Hunting Shiras Moose
In the Greater Yellowstone Region
Nice Bull in Jackson Hole Wyoming
The Shiras moose also known as Wyoming
moose, is the smallest of North America's moose
however it is still quite large. The Shiras moose
are found in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho,
British Columbia, and in isolated areas of Utah, Colorado,
and Washington.
The Shiras Bull Moose has smaller antlers than the Canada moose. Its body color is a rusty-brown to black with pale-brownish saddle and its legs are gray to white. The Shiras cow moose are slightly smaller than the male and does not have antlers. The bulls can grow to seven feet tall at the shoulder and can reach10 feet in length. Mature Shira's moose weigh 600 to 1400 pounds. The cow moose weigh between 500 and 1200 pounds. Bull Moose have antlers that can span five feet and weigh up to 50 pounds. It has smaller antlers than the Canada moose and the antlers are shed between November and January.
Breeding occurs from mid-September through mid-October. Cow moose attract males with both calls and the scent of estrous. Bulls as do all ungulates engage in fights with other bulls to win the right to breed the cow moose. Bull moose behavior during mating season includes scraping their antlers on trees, creating wallows to roll in, not eating causing large weight loss and they become more aggressive than usual and may charge at people and cars.
A meeting of the Antlers
Cows start breeding at one and a half years old. Gestation
is approximately 230 days. Most calves are born near the end of May.
Cows usually give birth
to one offspring but if the range is healthy two calves aren't uncommon.
Calves have reddish-brown coats and weigh 24 to 35 pounds at birth. A yearling
calf will stay with its mother until new calves are born. Calves weigh 300
to 400 pounds by fall.
Moose habitat varies with the season. In spring and
summer they can be found in marshy areas, meadows as well as higher
elevations. During winter moose prefer forest but can often be found in
valley bottoms
eating willow bushes. Before the fall rut bulls tend to remain in one
area for long periods of time.
Moose are browsers and feed on leaves twigs, bark, and buds of trees and shrubs. In the summer moose feed heavily on aquatic plants and can often be found with their head under water eating something off the bottom of a pond. Moose will eat about 50 pounds of food a day. In the winter the best place to look for them is in the bogs that are rich in the willow bushes they thrive on in winter.
Bull Moose Portrait
It is said in Alaska that the most dangerous animal in
Alaska is the moose. It is not that moose are more fierce or aggressive
than bears, it is because
more people are injured and killed by moose because many people think that
moose are giant cartoon characters and consequently don't give them the room they need to feel comfortable. Most animals have a "fight or flight distance" the shorter an animals fight or flight distance is the more likely they will fight instead of flee. Moose, bear and bison all have short fight or flight distances. The lesson being When observing or photographing moose don't
mistake their docile inspection of you as tameness because they are just
trying to figure out if they want to trot into the woods or to kill you.
Hunting Moose
Young bull moose high in the Grand Teton Range outside of Jackson Hole Wyoming.
Hunting is most productive early and late in the day when the bull moose are most active as they snooze during the day. In much of their range, Shiras moose can be hunted on public land without a guide. When Hunting for moose look both on the forested lowlands, lower mountain elevations and canyon bottoms. They can often be found in or near water, grazing on aquatic plants or willows. When you find a promising area, head out in the mornings and evenings to glass likely moose spots, such as willow stands lakeshores, mountain meadows, and other forest openings. During the day, moose climb to vantagepoints to rest in the shade. During the fall hunting season, keep on the lookout for rubbed trees and pellet-like moose droppings called moose nuggets. Bull Moose begin rubbing in early September, both rubbed trees and moose nuggets are good telltales of the nearby presence of bull moose.
Moose often live in areas with good public hunting and vehicular access try to locate a bull off the beaten path. Chances are good that other hunters have spotted any moose you scout right near the road also.
Two Bulls, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Moose have good senses of smell and hearing. To avoid detection by moose, pay attention to wind direction hunt or stalk with the wind in your face, regularly monitor the wind direction
Tracking moose is a popular tactic, light, soft snow is ideal both for seeing
the tracks and moving quietly through the woods. Wherever moose are found
in relatively open terrain, spot-and-stalk hunting is a popular and effective.
