WY Shiras Moose Hunt...Snowy Range
Moose
I drew a great tag in WY for shiras moose and have been burning up the miles scouting/hunting the unit. Last week I found three bulls, one exceeded 45 inches but I couldn't get on him before he and his cow split. I just made it back to the unit tonight and plan on hunting most of the week. I'll try to post more pics as the hunt progresses however I have limited service where I'll spend most of my time. Not a ton of glassable where I've been finding the moose. May be a tougher hunt than I expected! Here are a few pics from last week. Weather has been crazy!
Sorry. Coverage isn't good enough to post pics. I'll post ASAP
Have fun and be safe Blayne!
+1 on this crazy weather---------->
Good luck, Robb
White out conditions after an amazing sunrise.
Best of luck! thanks for taking us along with you.
Might as well get the game bags ready. Good luck!
Good luck. I'll be drawing a tag out there in the next couple years once i decide what unit I want.
Saw three moose late AM. Cow, calf and a dink bull. It's a start!
What unit are you hunting, and how many points did it take to draw your tag, if you don’t mind sharing, Blayne? If you’d rather not share that info, I understand as well.
Unit 38. I only had 12-13 pts. Takes over 18 yrs to draw it. They issue one random tag. Odds were 1-647......I drew it :)
Good luck on your hunt, moose are made to bowhunt!
You're a bad ass... no doubt you'll get it done. Ed F
That sure looks like a shooter to me!
Good luck...Can't wait to see the results of this one!
Looking good! Can't wait to see the results!
Good luck brother!! Looks fantastic there..stay on um..
Found this bull.....biggest so far! Was on him for 4hrs and could never get a good shot. Had him at 80 and thought he'd come right to me and then he headed up the mountain. I've spent two night and one morning trying to relocate him. I'm gonna try one more time in the AM.
That is a darn good looking Shiras bull......
Bomber bull! That's what you are looking for! Keep after him!
Keep after. Have you tried calling?
Man o man, nobody on this site draws tags as well as you:) Hats off on your hunt planning and success! Good luck! C
Beautiful country good luck!
Wow, that thing is a giant. Hopefully you are on that bull this morning!
I gotta be honest, if it was me I'd devote the rest of my trip trying to relocate that bull. Monster.
Good luck!
I hope you shot that one. Seriously.
Fully mature, likely Record Book Bull -- standing by for either a beautiful trophy photo, or a very sad tale.
Found him 3/4 mile away. Sucker stayed 30 yards inside the woods edge with his collard cow and another cow and calf. I sat on him ALL DAY! Never left the timber. All I could see was his anthers. Had to come home for several days family and work obligations. Here are a few more pics. Gonna go back and try to get him. Only negative is he isn't real wide. Awesome bull though!
That's a great bull and a gorgeous area to hunt! I hope you connect soon!
Found him 3/4 mile away. Sucker stayed 30 yards inside the woods edge with his collard cow and another cow and calf. I sat on him ALL DAY! Never left the timber. All I could see was his anthers. Had to come home for several days family and work obligations. Here are a few more pics. Gonna go back and try to get him. Only negative is he isn't real wide. Awesome bull though!
Good luck Blayne. Hang with them- you'll score.
From side views would not expect to him to have that type frontal profile. He has both bell and rope under his chin. Awesome photos .
Looking forward to a hero photoas well!
All the best>>>>------>
Fabulous bull! Hope you can close the deal on him! Still rootin' from the bleachers!!
Bowboy,
Yes. I actually called a small bull in. Haven't checked to see if the video turned out yet. I'll post if it's any good!
Good luck Blayne! I've been following this thread close! Love it. Your hard work will pay off soon.
You using your caribou broadheads or did you switch it up for moose?
Got in on this late, but it is time to fill the tag. Good luck, Paul
Hey Luke,
I shoot three different broad heads ( I must have commitment issues ??) depending on the game, distance, etc. I'll almost definetly use 4 blade Magnus stingers on this moose hunt....buzz cuts. Bou, I used rage hypodermics and grizzly hunt standard slick tricks. I love all three of these heads for different reasons.
The suspense is killing us all! What a great hunt!
It sounds like several bulls you've seen have been hesitant to come in to bow range? I'm sure you are doing it but I had great success bringing bulls into my lap with cow calls on my Wyo moose hunt. In fact, every time I ran into cows I settled in and called....whacked and rubbed trees with a stick. Moose nose and ears are pretty incredible...if you think about it a bulls antlers are a tunnel for sound to their ears. A number of bulls came in quiet that were in the area and I hadn't seen. I had to wave my arms to keep a couple of them from running me over! I never used one but a cow decoy may also get the hesitant bulls to come in. If that doesn't work I often scraped a tree with a stick with a few bull grunts added to seal the deal. You may be already doing all this but thought I would offer some advice! Keep the cow calls, bull grunts, and tree rubbing coming and I'm sure you'll get a whopper!
Heading back in the AM for 1.5 days of hunting. Then I might be able to string 2 - 2.5 days again next week! Gonna hunt that big bulls home area super hard. Weather looks like it's about to break too. Should be good!
