IdaRam
AH legend
I just got back from three incredible weeks in the backcountry of Idaho and I thought you guys might enjoy some hunt pics and the story to go with.
A very close friend of mine retired from the local Sheriffs department a few years ago after 31 years on the job which included many years on the SWAT team and regular duty as a patrol sergeant. Upon his retirement we decided to start putting in for moose tags in our home state of Idaho with the agreement that if one of us drew a tag the other would commit the time to go along as packer, camp cook and chief bottle washer. Moose are a once in a lifetime species in Idaho, meaning if you are successful in drawing a tag and harvesting a bull you can never apply again. If you are unsuccessful in harvesting a bull you must wait 3 years before applying again. As luck would have it I was the first lucky hunter, drawing the tag in 2012 and harvesting a big old bull past his prime with antlers starting to regress. Two years later Jim also won the lottery
and it was my turn to return the favor YES!
When the draw results were posted Jim was spring bear hunting and I had to check the results on-line for him. When I sent him the text that he was successful I had to take a picture of the computer screen and send him so he knew I wasn't yanking his chain! Needless to say it was his best spring bear hunt ever Then the waiting began...
After 5 months of planning and waiting the time finally came to go hunting! With camp set up and some scouting done before opening day, we were ready to get down to business.
A 4:00am wake up call allowed time for a fire in the stove to knock off the chill and a bacon and eggs breakfast with plenty of coffee to start things off right.
The first day yielded smaller bulls, cows and calves along with several rag horn bull elk and 2 black bear, but no large bull moose. Kind of a relief actually. Who wants to put an end to the hunt on the first day? Especially when the season runs from September 15 through December 1. From past experience on my hunt two years prior, we were expecting to hunt the full 3 weeks that we had set aside and maybe end up coming back for the last 10 days of the season to hunt from snowmobiles. That would prove unnecessary
On day 2 we caught a few fleeting glimpses of what looked like a good bull running off a lesser bull, but in the thick timber and brush we never could get a decent look.
We were high up overlooking a bowl that held the two bulls as well as a cow and a calf moose. In addition, 3 rag horn bull elk moved through the bowl right after first light and then another small bull elk showed up and proceeded to dive in the pond and splash around and play just like a kid in a bathtub As soon as I figure out how to post video I will share it with y'all. It's pretty entertaining
Day 3 also yielded the same 2 bulls in the thick stuff without a good enough look at the bigger bull to decide if he was worth further effort. This time there were more cows, a couple elk and a black bear. Then something funny happened...
Everything just sort of melted away. Not a mad dash, just an evaporation. They all just filtered out of the bowl kind of quietly. Here's why.
A Big Old Grizzly Bear! He just moved on in and started eating huckleberries like he owned the place, which he obviously did! Once again, I am so glad I invested in a video camera!
We watched him and shot video for about 15 minutes then moved on to try to catch up with the bigger bull and hopefully get a good look.
Day 4 finally yielded the look we had been trying to get. Yup, he's a shooter! He's just over 600 yards when he finally beds down behind the base of a big fallen tree that died decades ago and all that is visible are his antlers. Now to close the gap and wait for him to stand up. We made our way down a steep ridge and found a perfect rest in a small cluster of spruce trees at 389 yards. After some stacking of packs and gear for a good solid rest front and rear it was time to wait. A little over an hour later with the sun now shining on his bed, the bull decided it was time to stretch and move to a spot with more shade. I barely had time to switch on the video camera and hit record when Jim's 300 WSM boomed. The 180 grain Barnes was spot on. Right through the near shoulder and out behind the far shoulder. A follow up shot was also right on the mark but not necessary, as we learned later. About 30 seconds after the second shot we heard the crash as the bull went down in the trees.
It took us about an hour to get to him due to a long detour around cliffs which encircle part of the bowl he was in.
Here he is in his final resting place with the happy hunter claiming his trophy.
After caping, quartering, bagging and hanging the meat in the shade and leaving most of the gear we had in our packs, it was time to head back up the mountain with Jim carrying the cape and me packing the backstraps and tenderloins.
We reached the top of the mountain right at dusk. I came puffing up behind Jim just in time to hear him say "Oh Crap"! Guess who decided to show up. It was getting dark but there was no mistaking the size and swagger of the Grizzly as it approached the kill. The last we could see was him going into the trees about 50 yards from our moose.
It took us about 3 hours to hike the 3 miles in the dark back to the road where we had left the Rhino UTV. On the one hand I was glad to know where the Grizzly was, considering I smelled like moose meat and blood. On the other hand, that probably wasn't the only grizzly around. And we still had to deal with him the next day if we wanted the rest of the meat and our gear back
Day 5 is a little tense After very little sleep and adrenaline crash we stoked up the FN SLP tactical shotgun with a charge of buckshot backed up by high velocity slugs, grabbed hold of the lead ropes on the mules and headed back.
We tied up the mules a few hundred yards away from the kill and made our way in, making plenty of noise of course. I am happy to report that this must be most polite grizzly in Idaho. After checking things out he apparently decided we smelled pretty bad because he didn't touch a thing! He was back on the kill the next day when we glassed from a distant ridge top. Glad that had a happy ending
Here's the girls, Brakey and Charlie, packing the quarters, antlers and my SLP
As you can see in the photo above, they are pretty interested in something below that they kept their eyes on most of the way up the hill... I have a suspicion it was our friend.
Here's a few more photos I hope you enjoy
Misty Mountain
Fall Colors
We ended up staying the full 3 weeks, chasing Elk around and almost getting an arrow into a really big 6 point bull that I was able to call in to 10 yards, but still no shot.
One of the funnest hunts of my life and I think I actually only carried my rifle twice! Shooting a black bear for the freezer just didn't seem important.