Some
say the most exciting and way to hunt moose is to call them in, bull
moose are particularly active and vulnerable during
the rut, all they have is one thing on their mind and it isn't safety.
A cow-in-heat call or an antler rattle can draw out a bull. Antler
scraping sounds on trees and shrubs can be used in early September.
In many areas bulls can also be located or called in by imitating the
grunt made by male moose during the rut. Also, aggressive bulls can
be brought into gun or bow range by raking trees and brush with an
object that sounds like antlers on brush.
Big bull moose foraging in the South Fork of the Snake River east of Idaho Falls
Another hunting option is by floating in a boat or canoe.
This way you can silently put the sneak on them while they are
eating or drinking. Hunting from the water during the rut has long been
an
effective way for many hunters to hunt moose on lakes or rivers.
When floating a river, the best areas to look for moose include oxbows,
off-stream ponds, large grassy flats, islands and any places where
the river widens and forms calmer waters. Look for evidence of
moose using the area; if fresh sign is present, you've discovered a suitable
place to pull ashore and start calling. This is best accomplished
by fishing the are extensively ahead of time; multitasking is an invaluable
skill.
Still-hunting can pay off as long as your scouting or
glassing has given you a good idea that you aren't going to be spending
time in the woods by yourself.
For many hunters, the best and easiest way to bag a moose is to book a guided trip through an outfitter.
Good weapons for hunting moose include rifles of 300 caliber of better, black powder firearms, and archery equipment. Black powder and archery often give you and advantage of earlier seasons before the general hunt.
Walking with a loaded rifle in an unfamiliar forest bristling with the signs of your prey is thrilling. It embarrasses me to write that, but it is true. I am not by nature much of a noticer, yet here, now, my attention to everything around me, and deafness to everything else, is complete. Nothing in my experience has prepared me for the quality of this attention. I notice how the day's first breezes comb the needles in the pines, producing a sotto voce whistle and an undulation in the pattern of light and shadow tattooing the tree trunks and the ground. I notice the specific density of the air. But this is not a passive or aesthetic attention; it is a hungry attention, reaching out into its surroundings like fingers, or nerves. My eyes venture deep into thickets my body could never penetrate, picking their way among the tangled branches, sliding over rocks and around stumps to bring back the slenderest hint of movement. In the places too deeply shadowed to admit my eyes, my ears roam at will, returning with the report of a branch cracking at the bottom of a ravine, or the snuffling of a. . .wait: what was that? Just a bird. Everything is amplified. Even my skin is alert, so that when the shadow launched by the sudden ascent of a turkey vulture passes overhead I swear I can feel the temperature momentarily fall. I am the alert man.---------------------------> More
When a person hunts they are the one who is in control of
the situation. They choose the time, place, animal and the shot. In the
past, it was even a rite of passage for young native tribesmen in Canada
and Alaska to kill a grizzly bear with a spear! The key was that they practiced
and planned on how to control the situation. Today’s hunters are infinitely
better equipped when it comes to hunting, but how prepared they are for
a surprise encounter with a formidable wild creature such as a grizzly
bear may be another story, unless they too prepare and plan ahead........More
Greater Yellowstone Region Hunting Outfitters
Horse Creek Outfitters • (Jackson
Hole WY) Trophy Mountain / Horse Creek Outfitters is a first class outfitting and guiding operation specializing in trophy: Elk, Mule Deer, Moose, Big Horn Sheep, Black Bear and Antelope. We offer horseback wilderness hunting from 3 separate pack-in wall tent camps. We also hunt from a lodge location.
Swan Valley Outfitters • (Swan Valley ID) Swan Valley Outfitters is a family owned and operated business. We offer the best scenic trail rides and hunting in the are . We offer many different hunts from mountain lion to trophy elk. Our experienced team of guides and mounts will take you on the experience of a lifetime.
Hidden
Basin Outfitters • (Jackson
Hole WY) Jackson Hole is home to some of the finest big game hunting
on earth, where hunters have the opportunity to pursue animals in
their natural habitat. Our experienced
and fully-licensed guides will lead you and your party in search of cow elk,
bull elk, moose, sheep, mule deer, antelope, and bear. For Big Game Hunters Looking
for a True Wyoming Experience!
