2011 ND Moose Hunt: Once in a lifetime tag

[bmc]

Are you done hunting now Scoot?

Looks like you have a couple great apprenticies there too!

If you head back out good luck and I hope you can settle the score with a ND moose!

Brian

[Scoot]

Are you done hunting now Scoot?

Not yet, but the clock's ticking! I'll hunt all of tomorrow and part of Mon. Not sure how much I'll be able to hunt after that and I know I won't hunt after the 20th because I fly out on the 21st for work. If I don't get it done by Mon evening, I'm in trouble...

[bmc]

Well............good luck! I got a feeling you'll be posting success pics by the middle of the week!!!

Brian

[Scoot]

I spent the first part of 9/11/2011 moose hunting and will spent the rest of it with my family. Thanks more than I can possibly say to all of our past and present heros for the blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice that allows me to spend the day goofing off and hanging with my loved ones.

No big moose report today... I left the house at 5:30 and huntil 'til about 2:30. I quit when the thermometer in my truck hit 90. As far as moose, anyone reading this who didn't see a moose today saw just as many as me. I did two calling sets at spots where moose have been in the last week and covered a lot of ground otherwise. Tough day of moose hunting, but no complaints from me-- had fun trying. I'll be back out tomorrow for half the day and the weather looks better.

[Cheetah]

Go get em Scoot. Glad to hear the grain silo idea worked!

[x1957x]

Scoot. I drew a moose tag in minn. in o8 and it took me 10 days to harvest one but I had my mind made up that I would. I have a couple things to tell ya. First dont get frustrated. A old Indian man listened to me call( which I thought I was doing good hand calling) He laughed at me and told me I sounded Like a sick cow in heaat. He told me to call and start with my body bent over like I'm picking up something and as I call with my hands to slowly stand up as I call and it made all the difference in the world. It took 2 days and had several call back to me to get one after I started this way.I watched your video and it sounded o.k. but you have to bend down and gradually stand up with your hands around your mouth and keep calling until fully straight up.. I no that you are on a time frame but good luck!!

[Scoot]

Thanks x- I'll give that a try.

I hunted from noon to 8:00 PM today. Once again, nothing. My time out there has resulted in me spotting exactly zero moose on my own. The three I've seen have been from friends contacting me and telling me where they've seen them. Maybe I should start looking for moose with my eyes OPEN!

I'm really hoping the weather change will kick the bulls into action and get them on the move. There's been such little movement that it's been really tough to locate a critter. Their numbers aren't great where I'm hunting, but they're much better than my abismal results would suggest.

Not sure when I'll get out again. With any luck I'll get a call and will race out there in search of an already located bull. We'll see...

[x1957x]

They love clear cuts that are really new and close to swamps. If you stick your head down low and look across a clear cut it will look like you trimmed the tops with a trimmer. They only eat the new buds and growth from this years grow. You will see what I mean if you look.. Good luck Scoot and if I can help let me know..

[Scoot]

They love clear cuts that are really new and close to swamps.

Thanks x- I appreciate the info. One small problem with the clear cut suggestion- there are no clear cuts anywhere near where I'm hunting. It's pretty much the opposite of what your talking about- insead of trees everywhere with the occasional exception of swamp or clear cut, it's crops everywhere with the occasional exception of a small slough or tree row.

From what I've heard and seen the moose are in the corn fields. There's corn everywhere and of the three moose I've actually laid eyes on, on was in the corn and two had just come out of it. I've also been talking with an extremely knowledgable moose guy from that area and he also said they'll stay in the corn until the bulls really get moving during the rut. Hopefully that happen with this weather shift.

[x1957x]

Scoot, If it was me I would find the areas that they were seen around the corn and get permission and walk the perimiter of the corn looking for sign were they entered and them being so big they have to make a mess of the corn field( you'd think?) and determine fresh tracks or sign and then stalk them if possible. You cant mistake thier feet size so you will know they are there! Ideal spot would be a corn field next to a swamp! Good luck and let us know!!

[Scoot]

Well, the frustration, irritation, and boredome continue... I hunted yesterday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM and didn't see a moose (again). The only three moose I've seen have been at times when others have spotted them for me and called me. I'm seriously questioning whether it's worth my time and gas money to continue going out there looking...

