CO moose scouting today
Moose
Good moose bottom
Good moose bottom
And where there is good moose bottoms and food and water, the moose will be there. As I walked back to the truck, the bull stood up 25 yards away, in the shadows and along a trail. He allowed me to take his picture.. Antlers in velvet so he did not want to run through the tangles, just walked away after awhile. Bow range of 25 yards. In 38 days, yes I would.
This bull walked across the road in front of the truck earlier in the morning and just started to feed on willow brush 20 yards away. According to other campers in the area there are two more bulls and two cows in the area. Set up two trail cameras in other places. Will return in mid August for more scouting and check the cameras. Fun stuff and yes, I am excited. my best, Paul
pic of bull that was not added to the first post
I bet 38 days feels like it's taking forever. Looking forward to participating in your hunt through your story. Good luck. I got a feeling your tag will be filled.
Paul that not a moose bottom. This is a moose bottom.
Glad you're finding some moose! Looking forward to you posing over one.
Paul, anyone who knows you, and respects your opinions about Bowsite, is rooting for you. I know I am.
I'm excited to follow your adventure, Paul! Have fun!
Dreams do come true Paul. Glad you’re out enjoying it. Thanks for taking us along.
Tic! Tic! Tic!……..Getting closer every day, Paul!
Very nice CO bull moose......best of luck, like you need it, Paul you killer!!!!
Awesome encounters and great pics , Good Luck
That second bull looks like the type of bull that would get shot by Texans every year thinking it's an elk. :) JK
Good luck on your hunt Paul!
Good for you, Paul! All I'm finding are bulls, with this dang cow tag for my area.. Lot of time to hunt..
;-)
Quinn, I’m from Texas, you mean that ain’t no elk ? DAMMITBOY !
thanks for sharing paul. looking forward to your hunt almost as much as you. :)
Thanks Paul, a real hunt by a real hunter, get-r-dun!
Nice Paul!! Good early start!!
Awesome stuff Paul!
From goose to moose and everything in between, you put all you got into it and usually come out rewarded
This will be an extra special one to follow!!
Still nice and green up there. Can’t wait for the pictures and story. Moose meat is delicious imo. Maybe the next Bowsite get together you can make some moose sliders.
Awesome Paul!! Looks like you're seeing some Bulls and areas. There's still lots of antler growth to be done so that one will be even bigger by end of August. Keep the pictures coming!
How exciting. Big target! Remember Dwight Schue’s encounter?
September will be here before you know it!
Lush and green.
Good for you, Paul,
Robb
Teal will be getting some homemade moose treats this fall!
Excited for you and love that you're taking us along. Scouting and anticipation is a big part of the whole experience.
DL, sort of like bear hunting with a partner, just make sure you can run faster than they can. :). When I shoot my bull moose, I will make sure I have a tree between us just in case. My best, Paul
Heck yeah Paul, nice knowing there will be a couple waiting for you.
Buckeye, (Dan), when I left Ohio and came to Colorado in 1991, I never realized that I would be bull moose hunting 33 years later. I just noticed that a few of the points on his right paddle are bent over. Should be easy to recognize in the near future.. Paul
Paul, this bull looks like he could be related to the one above. Best of luck on your adventure!
Paul, Appreciate the updates. Keep them coming. Savor the anticipation, opening day will be here before you know it. Aim small, miss small.
In DL's link there is another video below put out by Eastman, called ARROWED at 14 yards! Moose hunting.
The guide does an incredible job of explaining and demonstrating moose calls.
Same as everyone else - pulling for you Paul, good luck!!!
Paul, will they be hard horned by the time you shoot one? Maybe some fuzz still hanging on? Looks like they still have some antler left to grow.. I'd shoot one either way , just curious.
I’m excited for you Paul! This will be Bowsite gold. Keep the updates coming.
Good luck Paul! Moose are darn fun to hunt, especially if you call him in!
I put in for Shiras in CO for 30 years and never drew a tag but got a WY tag after a dozen years of applications....the year the NR license price doubled, haha.
