After years of rejection and accumulating 24 prefernce points I could hardly believe the email saying that I had finally drawn a Wyoming Moose Tag. My first call was to my cousin Mark as he was going to accompany me on this hunt should I be lucky enough to draw.
With the summer to scout I quickly started making calls and reaching out to those that I knew had hunted the Unit. Planning at least three trips to the unit from Wisconsin I was eager to set foot on the ground and begin to learn all I could about it. A big thank you to WyTex and MuleCreek from this site for their willingness to share what they knew. To this point it sounds like a pretty normal hunt and I really I thought it would be.
Back in January I noticed some weakness in my right leg and had went to my doctor to have it checked out. Figuring I had just strained something I wasn’t too concerned. After all I’m 61 years old and haven’t always been as good to my body as I should have been. Running,Biking and hiking aggressively has been almost as much of a passion as hunting for me. Getting closer to my first trip to Wyoming in June I was considerably weaker in my right leg. 5 MRIs and over 100 blood test had ruled out many things but yet I was getting weaker. Using walking sticks I was able to cover a decent amount of ground on my first trip west. Finding one small moose shed and seeing 6 moose had me encouraged about the area. In late July balance was now becoming an issue and I began to wonder if this hunt was going to happen.
I continued to learn what I could about the unit through UTubes and others and studying OnX. There were several questions posed to MuleCreek for clarification (Thank you again !) I felt that I had a plan. Now if I could just get myself healthy.
On August 28th I was told that I had an Upper Motor Neuron Disease but what was causing it was unknown. Most likely ALS or PLS but they weren’t ruling out an Infectious Disease of some kind so more test were needed. I asked about the timing of the test and wished I could have captured the doctors facial expressions when I told him I was going on my Moose hunt if I had to crawl so let’s get the testing done before I left or it might be a while. Determined to make the most of this hunt my nephews said they could join for a week and my daughter and son in law for the following week if needed, I was feeling a bit better so despite the Doctors diagnosis I wasn’t about to postpone my hunt.
The plan was simple my cousin and I would hunt for a few days with a bow and then switch to a rifle when season opened. With my nephews getting there the night before the gun opener we would have more eyes on the terrain to look for moose and if we located some we would form a plan.
My cousin and I had found moose while bow hunting but no bulls . We had met several elk hunters who were kind enough to watch for moose for us and of course we would share Elk and deer information with them if we had some.
On the first day of the gun opener we saw two small bulls and a cow. On the evening of the second day we located two bulls that were in an area that we could glass at approximately 1000 yards. The next morning we returned and found one of the bulls on a hillside. My youngest nephew and I would work closer for a better look while the remainder of my family glassed for the other bull. I was extremely slow moving though the blow downs but eventually we got to where we could see the bull. At 68 cards he looked good enough to me but none of the rest of our family could see him so I told my nephew I would pass on him.
As we turned to head back towards the road we glassed across the valley and about 1500 yard’s away we found another bull and cow. We continued to watch until they bedded down and then formulated a plan. Simple we just needed to work through the blow downs get back to my truck drive a mile around to where we think they bedded and then crawl up through more blow downs to get in a position to see him. We communicated with our other family members and as the plan started to come together it was clear everyone was going to get to be a part of the hunt and witness the harvesting of it. I should add at this point I’m dragging my right leg along (literally) not pretty but I was in the hunt!
We worked our way to where we thought the bull was bedded and yes crawled for part of it. When we topped a small knoll we spotted him 150 yards away.
I knew that my family could all see him from various angles and I really wanted that more than anything so as I sized him up and thought about the years invested I decided he would be going home with us! Words that I have shared with Hunters Ed students for 35 years came to mind right before I shot. Always measure your hunt in memories made not inches grown!
After shooting him there were high 5s, hugs, and tears! As I thanked God for this hunt (Maybe my last but hopefully not!) I I couldn’t ask for more.
I had shared it with my family and to add to it my dream of introducing my 8year old Great Nephew to hunting out west like I had his Dad and Uncle made it even more special.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to hunt in some of the prettiest areas of the West. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing more of it. I know all to well how quickly life can change your plans.
All the more reason to hunt often!
