Folks,
Kristine Rhines, the NHFG Moose Biologist says in the article below that Moose are in decline for a number of reasons and that a Moose study will be under way to aid in Moose research. What do you think of the article? Comments?
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20130903/NEWHAMPSHIRE03/130909902
August is a great time to scout in Northern New Hampshire for Deer and Moose sign. I began my scouting trips last month and found plenty of Deer and Moose sign in one area.
Last Month’s trip produced a young bull in the early morning dew at roadside. On the August cover.
Yesterday I went all the way to Pittsburg, NH to see what I could find and then worked my way south.
As I headed north I photographed the closed resort “The Balsams” at Dixville Notch. It is a shame that the economy is so poor for so long and this place is so silent in its nestled beauty. 
As you might suspect the deer sign increased as I moved south but so did the Moose sign. I spent the night camping ($25/night) at Lake Francis State Park on my solo journey .http://www.nhstateparks.com/francis.html
The highlight of my night there was a visit by a Raccoon who sniffed my tent and made mouth/ nose sniffing sounds that were so rapid that it could not have been a bear. At 2 AM I shouted “Beat-it”! . And he did…My guess is that this Raccoon made the rounds to every campsite looking for scraps left by messy campers. I am not a messy camper as food was locked in my car. It is the rare bear visits that can really light up your night they say!
In the morning at 5:30 AM I got in my car, no coffee yet, and hit the road to Moose Ally on Rt 3 with my Nikon D60 hoping to put a Bull in my Camera lens. http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product-Archive/Digital-SLR-Cameras/25438/D60.html
Strangely after two ten mile passes I did not see a single Moose. Even Moose Alley Trail was silent.
Nada, Zip! Are the Moose there? Of course they are. Just not when I was driving at 20 mph. Morning at Lake Francis is glorious!
Oh, I listened to F&G radio on 1610 AM talk about the great Moose numbers for NH (Over 6000) the majority being above Concord NH. I have made this trip before to Moose ally and have always seen Moose. Hmm. Whats up with that? So I drove two logging roads and still nothing but Moose tracks. Moose must be somewhere? Just not roadside!
Back to camp for some breakfast I thought. I had enough camp wood to cook over the fire. Breakfast over an open fire is something my family did for more than a half century and it brought back fond memories as a young boy.
I used one non stick all metal skillet for all my cooking starting with Coffee. Coffee made on a hot skillet is fast to heat up. Hot Colombian Roast Coffee.. Coffee in hand, I added butter to the skillet and cooked up two eggs over easy and put them aside while I cooked sausage, home fries and canned baked beans till they were bubbling hot and then added back the over easy eggs to the bubbling hot pan. I could have had some venison but I was fresh out of it.This year, I hope.
I wanted to show you photo’s of Bull Moose but here is my breakfast feast over the fire instead. It was grand to be here just the same! Any day in the north woods is grand!
I used the clean, well maintained Shower facilities there at Lake Francis. Refreshed, I headed south for more scouting. I stopped at LL Cote Sports Center in Eroll, NH. I have been a customer of theirs for decades. It is just gigantic inside with everything imaginable for sportsman and women. http://www.llcote.com/servlet/StoreFront
Heading further south I rounded a corner and there on the roadside was a Mackenzie Deer Target at the woods edge, you know, the ones that are so life like at archery shoots, only it swapped ends as I approached, and ran into the woods. A young handsome spike buck! Too fast for me to get a snap shot of his long neck and sweeping long spikes. Seeing is believing they say, so I marked the area and scouted. The deer sign was encouraging.
On the way south I came across these wind turbines that will forever be a part of this landscape and produce so little energy that it will take decades to break even, if ever. Wait the photo captured them saying something as they turned. Y I K. I interpret that as a form of YUK!
I stopped at my nephews camp north of Berlin to check in on it, all was well. This camp was part of my family for 50 years. Shot my first deer there in 1967. Just a year later much of the heard was decimated by snow and winter-kill. We could walk on to the roof of camp back then. Guess Al Gore was still in diapers.
It was there that I learned to chop wood, and the value of a warm cabin in sub-freezing temperatures and the value of a good hunting friendships and getting up at 4:30 AM each day.
