Ep.102 Moose At First Light

Send us Fan MailFour bulls grunting in the dark, a calm breath at legal light, and a 40-yard shot off a knee—that’s how Jen’s moose story begins. What followed was a masterclass in adapting on the fly: a last-minute elk tag surprise, shifting herd behavior after bales moved, and the grind of antlerless-only strategy on public land where every headlight means competition.We walk through how planning and patience paid off on the moose—trail cameras around beaver-dam sloughs, an island of brush for cover, and a steady .30-06 anchored perfectly behind the shoulder. Then the season pivots. With a one-week, over-the-counter antlerless elk window drawing crowds, and crop insurance changes pulling feed sources, elk went nocturnal fast. We break down the lost-calf call for drawing cows, when bugles help for locating, and how small mistakes—like a loud door or a rushed top-load—erase chances in seconds.The conversation digs into ethics and policy too. We unpack the viral video of hunters pushing elk from closed to open ground and why legality isn’t the same as fair chase. We weigh how concentrated pressure can hammer local deer during a fragile recovery after hard winters, and how predator realities—coyotes up, wolf bounties across the border—complicate management choices for ranchers and wildlife alike. Through it all, the heartbeat stays close to home: Jen’s aiming for a bow-killed whitetail, Dave’s focused on his daughter’s first deer, and the family is learning together where preparation ends and luck begins.If you’re here for practical hunting strategy, ethical debate, and a freezer-filling moose tale told straight, you’re in the right place. Subscribe, share the show with a hunting partner, and drop a review to tell us where you stand on one-week antlerless seasons and herd-pushing tactics.Check us out on Facebook  Hunts On Outfitting, or myself Ken Marr. Reach out and  Tell your hunting buddies about the podcast if you like it, Thanks!