My only excitement yesterday came at the end of my day. For some reason I decided to try go around a washed out spot in the road by going through a wet spot- it didn't go so good. It really didn't look that wet! I inched in and took it very easy, but quickly got sucked in and was soon rocking and trying to make a run at it to get out. Before I knew it I had all four wheels in the low spot and I was completely done. Fortunately, I wasn't too far from family friends and he came and pulled me out.

I've noticed less interest in this thread than most of the stories I've written up in the past. Can't say I blame anyone for general disinterest in this story so far-- not much in way of excitement has happened. If you any of you think it's been boring to read I can't say I blame you-- it's been dang boring on my end too. One thing's for sure- I can't be blamed for lack of effort. I've put in as much time as I can swing and it's just not worked out so far. I'll report back if I have anything interesting, but don't hold your breath...

[fishuhalik]

your persistance inspires us scoot! i hope you dont throw in the towel (real easy for me to say isnt it?) cuz everyone thats read this thread is cheerin for ya! Godspeed and best of luck to ya. and quit mudding in your new tundra, those foreign trucks dont like being dirty...

[sticknstring]

Nice rig! Stay persistent - it wouldn't be much of a hunt if you shot the bull behind the farmer's silo on day 2. It'll happen!

[DonBo]

cuz everyone thats read this thread is cheerin for ya! Godspeed and best of luck to ya. and quit mudding in your new tundra, those foreign trucks dont like being dirty...

What he said.

[Cheetah]

Good thing you were close to the road to get pulled out.

Don't worry about the lack of eyes on the thread. Maybe it's because everyone is prepping for deer opener this weekend. I certainly check a few times each day for updates.

[paceman]

I check this thread 3-4 times a day. It has been an interesting read again. Thank You.

[InTheNorthwoods]

Scoot - I always appreciate a good story, but for the sake of the story and thread continuity, I try not to post while it is ongoing.

I would imagine there are many others that feel the same way. Keep posting!

[Stratosman]

DOn't give up....

It can all come together REAL fast...

[deerminator]

Agreed. And I've enjoyed reading it. Good luck! There's still time.

[certified jumbo]

scoot.

keep it up!! i love reading this thread.

we went 9 days of scouting and 3 days of hunting in MN once in a lifetime hunt and never saw a moose. But on the 7th day of the hunt we shot our moose. It was the lowest of lows for a lot of days followed by the highest of highs when we got the moose.

good luck!!

[cbrooks]

It ain't over till the fat lady sings Scoot. There's still time to Close the deal on this:)

[rkhinrichs]

best thread on here!!!

[Bear55]

Stuck trucks = making memories, when I was young if we didn't get stuck in some way, shape, or form it wasn't hunting.

[harvey lee]

I have total faith in your skills Scoot. You hunt harder than most I know and if it is going to happen, it will.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[Scoot]

Thanks for the encouragement fellas- I appreciate it! It's been a pretty demoralizing experience so far. I'm confident that I can get myself in a spot to get the job done if I can find a bull in a huntable area (the middle of a corn field does not count!) But... finding a bull in a place to hunt has been really, really tough.

I'm going back out today. However, I've got a buddy who needs some help getting some stuff done later, so I won't moose hunt for too long today. I'm hoping to help him get some work done, then maybe pop up in one of his trees in search of a whitetail after we get his work taken care of. Not sure if it'll work out, but I should be able to drive some good moose country on the way there. After that, I plan to moose hunt all day Sunday after church. Unless I get a call from someone who's seen a moose on Mon or Tues, I don't think I'll hunt after Sunday- I fly out of town on Wed morning and won't be back until after the bow season is done (Oct 1st).

One thing I haven't spelled out is that once the archery season is done I can still hunt in Nov. That's the "gun season", but if I hunt during it it'll be with my bow (which is legal, BTW). There'll be 14 other hunters in the area I'm hunting then (nobody else is bowhunting in this zone besides me), so I'll have considerable competition. The good news is that much of the corn will be off then, so hopefully I'll have a better shot at finding critters in the first place. That being said, I REALLY wanted to fill my tag during the bow season. But at least if I don't, I'll have a back up plan for later in the year. Hopefully I'll be able to locate some animals then too...