Good news! For me at least anyway. I just got off the WY game and fish website and found out I drew a moose permit. It's for a cow, but that's all right. The 444 will be used, most likely. Now for the wait. :(

Congratulations on your permit!

Cow moose is mighty fine eating.

I'm still waiting for the applications to become available here to put in for the and elk. Don't think moose would do too well down in this country!

Congratulations on your permit!

Cow moose is mighty fine eating.

I'm still waiting for the applications to become available here to put in for the and elk. Don't think moose would do too well down in this country!

Thanks, kdub. I've never been a trophy hunter, so a cow is fine with me. Just having the opportunity to hunt these interesting animals is enough.

The regulations state that I must shoot a cow without a young of the year calf. That could prove more interesting, plus the fact that I'm not 25 anymore, so packing one out, if it comes to that, may be a little more time consuming than when I was younger. And it probably will come to that as I have limited patience when it comes to road hunting. As I get older, it seems I spend more time hunting alone and farther away from a road. Must be my anti-social behavior that has laid dormant all these years.

One of the toughest jobs ever undertaken was in 1968 when I shot a bull moose in Canada. He went down next to the river bank. Had never shot an animal of that size before and felt very inadequate standing over him with a 3 1/2" knife in my hand! Loading the quarters and other pieces into the canoe and paddling back upstream wasn't so bad, it was the uphill portage around the river rapids, over and under deadfalls, plus moss covered rocks and sucking mud that took the rubber boots off the feet that was rough. Then, after relaying all this stuff, reloading the canoe and the long paddle across the lake to camp against the wind. Made for an awfully long day and hardly had the energy to haul the pieces up the meat pole.

Sure was glad I got my moose the first day and had the rest of the trip to relax in camp, fish and tell stories as my FIL and another continued their quest for moose. They got them - boy, did we have a lot of meat to haul home! Had to rent a double axle U-Haul to get it all home.

Kdub,

Great story! My hunt, I'm sure, will not be nearly so adventurous. For one thing, I can be hunting within 45 minutes of my front door. We don't have a lot of lakes, like Canada. Our moose can be found anywhere from 11,000 feet in elevation to about 6,000, mostly along streams and ponds. I've seen one feeding on willows next to a beaver pond and then have a herd of antelope file down right next to it to have their own drink. Then I've seen them above timberline feeding on willows between two alpine lakes, where you would expect bighorn sheep to be.

With all the moose meat, youl must have some good recipes. Care to share?

In the forum just above this one, (Recipes) you should find about anything you want.

When I've got a little more time I'll post my infamous BBQ game recipe.

wyonative,
Congratulations on your permit! Here in Idaho, moose is a once in a lifetime draw. I seem to remember Wyoming having a waiting period between permits. What is the current status?

Congrats Wyona, on your good fortune. Cow moose is among the finest food in the big game world, IMHO. Good luck and good hunting!! :D

Hey Kdub, where in Canada did you bag your moose? Moose populations are down somewhat here in Alberta, but still available on a draw basis. A couple years back I won a draw for a bull, spent a week hunting hard in the foothills of the Rockies. Never did find a shootable bull. Went back to work Monday morning, the attatchment will show you what I saw 50 feet from my machine shop door. :rolleyes:
Regards,
Bryan

Poetic justice - eh, Bryan?

It was in Ontario, about 80 miles Northwest of Thunder Bay. Place called Mooseheart Lake and river. In and out by float plane. A trip to remember for a lifetime.

wyonative,
Congratulations on your permit! Here in Idaho, moose is a once in a lifetime draw. I seem to remember Wyoming having a waiting period between permits. What is the current status?

I will have to wait 5 years before I can apply again. We are also on a preference point system, where the more times you put in and are unsuccessful, the more preference points you have for the next year, which gives you a better chance of drawing successfully. That applies to 75% of the available permits. The remaining 25% are an open draw, where everyone has the same chance of drawing succussfully. Sounds kind of complicated, but it's not really. Because of demand, I may not ever draw another permit, unless I get extremely lucky and draw one ot the permits available in the 25% drawing.

wyonative - Congratulations. I've now have 5 non-resident pref. points (post '04 draw) for a Wyo. moose. How does that stack up (for next year)? Are there any units that don't get the big demand by applicants, but hold some decent bulls? Thanks & good hunting

wyonative - Congratulations. I've now have 5 non-resident pref. points (post '04 draw) for a Wyo. moose. How does that stack up (for next year)? Are there any units that don't get the big demand by applicants, but hold some decent bulls? Thanks & good hunting


Any area that has a lot of public land will have a lot of nonresident applicants. With 5 prefernce points, you have a good chance of being drawn in many areas. The area over by Pinedale is generally easier to draw because it has a lot of private land and I think you could find a decent bull if you had the time. From what I understand, most landowners would be willing to let you hunt if you asked in an appropriate manner. Some may charge a trespass fee, others may not. I think the Game and Fish would have a list of landowners who traditionally allowed hunting on their property. Areas around Dubois and Jackson are perceived as having bigger bulls, which may or may not be the case.

