2023 Big Game

[Hummer]

Day one of 2023 cow moose hunt has concluded. Walked a few miles in a nearby area where moose have frequented lately. Lots of tracks and other sign but no very fresh scat. Will be looking in areas not far from a road, unlike in 2018 when I took a bull moose 3.5 miles up Pawnee Pass and sledded it back down in a foot of snow with six helpers.

A friend called and delivered an ATV and trailer to help if I get one down. 13 more days to run across a big cow. The rifle's ready in case one ambles through the yard.

This evening, Mrs. Hummer served a delicious moose heart dinner. I was given the heart by another cow moose hunter that didn't want it. A good tidings dinner, along with peach margaritas.....

Moose rifle is the only big game season going on now, and there are but two of us hunting in area 20. Tomorrow, I'll be working another drainage.

[TRnCO]

MMmmm, love heart, from any big game.
good luck

[def90]

My elk season ended this past Saturday. I hunted a draw unit and was in elk at some point almost every day I was up there. The previous 5 years of hunting unit 38 OTC provided me with one elk encounter 3 years ago where I called one in and it came in silent behind me, other than that I spotted a couple a long ways away.

This year was great, actually got some stalks in for the first time and learned a few things, mainly calling elk solo if difficult at best, I could get them to come in but they would stop just out of range when they couldn't see the elk they were hearing the sound come from.

The highlight was Thursday morning the 21st where I got to a high spot at 5am where I could get a pretty good view of the surroundings and listen and glass down in to the various meadows and openings. The elk were bugling everywhere and I could hear a large one bugling right below me, I let out a few cow calls and he responded almost immediatley. I dropped down from the ridge and headed straight for him letting out a cow call here and there and as I got down to the flats I stumbled in to a smaller bull between a couple trees just to the left of me at 30 yds, I froze and he looked at me for about a half a minute and then he moved on. I dropped in to one of those mining exploration holes that are everywhere up there and watched a second smaller bull walk through the same opening. I was still set on the bigger bull in the trees across the meadow when I heard some clacking. The two bulls in the trees 30yds from me moved back in to the opening and were sparring with each otehr. I watched a bit and thought I took some video but all I ended up was a blurry pic. Anyway I was thinking about how do I get past these smaller bulls to get to the big guy in the trees across the meadow when I came to the revelation that wtf was I thinking? I had two bulls right in front of me at 30yds, a chip shot. One was a 4x4 and the other a smaller 5x5. I then came to my senses and decided to go for either of the two if a shot was presented. They had begun to move off by then so I gave chase but in the end I could not get any closer than 59yds and I wasn't willing to take that shot. A lot of coulda / shouldas have been floating around in my head since.

Was once again on a bull at first light Saturday morning and stalked him only to lose him in the trees and then find him again and then lose him. Came home empty handed but the encounters I had were incredible compared to the last 5 years of what I call elk hiking.

[Hummer]

DEF90, that had to be a great experience to see all of that all play out! Rare and forever memorable. Too bad you didn't connect in the end, but that's hunting....


Today, I stalked through good moose area but no sighting. Bull grunts didn't produce anything. Then hiked too far through low yield areas. Late afternoon I came across a cow and bull calf. They were on private about 300 ft. from the national forest. It's tough bushwhacking along the creek, but I'll look there again early tomorrow, and maybe I'll get lucky and not get trampled.

[Sawin]

Hummer, send me your email address in a DM. I know exactly where you can go get a moose in 20 so will send you a screenshot from OnX with pin drops to go checkout. There's two options actually, both with vehicle access to close where you'd shoot one. One of the areas is not easily accessed though, and needs a good 4x4 vehicle, but damn near every time i've gone up there in the last 3 years, i've seen moose.

[HBARleatherneck]

Hummer that would be a great hunt. I have never gone for Moose. Maybe in the future with my boys.

Today we were working on the barn. The herd that is usually on my property were grazing about 290 meters out from the house.. I decided to take a break and shot this buck. We have 3 antelope and 5 deer tags to fill. My boys love to hunt and provide meat for the family.




its not really hunting though. its more like shooting for meat.

We were just continuing our work on this. (pics are various ages not current)

[TRnCO]

Congrats HBAR. Good eatin' right there.

[Hummer]

Yes, congratulations, HBAR. We love pronghorn. Should have drawn this year but for the 89% cut in NW CO licenses.

Sawin, thanks for the moose tips. It was great talking with you this afternoon. Many thanks for your sharing insights about backwoods places nearby. I hope you connect with that big bull elk you spotted on the mountain. I would be proud to help out with that one.

Following up on the moose hunt, yesterday morning soon after first light I was on site but didn't see the cow. It was a beautiful morning with fresh snow on Sawtooth Peak and Mt. Audubon, and frost on the ground all around. As I got ready to bushwhack through the willows on a hunt I heard a long, deep bellow from a moose. There she was, stepped a few feet beyond a clump of willow on public land. I hurried down a slope to get closer and took a sit with the sling. I didn't waste a moment and took the shot. It was a single heart shot from 60 yards, 120 gr. Barnes Vor-TX in 7mm-08, Kimber Adirondack w/ SilencerCo Omega 300. She turned, stepped 25 yards and died. Damned reality, I had a moose down.

Good golly, those critters are big when you get them on the ground! Probably an 850 lb. cow. And it's daunting working alone. Once all processed and laid out, I headed home to load an ATV that a friend had loaned me. It took seven trips ferrying to the truck. It was only a few hundred yards but uphill, and it was a savior! By 6 pm, I was on the way home. I left the meat spread out in the truck as temps dropped to 37 degrees. I had backed the truck up to the electric bear fence. I spent the day today preparing and moving parts into refrigeration, cleaning and setting up to do butchering, then dug in. Have a good two days of work to trim, cut and vacuum pack everything. A moose in the freezer is a good thing.

[Bowtie]

This is one of my favorite threads. Congrats to everyone. I dont hunt much anymore but I appreciate you guys sharing your stories.

[brutal]

Congrats Hummer!