Non-Typical Outfitters • (Star
Valley WY) Robb and Dr. Brenda Wiley make their home in one of the most beautiful places that God ever created, the mountains of western Wyoming. Brenda practices veterinary medicine and Robb lives his passion, providing your hunting and fishing opportunities in the Wyoming back country..........We feel that Non-Typical Outfitters has the ability to provide an unmatched opportunity for trophy hunting in Wyoming. The amount of time that we spend in the field before your hunt starts is one of the things that separates us from the rest. We spend extensive days in the preseason locating our trophy animals. For us trophy hunting is a year around job.............We are the most diversified permitted outfitter in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Our hunting area encompasses over 900 square miles of National Forest and close to double that in BLM lands. This gives us the ability to hunt the top trophies in the area without over pressuring any part of it. We can hunt out of a forest camp or a lodge and have the ability to tailor a hunt to almost anyone's needs.
Jake's
Horses • (Island Park WY) All day or by the
hour trail rides, alpine lake fishing, hunting, pack trips & guide
service. We are located in Island Park, Idaho.
Mill
Iron Ranch • (Jackson Hole WY)
Mill Iron Ranch has been a Wheeldon family tradition for three
generations.
We carry on the old cowboy traditions around here, showing
the Jackson visitors how to ride, fish, hunt and camp.
Wind
River Trophy Hunts • (Pinedale WY) We provide hunters
with the unique experience of hunting in the remote backcountry
that
contains one
of the healthiest elk populations in the state of Wyoming. For
hunters looking for the ultimate hunting experience - whether it
be elk, moose, sheep, antelope, or mountain lions - Wind River
Trophy Hunts is your best bet!
Jenkin's Hunting Camp • (Star Valley WY) Larry Jenkins' Hunting
Camp has provided Big Game Hunting since the 1970s. His hunting camp
is a
family
run operation
where
Larry,
his wife Shirley, and their two sons and daughter are all part of your
hunting experience. Larry and his family have owned and operated their
camp for over 30 years. By specializing in pleasing the individual, Larry
can gear the hunt to your own abilities and desires. The saddle horses
are all mountain trained and gentle enough to carry you all day in safety.
However, Larry prefers to ride as little as possible and still get your
game. Your not in the saddle all day long. You can expect an average
of 80% success rate on buck mule deer. Larry's hunter success on bull
elk ranges from 80 to 100% average each year.Many of these bulls
are trophys.
Sheep Creek Outfitters • (West Yellowstone MT) is a small family outfitting business located in the West Yellowstone, Montana Area. I am a full-time outfitter with over thirty years experience hunting Elk, Mule Deer, & other Big Game in the Rocky Mountains. We take only a limited number of hunters per season, approximately fourteen to sixteen rifle hunters and eight archery hunters. Each hunt period is an eight day trip (six actual hunt days) and a nine day trip (seven actual hunt days) for archery. The two non-hunting days are pack-in and pack-out days. We take only four hunters per hunt.
Boulder Basin Outfitters • (Cody WY) Generations of Experience Hunting and Fishing Wyoming Carl and Michelle Sauerwein, owners of Boulder Basin Outfitters, bring more than a lifetime's worth of hunting and fishing experience to their Wyoming outfitting business. Born and raised into a family with outfitting experience that spans back generations, Carl has more skill and knowledge of Wyoming big game hunting and fishing than the average Cody Country Outfitter
Elk Ridge Outfitters • ( Bozeman MT) We hunt the Bridger Range northwest of Bozeman, hunting districts 393 and 312. This 28,000 acre private ranch takes in 2 major drainages. The ridges and slopes are covered with scattered timber and numerous basins. Elevations vary from 5,200 ft. to 7,200 ft. The Bridger Mountains of south central Montana offer hunters one of the highest success rates in Montana for elk. Private land and limited access allows us to manage elk numbers and limit bull harvest.