Back home now, my clothes are all smokey. A nice trip, a few Moose photos would have been better. When I got my moose three years ago. I scouted in my area for hundreds of field hours never seeing a Moose, just their tracks so stay at it. There is a Moose around the next bend in the road so be ready! ©
I liked to think that I know something about ballistics. The more I study ballistics the more convinced I am that I know very little. I learn that External Ballistics is the study of a bullet passing through air as it goes down range which I do study as in bullet drag and ballistic coefficients (BC). Terminal Ballistics is the study of what happens when the bullet strikes big game such as deer bear and moose. It has been documented by many hunters that New Hampshire deer are killed at an average distance of 40 yards. External ballistics in the case of a 40 yard shot are of less importance in the travel of your bullet than Terminal Ballistics when it arrives.
Field hunters on the other hand encounter game at longer ranges such as out to 200 or 300 yards need to be concerned with both External ballistics so the bullet gets to the target with as much energy as possible and deliver that energy in the form of lethal Terminal ballistics so the bullet must be streamlined as in a spitzer or ballistic tip of some kind.
Those of us that hunt in the woods of northern New Hampshire know that sometimes a shot at 40 yards seems long. Bullet selection for ballistic performance in this situation is to shoot a round or flat nose bullet. (Oh don’t get me wrong you can shoot pointed spitzer bullets too and I do) but they don’t give up their energy on the animal as readily as a flat point or round nose. In fact the some pointed bullets penetrate so well that they are still screaming along after exiting the animal. I have been a fan of long range spitzer bullets for years, mostly as a result of salesmanship. No matter what the range. Serious study points out that in Africa for example a round nose or flat point are preferred to put down game that can rip you to shreds, or as I like to say in the case of Cape Buffalo that catches you on his horns and do the “Mexican Hat Dance” on your body. Why is it that Dangerous game Pro’s stay with round nose or flat point bullets? It is because the distances are very short thus bullet BC or streamlining is not needed. What “is” wanted is to hit dangerous game with a preverbial barn door. Verses just poking a hole in and through the animal. A round or flat point bullet spends its energy faster inside the animal, and shots are usually less than 100 yards such as those encountered by Moose Hunters. A compromise bullet that is the best of both worlds is to shoot a spitzer bullet that has a soft nose or one that is designed to expand fast on impact though you still don’t see these compromise bullets used on dangerous game. African Professional hunters (PH) prefer round nose because they are time proven to leave more energy in the animal and not in the bullet.
All that said, Bullet placement is key to all of this. The best hunting shot is really not a heart shot unless you have a rest or shooting sticks and can make the shot. The higher percentage shot is higher, just above the heart and center lung shot performing what doctors call a bi-lateral pneumo-thorax or double lung shot. Why? The lung kill zone is 8-10 inches instead of 4-6 inches The arteries above the heart can be damaged by the shockwave alone and perform an instant kill via hydraulic shock to the brain but combined with entrance and exit holes in the hide and lungs the deer succumbs in mere seconds. I want my bullet to still pass through the deer with punch. This will make for great campfire arguments to last until bedtime.® 2013
I like to shoot tight groups from a bench rest at 100 yards it makes me feel good. But honestly it does me little good when it comes time to deer hunt.
Practice for deer hunting is best performed after your rifle has been bench tested for groups at the distances you are going to hunt.
Here in New England the average shot at a deer with a rifle is around 40 yards or so. At my club, the range I can place targets are typically in increments of 25 yards. So the 50 yard mark should be ideal to shoot off hand at a target with no specific bullseye painted on it. The kill zone is basically an 8 inch circle but practice with a 6 inch area behind the shoulder and centered on the lungs. http://www.the-whitetail-deer.com/Anatomy-of-a-Whitetail-Deer.html. A double lung shot provides the largest vitals area see the website above.
I like to take cardboard and create the chest/neck area of a deer. I sometimes draw a deer chest that goes left and one that goes right in the same image. In the images I am sure to create the neck chest and front leg and elbow joint which are key landmarks for your rifle whether with open sights or with scope. The front leg of a deer has that pointed elbow joint at the base of the chest. I use that leg/joint in a broadside shot to position my crosshairs just behind it and above it so the point of aim is a bit below the center axis of the body and just behind the leg. A hit in this location is in the center of the lungs and into the arteries just above the heart. This gives you some radial error of a few inches for adrenaline, being slightly off the mark etc. and still make a great clean shot to Vital organs.
