Maine Moose w/ Jacob Haskell

If you’ve ever daydreamed about drawing a Maine moose tag, chasing bugling bulls in Colorado, or finally taking turkey season seriously, this episode is for you!

Brian sits down with Maine-based hunter and filmmaker Jacob Haskell to talk about what it actually takes to draw these tags, how the odds and bonus points really play out, and why these hunts are more realistic than most people assume. Along the way they break down real pack-outs, close calls, missed opportunities, and the kind of strategy that turns “someday” hunts into actual dates on the calendar.

Jacob walks through the Maine moose lottery from his own experience—what the nonresident odds look like, how Maine’s bonus point system behaves more like a raffle than a true preference system, and why he still calls it a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. He explains how the hunt actually feels in northern Maine: logging roads, clearcuts, bogs, calling bulls into bow range, and why success is still high if you do things right, even with tick issues and shifting populations.

From there, Brian and Jacob compare Maine moose to Western elk, including Colorado’s brutal moose odds, over-the-counter elk experiences, and what realistic expectations look like when you’re playing long odds across multiple states. The back half of the episode dives into turkey hunting—reaping tactics, using full-fan decoys, bow vs shotgun setups, and why turkey season might be the best way to get new hunters hooked on calling, movement, and decision-making in the field.

Highlights

• How Maine’s bonus point system and extra entries actually work for nonresidents, and why long-time applicants can still get leapfrogged by newer hunters.

• What a modern Maine moose hunt looks like on the ground—pressure from roads, using calls in September vs October, and how to make the most of a one-week season.

• Real-world pack-out stories comparing a Maine bull moose to a giant North Dakota elk, including meat yields, quarter weights, and the mental side of multiple trips.

• Why Maine moose success can still be high despite tick issues, and how biologists and outfitters are adapting to keep the hunt meaningful.

• How Jacob’s first Colorado archery elk hunt went down—close encounters, setup mistakes, and the decision to pass a risky shot at less than 20 yards.

• Practical turkey tactics: full-fan Tom decoys with real fans, using reaping safely, roost scouting, and calling sequences that pull gobblers off the limb.

• How Jacob built his “The Pursuit Hunt” brand, films hunts across the Northeast and West, and uses YouTube to share these stories.

If this episode helps you see Maine moose, Colorado elk, or serious turkey hunts as actually possible, subscribe to the Drawn West podcast and drop a rating or review so more hunters can find it. Then go check out Jacob’s “The Pursuit Hunt” on YouTube and thepursuithunt.com—his Maine moose film alone is worth the watch!

https://www.instagram.com/thepursuithunt/

https://www.youtube.com/@thepursuithunt

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