I just had to use that title given the recent debate.

After looking around at other places closer to home as posted on another discussion I ended up just going back to my usual haunt. As you can see from the picture the weather has finally cleared out here and this last weekend was just out and out pleasant to be outside.

Babe and I walked a low bluff Saturday and Sunday morning looking for hair below us. Saturday we found nine cows and Sunday we found this fellow with them. 9:00am Sunday morning it was all over. Well he was thru. I on the other hand didn't have him all back to the boat and camp until 4:00pm Monday afternoon. Two pond crossings and about a 600 yard pack to the boat was exercise to put it mildly.

It was just Babe and I on this hunt. My friends from down south headed other directions and locally partners have moved away or were otherwise committed.

This was actually the first and only bull I saw. I heard another bull raking brush across from camp the night I shot this one and saw the rack of another bull that was taken by another party in the same area but thats it. I wasn't really hunting that long so I'm sure I could have hung around and seen more.

It occured to me recently that I left out an important piece of information regarding the Subsistence issue as it applies to Alaska residents. On state managed hunts like the moose hunt I participated in the is no "Rural or Local Priority" All Alaska residents are eligible for this registration hunt. Tags are over the counter, no draw is used. However Units 17A and 17C have no open season for non resident moose hunters. Non resident moose hunters have opportunity where I have been taking my friends recently in Unit 17B and as of last night I understand have been doing quite well this season. I'm very sorry about not mentioning that in the other discussion.

The rack measures 65 1/2" wide. I brought the whole upper skull out so I could do a european deal. It'll look great inside the shop over the garage door. I've got all the ribs, neck, staps and loin processed. Friends took two legs and I've got two legs to go.

Real nice Scott, congratulations.

Good Deal, nice bull. Here in Eagle, only 2 bulls have been taken, last year over 30. Our road is closed, limiting hunting but the big reason is the heat. Been awful hot, no snow in the mornings, like 75 degrees and super sunny. Bulls only moving way after dark, tough year. Hopefully, it will cool off nx week and we'll head downriver. I haven't hunted the last 2 days, just not worth it until it cools off. Glad to see ya get one.

Hey Bitch!

Get off the Internet and pack my box of meat.

Mark

Very nice looking moose

Great moose Scott! Congratulations! A patient stopped by the office today to show me his 58"er. After growing up hunting whitetails a mature bull moose rack is most impressive!!!!

Brett

NICE Scott, I should have hunted with you instead of Mark, my bull was only 65".

Jerry,

I must admit I've felt bad about that moose being only 65". I would have expected a bigger moose if I was you particularly considering you used my camping gear, shot my rifle, I called him in, and Sadie and I packed out most of the meat. Yeah! You probably got hosed by only paying half of the charter.



I defintely would not have been happy with this one.

Mark

Congrats Scott

I may have missed it on another thread, but what rifle did you use?

Mark, please stop posting stuff like that....directions could change!

quote:

Originally posted by cmfic1:
Congrats Scott

I may have missed it on another thread, but what rifle did you use?

Mark, please stop posting stuff like that....directions could change!

Well that is the bad part of the story. As the .458 wasn't ready to go I took Snowwolfe's 9.3. Certainly I thought a good choice in what was on paper an accurate rifle and in a cartridge I had previously used here on moose. I did entertain thoughts on using the old standby .375 but there were new rifles in my possession as of yet un blooded so,........

I brought along 50 rounds of 9.3. No I didn't anticipate using them all but since typically a moose can be shot more than a couple of times and the opportunity at bears might occur, I didn't want to get to having two tags filled and maybe only ten rounds left. Besides, all my 9.3 ammo is stored in 50 round containers so I grabbed what was available and boogied.

If I didn't mention it before, the shot was right at 200 yards or a little less. I had seen the bull from a distance and since the lighting was perfect, the bull was laying down in light willow, I thought I should be able to snap quite a few pictures before I pulled the rifle trigger. When I came over the edge of the bluff camera in hand and rifle slung over my shoulder I found a different situation. The cows were headed into thick cover, the bull was on his feet walking away from me following them. I replaced the lense cap, pitched the camera onto the tundra, and hit my butt as I un slung the rifle. After getting set to fire I bull grunted at the fellow twice and bless his heart he turned quartering to me to see where this interloper had come from. I settled the crosshairs between the neck and shoulder midway down the body and squeezed. This's where it goes down hill.

Like most moose hunters know, moose generally don't go down quickly. I had a bull get back on his feet and swim to the otherside of the river after being shot with an -06 and have shot a good bull as much as four times with my .375 using TSX's. It not that their not effective shots or that the bullets aren't doing their job its just that the bulls don't fall over right away inspite of having holes in their heart and or lungs.

At the shot on the bull pictured above he absolutely flattened. Flattened as in feet up in the air, body on the ground flattened. Not DRT, the bull did try to regain his breath for I suspect half a minute, but inspite of my remaining seated, racking the bolt and getting back on him in the scope for a follow up shot, I never had opportunity. The bull didn't pick himself back up high enough out of the grass to allow me another trigger pull.

You do see the problem don't you? What fun was that?!?!?!?!?

I place the blame directly on Snowwolfe. First he sells me a rifle that requires 0, thats zero load development, and now we find out it its a stone cold killer. I brought home 49 unfired pieces of ammo! What the heck is that about?

Forum members beware! Snowwolfe's wares are not to be trusted! If a buyer is looking for many happy hours of recreational time developing loads, range testing, hunting and chasing wounded game over hill and dale do not buy from Snowwolfe.

On another note, yesterday morning "Babe" my black lab retrieved a swan rather nicely and I'm headed out on the tide later this morning to duck hunt. Pictures of the swan are forthcoming.

Mark the reason Jerry thinks he should have gone hunting with me instead of you is because you are a dick and I'm not. Don't believe me? See your posts above.

Thanks for the reply Scott

Much to my surprise that crummy ole 9.3 did its job....now that you've bloodied it, you prolly want or need me to take it off your hands

Scott,

First, KUDOS on the Moose kill. I'd be flat happy with a 65 1/2" Moose, regardless of what the opposition has to say..
Secondly, we need to hear Snowwolf's side of the story, equal time..

Don

hey scott - i have a suggestion of what piece of meat to box up and send to mark

congrats Scott...very nice...

Scott, nice bull! You must have dropped him a couple days before our visit a week ago. Where abouts did you find this big boy? I was going to do a little hunting while in town, but having my star witness show up to court drunk three days in a row screwed up my plans.

By the way, city manager, police chief and finance director positions are currently open. May be back to town in the near future.

Lou

Nice moose! Love my 9.3.

Very nice Moose, should make for some nice eats.