Idaho archery Moose surprise
Moose
Drew a unit 70 moose tag for Idaho for 2015 when I applied for first time literally last minute. Used Huntin Fool for first time ever and after getting the tag found out there are no outfitters for that unit. What happened next is what makes Bowsite and our sport so great and started a list of surprises. After posting on bowsite looking for help a gentleman named Mark Stone sent a PM offering to help any way he could. What a godsend he turned out to be. I made some calls to IDG&F and they couldn't have been nicer or more helpful, especially Mr Kelton Hatch. Trying to find a simple cabin in the woods was almost impossible in that area, especially something the non-hunting wife would enjoy. Then I stumbled on the Harkness Hotel in McCammon, Idaho and also an old pioneer rock house in Mendon Utah through Homeaway. Talk about a surprise. Two really cool places that I would post pics of if I can figure it out. otherwise worth the time to google them and you will see what I mean. Both have a great story too. On arrival we met Mark who, unlike what you would expect from an online meeting was not a mass- murderer but an incredible guy. And as it turned out so were his friends. After a quick scouting trip that afternoon he turned us loose to hunt the next day with plans to take off and hunt with us later in the week. While driving up a gravel road late the next am I spotted a nice bull bedded with a cow. Conditions were perfect for a spot and stalk and two hours later a double lung shot at 35 yds and the hunt was over. Mark made a quick phone call and four of his friends showed up to help pack him out. They laughed, joked and smiled as if we were old friends, and refused to take anything in return for helping someone they didn't even know. "This is just how we do things here" was all they would say. We spent the next several days sightseeing, handling meat and taxidermy and enjoying our new friends. we spent the last few days just down the road in northern Utah in the pioneer house and even called up a bull moose while hiking there. The experience of this hunt has made me realize again what great people most bowhunters and bowsiters are. Sure, some are difficult but a dose of the folks I met on this hunt would turn even the most irritable ones around. Thank you Mark for being a genuinely kind and unselfish human being. I promise to pay it forward!
Excellent! Between members of Bowsite and P&Y Club I have benefited beyond my dreams. Thanks for posting and reaffirming. C
Great bull and great story. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
Congrats and thanks for sharing. I my shelf have made great friends and got a ton of help here on the bowsite.
Ed
Congrats! thanks for posting!
Mark
Very nice to hear! congrats all the way around.
Fantastic, congratulations!
Some of my very best friends have been met online in the various outdoor forums. Lots of good people out there!
Congrats on a great bull!
Idaho is one of my favorite states to hunt, due in large part to the great people who live there.
Congrats on a fine Bull.
Congrats on a nice bull. It's always nice when the hunter comes back here and acknowledges the bowsite helpers and reports their experience.
Good job. Congrats on a nice bull.
Congrats sir! Great bull & yes there are some great folks willing to help out here in Idaho!
ElkNut1
Very cool. Congratulations on the bull.
I have not found any confirmed mass-murderers on Bowsite, but hey ya never know !! Never met any possible suspects or persons of interest at any of the Bowsite gatherings at the P&Y conventions either.
Congrats on a super adventure and a great trophy. Thanks for sharing with us.
Great story! No doubt this site has some of the very best in our sport and most are more than willing to share. Congrats on a great hunt and a great bull!
Tolerant wife that tried to video hunt and actually wants to go again
Congrats on a fine Shiras! Some of the finest people in the hunting community are Bsers
"I have not found any confirmed mass-murderers on Bowsite, but hey ya never know !!"
So, you never made it to an MHH? ;-)
Thanks for the story and congrats on the bull. It is great to hear first hand experiences that show that level of generosity among hunters.
Al, your story of the generosity received, almost surpassed the great bull moose you killed.
Nice on both levels.
my best, Paul
Grats on your bull!
I'll 2nd what Charlie said.
I've hunted with a couple Bowsiters now and have hunts planned the next year with Bowsiters who are all P&Y members and someone I met at the P&Y conference who isn't a Bowsiter.
There's a lot of good guys out there that are just like you and passionate about bowhunting.
That's the thing that a lot of guys don't realize about P&Y. They think it's only about trophy hunting or records, or elitists, etc. It's a Bowhunting club. It's a group of guys who are passionate about Bowhunting North American big game. For the most part, Bowsite is exactly the same thing.
Why wouldn't you want to be a part of that?
Great bull and a great story!
Congrats!
You did great!
Idaho is one of the best kept secret in the Rocky Mountains.
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
Great bull, good people, Beautiful location, Forrest
Congrats on your real nice Shiras bull! Wow what a trip- a short hunt in nice country meeting great people who became friends probably for life. Life is good, doesn't get much better.
Very cool story and a great bull!
Awesome man! Mark sounds like my kind of guy. God Bless
Great trip report and congratulations!
Well Albert, your right I do have great friends! I believe I made a couple more as a result of that hunt. Thanks for sharing your moose hunt with me, I'm looking forward to meeting your boys some day! Hope you draw another tag in Idaho next year. Stay safe my friend!
Very nice! Most of my best friends are bowsiters. I told one of my buddies the other day, "best thing about bowsite is getting to meet guys like you".
Congrats!
That my friend is what it is all about. Awesome moose man congrats
Thanks for sharing your story about your hunt and how Mark & friends were so generous. Man, that's just great to hear:-)
Congratulations on a great bull!
Cool story and glad we treated you right here in Idaho. You took my tag by the way! I'm not mass murderer bitter but close! LOL, just kidding. I've hosted a few bowsiters over the years and with the exception of Nick they have all been relatively bloodless.....Hee Hee!
had to give a little follow up after figuring out how to get this pic in this post. Also, just this last week the game warden for unit 70 texted me to answer a question I asked him two months ago and I had forgotten all about it. When I checked my moose I actually met him at his house, met his wife and kids etc. Delightful people. He even texted me to thank me for hunting Idaho and playing by the rules.
This pic shows Mark the not-so-serial killer on my right just before we left posing with his two biggest fans.He knew every farmer, waitress, grocer and gas station attendant in that part of Idaho and they all treated each other like family. Just a cool place and a great lesson in life. I need to clarify as well that the moose I killed was in a drain Mark told me to drive by and check as he had seen a good bull there earlier. So it was not really an unguided hunt, its just that I didn't pay for a guide. If I can figure out how to post pics of the two places we stayed I will, really added to the trip. Never would have thought a redneck from LA (that's Lower Alabama) could have such an experience.
Merry Christmas to all!!
I'm a moose story addict. This was great to read. Thanks!
Successful hunt and terrific story. Thanks for sharing. There are a lot of “unmet” friends on Bowsite who always seem to go the extra mile when given the chance. This story makes my day.
"I have not found any confirmed mass-murderers on Bowsite, but hey ya never know !!"
convicted... never convicted.....
Congrats on many levels.... drawing the tag to start with. =D Great hunt, congrats on the bull!
Bowsite folks are good folks. All have been class acts that I have ever met. But...well, haven't met em all.... heheheheh....
That's great....congrats on the bull and new friends!
