Help for the Newb for his first Moose Hunt

Critter81

Critter81

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Hello All,

I've been invited this fall for my first moose hunt.

I've just picked up a 30-06 for the adventure. Any tips or advice to get me ready to make the correct shot if or when it presents itself.

I've never been hunting before. I just got my licence and tags within the last month hoping to make it out for Gophers in the next little while to get use to shooting at something other then paper or clay.

I plan on heading out to the range to spend some time in advance to know what distances I can group consistantly at, so when I take a shot i will have confidence of hitting the target in the right area.

Thanks for any help or tips you guys can offer up in advance.

Critter
 
practice shooting in real world conditions, not off a bench. shoot standing, leaning on a tree, kneeling, sitting.......

my first moose came charging through the bush to my calls and stopped 8 yards away. i don't think you can practice that feeling.
 
Many folks sight in to be about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches high at 100 yards to be "on" at 200 yards, but then for me then 9 times out of 10 when I shoot at game it is about 40 yards away.

So good idea, get comfortable with your rifle, sight in, then practice at closer ranges too so you know where it is shooting at 25 yards and 50 yards as well as 100 and 200.

If you are definitley going to be in a stand, ask your partners what range they sight in for.
 
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MD said:
Many folks sight in to be about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches high at 100 yards to be "on" at 200 yards, but then for me then 9 times out of 10 when I shoot at game it is about 40 yards away.

So good idea, get comfortable with your rifle, sight, then practice at closer ranges too so you know where it is shooting at 25 yards and 50 yards as well as 100 and 200.

If you are definitley going to be in a stand, ask your partners what range they sight in for.
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Very good advice!
Also most rifles sighted 2 - 2 1/2" high at one hundred yards will hit very close to exact point of aim at 30 yards as long as the scope is close to 1 1/2" above the bore.

I've never heard of hunting moose from a stand before, they must have quite a honey hole you are going to! Generally out here it is easier to find fresh tracks, spot and stalk and then call them too.

Are you going for a bull or cow?

Noel
 
Sounds like you are on the right track. Something I did with my son, when he started hunting, was to go through a stack of hunting magazines, and with the tip of a pencil, point at the point of aim on each critter. That way you will be looking at them from different angles. The key word here is "point" of aim. Don't just aim at the moose. Aim at the exact spot you want to place the bullet. Aim small.....On a broad side shot, which is ideal, and worth waiting for, aim half way up the chest along the back line of the front leg.
If you hand load, or know someone who does, load a bunch of hornady 110 grain bullets with 15 grains of H110, so you can practise without tenderizing your shoulder. Or get hold of a bolt action 22 with a scope, and a brick of ammo. If you are on a stand and have time to get things under control that's nice but things don't always go as planned, so as was said before, practise from different positions. Have a great trip.
 
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If you're using a scope, keep it at its lowest setting. 3X or 4X is plenty. The .30-06 is a great choice. I'd stick with a good quality 180gr bullet and use the same load in practice as on your hunt. Best shot is behind the shoulder in the central vitals area. Double Lung shot, lung/heart shot are the easiest shots to make and will guarantee a dead moose. Despite their size, Moose aren't that hard to kill and generally any shot put in the vital area will put him/her down. As other posters said, avoid the bench and practice shooting under "field" conditions. Standing, kneeling, leaning against tree/shooting sticks if you'll be using them and even prone, shooting off the pack you'll be using on your hunt. Shooting off the bench is fine for checking zero, but you aren't going to find any benches in the bush to shoot off of! If you'll be stand hunting, it wouldn't hurt to practice shooting at a downward angle/elevated position. Shooting downward can be tricky and many people generally end up shooting over their target. Good luck with the hunt!
 
if your range allows it.


sight in to be abour 1.5- 2" high at 100 yards= or right on at 200.

as RMKM says, shoot from shoot from all kinds of positions. If you're at a stand find out how high it is and if you can duplicate those conditions.