Should you have a desire to attempt a shot at a walking deer, like I do, then it is important to practice shooting at moving targets as well. Balloons that move 6 inches on the target in the wind are a great way to learn your trigger’s breaking point.
As much as it is fine to shoot fast shots in tight groups, it is the first shot that counts. Everything else is secondary. How long it takes you to get that shot off is equally important.
I time myself with the a five second practice sequence with the safety at full on. Counting begins with the word Go and then count one-thousand one, one-thousand two etc. At 50 yards it takes me 4 seconds to get the shot off with accuracy. Or have the friend time you from spotting a deer you want to shoot and the time it takes to bring your gun up to your shoulder take it off safety and make the shot. Try to improve this time sequence.
Of course there is no adrenaline so that factor is missing. Dry fire is valuable as well. Before live fire you can do the drill and see where your cross-hairs end up when the firing pin falls. You are training your upper arm muscles to obey minor changes to get a shot dead center and feeling where the trigger breaks as well.
Practice with the clothing you are going to hunt with when hunting time is near. If there is a shooting concern with clothing you can resolve it before going afield. It is great to practice with a hunting partner as well to spot mistakes.
Recoil reduction is key to deer hunting for all hunters so a state of the art recoil pad will help the expert as well as the novice. Both Sims Limb Saver® and the Pachmayr Decelerator® have a great recoil pad and even a slip-on style recoil pad. Use them! You will be glad you did.
I have endorsed them for years and don’t want to own a rifle without one.
Make a pact with yourself to try the stand and timed fire sequence! It will bring home the venison this fall!
In addition to this valuable practice, veteran deer hunters still hunt and stop periodically where there is a strategic view and have a tree nearby to brace their rifle against for a steadier shot at approaching game. Remember to have the wind either in your face when still-hunting or cross winding your body. ©
I met a couple of shooters at the range yesterday that were experimenting with their new .22 rimfire, Gemtech ( http://www.gem-tech.com) suppressors (silencers) since their approval by ATF authorities taking fingerprints, photos,and doing a thorough background check (takes about 6 months). I would show a photo of the but it is just a tube about 7 inches long.
What they discovered was that on the Smith M&P .22 below, that the suppressor needed a special washer for the bullet to come out straight. At 25 yards the suppressor was throwing the bullets a foot left and a foot low. I suggested a phone call to the manufacturer while at the range and a special flat washer was purchased over the phone to set the correct alignment with the barrel just for that rifle model. My shooting acquaintances were happy again.
If you live in New Hampshire you are allowed to purchase and shoot with a suppressor with approvals above. In CA, DE, HI, MA, MI, MN, MO*, NJ, NY, RI, or VT the politicians have outlawed them. This model was purchased at Riley’s in Hooksett.
Again, these suppressors (and other NFA items) are transferred to individuals on an ATF Form 4, which requires a $200 stamp tax, a chief law enforcement sign-off, and a set of fingerprints to be submitted to the ATF.
When shooting standard .22 ammo at 1050 fps all you could hear was the click of the action. But when high velocity ammo was shot the bullet made a loud crack as it broke the sound barrier, thus losing the quiet capability.
Some children develop mentally at different rates. I have been evaluating the proper time to take them shooting as was their father. At the ages of 7 and 9 yrs old I took grandson Christian and granddaughter Aurora to my clubs shooting range but first we stopped to pick up ear muffs for noise protection, large targets that show bullet hits readily by turning yellow at the hit, and I gave each a pair of shooting glasses for eye protection. Shooting a .22 LR at a bench rest is a straight forward proposition with a rifle scope and cross-hairs.
We shot at 25 yards and they both were able to shoot bullseye’s so I move the target to 50 yards and they were able to hit the bullseye area very well. No kick!
Christian handled the shooting amazingly well for 7 years old. His attention to shooting was at 100%. Both had great fun and we followed the range rules for safety. Each of them shot 10 rounds of .22 LR ammo. They wanted Papa (me) to shoot too.
