have seen. Has to be the spot. He gets his phone out & looks at an app. Shows a slight trail headed up to a small meadow. He takes the trail in @ 300 yards he hears twigs & brush cracking. He goes a little further & finds a moose bed. He hits the clearing & hears a grunt. He grunts back. The bull come into the meadow & he shoots it at 75 yards. He used a 30/06 with 180 grain bullets----same as me.

In my mind that was my bull----the only thing I didn't do was pull the trigger. They tell me they would not have gone up there if it wasn't for my advice

To me it's one of my best hunts ever. Thank you-- Lord for this blessing.

I've got several photos. Someone please pm me & I'll text them to your phone.

Bob

Darned sand in my eyes.

Wonderful in every respect, Bob!

L2S

Hey Bob, sounds like good times

Congrats Bob on what sounds like a memorable trip!

Awesome memories made there for a lifetime. Sounds like a win to me. Thanks for sharing

I’m so happy you had a great hunt, tell your friend hello for me.