DL, I remember that encounter. Dwight was one of my favorite guys to watch on tv. Paul reminds me of Dwight, getting it done despite the years. I miss watching Dwight, he was such a common sense guy.
Kurt, hard to tell if they will respond to calling and what type of calling, on Sept 7 week but I will try some different tactics like breaking brush and trashing limbs like a bull moose. and some light moose grunts the first few days. Maybe I will just ambush one with out calling or with decoys. I have lots of tools, like two Montana cow moose decoys, and Ultimate Predator cow moose decoy, a moose call tube, a bull moose grunt can, and then lots of archery big game experience. I have watch many if not all of the archer bull moose hunts on Youtube and also the calling videos and got some good advice here on Bowsite. I had lunch with two successful bull moose hunters here in Colorado. One shot his bull the first day from behind a decoy, the other shot his bull the last week of the season. You know I will give it 110%. Paul
Paul, Shiras bulls will come to calls after they shed velvet. I know guys who've called them in from a long way on the first day of the season. I'm planning to try to call in my cow.
Good luck to you also Lou !
Paul, what's your initial weapon of choice?
One of things that I found so impressive about moose is their hearing. I called to a bull moose from about 1.5 miles away, and quit calling when he got to 1/2 mile. He never stopped walking until he was 21 yards away. At times, it seems like they turn their ears into (or towards) their antlers and use the antlers as a parabolic dish to gather and pin point the source of a sound.
Rod, I am going to use the Great Plains recurve bow, 55#, 550 gr Gold Tip Traditional arrow shafts, with 150 gr 3 bld VPA BH. Same set up I use on my last bull elk and killed at 19 yards. There is a post now from 2022, on Leatherwall about a long bow hunter who had to used a mouth hold to draw his bow and he killed his moose at 20 yards. Marc Clynke's book, THe Son Of THe Long Bow, writes about him and his friends all killing their moose with their "stick". I know I can do this also. Thanks for the note.
Jake, that is also what I have read about their hearing and pin pointing the sounds. Up close and personal for sure. A tank of a beast! My best, Paul
Good luck. What's your retrieval plans, ? That's a big animal.
Good luck Paul, I am really looking forward to following this thread!
You’re definitely going to have a great hunt! Looks like you have some solid options for good bulls!
Colorado has to be the top destination for Shiras moose since Wyoming’s moose have been decimated by the wolves.
I keep applying every year but have little faith after over 30 years of ever pulling a tag. Worse odds now that I’m a nonresident.
Luckily, I did draw a moose tag in Wyoming and killed a bull with my longbow a few years back. Actually glad to not be playing that pay to play game up there any more! I used my 60# longbow with a 450 grain arrow and 150 grain Snuffer up front. Buried up to the fletching and he only took a few steps before tipping over.
If I ever draw another tag, I will be out there a week before the hunt and plan to shoot my bull the first day. I found that the bulls were visible and approachable early when they were in velvet. I found a lot of bulls early scouting and the first weekend of archery. Once they stripped velvet, they moved from where they had been and were damn tough to find again.
On the advice of Nathan Andersohn, I took all my vacation time in what should be the peak of the rut. I did not enjoy hunting them in the rut at all. I hunted hard for over a week and did not see a bull till I found the one I shot on like the 10th day.I certainly would not do that on my next Shiras hunt…
Groundhunter. "Retrieval plan?" Unlike a wilderness moose hunt, most of the Colorado moose retrieval are within a "reasonable" distance from the truck or camp. I have deboned 15 elk here in Colorado by myself, so a moose is just 2.5 -3 time the size of those elk. It will just take longer to do and should yield 300 plus pounds of meat. If possible, I plan on doing the gutless method. I will have a friend (moose hunter) on the hunt the first week so two guys will be able to debone within a reasonable time. Now, getting that meat out in a reasonable time can be an issue if it is too warm out, the moose dies in a sun spot on the side of the hill, or dies deep down in a "hole". I have 4 friends on call to help if available to help pack out. It there is a cold creek nearby, after the meat cools in meat bags, I can then place those bags in large, thick, plastic contractor bags and set them in the creek, acting like a refrigerator. I have done this before with elk meat up to three days, and have not lost any over the years. ATV, Back packs, jet sled, game cart, will be use also. So there is the retrieval plan. Yep, big animal but we will knock him down to size. My best, Paul
I had been told the same thing as Treeline mentioned above in the Wyo unit I drew. Where bulls were every day during the summer, once they shed velvet they moved. It makes a lot of sense that as the rut kicks in bulls can potentially move long distance trying to find an estrous cow.