practice getting into the position, aim and fire as fast as you can without rushing -you can dry fire for that part. Also practice with the sling wrapped around your forearm to steady yourself.

whiat i like to do is fill up plastic orange juice 2-3 liter jugs (or milk jugs, whatever) with water and set them up at various distances up to 300 yards - spray painted black, behind vegetation or a large black paper target to simulate the vital area. then using a timer - or you can have someone yell or say "moose", aim and fire at the jugs. if you can, keep your back to the range, have a friend place the target and then load your rifle, safety on, on the bench behind you. then on signal, turn and shoulder the rifle while looking for the target. can be very educational :redface:
 
moose

Well the moose may not know that he /she is to wait till you get into the stand, so the advice here to practice shooting in various positions is valid.
Youu may sight your rifle at 2 inches high at 100 yds. but if you want to know where it is shooting at two hundred than place your targets at 200. Do not ASSUME it will be dead on at 200.

Find out how tall a moose is. How high is his "kill zone" gonna be? When I taech hunter ed, i ask the students to show me how tall they think a deer is? Hmmmm! very educational.

i also like a rangefinder, especially for newbies. Get on the stand and range sevral "items" around you. This will allow you to know the target distance quickly. Most people are terrible judges of distance. Throw in the "panic" factor and things get western fast. I've had experienced clients argue that a coyote in the open was 400 yds, when in fact he was 160. Quite a difference.
 
MHUNT said:
Sounds like you are on the right track. Something I did with my son, when he started hunting, was to go through a stack of hunting magazines, and with the tip of a pencil, point at the point of aim on each critter. That way you will be looking at them from different angles. The key word here is "point" of aim. Don't just aim at the moose. Aim at the exact spot you want to place the bullet.
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Thats a neat and interesting way to introduce the concept of vitals. Shooting at a paper target is very different from a live, three dimensional animal.
 
If you're using a scope, keep it at its lowest setting. 3X or 4X is plenty.
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That is killer advice. It's very common for newbs to have the power too high - you need a little 'situational awareness' and no jitter when you're lining up. You want to see the whole moose, not just 'brown'.

I keep mine on about 2 - 2.5 most of the time, and I don't think i've ever shot with it more than 5 ish (250 yards). My theory is, if it's far enough away to need more magnification, i've got lots of time to give the scope a twist.

Another point - you are hunting from the moment you enter a legal hunting area and it's legal hunting light. Even if you're driving in or out - always be thinking 'the next corner might have a moose around it". It's easy to get sipping coffee or thinking of something else and suddenly you're toe-to-toe with a big boy at 50 yards. If you're not ready, he'll be gone. And if it's a cow - just stop, don't get out, get ready, and wait. Betcha there's a bull just waiting to see if you're a 'threat' before he goes after the cow - if he doesn't hear 'human' sounds like footsteps getting out, he'll be along after a few minutes. Have your ammo ready and your seat belt off and you might just get him.
 
"...confidence of hitting the target..." After you have selected your ammo(any good 165 grain hunting bullet will do nicely) and sighted the rifle in, put up a 9" pie plate at 100 yards and practice shooting, off hand, until you can hit it every time.
Go here and thence into the 'Magnificent Moose' photo link for some good pictures of Bullwinkle from different angles. You'll note that a broadside(not that you're likely to see one) moose has an aiming point. The verticle line of the foreleg. Picture 5 really needs a caption. Add the W's. .mooseworld.com
 
once you learn how to shoot your gun . take time to learn everything you can about your prey.just because theres a smaller moose standing beside a cow .does not make it a calf
 
The area where I will be hunting has had a lot of clear cutting done. I beleive we are setting up along the clear cut and on established game trails. my buddies make the 14 hour drive about 4 times a year to scout and fish.

My big questions is how much does an elevated postion change the point of inpact?

I understand that gravity is on my side so that bullet will travel further above the line of sight before crossing back over my sighted point of impact.

