How many can say they won the moose hunting lottery in North Dakota? How many can say they won it at the age of 16? The numbers are likely very small. The Journal’s Noah Clooten had lady luck on his side as he not only won the moose tag lottery but took home a big boy on his hunting day.
Clooten, who is the sports photographer, had put in for the lottery and couldn’t contain his excitement when he won the moose tag. “I was jumping around my house. I was so pumped when my dad told me I got it,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
He made preparations for the big hunt on October 13 on a piece of land just east of Williston. Joining him was his dad (Superintendent of DLPS, Ned), brother, both of his uncles, and both of his grandpas. He got up and ready at the crack of dawn at 6 a.m. Using a Browning 300 Win Mag bolt action rifle, he hoped he could get a moose trophy.
Using a trail cam to help scout on the hunt, he had only 3 hours to wait as one of the big beasts appeared in the valley. They tracked it for a bit and then came the time to get the shot.
“The first bullet fired was a hit and you can see him hunch down,” Clooten said.
He fired another shot but this massive moose would not stay down. One more shot was fired and he successfully slayed the 800-pound beast. Clooten estimated that he took the shots from about 100 yards.
“I was so happy… it was the experience of a lifetime,” Clooten said. “I want to thank my family and friends for making it possible. Thank you to the landowners, too.”
As for his Yelp review on the meat itself: “It’s really good. It tastes a lot like deer.”
