Moose ?

[Guy Miner]

Sadly I've never hunted moose. I see them here in Washington, sometimes in town even. I sure see them in Alaska when I go there to fish. I see them in British Columbia. Montana. Idaho... Even saw them in Norway when I was there with the Marines - although the Norwegians insisted on calling them "elk" which confused me greatly... :grin:

When I've run across moose - it seems like they're relatively easy to approach - at least to a point.

For you experienced moose hunters, how far are you shooting when you take moose?

Yes, the 220 gr Nosler/.30-06 test has visions of moose and other big creatures in my head... :grin:

Tell me a bit about moose hunting please! Perhaps someday, I'll draw the tag!

Guy

 

[gerry]

Where I live in the thick brush of western B.C. the shots can be very close or very long depending on how you hunt. I like to get out into the thick brush where moose live and move very slowly and try to spot them before they spot me. Often, not surprisingly, they know I'm around before I spot them, it is quite an experience to see them pop up at close range it really gets the blood flowing. Of the ones I have shot the farthest has been around 100 yards, the closest under 25 yards. My first moose was when I was around 20 years old it was a young cow on an LEH permit about 2 kilometers from our family farm, the shot was around 100 yards using a 30-06 with, surprise, 220 gr Winchester Silvertips it worked well but on my second shot that hit bone it suffered jacket/core separation. A 220 gr Nosler Partition would have been much better, at the time I started handloading and switched to 180 gr Speer G.S. bullets which worked very well. All this 30-06/220 gr Pt talk isn't helping at all now I want to get another 30-06 so I can shoot it again, thanks Guy It is hard to imagine a better close range moose gun than a 30-06 with the 220 gr Partition bullet.

 

[DrMike]

Guy,

Most of my moose hunting is spot and stalk or simply waiting for them to come out to browse in the early morning or late afternoon. They tend to be phlegmatic, but that doesn't mean they will stand still to permit you to approach. Their hearing is acute. If you think you're sneaking up on them, think again. I tend to make a bit of noise as I approach, not trying to hide myself, but neither moving directly toward them. A few grunts uttered intermittently seems to give the impression that I'm another bull feeding toward where they are. Many times, you can get amazingly close by this technique. During the rut, some aggressive calling and trashing a sapling with a limb will bring a bull crashing in at extremely close distances. Other times, cow calling and pouring water into a stream to mimic a cow peeing in the water will bring bulls rushing in to see what is going on. More recently, I've used a Montana Decoy of a cow moose which seems to work as well as the elk decoys work for elk. I'd guess that my average shot is between one hundred and one hundred twenty yards, though I have had some very close encounters (think five yards or less). My longest shot on a moose was about 225 yards. I approached the one I tagged last fall, coming to within about ninety yards before pulling the trigger. He was feeding in a meadow which necessitated a low crawl, stopping with whatever cover I could find. He was shot at last light on the last day of the season.

I've taken moose more recently with 175 grain TBBC and 160 grain Fail Safe from a 7mm RM, with 180 grain Fail Safe and 180 grain Hornady IB from a 300WSM, a 220 grain Swift A-Frame and a 200 grain Partition from a 325WSM and with a 130 grain E-Tip from a 270WSM.

 

[6mm Remington]

It is hard to imagine a better close range moose gun than a 30-06 with the 220 gr Partition bullet.

Oh just watch Gerry and old Scotty will come along here pretty quick and throw that 35 Whelen into the mix!! :grin: Not sure, but I think he's in love with his Whelen and has been known to sleep with it at times!
David

 

[LD375]

Where I live in the thick brush of western B.C. the shots can be very close or very long depending on how you hunt. I like to get out into the thick brush where moose live and move very slowly and try to spot them before they spot me. Often, not surprisingly, they know I'm around before I spot them, it is quite an experience to see them pop up at close range it really gets the blood flowing. Of the ones I have shot the farthest has been around 100 yards, the closest under 25 yards. My first moose was when I was around 20 years old it was a young cow on an LEH permit about 2 kilometers from our family farm, the shot was around 100 yards using a 30-06 with, surprise, 220 gr Winchester Silvertips it worked well but on my second shot that hit bone it suffered jacket/core separation. A 220 gr Nosler Partition would have been much better, at the time I started handloading and switched to 180 gr Speer G.S. bullets which worked very well. All this 30-06/220 gr Pt talk isn't helping at all now I want to get another 30-06 so I can shoot it again, thanks Guy It is hard to imagine a better close range moose gun than a 30-06 with the 220 gr Partition bullet.