Best wishes and good hunting to you all!
Dan
A very close friend of mine retired from the local Sheriffs department a few years ago after 31 years on the job which included many years on the SWAT team and regular duty as a patrol sergeant. Upon his retirement we decided to start putting in for moose tags in our home state of Idaho with the agreement that if one of us drew a tag the other would commit the time to go along as packer, camp cook and chief bottle washer. Moose are a once in a lifetime species in Idaho, meaning if you are successful in drawing a tag and harvesting a bull you can never apply again. If you are unsuccessful in harvesting a bull you must wait 3 years before applying again. As luck would have it I was the first lucky hunter, drawing the tag in 2012 and harvesting a big old bull past his prime with antlers starting to regress. Two years later Jim also won the lottery
and it was my turn to return the favor YES!When the draw results were posted Jim was spring bear hunting and I had to check the results on-line for him. When I sent him the text that he was successful I had to take a picture of the computer screen and send him so he knew I wasn't yanking his chain! Needless to say it was his best spring bear hunt ever
Then the waiting began...After 5 months of planning and waiting the time finally came to go hunting! With camp set up and some scouting done before opening day, we were ready to get down to business.
A 4:00am wake up call allowed time for a fire in the stove to knock off the chill and a bacon and eggs breakfast with plenty of coffee to start things off right.
The first day yielded smaller bulls, cows and calves along with several rag horn bull elk and 2 black bear, but no large bull moose. Kind of a relief actually. Who wants to put an end to the hunt on the first day? Especially when the season runs from September 15 through December 1. From past experience on my hunt two years prior, we were expecting to hunt the full 3 weeks that we had set aside and maybe end up coming back for the last 10 days of the season to hunt from snowmobiles. That would prove unnecessary
On day 2 we caught a few fleeting glimpses of what looked like a good bull running off a lesser bull, but in the thick timber and brush we never could get a decent look.
We were high up overlooking a bowl that held the two bulls as well as a cow and a calf moose. In addition, 3 rag horn bull elk moved through the bowl right after first light and then another small bull elk showed up and proceeded to dive in the pond and splash around and play just like a kid in a bathtub
As soon as I figure out how to post video I will share it with y'all. It's pretty entertaining Day 3 also yielded the same 2 bulls in the thick stuff without a good enough look at the bigger bull to decide if he was worth further effort. This time there were more cows, a couple elk and a black bear. Then something funny happened...
Everything just sort of melted away. Not a mad dash, just an evaporation. They all just filtered out of the bowl kind of quietly. Here's why.
A Big Old Grizzly Bear! He just moved on in and started eating huckleberries like he owned the place, which he obviously did! Once again, I am so glad I invested in a video camera!
We watched him and shot video for about 15 minutes then moved on to try to catch up with the bigger bull and hopefully get a good look.
Day 4 finally yielded the look we had been trying to get. Yup, he's a shooter! He's just over 600 yards when he finally beds down behind the base of a big fallen tree that died decades ago and all that is visible are his antlers. Now to close the gap and wait for him to stand up. We made our way down a steep ridge and found a perfect rest in a small cluster of spruce trees at 389 yards. After some stacking of packs and gear for a good solid rest front and rear it was time to wait. A little over an hour later with the sun now shining on his bed, the bull decided it was time to stretch and move to a spot with more shade. I barely had time to switch on the video camera and hit record when Jim's 300 WSM boomed. The 180 grain Barnes was spot on. Right through the near shoulder and out behind the far shoulder. A follow up shot was also right on the mark but not necessary, as we learned later. About 30 seconds after the second shot we heard the crash as the bull went down in the trees.
It took us about an hour to get to him due to a long detour around cliffs which encircle part of the bowl he was in.
Here he is in his final resting place with the happy hunter claiming his trophy.
After caping, quartering, bagging and hanging the meat in the shade and leaving most of the gear we had in our packs, it was time to head back up the mountain with Jim carrying the cape and me packing the backstraps and tenderloins.
We reached the top of the mountain right at dusk. I came puffing up behind Jim just in time to hear him say "Oh Crap"! Guess who decided to show up. It was getting dark but there was no mistaking the size and swagger of the Grizzly as it approached the kill. The last we could see was him going into the trees about 50 yards from our moose.
It took us about 3 hours to hike the 3 miles in the dark back to the road where we had left the Rhino UTV. On the one hand I was glad to know where the Grizzly was, considering I smelled like moose meat and blood. On the other hand, that probably wasn't the only grizzly around. And we still had to deal with him the next day if we wanted the rest of the meat and our gear back
Day 5 is a little tense
After very little sleep and adrenaline crash we stoked up the FN SLP tactical shotgun with a charge of buckshot backed up by high velocity slugs, grabbed hold of the lead ropes on the mules and headed back.We tied up the mules a few hundred yards away from the kill and made our way in, making plenty of noise of course. I am happy to report that this must be most polite grizzly in Idaho. After checking things out he apparently decided we smelled pretty bad because he didn't touch a thing! He was back on the kill the next day when we glassed from a distant ridge top. Glad that had a happy ending
Here's the girls, Brakey and Charlie, packing the quarters, antlers and my SLP
As you can see in the photo above, they are pretty interested in something below that they kept their eyes on most of the way up the hill... I have a suspicion it was our friend.
Here's a few more photos I hope you enjoy
Misty Mountain
Fall Colors
We ended up staying the full 3 weeks, chasing Elk around and almost getting an arrow into a really big 6 point bull that I was able to call in to 10 yards, but still no shot.
One of the funnest hunts of my life and I think I actually only carried my rifle twice! Shooting a black bear for the freezer just didn't seem important.
Best wishes and good hunting to you all!
Dan
