Last day of moose season today, killed my deer yesterday up in north western colorado, do I had one day left. I had hunted hard the first two days, one day hunt, one two day hunt, and then today. Left the house at 5:30 and drove the 2 hours to where I moose hunt. Did a quick 2 mile hike where I have seen moose in the past, but nothing but two day old or older tracks. On the drive in, I had seen some fresh tracks in the dusting of snow. But, they were pretty small and it looked like several animals, I attributed them to elk. But, with it being only 9:30 and a beautiful day, I convinced my "tired" friend to give these tracks a look. We set out on the tracks but lost them in the melted out areas, we split up, he followed one set, I followed some others. We found some droppings that I was certain were moose, and my spirits went up. After 20 minutes of looking around in heavy timber, I told myself that no matter how much I wanted those tracks to be from moose, they were still elk tracks. Just as I turned to head toward the car, I cut a fresh set of tracks in the sugary snow. I looked in the direction of the tracks and there 260 yards out across a frozen up swamp were two large black things in the snow. I got the binoculars on what I already knew were moose and confirmed two antlerless moose. Perfect, that's all I was looking for. With my new to me 338 win mag super grade model 70 that I had only weeks before had rebored to 375-338 having only a 1-5 power scope and a 50 yard zero, I closed the gap by walking straight toward them with an island of trees between us. The snow was crunchy and noisy out in the open, but I moved pretty quickly and when I came out the other side of the tree island, there they were. Standing up now one in front of the other, I intended to shoot the smaller one to make the work load a little easier. I shot once offhand at a quartering toward adult cow. I knew I had hit her and she ran about 30 yards out and started to wobble, just to make sure, I put another one in the chest. She piled up right there. She was not small at all, a bit difficult to gut by myself with an 8" log about 10" away from her belly. My buddy was no where to be seen, I wondered to myself if he was unhappy about me shooting an 800 pound animal in the snow and heavy timber mixed with swamps.
I took my first pictures at 10:10, at 10:54 I had tenderloins in my pack, and one hind quarter over my shoulder along with binoculars, rifle and all excess gear heading to the car. Fortunately it was only about 400 yards to the road with no big hills or blowdowns in the way. I met my buddy on the road and withing 2 hours the rest of the moose was in the car on our way home.
The 235gr speer hotcore bullets at 2800fps had not exited, the first shot quartering, hit the corner of the shoulder carrying enough bone with it to put a 2.5" hole in the chest wall, exiting the chest and stopping somewhere in the meat behind the far front leg. One of the bullets had punched through all the vessels on the top of the heart, the other had demolished the lungs.
I was quite pleased to use that rifle, I had just done preliminary load development last weekend and loaded 10 extra rounds just in case I had time to go out for moose one last time.
I took my first pictures at 10:10, at 10:54 I had tenderloins in my pack, and one hind quarter over my shoulder along with binoculars, rifle and all excess gear heading to the car. Fortunately it was only about 400 yards to the road with no big hills or blowdowns in the way. I met my buddy on the road and withing 2 hours the rest of the moose was in the car on our way home.
The 235gr speer hotcore bullets at 2800fps had not exited, the first shot quartering, hit the corner of the shoulder carrying enough bone with it to put a 2.5" hole in the chest wall, exiting the chest and stopping somewhere in the meat behind the far front leg. One of the bullets had punched through all the vessels on the top of the heart, the other had demolished the lungs.
I was quite pleased to use that rifle, I had just done preliminary load development last weekend and loaded 10 extra rounds just in case I had time to go out for moose one last time.