Same here in Ontario..I've shot 2 moose with a 338wmag and 1 with a 7mag..This year I'll be using a .270wsm and 150gr Norma Oryx bullets for a Newfoundland Moose hunt...In my books, Moose hunting is #1 :twisted: ..although they are big animals, they are not tough to bring down with a properly placed shot, and shooting premium bullets, my 3 were taken with the nosler Partition ...Lou

 

[gerry]

I have had a couple that I was able to sneak up on that didn't know I was there but most were quite aware that something was up. Since moose make noise making a bit of noise is just fine they might be thinking you are another moose. I have had some start to run when they knew I wasn't one of them but grunting at them like a bull slowed them down and I was able to get a shot, in fact the moose I got last year was just like that the grunting got him slowed down and I was able to cut thim off. The majority of the time the moose wins this battle but there have been a couple of times where somehow I snuck up on them. One was a bull that was under 25 yards it had just rained hard and the wind was good thankfully he was facing away so had no idea I was there, it's one of my all time favorite hunting memories used a 225 gr Ballistic Tip from a 35 Whelen on him. Another time there was some snow on the ground I was moving very carefully when I saw the back end of a moose bedded down, I had a cow draw so neede to be sure there were no horns so I got ready and took one more step gun up safety off she saw me instantly and I was able to give her one 180 gr Speer Mag Tip from my 308 Norma Mag at around 60 yards. Guy now you got me all revved up to go moose hunting

 

[Oldtrader3]

I have hunted Canadian Labrador moose several times with my dad in northern Quebec, years ago. My dad shot several but I never got a shot. Back then (1960's) there were quite a few moose in the Federal Parks in northern Quebec but not so much north of the Val D'or/Cadillac/Seneterre highway on old mining company land. I suspect that subsistence hunters had taken most of them for food in that area. Probably better now with higher management awareness.

It seems that each time I hunt northern Wyoming (Bighorn's), I see more Shiras moose bulls than any other big game. Unfortunately, I am always hunting something else.

 

[LD375]

We also place a few guys watching over the cuts with new growth, and some of us just drive the logging roads as well.(we've killed a few this way )..ya just never know, they can just pop out of no where :shock: ...also when it's kinda warm, your best chance is to hunt the rivers and swamps.

 

[SJB358]

I have taken a grand total of 1 moose, with my 7RM and 160 Barnes X. Worked fine on him, It was a few years ago, 17 to be exact, but the shot was around 225 yards or so.

I would think you would have 0 issues with your 30-06 and 220's Guy. Matter of fact, should I ever find myself strictly hunting for moose with a 30-06, It would be my preferred bullet I think. That or the 200 PT.

I really wanna hunt moose again as well. With my Whelen and 250 PT's. Pretty sure it is made for moose! I imagine a moose hunt in Eastern Canada isn't much more than your hunt to Wyoming Guy. Might be something to look into, as they all eat pretty well..

 

[IdahoCTD]

I shot my bull here in Idaho in '94 with my .358STA at around 480yds. A couple years ago I shot my cow at 200yds with my .416 Rem. The year after I shot my cow my dad shot his at around 350yds with a 7STW. I had another friend shoot one with a muzzle loader here in Idaho at 200yds and another at 100yds with a 30BR. When we were in Alaska I had two different friends shoot bulls at under 100yds with .358STA's and another friend shoot a bull at under 100yds with a .300 Weatherby. The bull shot with the .300 Weatherby made it the furthest (100-125yds) and managed to run right into the middle of a beaver pond before expiring. The only one that had to be shot more then once was the cow I shot with my .416 Rem. She was dead after the first shot, and even put her nose on the ground, but was still standing so she got another.

I think where you hunt has more to do with range then anything. In SE Idaho there is some open country and long shots are pretty common. In the areas we hunted in Alaska most of the shots would be under 200yds.

 

[Guy Miner]

IdahoCTD: Interesting. How are the Idaho moose doing, with all the wolves over there now?