The groups were terrific and they want to come back again soon! Can’t complain about that. All in all I was very proud of them. Aurora turns 10 in October and she says she wants to learn to hunt. So we talk about the family hunting rules aside of pests and varmints. If you shoot and kill it, then you must clean it and eat it!”
They liked this better than watching TV! I have more grand-kids to take to the range so we will see more shooting from them. At the proper time Aurora will graduate to .243 Winchester after age 10. Christian will stay with .22 for a couple of years and must maintain interest. That is not hard…
I have a pump BB gun to shoot tin cans in the back yard and teach them how to shoot with iron sights, a key element in their training to shoot.
Have fun with your grand-kids too! Later! ©
This is Chapter 4 of my Safari eBook for those who have issues with recoil.
If you bought my e-book you would be so much further ahead. Go to the header and click the e-book on the header part of the magazine to purchase your own copy.
I believe that flinching is still responsible for more misses and poor hits on game than almost any other variable I can think of, besides not practicing to simulate hunting conditions. Flinching is a learned reaction to painful recoil. Like Pavlov’s dog that learned to salivate at the sight of food, once you have been hurt (stimulus), your (response) will usually be to flinch. It can be unlearned. It is a reaction of the body away from danger or harm and is an unconscious reaction and a normal thing however it plays hell with accuracy.
Managing recoil to prevent flinching is one of the most important things that you should consider for any big game rifle. I learned that there is more to this than meets the eye. In larger calibers the shooter learns to grip the rifle firmer and press the butt of the gun firmly into the shoulder on every shot.
My favorite option for Recoil Management is a state-of-the-art recoil pad. Most production rifles, of almost all makes, often lack severely in the recoil pad category. For a less than $40 dollar bill you can improve shooter accuracy immeasurably by making an investment in the best recoil pads on the market today providing a reduction in felt-recoil as much as 50%. Both Pachmayr and Sim’s Vibration Laboratories make pads that are either pre-fitted to your rifle model, ground to fit or slip on like a glove. These are both fine pads that will approach 50% reduction in recoil.
The concept of reducing felt recoil with these state of the art recoil pads has much to do with absorbing the kick over a longer time frame (in milliseconds), thus the rifle pushes the shoulder of the shooter rather than punching or kicking it. This is great news for those of us wanting to hunt dangerous game or for a youngster shooting his first deer rifle. We won’t have to flinch at the thought of squeezing the trigger sending our shoulders into tomorrow and our teeth back to the dentist any longer.
The table shown next indicates the caliber, bullet weight, and velocity used to formulate the chart which demonstrates the significant value the shooter gains shooting with a recoil pad which provides 50% reduction in felt recoil. I could have added other popular calibers like the 7mm Remington Magnum or the .270 Winchester but I merely want to pictorially demonstrate what happens when felt recoil is reduced so dramatically in this way.
The recoil of each caliber has been plotted twice, once without 50% reduction and once with reduction. In addition, I have included reduction in recoil when rifle weight increases on the same chart below.
The point of all this information is to demonstrate that using state of the art recoil pads, you can tame some of the bigger calibers so you can step up in power and not be clobbered in the process. By the same token you can tame a .30-06 shooting a very respectable 165 grain bullet for example to have the felt recoil of a .243 Winchester (not shown) that does not have a recoil pad.
Note that there are two upper lines that overlap on the chart circled on the right. The right circled lines represents the .416 Rigby shooting 400 grain bullets with 50% recoil reduction theoretically shoots the same felt recoil as the .338 Winchester shooting 250 grain bullets without a recoil pad. The .375 Ruger (very similar ballistics to the H&H Magnum) shooting 300 grain bullets with 50% reduction shoots with slightly more recoil than the .30-06 shooting 165 grain bullets without a recoil pad. In addition the .30-06 with a 50% recoil reduction (left circle) shoots like a .243 Winchester (not shown) with 100 grain bullets. See the red circle on the left of the chart at 9.5 ft-lbs reduced felt recoil.
