Twenty eight days. That’s how long I had been hunting for a bull moose in one of the limited draw areas of northwest Montana. During that time I had traveled literally hundreds of miles, walked dozens of trails and sat for hours on a number of lakes, ponds and bog areas, all without seeing a single moose! It had taken me eleven years to draw one of the twelve tags available for this area and I was devoting every possible minute to getting it filled.

On morning twenty nine I left my house early, determined to be sitting at a promising little pond before the sun came up. It was about five miles up a forest service road and required a short hike in from there. I quietly made my way through the woods and found myself near the ponds edge just as day was breaking. As the light increased, I saw a young moose standing in knee deep water and then I saw a cow and calf casually walk from the pond back into the woods. As I shifted my position for a better view I could see that there was also a bull standing in the pond. It had only been light for a few minutes and now, right in front of me were four moose including the bull I had been searching for.

I was still watching the bull when I saw movement behind him on the far shore of the pond. As the light continued to improve I was surprised to see another bull moose even larger than the one in the water. The bigger bull was about 150 yards away, much further than I am comfortable shooting with the open sighted rifle I was carrying. Since all of the moose were relaxed, I decided to back out of my hiding place and slowly work my way around through the timber until I reached the other side of the pond. It took a while but I was able to get within range and the moose were still unaware of my presence. The bank on that side was fairly steep and I was well above the water level. Working down towards the bull I began to look for an opening large enough to make a clean shot.

I was carrying my Montana Rifle Company Professional Hunter model chambered in .505 Gibbs. While I will be the first to admit that my choice of calibers might seem a little unusual, remember that this rifle was designed for close range dangerous game hunting. All of the features that make it so effective in Africa also make it perfectly suited for our largest American game. Loaded with four rounds of factory Norma PH ammunition, the 600 grain Woodleigh soft point bullets at 2100 feet per second would certainly be more than adequate for the task at hand. My rifle is fitted with MRC’s new flats brake which not only eliminates any painful recoil, it also reduces muzzle rise allowing for a fast second shot if necessary. I slowly moved the three position safety forward into the fire position, and raised the rifle. The bull was now about 60 yards away standing broadside. I aligned the iron sights on a rib just behind the shoulder and worked to slow my
breathing as I applied pressure to the trigger.

At the shot, I saw the bull stagger, start to turn, and then simply fall over. A perfect one shot kill on my first moose! As I made my way down to the bull I could not help but reflect on all of the hours spent leading up to this moment. If you have never had the opportunity to approach a downed moose, I can assure you that there is no such thing as “ground shrinkage”. With every step you take approaching a moose, they seem to get bigger and bigger. Sitting there alone with such a massive animal is a very humbling experience and it is one that I savored. I ran my hand across the coarse fur on its body; I touched the rock hard antler and then struggled to lift its head. It is almost surreal how truly massive these animals are. I tagged the moose and took a few photos. By this time the excitement was starting to fade and the reality of the enormous task ahead was starting to sink in. I hiked out of the basin and made some calls to assemble a
team that could help me process the moose. In less than two hours I had a group of five enthusiastic folks at work skinning, butchering and packing it out to my truck. By one thirty in the afternoon the last load was packed out and nothing but the rib cage, spine and entrails remained at the site. Something that the ravens will certainly enjoy cleaning up.

The ride back to town was a quiet one; I was both tired and sore but could not have been any happier. I dropped the meat off for processing then took the head and hide to my taxidermist. At every stop I shared the pictures and story of my moose hunting adventure. I cannot apply for another Montana moose tag until 2023 but it’s a safe bet that my application will be in the mail on the first day I am eligible!

Congrats! Sounds like a fine hunt!

Wonderful hunt, thanks for sharing.

good stuff! sounds like a heck of a good time!

Congrats on the completion of your long hunt. Sounded like one of those perfect hunting mornings as the sun comes up to grant you your long earned gift.

Congratulations on a well deserved, dedicated and hard fought for animal!

Congrats!!! A well earned trophy.

Congrats!!Elmer would be proud.

Congrats...thanks for sharing...nice write up

Congratulations Sir. Great story and a really good moose.

OUTSTANDING! Congratulations on some damn tasty meat! At least you used enough gun.

Nice job Jay!!

Nice bull and a nice job. Twenty nine days in one of NW Montana districts with 12 tags available says quite a bit about game density and commitment. Congratulations.

Awesome! I want to hunt moose someday, it's a long shot to the vet draw a tag in Colorado. However, I had a friend who drew one this year. If I hadn't broke my leg I'd have been up helping him every chance I'd get.

My uncle did the same thing on sheep. Hunted every day of the season in Wyoming in the area he hunts elk in.

He did not take a ram, in fact he spent the entire season chasing sheep to not even see a mature ram.

Game deaprtments are over selling premium tags.

Glad that you go to enjoy a month of moose chasing.

Congrats I have been thinking of using my 500 double if I ever get drawn in Washington.

Very good!

Congrats,great story!

Nice Bull!
Congrats

Nice! Thanks for sharing.

Nice Job!!!!

Excellent

Mike

Great report. Hopefully some day I will draw !! What unit did you hunt in ?

quote:

I was carrying my Montana Rifle Company Professional Hunter model chambered in .505 Gibbs

Very nice story concrats on a fine moose hunt.

A bit under gun were we

When people ask me why I use weird calibers for hunting my normal reply is because I can.

Great job! I've always wanted to hunt moose, I just don't want to clean one.

Wonderful story and really nicely written. It's vignettes like this that keep me coming back to AR.

Congratulations on your perseverance and ultimate success!

Hey Jay,
Great stories...both the moose and the wolf. You sure do live an interesting life. Sorry I missed you last month. My girlfriend kept me busy seeing the sights. I'll be in Libby next May/ June on my way to or from a grizzly hunt in BC and will look you up. Have a good hunting season!

Phil

You exude Patience in a world that only wants instant gratification. Your dedication, persistence, commitment, Knowledge and attitude are clearly evident. How can you not be successful. Kudos.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
Great job! I've always wanted to hunt moose, I just don't want to clean one.

Cleaning them is easy; carrying the meat out is the hard part.

Can't say I would have used that rifle, but what a hunt!

Congrats on a fine bull, well earned! Thanks for sharing!

quote:

Originally posted by mlfguns:
You exude Patience in a world that only wants instant gratification. Your dedication, persistence, commitment, Knowledge and attitude are clearly evident. How can you not be successful. Kudos.

This! Congratulations on a trophy that's well-deserved! Thanks for illustrating hunting isn't just about walking out into the woods and shooting something. Sometimes you get one; sometimes you don't.

Nothing like the feeling of a well earned trophy.
George

Very cool! Congrats on an awesome trophy and hunt!