Weather has been warm and rainy, but it is looking like temps will be dropping starting Monday. Hopefully that will get the moose moving. It has been so warm that we have not yet had a frost. About 2-3 weeks late for the first frost. Can't wait to get on the road. About a 1-1/2 hour drive to the area I will be Hunting.
After a miserable summer for me and my family I am excited that things are moving forward and I can get out. And even more thankful that my wife gave me the go ahead to go for the last 5-1/2 days of the season instead of just the weekend.
Will try and remember to post some photos!!
I see a real turn around in your fortunes, starting with this hunt!
Now I guess it is on to plan B. Just that I have never seen as many moose in my backup area as the main area that is now closed.
Crap.
Mark
Got settled and fairly hidden, but could see across a big bog/field for about 150 yards looking east . Beautiful sun and lots of yellow leaves on the birches.
All was quiet for about the first 1.5 hours. Then about 7 PM I heard a couple great horned owls talking back and forth. I was using cow calls in sets of two every 20 or so minutes. Occasionally I would add a set of bull grunts at the end.
At 7:15 It was cooling off and suddenly I heard a coyote start tipping less than 50 yards off. Never saw him, but did not expect any moose to show up with the coyote around.
About 7:30 I started to take the brush with a small antler I found years ago as well as doing more cow calls followed by bull grunts.About 7:45 I catch movement about 150 yards off. I keep looking and spot a moose. At first I thought it was a spike bull, but it turned out to be a huge lone cow.
I called a couple more times and heard a bull raking his antlers in the thick behind me. The cow was locked on to me and the other bull even though she couldn't' see either of us. I raked my little antler one more time and the bull behind me stopped answering me. But, I noticed the cow, who was now only 75 yards away was suddenly concentrating on something to her left. Shooting light was fading fast with a small rainbow to the east. As I headed back to the truck I saw another lone cow. That is what the first cow kept staring at!!
Between the owls, coyote, 2 cows and the bull I heard but never saw, it was a great evening. Hiking out solo in the dark in country that has a large population made me a little nervous, but it wasn't A problem
Now as I am laying in the back of my truck with trusty dog Hannah by my side, I am listening to it start to try and rain hard again. Would really like to wake up to clear skies and cooler temps! If it is cool and clear, and those two cows are still around in the morning it could make for an interesting morning hunt. Two lone cows could bring in the bulls!!
Here's to dreaming about those bulls and then making it happen in the morning!!
>>>>-------->
Mark
