Wyoming Moose Hunting Tips
Moose
Okay it has finally come down to less than 3 months before I start my Wyoming moose hunt the wait at times has been unbearable but the Wyoming big 3 has kept me focused on the potential for even more great tags come tomorrow at 10. My question is not so much about my area as based on the research I have done not many people have posted discussion topics on area 27. Anyway would just like to hear from all the moose hunters out there that have hunted Wyoming or the Utah bordering units of area 27. What time in September did moose rut activity seem to pick up? Did you call ? Did it work? How long did you call? Time of day? Finally what was the biggest influence on the success or unsuccesful part of your hunt. (ie. weather, some friendly advice, scouting, long periods of hunting, short smaller trips to maximize the parts of the season you could hunt, local knowledge) Thanks in advance
I screwed up on my moose hunt. Did kill a bull but was very frustrating.
I did not set aside time early to hunt hard with the thought that the rut would be much better hunting.
I found more and bigger bulls on my one weekend early than I found during two weeks in the “rut”. Plus, there were a crap load of rifle hunters chasing elk, deer, bears, antelope, moose, coyotes, rabbits, grouse, etc out there when I went up for the “rut”.
Have dropped out of the Wyoming moose tag race but If I had a do-over I would definitely take all my time starting on day one of archery!!! I would hope to be done way before the bulls even thinking about the rut and running off to the timber to look for a girlfriend!
The bulls spend a lot of time in the open in the lower river and creek bottoms in the summer. They are very visible and easy to find. If you find bulls in the summer, they will be in that area till the rut starts.
If you see a bull during the rut, he may be 30 miles away in a different unit the next day.
I had a WY cow Moose tag in 13. Moose were easy to find in summer but I was warned by past hunters that they "won't be where you found them in the summer once season starts". Once the first frost hit, they abandoned the meadows and marshy stuff and became timber hounds. Took 6 days to find them. Some Bull hunters did find and shoot bulls still in the meadows the first few days of season. Guys that were in the area Elk hunting were a good source of info. Good luck on your hunt
buddies and I had 3 Wy Unit 27 tags 18 and 19 years ago back when there were 6 NR tags available each year and took zero points to draw.
hunted the last week of September. didn't do any preseason scouting, ordered maps and talked with game warden and jumped right in. moose were very responsive to our amateur calling, called in numerous bulls. took all three with archery, 4 shots taken one shot was a complete miss, was able to call the bull back and made second shot count. this was this hunters first big game kill with archery.. was no other hunters or people in the field during our hunts. made contact with most of the moose within 1.5 miles of the Utah - Wy state line.
two moose were taken near the border on the eastern side of unit, one in a major creek coming out of Utah and one up the timbered mountain side. Third one was taken near the border in the center of the unit. We did get permission to hunt private land in that area as it is checkerboard type land ownership, the moose was shot on public not far off of an access road in a creek bottom. That moose missed P&Y by and inch.
Game warden at the time said all 3 moose were fair representative of the current management goals. until recently 27 has never been a trophy moose destination, some very nice one do occasionally come out of the unit. The western part of the unit is primarily private and has always held respectable moose.
recently seen an outfitter advertising 27 as a trophy Shiras moose destination. these days with the tags so hard to come by, the tag has become the trophy!
Treeline has good advice.
I saw 30 ish moose of which 15 were bulls and 15 or so were cow/calves. I saw 3-4 bulls I thought worthy of my tag it just didn't come together on this trip. I will be back in the unit this weekend for 3 days. Also I did not see a single moose on private land. I heard about a few but I never went and looked I believe that was a smart strategy why look at moose that you cant hunt. "Better to have a belly full of food then stand in line at the grocery store without your wallet." I will keep you guys posted. Last thing I've hunted several moose over the years with buddies and it doesn't even come close to what it feels like when the tags in your pocket. I had to stop on several occasions and breath and take it all in may be another 25 years before I do it again. Hope everyone else is having a great season.
Good luck! Please post pictures.
Thanks for checking back in and good luck for the rest of your season!
Sitting on 11 nr points. Hope to get a tag in 25 years too!!!!! Good luck can’t wait to hear the story!
Sorry I missed ya Mike, we must just be around the ridge from each other!!
Or maybe it's state line haha
Keep after 'em, you'll do fine no doubt--------->
Good luck, Robb
Pictures to Come I was successful Saturday night and have him home and processing today. Will get some pictures up after bit.
Awesome, planning on applying next year sitting on 20 points currently. Congrats
Congrats! Looking forward to a recap.
I knew you would do it man!
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
Congrats looking forward to your pictures and story!