The trees he never left last Friday
The trees he never left last Friday
Alright Blayne! Weather is breaking, rut is on, should be good hunting the next few days except for crunchy snow in the am.. Definitely do some more calling unless you find that bull in a huntable spot. Get him!
Excellent.
I'm really hoping you can pull it off. That's great country, I've driven through it dozens of times but never hunted it.
second day of my moose hunt I witnessed a hunter use a ultimate predator moose decoy. He walked up to 10 yards to a bull and cow. It was unbelievable. I came home for a break, and ordered one FedX. Shot my moose before it arrived. If you need a decoy, let me know. I will testify they work unbelievably well. Good Luck!
Still hoping for an awesome success photo soon! Go get him, Blayne!
That's a fantastic bull, good luck!
your gonna pop a hole in him today MikeC
Have you hit the northern part of the area or at Vedauwoo? Lots of moose north towards elk area 11 and up at Vedauwoo too east of Laramie. Weather coming with wind, watch out for those falling trees. You can call one right in with no decoy, do it every elk season when we see them.
Good luck!!!
5 yds and I couldn't get a shot!!!! Tuesday PM was awesome. Called two bulls into bow range and passed both of them. Took some good video and pics. One was pretty good though.... Walking out I did a little calling and my big boy ran me over. Never had time to set up. Ran in and stopped behind the tree. He ran out and stood there about 110 yds away. Wednesday....was horrible. Covered a lot of ground and only saw a cow/calf pair. Drove home tonight as I'm showing ranches in southern and western CO the next few days. I'll download the other pics when I get a minute and post them. Hoping I can get back for at least 1 day next week. Both my boys have football playoffs next week so I'm not going to miss that!
Almost!.....Good luck next week.
Good luck bud! You'll get it done!
You got him Blayne!!!
Mark
Here's one of the bulls I called in and passed.
Here's the 2nd bull I passed. Really not a bad bull. I'm wrestling with the internal conflict of being a bowhunter and/or a trophy hunter. Some animals I don't worry about size. For whatever reason I'm stuck on trying to shoot a monster. That may change as my family and work schedule is ridiculous the next 3 weeks. I have no clue how difficult hunting moose will be post rut?
Thanks for keeping us in the loop.....
Those are nice bulls. Put the one I just shot in Idaho to shame.
Yeah I've been a picky brat for sure. Big storm is about to break. Heading up there in a few mins to hunt this afternoon and in the AM. Supposedly they got 18 inches of snow.
Bob,
Congrats on the bull!
Blayne
Keep after them!! Good luck
At least the roads finally opened again. Good luck. I know a spot that has many bulls hanging out if you need some info. Not far from a highway and NF roads.
Good luck! Shoot straight! Get a big ‘un :)
Too much snow to get back where I wanted go. Kept getting stuck and the drifts were terrible! Heading to an easier area in the AM where I passed a decent bull a couple weeks ago.
Damn good luck... I am rooting for you, from Colorado!
They should be moving with the storm breaking and clearing. Especially at this stage of the rut. Bulls may be bird-dogging the edges of parks, scent checking like a whitetail buck. Be ready to move fast and cover ground to get ahead, or call him in.
Bob, nothing wrong with that bull, especially for Idaho. Congrats!
Congrats Bob! Goodluck Blayne!
Good luck Blayne! Enjoying your story so far! Good things come to those who wait....or so they say:)
Hope you kill a great bull.
Dangit, not sure why i looked this up right before i turned over in bed..... Been eagerly following this one since the start, looks like im awake for awhile now, please dont keep me up all night...;^)
Ha! Same here. Waiting now......
Dangit Steke, i seen the title was bold again, thought it was an update from saint. Hoping this one gets you back....
Guys, I have to download the pics still. I took a couple with the phone though...
Heading back to WY tomorrow to pack him out. Most of the pics on my phone aren't that great. The camera is much better. I'll post this antler pic though
Great bull, Blayne! Excellent job!
Awesome bull! Congtatulations! Been checking everyday for updates!
Good for you!!!!
Thanks for taking us along
Good luck, Robb
Congrats!!!! Though we could use some more details...
Aint nuthin wrong with that one!
That is an awesome bull! Congratulations! Have fun packin’ today:)
Congrats Blayne! Your hard work paid off bud.
Way to get it done! What a great bull!
Hell yeah! Congrats, bud!
Congrats on a great bull!
Congrats on a great bull Blayne.
Congrats! I can't wait to see all of the pics.
Awesome! Congrats Blayne!
Congrats !! Thanks for sharing.
Congrats on a great bull.
It's about damn time! congrats!
I'll post a story and better pics shortly. It was a sweet hunt. Called him in (used every tactic in the book) and got most of the hunt of video too!
Excellent! Congratulations
Congratulations man!!!!! Nice Bull!!!!
Nice bull. Shoot me a pm on the location, general not specific. I know a great Taxi in Laramie, Darroll Bennett.
Fantastic bull. Congrats!
Awesome. Can't wait for the story and more pics!
