In March, 2015 I attended the SCI annual banquet in Colorado Springs and entered their raffle for a Colorado statewide Moose tag. Much to my surprise, I won the raffle!
Then the work began. I loaded up on topo maps, bought a new bow and put some feelers out. I started actively scouting throughout the state in June. I saw a lot of moose in many different areas. I decided to concentrate my hunt in two places and I finally narrowed down to the Cottonwood Pass area, as this unit had never been hunted for moose and only had one draw tag hunter.
Opening day did not show the bull I really wanted. I stayed out on my initial hunt for 11 total days, including 2 days scouting just prior to opening day. After that opening hunt, I went back many consecutive long weekends and I never saw the bull I wanted.Finally on my 21st hunting day, October 4, 2015 I found a bull that I hadn’t seen at all throughout the summer and fall. After 5 hours of stalking this bull, I determined he was definitely a shooter. Now for the moment I had been working for. At roughly 5:00 pm, I was presented with a 19-yard shot. I drew back, took the shot and hit the bull through both lungs, with the arrow exiting the other side and lodging in the ground. The bull ran 20 yards, turned and looked back, ran another 80 yards and collapsed.
Luckily, my brother and many friends were available to help me skin, quarter and eventually pack out the massive animal.
This was the hunt of a lifetime. I saw more of Colorado in a few months than I have in my whole lifetime living here. This beautiful state truly has so much to offer for hikers, outdoorsmen, hunters, and anglers.
COLORADO MOOSE RAFFLE TAG WINNER 2015–Thad McCool