With that said, if you find a bull you like you better take full advantage of it once they shed their velvet because he could be miles away the next day.
It took 6 trips to get the bull I got out using the gutless method by myself. 1.7 miles in 6x trips (12 total) = 20.4 total miles. 10.2 miles of which was packing hefty loads of boned meat! It was worth every mile of packing!
The place i have been scouting has yielded up to 4 mature cow moose in the area so the hope is that those mature cows will help keep the current bulls in the area and or attract other bulls from other surrounding areas. I will tell you how this all works out after the hunt. Sort of like trying predicting the weather. My hope would be to have a bull moose on the ground sometime during that first week, ie, Sept 7--13th. I remember that last year elk season and in this same area, then I killed that cow elk on Sept,1,the temps were in the mid 70 day, and low 40s at night. Got the meat out ok. the next day. I might predict the temps will be warm on Sept 7th. The reason I chose this area, Thanks Brad, is that there is a good stream running right down the middle of the moose bottom, good shade, and a close by trail, Cool temps in the night time and early morning, and yes moose in the area. Thanks for all the info. Paul
Paul. Nice plan.. my Ontario moose, was a ball buster nightmare, with 4 guys...ha ha. Would not have changed it for the world. Leaving for Alaska Thursday. Will follow your hunt Stay well and God Bless
Mike, Wisconsin is only a hop, skip and a jump to Alaska. What is the reason for the trip? Another moose hunt? My best, Paul
No, taking my daughter and son in law, for their first trip. Halibut fishing and whale watching and just fun stuff. They only have 10 days, Gail and I will hang out longer...
Paul is the real deal, but we already know that.
scentman
Paul, the bulls will still be where they are hanging now, on Sept 7. By the end of that week they usually start wandering and doing recon, like pre-rut bucks, and you may never see the one you want again. So its important to find the one you want, park on him, and try to get him in the first couple days.
Last year I was helping a guy find bulls during the season. I found a good one hanging out with a cow for an evening and a morning. Then around 9 am, that bull left her and walked over the mountain to an entirely different drainage about three miles away. Never saw him again.
Then when the cows come into heat, they will often lead the bulls way away from the bottoms, up into the timber like a doe leading a buck away to sequester. I see them way out in the sagebrush and in heavy deadfall timber during that time. And lone bulls will sniff along, bird dogging across trails just like a whitetail buck, and you may not be able to catch up unless you're ahead of them.
Get him quick, and then the fun begins!
Paul, looks like you are ready and able. Good luck but I don't think that you will need much luck. My prediction is that you will have one on the ground quickly. You seem to have everything covered so just be safe and take care.
Here’s your bull Paul - pick your spot! Hahaha
^^ Worlds largest fork horn!!
Paul, I sure wish that you lived closer. I have a lifesize Rinehart moose target (and an unused replacement core) that I would let you borrow....just to help you visualize the bull that you are less than a month from killing. Jake
Thanks Brad, I am going to visualize a goose on the side of the bull, and then let the arrow fly!
Jake, thanks for the thought. Across the road from the house is a 15 hand tall horse I see each day, and now when I drive pass I see a wide set of moose antlers on it. Yep, I get the idea and size. Bring it on! Will scout again this coming Monday and Tuesday. My best, Paul
