Unless you like donating your money to Wyoming, I’d stop buying those preference points.” I happened to be sharing a hunting camp with Jerrod Lile, CEO of Huntin’ Fool, in the fall of 2021. We were shooting the breeze after dinner, and he was explaining how the Wyoming preference point system worked. I had just started accumulating points for Wyoming moose the prior year and had a grand total of one point. After he explained that I would never reach the top as there were literally thousands of point holders with more points than me and only 40 or so tags given out to non-residents each year, I would likely never be a max point holder. However, there were, as Jerrod explained, random moose tags allocated in Wyoming where preference points were not needed. Wyoming wants to give everyone a chance, so they set aside a few tags each year that anyone can draw. He said the odds were steep, but someone had to win the tag. If I felt lucky, I should apply for those units.
So that’s what I did. During the application cycle in early 2022, I grabbed my Huntin’ Fool magazine and found one of the four units that gave out random tags. Seeing that hunt area 25 had two random tags, I went for it. To say I was shocked that I drew the tag is an understatement! I had read all those stories of people much luckier than me with the thought that this could never happen to me, yet it did! After calling some friends and family with the good news, I started planning my hunt. Knowing that I wouldn’t have time to make it to Wyoming for scouting, I decided to hire an outfitter. After talking with the guys at Huntin Fool, they recommended I go with Bald Mountain Outfitters.
I called Terry Pollard with Bald Mountain and instantly knew I had found my team. Terry explained that area 25 in Wyoming is considered an opportunity hunt and is not typically known for producing monsters. Each year, however, they always manage to get a few good ones, and if I was patient, they could find me a respectable bull. Hunting was always a family affair, and Terry was great in allowing me to bring two family members on the hunt, my father, Ken McRae, and my uncle, Lon McRae. Having these two in tow would make for a great memory.
October couldn’t arrive quick enough! After arriving in Pinedale, Wyoming, we met up with Terry and his team. I met the other two hunters that Terry’s team was hosting that week. I felt bad that they each had to use 22 preference points to get the same tag I had drawn in the random draw. It made me appreciate how lucky I was to have this tag in my pocket. I was introduced to Brandon Gutierrez, my guide, who would be taking us out that evening. We had a five-day hunt in front of us, and area 25 is a big unit to cover, but Brandon felt confident we would find them.
For that first evening hunt, Brandon explained he was taking us to some private property they had access to. It was his “honey hole,” and nobody was allowed to hunt it except him. I knew it would be a good hunt as a big bull moose ran across the road on our way to the area. I would have loved to go after him, but Brandon said there was a bigger moose hanging out in the area we planned to hunt and we should pass. Passing on good animals is not my nature, but I took his advice and we headed on.
When we arrived at the ranch, we headed over to a lookout spot which overlooked a beautiful river valley. The valley was a mix of farmland, willows, and scrub brush, perfect habitat for moose. Our first lookout spot did not yield anything, so after an hour of watching, we moved to a second location. Upon arrival at the second lookout, Brandon quickly identified a bull about two miles away bedded in the scrub next to the river. We could tell he was a good one, but at that distance, it was difficult to judge, so we needed to close the distance.
After closing the distance to about 1,500 yards, we were able to get him in our spotters. I could tell he was a big bull, but judging moose is not something I get a lot of practice at. At this point, I would like to remind you that this hunt had been going on for a grand total of about an hour and things were moving pretty quick. My dad and uncle were urging me to go get him, but they had about as much experience at judging moose as I did, so they weren’t much help. Brandon was telling me it was a good bull and that I should consider harvesting him. As I hesitated, Brandon (who is a man of few words) looked up from the scope and said, “If I had the tag, I’d take him.” That was all I needed to hear, so we made our stalk.
We closed the distance to about 250 yards, well within lethal distance for my .300 WSM. As we set up our shot, the bull stood up from his bed as he had spotted us. As soon as I saw him in my scope, I knew he was the one and I made the shot right in the boiler.
Moose are big animals, and they don’t go down easy. I made three consecutive shots after the first and still he wasn’t going down. I was assured that I had hit him all four times, we just needed to give him a bit more time. About 20 seconds after the final shot, he finally went down with a big splash. Yes, he died in the river! All four of us collectively groaned because we knew what was ahead of us, but that quickly dissipated as hugs and back slaps came to distract us of what was next.
We walked up to the bull and found him laying dead in the water. The one horn sticking up was confirmation that we had made a good decision taking this bull. To say I was elated would be an understatement. He was a good animal!
We realized quickly that someone was going to have to get wet. Brandon, being the good guide, volunteered, but he wanted to walk back and get the UTV first. What happened next is what hunting is all about. My dad, who isn’t very patient, decided that he would go in and see if he could grab the bull and bring it to our side of the river. Before I could object, he was knee-deep in the river and doing a pretty good job of getting the bull over to us. This is how we found out that moose float! Once he got it to shore, he came up and pulled his phone out to take some pictures. However, my dad took a misstep and started stumbling toward the river. Next thing we knew, he was completely submerged in the ice-cold water. After swimming to the side, he realized his hat was floating away, so he had to go back it to get that as well. Brandon missed this whole spectacle, so the look on his face when he got back was priceless and we all had a good laugh about it.
It took us about two hours to process the animal and get it back to the truck. The whole hunt took a total of four hours to complete, and we were back for dinner. Terry ended up scoring the bull for me just over 40" wide with a green score of 144 2/8" B&C. Considering that you need 140" to make the book, it was not a bad bull for an “opportunity” hunt.
Although this will go down as my shortest big game hunt, it will go down as one of my most memorable. A huge shoutout to Bald Mountain Outfitters, especially Brandon, for giving me a great hunt. Also, a huge thank you to my wife for letting me chase these critters and to my uncle Lon and my dad for coming along for the ride. I’ll leave the reader with a couple of thoughts. First, hunts are about memories. If you have an opportunity to go on a hunt, go! Yes, there are units out there that have giants that you need 4,000 points for; but if you have accrued points that can get you a lesser unit, consider cashing them in and having fun. Second, you must apply to get the chance. I found out that the odds of me getting this tag were over 1 in 250, yet I drew it. You could be that lucky one too; just play the game!
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