And lastly you can see what an 8 to 12 pound rifle does to reduce felt recoil, not as much as the 50% reduction using these recoil pads. Yes you can add weight but who wants to carry more weight? Not me.
Sim’s also makes a strap-on Limbsaver pad shown below that spreads the recoil out over a wider area. I always use this pad when I am benchrest shooting in addition the recoil pad on the rifle.
The shoulder pad is surprisingly thin and not bulky like some other recoil pads I have seen.
The end result of using these pads is that the shooter has also increased their inherent accuracy, thus allowing the brain to stay focused on the shot and not the recoil. Yes, there are other ways to reduce recoil but none are as simple as a technologically superior and cost effective as a state-of-the-art recoil pad, such as a Sim’s or a Pachmayr. I have them for every rifle I shoot.
The best of these recoil pads are made of specially designed rubber and air chambers that have been measured in a laboratory to scientifically reduce felt recoil. There are several manufacturers who make these recoil pads such as Pachmayr and Sim’s Vibration Laboratories. Some of these pads will require an adjustment to the length of the stock to fit you correctly. Oliver Ford and I found both the Sim’s Vibration Laboratories and the Pachmayr worked equally to reduce recoil and tested the slip-on version and the precision-fit shown below, the Pachmayr needs some work to grind and trim. We found that the Sim’s pad kept the rifles muzzle from jumping where the Pachmayr did not. Sim’s calls it anti muzzle jump technology. In addition, the Sim’s was precision-fit pad to fit brands of rifles like the Ruger M77 MK II for wood stocks shown in the lower right photo.
To install it, just remove the screws from your existing pad and use them to attach the new pad. I had to pilot a new hole for one side of the pad. It took me 10 minutes extra time. Mine fit perfect. Just measure the butt plate area in length and width and note your make and model of firearm. The Pachmayr is sold as small, medium and large. The one in the left photo is a medium and is a grind to fit and requires much more effort to in grinding. Installation is the same with 2 screws.
The Slip-on pads are terrific in a pinch but I would much rather have them permanently attached. Both Oliver and I like both the Pachmayr and Sim’s Limbsaver, however, we like the Limbsaver slip-on much better as it has more friction to grip the stock and it has the anti-muzzle jump technology built in.
I discussed the Sim’s recoil pad with a Professional Hunter Jurie Meyer of Afri-Bushveld Adventures. He offered a testimonial that his PH wife Celia weighs just about 100 pounds and using the Sim’s pads on her rifle and a double strap on Sim’s Limbsaver shoulder pad she can shoot a .458 Express round accurately without any shoulder issues.
When shooting from a benchrest your shoulder is often rolled forward placing the butt of the gun much higher, therefore I wear an additional strap on pad and a jacket to spread the recoil out as well. For shooting the .416 Rigby at the bench I shoot with all the padding I can stuff under a Sim’s shoulder pad, and have the Sim’s Recoil pad on the rifle as well. When shooting the .416 Rigby standing with shooting sticks or off hand I don’t need anything but the recoil pad on the rifle and can shoot it in a light shirt with no recoil issues at all, but at the bench it kicks the heck out of me. An important thing to remember is not to over do your shooting with the big bore rifles in one session as you can become bruised or worse learn to flinch. During the famous Teddy Roosevelt Safari, Teddy’s son Kermit had to stop hunting for a few days or so to let his shoulder heal as he was shooting big bore rifles too often.
The .375 Ruger is a much lighter rifle and weighs a three or four ounces over 9 pounds with a scope. It shoots a 300 grain bullet with just slightly more energy than a .375 H & H Magnum but with these recoil pads they tame this round very well when standing or shooting from shooting sticks. Again shooting from the bench should always include a shoulder strap-on pad to further reduce recoil. Regular practice just before a hunt with these big rifles is the best way to mentally and physically prepare.Good Hunting!©
The Hornady Ballistics site http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator can calculate some valuable information about your hunting bullet but it does not determine the game it can kill at the velocity/energies listed. I have researched tools to aid in finding the Optimal Game Weight for a given load and distance. I have last month published articles on Sectional Density and other methods to quantify the game size/weight.