Absaroka Ranch • (Dubois Wyoming) Our hunting area is the most magnificent Dunoir Valley located northwest of Dubois, Wyoming. The Dunoir remains one of the last truly abundant wildlife and virtually hunter - free areas in the state, if not the entire West. We provide nearly everything for your hunt such as saddles, rifle scabbards and saddle bags, and you will enjoy a comfortable, modern cabin and excellent, hearty meals. All you provide is license, rifle, ammunition, and other personal hunting gear. Please don't hesitate to call or write us for additional hunting information. You'll find the hunting excellent, the crew superbly qualified, and the country spectacular. We'd love to have you along for the fun, excitement, and sheer pleasure of a true Rocky Mountain big game hunt!
Big Game Animals of the Greater Yellowstone Region
Want to know more about hunting in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho? A Northern Rockies big game hunt is the ultimate thrill; it also justifies all those Cabela's and LL Bean purchases. The Greater Yellowstone region of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming offer some of the finest hunting opportunities on the planet. It also has some of the most experienced outfitters and guides found anywhere. Add a Yellowstone region moose, elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bison, black bear, hunt, or maybe even a wolf hunt to your bucket list.
Some people say that it is just luck whether you harvesting big game when you are hunting, and it may be to some extent, but it is more knowledge than anything. Luck favors the prepared mind. One must have an understanding of the animal, and it's habits during any given time of hunting season. During hunting season game animals are often breeding or migrating and knowing what is on their mind can aid you in the hunt. That doesn't mean that they will be there to cooperate but that is where you would start.
Anyone who has hunted big game in the Rockies knows how important it is to be in good physical condition. Your physical condition will be put to it's limits so it is very important too first get into shape so your hunt won't end up as a disaster. After considering all these things, you still have to deal with an animal after it is down and be prepared to call on all your conditioning to cope with it. There are game hauling contractors that provide “ you tag them, we will drag them” services that you can hire to pack out our harvest. This can be money well spent. If it is your first Rocky Mountain hunt you do not want it to be your last.
The weather in Rocky Mountain country can change in a matter of minutes. The clothing and gear that you take with you are as important as anything else when you consider a hunting trip into the Yellowstone region backcountry.
If you are a nonresident hunter, it has already been a costly trip; so don't be unsuccessful by trying to save a few dollars. Make the phone calls, use the web, seek the advice of the local hunters, and use the proper equipment and consider the value of hiring a hunting outfitter that can guarantee you a shot at an animal.
There are resources to help you get informed such as the U.S. Forest Service and the Game and Fish department for the state you will be hunting in.
Most early hunting expeditions were by pack
train to the fabulous backcountry and today’s hunts
remain quite the same. For many this remains part of
the attraction, to saddle
up the
horses and load up the packhorses and mules and setting out
for hunting camp high in the mountains. Many outfitters in
the Greater
Yellowstone region hunt this old time style, with packhorses
and tent frame camps because this is still the most efficient
way
to get to the remote areas where the hunting is best. Many
bighorn sheep and deer outfitters provide hunting camps like
this as well.
Elk hunting in The Greater Yellowstone region can be one of the
most remarkable experiences of a lifetime. Here in the Greater
Yellowstone region you will see either the splendor of the Grand
Tetons, the Gros Ventre Mountains, the Wyoming Range, the Absoraka
Range, Snake River Range, or the Big Hole's. Jackson Hole is also
the home of the National Elk Refuge where 6 to 12 thousand elk
spend their winter taunting you into thinking that your hunt is
going to be easy. In the Greater Yellowstone area there are many
outfitters and guides to choose from if you choose to not go without
a guide.
Southeastern Idaho and
western Wyoming are both famous for producing big mule deer
bucks. Most early hunting expeditions were
by pack train to the fabulous backcountry and today’s hunts
remain quite the same. For many this remains part of the
attraction, to saddle up the horses and load up the packhorses
and mules and setting out for hunting camp high in the mountains.
Many outfitters in the Greater Yellowstone region hunt this
old time style, with packhorses and tent frame camps because
this is still the most efficient way to get to the remote
areas where the hunting is best. Many bighorn sheep and elk
outfitters provide hunting camps like this as well.
