Here we go. First I need to thank those who were so helpful, starting with the moose hunt. Nate was the bowhunter who shared his best spots in this unit, and who will recognize many areas in the photos. Vance was nice enough to hook me up with Dexter, who provided a room whenever I needed it, a place to park my trailer, and his gear and equipment to butcher my moose. John from New York also provided his maps and info, which were very helpful. Finally the WY game and fish biologist Dean, himself a bowhunter, and a receptionist named Dez helped me get onto some private land. Unfortunately Vance and I couldn't coordinate to meet in person this time, but hopefully the next time we can meet.
For the elk hunt, thanks especially to Barney - I'm sorry we didn't get to meet but your info was very helpful. I promise to try harder to meet you the next time I'm near Cody. And Trapp provided some very accurate descriptions of trails and areas, plus advice that made me drop some silly plans (like trying to haul in my camp several miles over a narrow horse trail with many river crossings...). Finally, a sheep hunter named Don provided some company and tips on where he saw the bears and elk - congrats on your bighorn sheep! Thanks also to anybody else who helped.
OK, here are some teaser photos to set the stage...
During the many months of preparation and anticipation, my idea moose hunt would go something like this: I would be walking back to the truck after a long day of chasing bulls, and as I approached a stream crossing, my ears picked up a commotion upstream in the willows and then a faint grunt. Reflexively, I cupped my hands and grunted back, and this is what I saw step out of the willows.....
He is the king of this drainage, surviving the hard winters and many grizzlies, so he doesn't appreciate the rutting call of another bull moose. Notice the small tree stuck in his rack - he has just finished destroying that tree and is feeling pretty strong and mean. He can't locate his rival so he heads downstream, looking to kick some butt...
For me this is the ideal situation to kill a nice bull, and he is a really nice bull moose: Big thick rack, large body, many points, no cows and he is rutting. The wind is drifting downstream and he hasn't seen me, so I ease 10 yards closer to the trail he is on and prepare for the shot - I like 'em close.
The bull steps out onto the trail and is only 25 yards away, then stops broadside as I make a small noise with my foot. What a nice bull!
This is the part of my dream where I usually wake up, sweaty and excited. However, this is the real thing and I raise my bow....
Fortunately for this bull, I have already punched my moose tag and he is safe; the only shots I could take were with my camera. Unfortunately for me, the moose hunting was much tougher back in unit 4, so I was quite happy when a much smaller bull gave me an opportunity on day 7. I will explain tomorrow.....
Topic: Wyoming 09 elk and moose adventure (Read 3936 times)
