After hunting hard for almost the entire month of September with very minimal elk encounters I was able to take this awesome moose on Thursday evening. Seen him for the first time in the morning on way to my treestand in the dark when I almost ran into him with my quad. He was standing on the line & didn't move. Had to lock up the brakes on my quad to keep from running into him, and he was only about ten yards in front of me. After a few seconds he walked off the trail. This was about 400 yards or so from where I usually park my quad & about 700 yards from the treestand I was going to. I continued down the trail thinking about what I should do. I ended up parking where I usually do & waiting a couple minutes. I decided to continue to my stand, but let out two cow calls just as I started walking to hopefully get his attention. Got into my stand while still dark & waited for legal light. Let out a few cow calls over 20 minutes with no response & then gave a couple bull grunts. Within a couple minutes I heard him grunting from the direction I figured he should be in. He came in right behind my stand grunting loudly & breaking brush, but just when I thought I would get a shot suddenly the grunts started to get farther away. I softly cow called a couple times, but grunts kept moving away until I couldn't hear him anymore. I could have cried!
Kept calling for the rest of the morning to no avail. At home after lunch I was trying to make a plan for evening, as I thought there was a good chance he was still in the area & not spooked. I asked my wife her opinion on what I should do either back to stand or go in on ground where I thought he might go. She told me I should try the ground to change it up, for what did I have to loose (I had been leaning towards going back to stand). I went with what she suggested. I started in on the ground about 5 pm about 500 yards or so behind my stand where I had last heard the bull in the morning. There is an old creek bed there that I have walked before. The wind was right in my face & I took it really slow and cautious. After about 400 yards or so I noticed a large rut pit right in the old creek bed. 40 yards further there was another one. I decided to setup & call for awhile. Sat down on a log & let out 3 sets of cow calls over 20 minutes or so. Suddenly I heard a bull grunting behind me & in less than a minute I could see him coming fast towards me on the other side of the creek bed. I scooted off the log & turned so I could draw my bow. He heard me & stopped about 40 yards away behind a big spruce. I thought he would bolt, but after about 2 minutes he continued coming grunting & swaying his head. I drew my bow when he was about 30 yards or so & he stopped again. He was quartering towards me with no shot & I held at full draw for a minute or two thinking it was over the whole time, and again he continued my way. At about 8 yards he was broadside & I released watching the arrow disappear behind his shoulder & blood gushing immediately. He bolted & despite me calling took off crashing thru the trees. I thought I heard him go down & started looking for my arrow. Then I heard him coughing & was confident it was over. Without finding my arrow I started on the blood trail & after about 10 yards found it busted off right at fletching, and covered in blood with bubbles. Followed the blood trail for another 50 yards or so & found him piled up. Best thing was that it was still early & I was able to run home, and round up wife & kids for the retrieval. Measured him at 51.5" & he has a drop point off each of his eyeguards. Congratulations to everyone on here for some really great animals this year, and thank you for sharing stories & pics.
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