Moose hunting provides an opportunity for lots of delicious meat and maybe a large rack to display in remembrance of the hunt.. I have been blessed with successfully hunting Newfoundland moose bull in October 2019 and a New Hampshire bull several years back, neither had great racks. Below is the New Hampshire moose.

So I am trying for a larger mature bull (more meat) with perhaps a larger rack. We shall see. 

This new moose hunt is expected to be a river hunt using the Gander River Canoe or some say Gander River Bay boat. Newfoundland moose hunts are in September and October and are prime times for crazy weather.

I shot my last bull, quartering forward, in Newfoundland in a late September snow squall with 30 mph zero degree windchill. A one-shot kill at 100 yards with a Nosler 300g AccuBond. My bullet did not exit and was recovered under the skin on the far side after wrecking the lungs. He stood for just a few seconds before collapsing where he stood.. 

You’d think that I had dozens of rifles to choose from but in truth I have only 5 rifles. Two are muzzleloaders. My really big game modern rifle is the Ruger M77 African in .375 Ruger. I hand load it. My bullet of choice is the 300 grain Nosler AccuBond™ because it is a tough bonded bullet and has a high ballistic coefficient and a superior sectional density for long range hunting. Below left is the Nosler 260 grain and right is the 300 grain AB. 

I like the 308/30-06/7mm/.270 type cartridge or greater for moose hunting. No, you don’t need a .375 Ruger, but I have one in my gun safe and it is accurate as all get-out. I shoot it very well.

For those not familiar with the .375 Ruger, it is slightly more powerful than the .375 Holland and Holland of African fame for Cape Buffalo and is a non-belted round.

With a state-of-the-art recoil pad, it reduces my .375 felt recoil by approximately 50%, like a .270 Winchester.

These recoil pads like the Pachmayr Decelerator™ and Limbsaver models are excellent and tames my .375 Ruger very well.

I can shoot it off hand, in my t-shirt. Get one of these pads today and stop whining about recoil!

Many Newfoundland bogs, that are prime moose habitat, are hundreds of yards in size and you need a rifle to reach out and maintain speed and energy. 

I use the BOG Deathgrip tripod below for longer range shots. I have shot it prone and accurately out to 600 yards. 

My scope of choice is the Leupold VX-6 3-18. What a combo! Below are the ballistics as calculated by JBMballistics.com with a muzzle velocity of 2550 fps with the Nosler 300g AB. Zeroed for 250 yards. With a 20 mph wind at 45º angle. The .375 Ruger with this Nosler AB bullet delivers over 2000 ft lbs. at 450 yards. Wow!

Good Hunting!

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