Cold Morning Moose

 The early moose season had brought cold temperatures and a blustery northwest wind. I was walking along a grown-in alder road with my two clients Dick and Greg, trying to reach a big clear cut before first light. We slipped out of the alders to the edge of the clear cut and glassed the opening. I had seen two big bulls in this area during one of my many scouting trips and doubted they were to far. After glassing, we called for 5-10 minutes, still no bull. We walked back to the road, heading to the next spot. I stopped, stared at the hunters and put my index finger over my lips. They froze, but with question in they’re eyes.

   “Did you guys hear that?” I asked. They both shook their heads no. We stood frozen for a few minutes, when again I heard something. I motioned for the guys to come back towards the clear cut. We sneaked up to the edge, like magic a huge bull was standing less than 100 yards away. He had a wide set of paddles with several points. The frost from the cold morning was still on his back, as his steamy breath could be seen rising from his enraged nostrils. This boy was looking for trouble, he came to the right place. Quickly, both hunters got where they could shoot. I cow called, broke a few branches and he’s coming closer. At about 80 yards, Dick says he can get a good shot. BANG !!

   The frost flies from the bulls back and he drops in his tracks, end of season. After high fives and hugs, I backtracked the bull to find he was lying in the middle of the clear cut, evidently getting up when we walked away. Another interesting thing I discovered that day was the best place to shoot a moose. Though I had guided over 20 moose hunts prior to this one, I had always encouraged my sports to shoot the moose in the heart/lungs. On this day, Dick shot the bull where the hump of the bull meets the back. The slug from his .300 Win Mag instantly dropped the bull. From that day forward, I and many other guides have encouraged our moose hunters to shoot their bull where the hump meets the back. I can tell you after watching many-a-bull crash to the ground, this is the best shot placement for a bull moose. Period.

   The biggest difference I have found when a moose is shot in the lungs/heart area, they do die quickly, but not before running several hundred yards at times. The hump shot, if you will, always drops them where they stand when placed correct. The bullet hits where the spinal cord and both shoulders come together in my opinion, quickly killing the animal.

   Now, we’ve opened another can of worms with all this shot placement talk while moose hunting, leading us to another much asked question. What is the best caliber to hunt moose? Is it really about caliber or about shot placement? Well, shot placement is everything and the perfect shot means dead moose, regardless of caliber under most circumstances. But, we all know, the perfect shot doesn’t always present it’s self at crunch-time. Now, the caliber does make a difference. I’ve found the .338 Win Mag the best caliber to kill moose, with several others close behind. I have watched moose shot with the .338 on four occasions and the bulls went nowhere. Loaded with 250-grain bullets, this gun has gained in popularity with elk hunters as well. The .300 Win Mag and .30-06 are close behind, as more moose are shot with the .30-06 than any other caliber.
GuideMike BWB Pro-Staff