Big-Game Aspirations

“My job holds me back from being a full-time mountain man,” was one of the first things Brandt Hogge told me when I asked him about moose hunting.

When he’s not hunting or fishing, Brandt is the warehouse manager for Bell Janitorial Supply, a distributor in Ogden, Utah.

Last year, Brandt had a once-in-a-lifetime hunting experience when his name was drawn in the annual State of Utah bull moose-hunting lottery. A bull moose is technically defined as “a moose with antlers longer than its ears.” If lucky enough to get a permit, a hunter is allowed only one shot at getting a moose in his or her lifetime.

The moose-hunting lottery is a big deal in Utah. The odds of being selected for a moose-hunting permit are about 50 to 1. It is one of the most difficult hunting permits to obtain in North America.

“I did my research,” Brandt said. “I discovered a new hunting area on the permit list, and figured a lot of people wouldn’t apply for permits in that area.”

Brandt’s moose permit cost him $350. “It was the first time I applied for the permit. Lots of guys try for a moose permit for 30 years or more and never get picked.”

The moose population in Utah today is estimated at about 3,400 moose (the plural of “moose,” by the way, is “moose”). Less than 5 percent of the population is harvested annually. In 1998, the latest year for which I could find detailed records, 170 hunters harvested 164 moose.

The moose is the largest member of the deer family. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the moose harvest is necessary to control the moose population.

Adult moose rely heavily on their habitats’ food sources. Moose need about 45 pounds of food a day, and they feed mainly on shrubs and deciduous trees. It takes a lot of leaves to keep a bull moose — which can weigh up to 1,800 pounds — happy, especially when more and more evergreen trees are replacing deciduous trees in the nation’s forests.

When you hunt moose, you don’t go with a group of hunters. Because of the slim odds of actually obtaining a permit, the hunting party is typically one hunter accompanied by spectators. In Brandt’s case, his crew included one of his best friends and his friend’s dad, who happened to be Brandt’s former high school principal.

Bull moose permits are issued for specific areas and dates. Brandt’s permit was good for five days, but his entire hunt lasted just two-and-a-half hours. “We saw 13 moose, and over half of them were bulls. The most exciting part of the whole thing was seeing the moose.” Brandt spotted his moose in what he considers ideal terrain for moose: a pond with willows in a mountainous area.

“The moose I harvested had a 40-inch spread,” Brandt said. “That means the space between the moose’s antlers measured 40 inches.”

People have been hunting for food since the Stone Age; Brandt continues that tradition. His moose yielded over 250 pounds of meat, including 50 pounds of jerky. Brandt says he never has to buy fish (he’s a fisherman, as well), and he rarely buys meat.

About the only time you’ll see Brandt at the meat counter at the grocery store is when he’s hungry for a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. “I buy bacon for BLTs, and that’s about it.”

Gretchen Roufs, a 15-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “freetime,” contact her at (210) 601-4572.