Miss Murda

Don't let the camouflage fool you. I'm not a real hunter. I don't normally murder my own meat, but moose are special. So special you can only get a tag through a lottery system. I've been throwing my name in the hat for over 10 years and never been drawn. This year they had a special archery category. At first I complained about this "special" category, then I decided to throw my name in that category to increase my odds. It paid off and I got my first ever moose tag.

I went out hunting exactly twice now. My first time out was really just a practice run. Except for the fresh droppings, I didn't see one sign of a living moose. I'm pretty sure that my smile of relief was as obvious as my hunting partner's disappointment. A couple of weeks back I nearly ran over a huge one on the highway near the area we were hunting in. I can't tell you what size he was, but I can say he towered over my poor little Mustang. I was within inches of what would have been a horrible collision. It's been a long time since my heart pounded so loudly.

I still had a sense of fear my second time out. It was last Friday - "Water Potato Day" - an officially designated tribal holiday. Everyone got the day off. Considering that I'm out of shape and I can't run, I really should have been out digging up peaceful water potatoes, things that can't fight back. Instead I was out stalking moose in the middle of nowhere at the insistence of my hunting partner.

I saw three live moose that day, all large, all females. I actually got to take my first, my last, and only shot that day. I was too far out - about 60 yards. I came up short and lost an arrow. To my surprise, she didn't charge. She just looked at us and headed up the hill. It didn't look like she was moving fast, but my short little steps were no match for her long cool strides. We tried stalking her out from the top of the hill, but she has far more patience than I will ever have. She found a group of trees and planted herself there for what felt like hours. After throwing moose calls and finally throwing rocks, we gave up and went home.

Overall, it was a good day for both me and the moose. I gained a new perspective on the whole moose hunting thing. I'm starting to get over my fear (see Moose Hunter Gets Charged ) and the moose are still safe in Idaho for another day.