In the book, Big Game Rifles and Cartridges, the author Edward Matunas presented his famous formula: Where Velocity cubed (V³) multiplied times bullet weight squared (W²) was further multiplied by 1.5 times 10 to the minus 12th. The formula was put forth again in the Second Edition of “Applied Ballistics” by Bryan Litz
Optimal Game Weight (OGW) = V³ x W² x 1.5 x 10¯¹²
For those of you who have a XL spreadsheet and want to play with this formula, you can do so. What is not covered in this formula is the effect of mushrooming of a bullet as it penetrates and on its killing effects. Or the effect of less than full penetration if the bullet separates on entry. The value of a large wound channel and the value of hydro-static shock, on vitals is absent, which are key elements not included but the fundamentals of velocity, bullet weight and momentum.
I played with add on’s to the formula but without specifics; they were “what if” games. What if the bullet mushrooms to 1.5 times the size of the bullet diameter which often occurs in hunting bullets? What if the bullet does not fully penetrate? What then?
In order for this formula above to work well, the bullet must be constructed so that it will not come apart in the animal and that it will mushroom creating a large wound channel. I like my bullets to penetrate with ample power and hydro-static shock so there is an obvious blood trail. Further that Sectional Density is considered in choosing a bullet where SD= Weight of Bullet in grains (converted to pounds) and divided by the Diameter Squared.
For deer the ideal SD is around 2.5 and elk above 2.5 and Moose 3.0 or higher.
http://www.beartoothbullets.com/rescources/calculators/php/density.htm
After that the calculation should be; How far can I shoot the animal and ensure a clean kill remembering the need for mushroom and hydro-static shock. Some bullet designers have lead bullets that mushroom at 2000 fps and that hydro-static shock occurs s in the same speed range or faster.
Even Chuck Hawkes has a section on this; http://www.chuckhawks.com/game_range_caliber.htm
Just remember, a small marginal bullet in the vitals is better that an more than adequate big bullet in the big toe especially if the animal wants to seek retribution on the hunter.
©
“Shooting the Bull” has never had more meaning than to kill your 1000 pound Rut-crazed moose quickly before he sets his sights on you!
Bull Moose-in-rut, are in fact, crazy as all-get-out and considered by many including me to be “dangerous game” at close ranges of 50 yards or less. When vitals are missed on these beasts they can close 50 yards in just seconds.
If that doesn’t get your adrenaline pumping, nothing will!
Ok so you are determined to shoot a New Hampshire bull moose with a 50 inch spread or greater. Good Luck because they are few and far in between. Can it be done? Of Course. NH produces some fine bulls particularly in the northern part of the state and can easily exceed 50 inches.
Whatever zone you have been assigned will determine the “success rate” for a bull with a rack that size.
Notice below in the Anatomy of a Moose rack where they measure spread. If this is the moose you are after then I recommend a Guide Service that specializes in moose and can judge a moose rack.
NH Guides can be found on the website below.
http://www.nhguidesassociation.com/hunting_directory.html
It is perhaps desirable to set a big bull with a large rack as your goal but remember that the joy comes from the hunt itself and the many days scouting and learning what your Zone has to offer.
Look at past data to get an idea and be realistic.
My Zone in 2009 was J2. I hunted in the lakes region very near to Lake Winnipesaukee. This photo is forever etched into my memory. This to me was “Heaven on Earth” and to hunt moose too. Wow! What was so great here is that I was observing good deer hunting territory as well.
My goal was simply to shoot what I considered a good representative of the species and I did. The moose I and my partner shot was a young adult and its rack was small/medium and body was fully mature and ready to mate. Its fur was without scars or blemishes and as handsome goes? He was all of that and muscularly large and ready to fight for his right to mate! He was killed at around 70 to 80 yards from us.
I have seen large bulls with giant racks but the face was scared and bony from all the fights. I had my trophy mounted and am very pleased with the Taxidermy work. While you are scouting up your moose, you may want to locate a taxidermist to mount your trophy.
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/NH_taxidermists.htm
Use Enough Gun!
Rifle Cartridge/bullet Recommendations to hunt Large Bull Moose.
I favor Nosler Products Such as AccuBonds and Partitions for moose size Big Game in Africa and here in the USA because they mushroom well and stay together for deep penetration. See http://www.nosler.com/bullets/
My recommendations are based on delivering energies nearing 2500 ft-lbs at the distances listed.
