Help for the Newb for his first Moose Hunt

Redfrog, are you my uncle? As for shooting/hunting advice, almost all good so far. The key is: shoot, shoot, shoot! And then shoot some more. Most hunters do not spend near enough time practicing. Hell, I shoot often all year, and still do not feel as though I shoot enough! And as for hunting skills, they come with time spent afield, and from GOOD advice (careful here, there is always plenty of advice around, picking out the good stuff is the tricky part. If it sounds like BS, it probably is).

Keep practicing, keep cooking, and don't fake any sprains when the moose goes down.

Cheers
Ian
 
some great advice here for you, its always hard I find to give advice when it comes to actualy shooting an animal, paper Vs meat are 2 different things and some folks can do it some cant right off the bat, I would sugest that if its posible and dont be afraid to admit your nervous cause that can lead to a lot of work or a lost animal, but ask a buddy who has hunted a fair bit to back you up in the event something goes wrong, a extra hole in a moose is better than a moose running away with a hole in it ! and time will teach you all no one just does it perfect the first time or first few times and you will constantly be learning new things, and tell yourself to be ready to make fast choices, once you shoot if it goes down ask yerself NOW what do I do if it gets back up? or is this the best angle shot I will get? eventualy you will just react on instinct and its a natural thing to just up and shoot it and have FUN its an adventure
 
Here's some advice that hasn't been mentioned -

If you light into one, you definately want to reload and watch it, but if it runs off DO NOT get down and start trying to find it right away.

Make a point of trying to mark the location where it was standing when it got hit and where it went into the bush in your mind by picking landmarks you'll easily recognize when you're down on the ground and your perspective is different. You'd be amazed how easy it is to get down, walk over and not be able to be sure where the animal was hit or where it went into the bush.

And even a fatally hit animal can keep going a little if it thinks its' being chased. Give it a minute or two to die at least - use the time to make sure you'll be able to find where it was on the ground so you can pick up the trail.

Don't be in a panic to go get the bugger.
 
Yeah, I always bring along a roll of orange survey/marker tape..same stuff you use when setting rabbit snares. I mark where I took the shot from and then tie additional lengths on nearby trees as I track the blood trail. That way, if you ever loose it, you can simply backtrack to the last confirmed sign and start again. If you know you're put a good solid hit into your animal, I usually will wait 1/2 hour. In that time, the Moose, if it isn't chased, will find a quiet spot to lie down & then bleed out. If you chase right away your moose can end up God know's were, almost guaranteed to be somewhere you'll never get him out of.
 
Foxer said it. Sometimes fellas think they have to run the moose down right away. mark your spot where he was and where you shot from. Then crack the thermos and have a drink with clean hands. Chances are your next coffee wont be with clean hands.

Practice shooting kneeling and sitting and off a log etc. And most of all, enjoy yourself. Focusing on the hunt and skipping all the other great stuff is a mistake. We dont get our moose everytime so savour those quiet campfires, satellite counting, whatever else you do there. you miss out on a lot of the "hunt" by focusing too much on the kill.
 
They told us to make sure we waiting for the animal in out hunter education course (mandatory safety stuff you need in Ontario to get a hunting license). Of course in the course they can't really 'teach' you how to hunt or what to expect for the different game, only how to be safe on a general basis to get you and your fellow hunters home safe.

It only seems humane to allow the animal to walk off and die in peace. The moose is giving it's life to feed me and my friends/family, it only seems natural to make the process as calming for the moose as possible. Everyone should aim for the clean shot so the death comes as quickly as possible to eliminate any unnecessary suffering. If in doubt about my skill or the shot, I know i will not hesitate to let the animal walk off and try again another day, isn't that where the sport comes into it?

Last thing I want to do is walk up on a Bull Moose (should we have the tag) and it not be dead. That will be one angry Mo'FO that I don't want to deal with.

Of course I'm nervous about shooting at meat rather then paper, I think that just natural. We are always taught not to take another life, and here we are shooting at an animal. I don't think it's really something that hard for the practical to rationalize, but for those who only knew a moose as Bullwinkle, it might be a little harder with the childhood connection to a comedic childhood figure.
 
Last thing I want to do is walk up on a Bull Moose (should we have the tag) and it not be dead. That will be one angry Mo'FO that I don't want to deal with.
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Yeah... well.. on a seperate note, that happens sometimes :)

Approach with caution. An experienced guide lost his hand last year to a 'dead' bear. And my dad once came pretty close to getting thrashed by a 'dead' moose (actually got that one on slides, his buddy was taking pics at the time.)

And while you don't want to be walking over rough terrain with your gun pointed (in case you trip and fall), do be ready to put another round in if necessary in short order.

I don't think it's really something that hard for the practical to rationalize, but for those who only knew a moose as Bullwinkle, it might be a little harder with the childhood connection to a comedic childhood figure.
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I think most hunters still get that weird contrasting feeling of extreme pleasure and happiness for a successful hunt and a shot well placed, while at the same time feeling sorrow for the passing of a magnificent animal. You'll likely feel it too. But it's natures way - the prey falls to the predator. It's how things are supposed to be.