I spent some time at the range today put about 20 rounds of 180 grain Federal down range trying to sight in for 100.

I realized that the scope was loose on the 15th shot and that was why I couldn't find a steady zero. Stupid me left my tool kit at home.

On the plus side however I did take some time with some iron sights on a 22 poppin steel plates at 100yrds. That was not only relaxing but also got me into the flow of sight re-aquasitition.

The Cow or Bull Question: I just have my Calf seal now, I'm in a pool with the regular guys to go for our Cow/Bull tag. I should know how many of each we have for the camp after the draw deadline at the end of May.

Thank you everyone for all the help and suggestions. I'm going to get that scope properly mounted then giver another go at the range taking alternating shots between 100, 200 and 300 just to see how a 200 yrd zero hits each distance.
 
My big questions is how much does an elevated postion change the point of inpact?
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Not much in most cases, unless the angle is significant. Like, the moose is below you.

Here's an article.

http://www.gamecalls.net/huntingtips/upanddownshooting.html

basically, aim low. Your impact will be higher than expected. but seriously, it only matters at long ranges or very steep angles.
 
the best advice i can give is not even gun related:eek: ...if you enjoy the camp and the people:D ..
if you see something that looks like it should be done around camp..dont ask,if it should done..,
just get up and do it;) ..things like showing you want to look after and how a camp is run,will get you a vote to have you invited up for the next season by me every time;)
pulling you weight is worth pound for pound in gold at a camp..
cheers and good luck on your first hunt
 
Lots of good shooting advice here, can't add much more. But you haven't been given much advice about hunting... IMHO your shot is the easiest part of a moose hunt, getting a shot is much more difficult and requires the most skill. ( road hunitng excluded!) Wear silent clothing, especially your pants -wool or fleece. Moose have incredible hearing and will just silently melt away when they hear a branch scrape against a cotton or nylon shell. Hunt into the wind. They don't have that big shnozz for nothing! They can and will smell you from more than 100M. If you spot a moose going away, hold your fire! There is no good shot at the rear of a moose. If you can only see the back end of a moose and it has a small white patch under the tail, it is certainly a cow, that's the vulva patch. A mature cow's track is about as wide as a man's hand, a bull's is noticeably wider. If you are lucky enough to kill one, think about how you will take proper care of the meat. Best meat in the world, but you have to work for it, so plan ahead! Meat bags, saw, packframe, de-boning knife in addition to your field dressing/skinning knife. Remember that anything you touch once the skin is off will go in your mouth later - keep it clean! Air photos have helped me find good habitat and saved me many heavy steps while packing moose - you can use the map to scout the most direct route to get them out to a trail. Good luck, stay silent, keep the wind in your face, and may your bullets fly true!
 
fogducker said:
the best advice i can give is not even gun related:eek: ...if you enjoy the camp and the people:D ..
if you see something that looks like it should be done around camp..dont ask,if it should done..,
just get up and do it;) ..things like showing you want to look after and how a camp is run,will get you a vote to have you invited up for the next season by me every time;)
pulling you weight is worth pound for pound in gold at a camp..
cheers and good luck on your first hunt
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I think that is why I have been invited to this camp. I went to another one a few years back to go fishing for a week in the summer. Turns out I'm the only one that can cook, the boys never ate so well in their lives.

Turns out word has gotten around about my culinary skills and I've since been invited to two camps for Deer.


LongWalker, thanks for the tips there. Identification is going to be huge for me. I'm hoping that I will be paired up with one of the older boys to show me the ropes.

Meat prep and everything else the camp has all the supplies there as I have been told. I'm actually looking forward to learning hands on how to properly feild dress a moose. We also have a local butcher for the area that looks after the meat typically within 24 hours.

and no worries, last shot I will ever take will be the 'Texas Heart Shot'
 
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meeses

I find it is good idea to twist my ankle right after the shot.;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

Not a life threatening twist, just enough that I can't do any heavy lifting for a day or two.:D :D
 
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