Thanks again to all that helped on this hunt! Hopefully I can return the favor sometime! Good Luck Hunting!
63Badger
With the summer to scout I quickly started making calls and reaching out to those that I knew had hunted the Unit. Planning at least three trips to the unit from Wisconsin I was eager to set foot on the ground and begin to learn all I could about it. A big thank you to WyTex and MuleCreek from this site for their willingness to share what they knew. To this point it sounds like a pretty normal hunt and I really I thought it would be.
Back in January I noticed some weakness in my right leg and had went to my doctor to have it checked out. Figuring I had just strained something I wasn’t too concerned. After all I’m 61 years old and haven’t always been as good to my body as I should have been. Running,Biking and hiking aggressively has been almost as much of a passion as hunting for me. Getting closer to my first trip to Wyoming in June I was considerably weaker in my right leg. 5 MRIs and over 100 blood test had ruled out many things but yet I was getting weaker. Using walking sticks I was able to cover a decent amount of ground on my first trip west. Finding one small moose shed and seeing 6 moose had me encouraged about the area. In late July balance was now becoming an issue and I began to wonder if this hunt was going to happen.
I continued to learn what I could about the unit through UTubes and others and studying OnX. There were several questions posed to MuleCreek for clarification (Thank you again !) I felt that I had a plan. Now if I could just get myself healthy.
On August 28th I was told that I had an Upper Motor Neuron Disease but what was causing it was unknown. Most likely ALS or PLS but they weren’t ruling out an Infectious Disease of some kind so more test were needed. I asked about the timing of the test and wished I could have captured the doctors facial expressions when I told him I was going on my Moose hunt if I had to crawl so let’s get the testing done before I left or it might be a while. Determined to make the most of this hunt my nephews said they could join for a week and my daughter and son in law for the following week if needed, I was feeling a bit better so despite the Doctors diagnosis I wasn’t about to postpone my hunt.
The plan was simple my cousin and I would hunt for a few days with a bow and then switch to a rifle when season opened. With my nephews getting there the night before the gun opener we would have more eyes on the terrain to look for moose and if we located some we would form a plan.
My cousin and I had found moose while bow hunting but no bulls . We had met several elk hunters who were kind enough to watch for moose for us and of course we would share Elk and deer information with them if we had some.
On the first day of the gun opener we saw two small bulls and a cow. On the evening of the second day we located two bulls that were in an area that we could glass at approximately 1000 yards. The next morning we returned and found one of the bulls on a hillside. My youngest nephew and I would work closer for a better look while the remainder of my family glassed for the other bull. I was extremely slow moving though the blow downs but eventually we got to where we could see the bull. At 68 cards he looked good enough to me but none of the rest of our family could see him so I told my nephew I would pass on him.
As we turned to head back towards the road we glassed across the valley and about 1500 yard’s away we found another bull and cow. We continued to watch until they bedded down and then formulated a plan. Simple we just needed to work through the blow downs get back to my truck drive a mile around to where we think they bedded and then crawl up through more blow downs to get in a position to see him. We communicated with our other family members and as the plan started to come together it was clear everyone was going to get to be a part of the hunt and witness the harvesting of it. I should add at this point I’m dragging my right leg along (literally) not pretty but I was in the hunt!
We worked our way to where we thought the bull was bedded and yes crawled for part of it. When we topped a small knoll we spotted him 150 yards away.
I knew that my family could all see him from various angles and I really wanted that more than anything so as I sized him up and thought about the years invested I decided he would be going home with us! Words that I have shared with Hunters Ed students for 35 years came to mind right before I shot. Always measure your hunt in memories made not inches grown!
After shooting him there were high 5s, hugs, and tears! As I thanked God for this hunt (Maybe my last but hopefully not!) I I couldn’t ask for more.
I had shared it with my family and to add to it my dream of introducing my 8year old Great Nephew to hunting out west like I had his Dad and Uncle made it even more special.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to hunt in some of the prettiest areas of the West. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing more of it. I know all to well how quickly life can change your plans.
All the more reason to hunt often!
Thanks again to all that helped on this hunt! Hopefully I can return the favor sometime! Good Luck Hunting!
63Badger