Good luck drawing out next year.

Wyonative,

Congratulations. I am building up points again after letting a couple of points expire a few years back.

The last two elk seasons I have run into so many moose in the Snowy Range just West of my home in Laramie that it seems like a slam dunk if I ever get a permit. Murphy says, "All that will change once you have the permit in hand."

I also hunt alone and off the road. Two years ago I bought a two-wheel game cart from Cabela's for $100. It has been worth every penny. I have hauled whole antelope, whitetails, and mule deer by myself. It wasn't easy, but it was do-able for my 57 year old carcass. With my wife's help we hauled out a spike elk last October.

The elk was partly boned and I had to backpack five loads about 100 yards up a steep grade in the timber to get to a gated logging road. From there we took the entire thing out in one trip on the cart.

Best of luck next Fall!

Wyonative,

Congratulations. I am building up points again after letting a couple of points expire a few years back.

The last two elk seasons I have run into so many moose in the Snowy Range just West of my home in Laramie that it seems like a slam dunk if I ever get a permit. Murphy says, "All that will change once you have the permit in hand."

I also hunt alone and off the road. Two years ago I bought a two-wheel game cart from Cabela's for $100. It has been worth every penny. I have hauled whole antelope, whitetails, and mule deer by myself. It wasn't easy, but it was do-able for my 57 year old carcass. With my wife's help we hauled out a spike elk last October.

The elk was partly boned and I had to backpack five loads about 100 yards up a steep grade in the timber to get to a gated logging road. From there we took the entire thing out in one trip on the cart.

Best of luck next Fall!

Thanks.

I've used a game cart once. About 20 years ago, my cousin from Encampment killed a five point out in the middle of this clear cut in the Sierra Madres. Someone ( I can't remember who) had a game cart that carried the carcass whole. With 4 of us pushing and pulling we got him out in short order.

However, unlike the Snowies, the southern Wind Rivers where I hunt, haven't been logged hardly at all, so we don't have old closed logging roads upon which to use a cart. We have Forest Service roads throughout our area, but once you're off the road game carts would be useless. The farthest I've had to pack an elk is about 1 and a half miles. What a grunt. I'm hoping the moose will be a little closer.

wyonative - Thanks for your info, I appreciate it. Like naumann, I've made good use of the Magnum Deer Carrier from Cabela's. Four trips will do a moose, but if you're taking the head and cape, it'll probably take 5. If you get one, and your anticipating using it "off road", be sure to weld or otherwise attach a "brush and branch deflector" on the frame just in front of either wheel - something to keep branches, etc. from jamming in between the frame and the wheels. I think a hose clamp would likely work as well as welding. Have a great hunt.

Wyonative, how many years of trying did it take you to draw out on your moose? I know of people around here that put in for 20+ years without drawing. That was before the point system. Dad used to have a hand built single wheel meat cart that worked like a charm in the winds- we mostly hunted in the Sweetwater gap and Big Sandy area. As long as the trees weren't too big, you could get a run at em' and bounce it over. Sure beat the heck out of hauling out the elk 1 quarter at a time.

Wyonative, how many years of trying did it take you to draw out on your moose? I know of people around here that put in for 20+ years without drawing. That was before the point system. Dad used to have a hand built single wheel meat cart that worked like a charm in the winds- we mostly hunted in the Sweetwater gap and Big Sandy area. As long as the trees weren't too big, you could get a run at em' and bounce it over. Sure beat the heck out of hauling out the elk 1 quarter at a time.

Jimbo,

I think I had 6 or 7 preference points. I have always put in for a bull, but this year as my second choice I put in for a cow license in the same area. I can't even remember my reasoning for doing that. Because of the demand, I felt I didn't have any kind of chance. I think to draw a bull tag for this area (Area 2), you have to have probably double that amount of points.

Thanks for the advice on the cart. I have a buddy who has one. I think I can sweet talk him out of it if I need it.