Sorry couldn't rewrite sooner been in Atlanta since Tuesday this week: so here goes the story. . .
Moose are very heavy! Yes, that is right. I got my Utah Moose with my bow Sept 14th morning at 9:33. It was a twenty yards shoot and my arrow past through. We video the hunt but the bull was behind a willow that he was scraping so can't see arrow hitting him. I'll give some details but I have to say I am so tired and sore from all the work. Took James and I three and a half hours to skin and cut him up. He isn't the biggest bull on the mountain but he is great- from taping it looks like at widest place over 39 inches, has good palms and from what I can tell a 8 X 7. Won?t make Pope and Young but he makes my book. My poor green scoring put him at 124 and change.
Best part was where I shot him we had cell coverage so we were able to call everyone and got Mark from my work to bring up his horse which was a life saver. Deboned except for shoulders and hind quarters. Was over 500 lbs of meat we took to meat processor. We made the last pack out with head and cape and rest of hide and meat to the trucks at 8:10. We all got yellow jacket stings. GPS said 1.59 miles from trailhead so probably atleast 1 ? mile pack- I highly recommend not shooting a moose that far away- way to heavy and the blisters on my feet and hurting back, hips, and legs say that also.
It was the second day of hunt and is any weapon so rifle hunters around and extend archery deer and elk so the last week of scouting I did every morning and night I was stopping to talk with everyone and hardly anyone was seeing Moose except two down by golf course on lake. So I was a little nervous but talked with conservation officer on Saturday night- watching the bull I shot feed down in river bottom where I couldn't hunt, officer said that would be a great bull with your bow. So that made me think about trying to ambush him.
In the morning- we were to late to do that and you can't catch up to a walking moose up steep slopes. We saw him at first light feeding up and over ridge into a canyon on backside we wanted to hunt so we took off after him- We tried getting ahead of him but wind was wrong so when we got to top about half mile back and climbed 500 feet he had already gone by.
We did some grunting and walking down into canyon and came upon a deer hunter and asked if he seen moose- he had seen mine behind us and then had seen what he thought was a 46 inches just up ahead 20 minutes earlier. So we took off to maple thicket he went in. We started calling but nothing happened. Where we were hunting rifle hunters couldn't shoot there but I could with bow.
We hiked down further and James thought he saw something by beaver pond in bottom half mile away. It was a bull but because of sun couldn't tell which one but was thinking maybe bigger one- if it had been (Rifle hunter up canyon above us who watched my bull 45 minutes would of shot it- he watched me shot my bull). I told James we had to get down there real quick so down through oak brush (worst stuff to go through- tore up my legs day before) I found game trail and I three quarters ran all the way down the first draw and up and over to get close to where we last saw him probably 10 minutes- James followed me carrying the video camera.
I decided instead of going to bottom stay above him and going further up canyon where I thought he was going. I finally saw him at 200 yards in bottom rubbing some willows and we picked our way through oak brush to bottom. Got to the bottom and started stocking up because wind was in my face. I could hear him tearing up some trees so kept going. I rounded some willows and there he was- thirty yards away.
James was videoing and got set up on monopod to video and because bull was behind willows I went across creek and up towards him to get ready. I could hear him grunting. I was so nervous I couldn't use my range finder- I had James grunt hoping he would step out from behind willows but he just stood there and stared at James. That was a good thing felt like 5 minutes but was probably 3 minutes but that gave me time to catch my breath and calm down and finally get yardage.
He then went back to racking willows so I knew now was the time to move closer and get angle to see behind willows. I was in grass up to my shoulders which helped hide me. I got within twenty yards and had a couple of twigs in front and bottom of heart area so I knew I could shot above it. I didn't think about having James come over to video closer which was a mistake. I drew back my bow settled the pin on him and let her fly and I shot right through him. I felt my shot was a bit further back than wanted but after studying their kill zones with lungs high and forward I hit back of lungs and liver. I couldn't believe it he lucky didn't run towards me but around other side of willows and stop after fifteen yards.
I thought more arrows in a huge animal the better so I nocked another arrow but he was in the sun so I think I shot over him- I was so nervous so who knows. He then walked five more yards and bedded. I could see his rack moving so I went above him to try to get another arrow in him. I waited thinking what should I do. The game warden the night before said try a back bone shot and I had the above angle for it but before I could do that he stood three quartering away so I tried sticking an arrow in behind last rib- my shot was a little back of that in front of hind quarter (yes a bad shot). He took two steps and was quartering towards me so I put one in front of shoulder low into heart and lungs. He went maybe another twenty yards and died in the oak brush.
It was so exciting until after the pictures- rifle hunter and his two boys came and took some pictures for us. Then we realized moose are heavy. I gutted him just to get weight down and then we skinned and took off hind quarter and front shoulder so we could get other side. He was over 900 lbs probably close to 1000. We had to resharpen our knifes probably fifty times- their hide is the hardest I have ever cut- capping him and making the top cut took me a long time with four inch mane hair.
What an experience, he makes my book and will be a trophey of a lifetime for Utah. I got him with my bow and that was my goal. Thanks for all of your help and advice through the summer. Hope I can return the favor sometime, It took me 14 years to get the tag. Now I guess it will be twenty years to get a Desert Sheep tag.