It's kinda like when an old man who's lived a good life dies. It's sad... but we should all do so well. You'll be at peace with it.
 
moose

Pudelpointer, nope I'm not your uncle, but I think he took one of my "Moose Humping the Smart Way" courses. :D :D :D

All this talk about walking in the bush and chasing dying moose yet farther from camp has made me weary.:(

How about a nice quad trail to a swamp, a comfy seat with a back rest and a call. After all the moose is younger and stronger and his legs are certainly longer than mine. Seems to make perfect sense to call him.

Get a piece of birch bark, or a rolled up chunk of "magic Carpet" and grunt through it with promises of wild ###. :p It worked on me when my wife tried it.:bigHug:

Course she didn't shoot me when I responded, noooooo, she had something much longer , more painful in store...............marriage!:bangHead:
 
RedFrog said:
Course she didn't shoot me when I responded, noooooo, she had something much longer , more painful in store...............marriage!
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Hahaha, well as long as you aren't wishing that she did shoot ya, then I guess you've got a good thing going.

Foxer said:
And while you don't want to be walking over rough terrain with your gun pointed (in case you trip and fall), do be ready to put another round in if necessary in short order.
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Although I don't think a handgun round would do much too a moose, this slipping and falling rational is why I'm a huge supporter of handgun hunting for game. Rabbit, would be much safer with a .22 pistol then a shotgun well at least in my area where you have to hoof it through a lot of thick brush to force them out. Just keep it holstered and you are ready to rock when the shot presents itself. I can draw a pistol a lot faster then I can safely unshoulder and fire a shotgun.
 
I was taught to make sure I am not admiring my first shot through the scope, but to make sure I remember to chamber another round and be ready just in case another shot needs to be taken. Might save a lot of humping in the bush.
 
popcan said:
I was taught to make sure I am not admiring my first shot through the scope, but to make sure I remember to chamber another round and be ready just in case another shot needs to be taken. Might save a lot of humping in the bush.
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I'll be rocking one of those evil semi-automatic moose slayers, so no bolt to forget to cycle.
 
Something that wasn't brought up is where you shoot the moose. SHOOTING a moose fatally is relatively easy. DROPPING a moose for keeps in a place where a 1000 lb animal can be relatively easily retrieved is quite another.

My point is patience on the shot. If he's not on to you, be patient. Evaluate if recovery is going to be feasible. If it's not, you'd better hold fire and hope he moves to a better location.

There's a saying around here that the best place to shoot a moose is on a road...:D If it can be done safely and legally, I can't disagree with that logic. I have been involved in some really easy moose recoveries and some really hellish ones. Do yourself a favour and stick with the former rather than the latter!:p
 
Something that wasn't brought up is where you shoot the moose. SHOOTING a moose fatally is relatively easy. DROPPING a moose for keeps in a place where a 1000 lb animal can be relatively easily retrieved is quite another.
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Oooo - reminds me of another point.

It is not at all unheard of to shoot a moose, and have it just stand there like you missed. Then in several seconds, just topple over.

That happened to us on the very first moose i saw shot when i was just barely a teen - engaged it close in where all dad could see in the fixed power scope was 'brown' (maybe 40 yards?) and he shot.. moose just stood there. Dad says 'did i hit it?" and i said "crap if i know, it didn't move". So he shoots it again. Same thing. Then down it goes like its strings were cut. :)

Both bullets were heart/lungs, both were within an inch of each other. That moose was dead on its feet, but it didn't move or fall over for some time.

Just thought i'd mention.
 
Foxer said:
Oooo - reminds me of another point. It is not at all unheard of to shoot a moose, and have it just stand there like you missed. Then in several seconds, just topple over.
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Good point, because the autonomic response in such a situation might be to keep firing like you're at the Western Front. Worse, I've heard anecdotal stories where moose that were hit with the first shot have fallen or leaned against a nearby tree that made it look they were still standing untouched. If you're confident of the placement of your first shot, give it a moment or two. You'll soon know how well you hit that moose if he topples over or takes a wobbly step or two.
 
Some pretty good advice from all quarters.

I'd suggest you spend a little time in moose country,
hopefully to allow you to get a look at a few animals
in their natural habitat before you actually go out to hunt them.

Having run into a few moose while I was duck hunting
in the Nipissing/Parry Sound District while a teenager didn't
hurt when I went purposefully hunting them a little later.
Knew what to expect and where to find them ... no
"buck fever" or other jitters when you do get a look at one.
For someone who may be used to deer ... a moose is a pretty
intimidating spectacle at 25 or 30 yards for a neophyte !
 
Foxer said:
Hell - it can be a bit of a trouser filler for even experienced people depending on it's mood :D
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I ran into a calf about 3 years ago while fishing up north I was withing about 20ft of him. He was sleeping on the rocks in some tall grass, neither of us knew the other was there. I boogied the boat outta the shallows as fast as I could before Mommy got onto me being there. I hate to use this term, but we chased a Cow out of the shallows on the same lake a few days earlier. We didn't get close enough to get a good look at her, so I'm just presuming that it was a cow given the lack of a rack and how much larger it was compared to the calf we saw later in the week. But, that cow moved pretty fast through the shallows, we were giving everything with our little 9.9 motor to try and get close enough for a look but just couldn't get the thing moving fast enough. She covered 100yrd a lot fasted then we could. If I was a guessing man I would have to say she was about 600yrd away from us when she was first spotted probably about 400 - 500yrd when she disapeared into the bush.
 
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