Scotty - that's a crowded trophy wall and a big ol' moose! :grin:

Congrats!

 

[IdahoCTD]

Guy,

I think the wolves are starting to put the hurt on them but Fish and Game does a 2 year plan on Moose, Goat, and Sheep. So this year is the 2nd year of the two year plan. That means next year there will be a new plan and most likely you'll see the moose tags drop state wide. In the current plan the cow tags went down quite a bit in some areas. Most cow tags average about 1 in 2 to 1 in 3 chance of drawing. The bulls are usually 1 in 5 to 1 in 7 for residents. It took me 5 years to draw my bull tag and I drew the first year for my cow as did my dad.

 

[wildgene]

...first moose I shot was in N. ID. He was walking across a glacier smoothed slab of granite 40yds. above me. Using a 7mmRM w/ 175gr. GrandSlam, I "dead-centered" him w/ the first shot, he turned & started walking back towards where he came out of the timber, second shot thru the ribs on the opposite side, he turned like a duck @ a carnival gallery. Third shot thru the ribs on the original side he stopped, swayed, & dropped almost exactly where I shot him the first time. Post-mortem showed 2 entry wounds about 2" apart @ the center of the ribcage w/ on exit wound 5" above 'em, opposite side showed 1 & 2 about the same places. He was probably "dead" the first shot, but...

...moose hearts are about twice the size of footballs, but even so, they are laying down on the sternum, & yes, you can actually crawl inside a moose, so it was like shooting a 55gal drum, waiting for it to fill up w/ blood...

 

[IdahoCTD]

...moose hearts are about twice the size of footballs, but even so, they are laying down on the sternum, & yes, you can actually crawl inside a moose, so it was like shooting a 55gal drum, waiting for it to fill up w/ blood...

That is no joke. The moose in Alaska are even bigger. The front tenderloins are bigger in diameter than most whitetail backstraps. The rear tenderloins are about the diameter of the back straps in a large deer/small elk.

When I shot my bull there were 7 guys hunting elk in the camp next to me. We ate one front tenderloin between all 8 of us the night I shot my bull. They had a elk to pack out the day after I shot mine but they helped me pack the rest of my bull out the second day with their horses which was a relief. Every one of them had to go along to see my bull too. It was 47 5/8".

 

[SJB358]

...moose hearts are about twice the size of footballs, but even so, they are laying down on the sternum, & yes, you can actually crawl inside a moose, so it was like shooting a 55gal drum, waiting for it to fill up w/ blood...

That is no joke. The moose in Alaska are even bigger. The front tenderloins are bigger in diameter than most whitetail backstraps. The rear tenderloins are about the diameter of the back straps in a large deer/small elk.

When I shot my bull there were 7 guys hunting elk in the camp next to me. We ate one front tenderloin between all 8 of us the night I shot my bull. They had a elk to pack out the day after I shot mine but they helped me pack the rest of my bull out the second day with their horses which was a relief. Every one of them had to go along to see my bull too. It was 47 5/8".

Horses do come in pretty handy in that situation for sure!

Great story Gene. I can't wait to hunt moose again.

 

[DrMike]

My goodness, I can't wait to hunt moose again. Fortunately, that opportunity will come on August 15! Here, moosey, moosey! Come on home with me!

 

[SJB358]

My goodness, I can't wait to hunt moose again. Fortunately, that opportunity will come on August 15! Here, moosey, moosey! Come on home with me!

Man, you know exactly what it takes to wind a guy up!

 

[DrMike]

This is a terrible discussion. I'm trying to read and my mind continues to migrate to a cut-block on a mountainside with multiple bulls contentedly browsing on tender willow shoots. August can't get here soon enough!

 

[sask boy]

Doc, I agree with you :mrgreen: but not to fast as I would like to get my boat in the water and get a few days of walleye fishing in and maybe a trip or 2 to our north country fishing.
Nice weather looks like it will be a premium if recent weather is any indication we are getting so much rain that I my feet are starting to web :lol:

Blessings,
Dan

 

[DrMike]

It rained last evening, but it looks as if today will not be bad. Some walleye fishing would be nice. I'd like to schedule a trip to the NWT for some walleye/pike fishing in early June, but other things are already scheduled.