A great bull, congrats! Can't wait to hear the story and hopefully see the video.
YES!! Way to go Blayne! Congrats!
Great looking bull.....looking forward to watching the video....
Fantastic!
Congratulations, Sir !
Congratulations... nice looking bull.
Wow! So Awesome. Can't wait for the rest of the story. Congrats Blayne!
I'm sure he's having fun packing or having a drink and a burger somewhere
I'll post a story and better pics shortly. It was a sweet hunt. Called him in (used every tactic in the book) and got most of the hunt of video too!
Congrats and looking forward to the rest of the story.
Congrats Blayne!! Can't wait to hear more about it!
Congrats!! Nice looking bull!
I thought that red stuff in the snow looked like discarded red cool aid! GUESS NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I pulled a couple frames from the video. See the lighted knock!
This was my follow up shot.
Here are a few pics. Story to follow.
These pics are pretty low quality. I'll download some higher res. pics.
Sweet! How far was the shot?
Congrats! This was such a great thread to follow!
Looks like he was standing in Colorado when you shot by the arc of that arrow. :)
Two shots. 60 yds and 82 yds. The shot I posted was 82 yards. I need to go back through the GoPro and get more clips etc. I'll post more pics and try to piece together the video clips. The 82 yard shot was the better shot for sure. Liver and lung. First shot was a little low.
Very nice. Way to keep shooting. Hunt
Please excuse typos. Cranking this out on my iPad.
Side notes: So moose hunting is a little tougher than I realized. I knew I drew a premo tag in WY with a high moose population however there were days I never saw a moose and other days I'd see 8. Their hearing is amazing. Most of these guys weren't too overly spooky and you ciukd easily whack them with a gun. Seemed like if they got spooked you could still get to 120 yds of them. If I could re-do this hunt I'd try to scout in the summer and shoot one while they're still in their summer pattern. For me this wasn't an option this year as I hunted caribou in Quebec. Also, the weather was crazy up there starting mid-September....snow, ice, mud, repeat.
The hunt: Ultimately this ended up being an awesome conclusion to a great hunt. After getting snowed out of the area I spent most of my time I connected with some bowsite guys/gals and people who follow our Instagram acct. I received several good tips on areas to try out. Seeing as I only had Tuesday AM left to hunt before the rut would end (couldn't return until post-rut) I to was eager to cover ground and locate some new bulls.
It was FREEZING Tuesday AM. My ratchet straps were stuck to my trailer so I hoped in my truck to drive to the western slope on the Snowy Range. Truck read 8 degrees! I located a smaller bull at first slight and cont. west. After hiking around, calling, etc. I came up empty. I decided to backtrack and noticed a bull several hundred yards off the HWY in a meadow. I quickly jumped out of the truck and grabbed my gear to get a closer look.
I'm paranoid I'm going to loose this post and have to start over. Gonna post now and start a new one.
I set up a video camera on a tripod and began cow calling. After letting a couple calls rip he turned and started my way. He hung up once around 150 yards and I used a short call cow to suck him in. He tried to circle downwind which would have been perfect as he'd step right into a shooting lane. So there's the meadow, row of trees and then the HWY. Unfortunately some hunters were driving down the highway and pulled up next to him and he ran off. I wasn't sure if he was gone gone or still in the area. I grabbed a scapula from my pack and started racking the heck out of a tree. Let a few bull grunts out and one aggressive cow call and he came storming in to 30 yds. He stopped in the thickest crap around. I couldn't even really see him. At this point I just waited it out to see if he'd pop out. Eventually he walked out 60 yds away. My shot was a little low in the shoulder and didn't get that great of penetration. As he trotted off I launched one and missed (pretty fast critters). He stopped at 82 yds and I drilled him. Liver and lung shot. I waited about 45 mins. before taking the blood trail up. I followed it roughly 150 yds before he headed in the thick timber. At this point I was less than 10 yds away from the woods and decided to wait another hour just in case....didn't want to jump him. Lieterally within seconds of my decession I could see him bedded just inside the timber. He was still alive so I snuck to within 3-4 yds and found the only hole through the brush I could and made on last shot.
I took a few pics, quartered him and hit the road to make my sons youth football playoff game. I came back the next day to pack him out. Man this was a fun hunt. A little frustrating and boring at times, but fun. I think I officially have the moose bug now!
After spending all that time in the back country it figures I'd shoot one close to a road!
Congrats sir on the nice bull! I love smiling when I am at work!
Congratulations, thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Congratulations on a fabulous bull!
I hunted moose in Wyoming about 10 years ago. It was a lot tougher hunt than most would expect. I definitely agree with you that the best time to get them is during the late summer before the rut. Much more pattern-able and calmer. The rut is interesting with the calling, but it is much easier to get close to one in August or early September. If you find a good bull in July or August he will likely be right there until he rubs out and starts wandering around looking for cows. Really gets tough in the later part of the season with snow on the ground!
Awesome bull again and congrats on a great shot!
Congrats on a great Bull!
Congrats Blayne. Been enjoying following along on instagram
