Anybody up for a new Tradgang bowhunting adventure?  I was blessed to draw both bull elk and moose tags in the great state of Wyoming this year.  I expect to spend most if not all of the hunt alone, but you are welcome to tag along here on Tradgang during the planning (done), preparation (in progess), scouting (hopefully in August) and hunting (September and possibly into October) stages of this adventure.  I get almost as much enjoyment from the first 3 stages as in the final stage.  Hopefully I can provide some useful information if you want to experience a similar adventure yourself in the future.  I plan to include photos to the extent possible, like this one of a fine WY bull moose that I would be pleased to tag.....

Oh yeah!  I'm up for that...bring it on!

That is awesome man!!  Congrats on the draw.  A couple good friends and I will be in WY in September as well God willing!  I will be watching this one for sure.

You lead and I will follow! Great idea and I look forward to it. Mike

 Lookin forward to it!

Where did you draw????

You drew a WY moose tag? Very cool! Shiras moose is one animal I'd absolutely love to hunt.

Sounds like a dream.
I'll be hunting trout with my other stick and string in August around Laramie.  Saw a big moose in the vedauwoo area last summer.  An incredible state, I hope to look for elk in it someday.

Jeff,

Just sent you an email to catch up. Congrats on the tags. Daniel also on the Uath elk.

Dennis

Jeff,
Congratulations on the draws.  I haven't been after moose since going to Alaska in 1999; I'm looking forward to living moose hunt vicariously on the internet.

You have a P.M.

QuoteOriginally posted by Steve O:
Oh yeah!  I'm up for that...bring it on!

Took the words right out of my mouth!

Glad to see there is some interest.  

I drew elk units 63/64 and moose unit 4.  I've never been in the elk units and have only driven through and hunted the edges of the moose unit.  I'll gladly take any advice or tips for these units if you have such info - you can PM or e-mail me (jeffreyholchin@gmail.com) if you want to keep such info private, and I promise to keep it the same.  There may be general info on these units in this thread but not specific info.

Stage 1 - Planning coming soon.

Tim, where in WY did you and your friends draw?

Get ready for a little bit of fun sir. I have had tohe privledge to attend a couple of moose hunts lately. This one was last year. Good luck on yours adventure. If i can help please let me know.

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=069151;p=5

Moose and elk are big --how are you going to get one out by yourself.

Wow FerretWYO, how did I ever miss that thread???  After reading the thread and watching the video of the moose, I am fired up!  I already took my backpack for a 4 mile hile this morning, but now I feel like going home and shooting my bow.  I kind of had a similar experience as the shooter in your video, when I killed my Canadian moose in NH.  I watched him out in a clearcut and correctly guessed the trail that he would take after trashing a young pine tree.  It took an hour but he was standing straight on at 6 yards and I was crouched down in the grass, trembling with a mixture of excitement and fear.  Then he took a few steps to his left and my arrow appeared behind his shoulder......

Great question STICKDP and one that must be addressed.  I do have a little expereience getting out elk and moose by myself.  One disadvantage of solo hunting is not have help when a large animal is down; another is not having help in an emergency.  Even though the moose is bigger than the elk, I think I'll have less trouble with the moose if I actually kill one.  My moose unit is the lowcountry around Pinedale and looks more like antelope country than moose country: flat to rolling with lots of sage with some willow-choked streams and small rivers.  The eastern edge is the foothills of the bridger mountains so there will be aspens and pines there.  Access looks pretty good from the maps and I hope to get my truck close to a kill - I'm more worried about high temperatures and spoilage, but I always keep coolers with ice in my truck.

My elk unit looks a lot more rugged and higher in elevation, plus I've been warned to expect lots of grizzlies and trouble if I get an elk down, especially towards evening.  I will probably set up a truck camp at a trailhead and pack in several miles to a spike camp.  I plan to hunt elk later in September when the temps, and risk of spoilage, should be lower.  I have found several drainages that look good on the maps and Google Earth, which have FS trails.  The system that I have used for several years now is to take a game cart to haul my camp, food and gear into the spike camp, and then use that game cart to haul out any meat (unfortunately I have not hauled out any meat the last few years).  Here is my homemade cart I used on a CO sheep hunt several years ago...



Steve O called this contraption a "fridge hauler" and hurt my feelings, so I went out and bought a fancy Cabelas game cart, which I'll use for this hunt.....

Because of the grizzly bears that are in my elk unit, I am considering 2 other options but so far the costs have been too high:  renting pack animals (horses, mules or llamas) or lining up a game packer to come and get out my elk if .  Even though I have horses myself, I'm not really a horse lover and would rather concentrate on hunting elk than deal with pea-brained pack animals ever day.  If I can find a game packer for $200 or less that I'm sure I can count on, I may go that route.  Anyway, I will check out these trails during my scouting trip and possibly meet with a game packer or two.  Depending on my game cart will restrict my mobility, whereas if I know I have a dependable game packer with horses or mules, I have the freedom to chase the elk just about anywhere they go.

Area 4....ON or off Forrest? or did I miss that someplace. I have spent a couple of days in that area  

Hello Vance, this is pretty close to you, I was hoping that you would notice this thread.  I think the entire unit 4 is off NF land.  Some BLM and state land though.  Not exactly classic moose country but I just didn't have enough points to draw a moose tag in the Big Horns or Snowy Mountains where there are no wolves, or even near Yellowstone or the Tetons where the wolves are eating up all the moose calves.  I'm just glad to have this chance to finally hunt WY moose before the moose population drops too low to allow NR hunters.

It will work....Perhaps no 60" class. There's something wantin to wear your tag  

Jeff, we applied for Proghorns in unit 102.  We wont know the results or our draw until the end of June.  Hopefully we will get that area.  It is near Buffalo just south of Sheridan.

I...  hurt  your  feelings...   :D  

You have an excellent plan...one I was actually going to suggest    ...WY is full of horse dudes.  I would try to find one to pack out your animals.  That would be worth EVERY penny!

You know Jeff, the only thing keeping me from the wilds of an Alaskan river for a moose is the packing.  I was smart enough to be on horseback when I took my moose in the Yukon and I will never forget the task of dismantling it.  The thought of packing out one of those things on my back still gives me the chills...

On the bright side, those little WY moose are not a whole lot bigger than the elk you are going to get.

If you can't find a packer, you are just going to have to cut him up into manageable pieces.  Just a little more sweat and mileage, but if anyone is up to it, you are