That's awesome. Cant wait to here the details. Congrats
The story of how nothing ever goes the way you hope is a good way to describe moose hunting. I had spent 12 days hunting and seen some nice bulls but couldn't make it happen. I had to return to an area of the unit to pick up a trail camera that had been there over a month. I had seen one bull in this are previously, back in September and couldn't find much for sign and decided I wouldn't return until I had to get the camera. When I say no sign I mean two miles of walking and calling and sneaking to find 2-3 moose dropping piles and they had to have been prehistoric. The bull we saw on that trip was two miles off, on public right before dark and as luck would have it I was no where near the moose or my buddies that had spotted it. So with that we left the area and spent our time elsewhere, where moose sightings became more common and regular. We never saw the same mature bull twice during this hunt so as far as patterns go it was tough. I had hunted moose several times with other people and always told myself there is no need to wander around hoping to find a quality bull just go where the moose are and hunt there. So that's what I did I kept hunting the same creek bottoms every morning and every evening, and to be honest it was working we saw several good bulls in different locations, but never again. My ten day hunt ended with no moose and I came home. On the way home my wife said how about we try next weekend and I said "what about your antelope tag or your deer tag", she said this moose hunting thing is pretty fun I want to come back. I said okay!!!! So we left the wall tent and all our gear and came back that next Friday the 11th. I started that Saturday morning with great excitement to be back to what seemed like untouched land since I had last seen it. We saw one cow that morning in an area where we had been routinely seeing 4-6 and one morning 10 moose. What had happened. I was stumped. So sitting at camp around 3:30 pm still confused my hunting party said where to boss. I said I have no clue. last minute I said lets go get that damn camera probably didn't take a single picture anyway, and it might be a good idea to check out that spot we did see a moose there a month ago. Then at 5:30 all at once my moose hunt was over I took the best bull I had seen in the unit on my 12th day of hunting. I learned a lot about patience and less about moose on this hunt. Best advice to future moose hunters, is hunt where the moose should be and don't get worked up when they are a no show. After all its all on moose time, and they are usually slow... or late. Cant wait to go again or help anyone that ever needs advice. My research began here 8 months ago and I think I truly wouldn't have put in for this unit if it wasn't for the initial advice I had gotten.
You did just fine and he is a Dandy Bull.
Your Mrs is a good woman to let her hunts wait for your moose hunt man.
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
Very nice. Congrats on your bull, Michael! With 18 points, I’m hoping to draw a Wyoming moose tag in the new few years.
Thanks for letting us know how you did.
Were they still responding to calling ? Or spot and stalk by this time? How far was shot ? Did you get pass through? How did the encounter go down?
Nice bull, congratulations!
I called in one bull during all my days hunting call it bad luck or moose not responding but calling did not work for me on my hunt. Definitely spot and stock was key. The shot was about 80 yards and sadly it was not with the bow. The bullet did not pass through even at 80 yards it was lodged under the hide on the other side. Which is impressive for that close of a shot. He was checking on a cow that was feeding. I think they may have or were going to do the sideways moose. Either way he wasn't leaving that cow.
man..you destroyed my plan...gonna go with an outfitter on private
My buddy took a 47 1/2" beauty on Sept 20th...I arrowed the following year a 42 1/2" bull on Sept 21st...both bulls readily came in to a cow call...voice in hands method for both..this was unit 26 along the Hamms Fork river...2012 and 2013, I think.
Joe
No outfitter needed for a Wyoming moose, only 1 area I know that private access is needed also but you can get it without an outfitter. Moose are made for bowhunting and DIY in Wyoming. Good luck bad bob. We have 3 bulls from Wyoming, all DIY.
wytex...most guys that have 18 points are old like me...i started putting in when i was 47 and still tough...now not so much...im not a bowhunter, but got a bow, i can do it...like to talk to you but im comp illiterate
applied for unit 5 with 18 points...everyone with 18 drew last year so im expecting the same...booked with thomson outfitters cuz another outfitter i know and trust recommended him and is going on the same hunt as a resident
Burned my WY moose points on Area 5 back in 2013. Really bad weather conditions that year. Didn't see alot of moose, but travel options were limited in the deep snow. Arrowed the 3rd bull I saw in six days of hunting. Of course, the 4th bull I saw was a toad! Absolutely beautiful country.
My hunt was DIY at age 52. Had taken a few bull elk off the mountain solo, so figured I could handle a moose with the right equipment (ropes, pulleys, stakes, etc..). Walking up on that downed bull was an eye opener for sure. Fortunately for me, three local antelope hunters showed up and volunteered to help. While I'm confident I could have got the job done alone (eventually)...the help was much appreciated!
I agree 100% with wytex about moose being made for bowhunting, but unless you have some friends along to help get your bull back to camp...going guided is not a bad decision IMO. Best of luck in the draw...and on the hunt!
I need to decide on a wy outfitter for my wife for rifle. I would do DIY but don't think she can pack much
Agree with wytex, moose in Wyo and Colorado are made for diy bowhunting. If you are lucky, sometimes you can get fairly close to the killsight with a quad in those states. Good luck to you moose hunters. It can certainly be a blast especially with a bow.
I killed my DIY WY bull along a stream in the afternoon and my truck was about a mile away. As I stood there, thinking of the task at hand, here came a raft around the bend with two fisherman and I thought that my problem was solved. But they were appalled that I had killed a peaceful moose, and refused to let me put any moose parts on their clean raft...I got my truck closer but it still took me all night. I didn’t mind.
i thought i was a lock on unit 5 with 18 points...thats the way it was on 2020 draw
i thought i was a lock on unit 5 with 18 points...thats the way it was on 2020 draw...ive never seen a discussion anywhere about the surprises the nr got on the wy draws...a wy state senator who is an avid hunter...ive spoken to him...he comes off arrogant on email, but on the phone we could understand each other...he introduced a bill to cut nr tags...i believe it started sh?/ or get off the pot on the points...it didnt pass so maybe the points will calm down next year