Your best hunting will probably be in the higher elevations
where rugged country limits access to all but the most hardcore
hunters and outfitters in the know. This area has long been
known for its excellent deer habitat and herd genetics. Controlled
hunts in the Upper Snake region are coveted for the opportunity
to hunt mule deer during the rut in late November.
The Greater Yellowstone region is a stronghold of the bighorn
and has gained a worldwide reputation for producing the some
of the biggest Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. There have been
many fabulous rams harvested in the Greater Yellowstone area
with a good number of them scoring over 200. Bighorn sheep
are heavy horned and often broom (breaking the tips of the
horns off to help vision). It is very difficult to find an
old ram that reaches anywhere near 40 inches long after the
loss of the lamb tips from brooming. However, most sheep
hunters value a heavy horned old ram regardless of brooming
as a fine trophy.
The Greater Yellowstone region bighorn sheep have always been
a premier trophy for sportsmen from around the world. The
sheep outfitting industry in this area has a long respected
reputation as good producers of trophies for their clients.
It is said in Alaska that the most dangerous
animal in Alaska is the moose. It is not that moose are more fierce
or aggressive
than bears, it is because more people are injured and killed by
moose because many people think that moose are giant cartoon characters
and consequently don’t give them the room they need to feel comfortable.
Most animals have a "fight or flight distance" the shorter an
animals fight or flight distance is the more likely they will
fight instead of flee. Moose, bear and bison all have short fight
or flight distances. The lesson being When observing or photographing
moose don’t mistake their docile inspection of you as tameness
because they are just trying to figure out if they want to trot
into the woods or to kill you.
The Mountain Goats of the Greater Yellowstone eco-system
make a home on the vertical planes of the Rocky Mountains where they
cling and move around on the impossibly steep slopes of this unforgiving
and barren terrain, Mountain Goats can survive on scant food in incredibly
hostile environs. Mountain goats fit perfectly into the category of "charismatic
mega-fauna." Their beauty, grace, and athleticism, is a treat to watch
and their cute faces are always a thrill to see. The kids are precocious,
able to move on steep slopes within hours of birth, an awe-inspiring
site in itself.
Although the Yellowstone Ecosystem has an abundance
of Mountain Goat habitat, Goats are not endemic to the region. Between
the 1940s and the 1960s, there were several hundred of the shaggy
cliff dwelling creatures transplanted from western Montana to the
Beartooth, Absaroka, Madison, Bridger, and Crazy mountains and the
Snake River Range. Hundreds of them now inhabit the high country.
Some of those animals are willing to leave their preferred high-elevation
habitat to cross rivers, and valleys too colonize new places. There
haven’t been any transplants in the Gallatin Range, for instance,
but goats thrive there today. -----------------------------> More
The Greater Yellowstone ecosystem is the only
place in the lower 48 states where an endemic population of wild
bison has survived since prehistoric times. Perhaps no other animal
symbolizes the American West like the American bison. In prehistoric
times millions of these quintessential creatures of the plains roamed
the North America from northern Canada, south into Mexico and from
Atlantic to the pacific. No one knows how many bison were in America
before Columbus arrived but the guesstimate is about sixty million.
They were the largest community of wild animals that the world has
ever known. For a good part of the 1800s bison were considered to
be in limitless supply.
After the Civil War the push to settle the west was
on, new army posts were established, coinciding with the westward
push of the railroads. The army and railroads contracted with local
men to supply buffalo meat to feed the troops and construction laborers.
Bison were hunted nearly to extinction in the late
1800’s and were reduced to less than a thousand animals by the end
of the century. Many western legends took part in the big buffalo
hunt including Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Pat Garrett, Wild Bill Hickok,
and William F. Cody, just to name a few. ------------------------------------> more
The black bear ranges across forested
Canada from Newfoundland to British Columbia as well as much of the
United States. A solitary animal most of the year, they pair up briefly
during the mating season. Cubs remain with their mother for about
a year, who protects which prevents them from being killed by the
adult males.
Black bears swim well and often climb trees
to feed on buds and fruit. They have a keen sense of smell, acute
hearing, but poor eyesight. They can be seen at any hour of the day,
but are most active at night. When very young, the cubs cry when afraid
and hum when contented. .................................more
Sheep Creek Outfitters