My .375 Ruger shot a 260 grain Nosler AccuBond below. It went through more than 4 feet of moose before stopping under the skin in the rump.
Most popular Cartridge loads are:
.270 Winchester – 150 grain heads at 100 yards or less
7mm Rem Magnum -150 grain heads at 200 yards or less.
30-06 Springfield -180 grain heads at 100 yards or less
.308 Win – 170 grain heads at 100 yards or less.
.338 Win Mag – 250 grain at 300 yards or less
.375 H&H or Ruger – 270 grain heads at 350 yards or less
444 Marlin -250 grain heads at 100 yards or less
In between these popular cartridges are many others for Moose just be aware of delivered energies to the vitals e.g. heart and lungs with a well constructed bullet. The faster your animal falls the less you will have to drag that 800 to 1000 pound dressed animal out of the woods. More on moose to come…©
Today the winners of the 2013 Moose Lottery were announced. Congratulations all. I was lucky to be drawn for a hunt three years ago. It was exhilarating beyond words. A moose hunt is a hunt of a lifetime.
With some help from F& G you will be able to find the best spots in your Zone but don’t just rely on that data. Talk to folks in your zone where moose are seen. I killed my bull moose in a brand new spot by listening to locals. I scouted every other week when time allowed and every week as the hunt neared but never saw a moose at all, just tracks. The problem you will run into is that other moose hunters in your Zone have been given the same information. Opening day is a great time to kill a moose but it took me and my partner 4 days of hard hunting to connect as there were hunters all around. It didn’t take long for the moose to wise up. For those that have an either sex tag, it is widely known that calling a bull in, is said to be one of your best options and I am proof of that. I used a moose-in-rut scent bomb to cover our scent and set up the shot. Go onto YouTube and watch the many moose that have been called in to get an idea of what you may also try. Take a camera with you on your scouting trips and even a trail camera if you like. Just don’t leave the trail camera out for more than a few days unless it is a remote area. I scouted about 5 spots regularly then pared that down to three of the best spots. Always keep your options open. Fish and Game did a great job teaching you how to dress, quarter and haul your moose out by hand. I was prepared to do just that. Luckily a land owner offered a front end loader to get my moose in the pickup truck.
A tip from a land owner that he had moose on his property and that we could hunt was delightful beyond words. In fact, there was snow the night before and the landowner saw moose tracks from his skidoo and saw one of the largest bulls ever. After listening to that my partner and I struggled to sleep that night. The next morning we went to that spot intending to spend every moment in the woods. I was shooting a .375 Ruger African with a VX-3L 56mm Leupold Scope and 260 Nosler AccuBonds. You can’t beat that combo as the scope can see till near the end of shooting light. My partner had a .308 Winchester with 160 grain heads.
I called the moose with my nose pinched and hands cupped like a bull horn over my mouth. In addition, I whacked trees and rusted brush and sprayed moose estrus into the air. My partner was skeptical at best. We stood at an intersecting trail where we could see more than 60 to 70 yards in three directions. The bull showed up directly in front of us as if I planned it, a rare event indeed. I shot the bull facing me as it walked forward. The nose of the Moose covered the heart area so at 80 yards I fired just to the left of his nose end entering the moose right shoulder. He did not stagger but put his head down in a charge. My parther having a better frontal shot now fired. The bull staggered and fell to his front knees rump still standing. I put a Coup de grace shot into his spine to finish him off with dignity and he fell stone dead. Upon the butchering process we found the two 260 grain Nosler AccuBonds in the skin of the rump but never found the 160 grain .308 head. It is recommended that your rifle be capable of delivering 2500 ft-lbs of energy or more to a full grown moose so check your rifles capabilities. The best shot on a moose is a broadside shot in the heart lung area where the bullet penetrates both lungs and can even hit the heart. Of course some moose do not seem to cooperate. While my partner went to get help, I did the job of gutting. A task I do not wish to do again alone. After the moose was hoisted into the truck we proceeded back to camp at dark and took the moose to check in the next morning. Moose meat is simply delicious! Go for it!! ©
