Moose question

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LE303

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We all know the heart lung area is the area to try and aim for . But I am curious about head shots on moose . Yes this is an I have a friend story / question . I have an older friend , 74 yrs old and walks with a gaited walk . Limps , cant jog or trot . On his property he has seen several moose but always see,s them standing in soggy ground and bushes about shoulder height to the moose . Think of it as you can just see the moose neck and head over the bushes . And for him trying to keep up to a moose he tried to flush out in open for better shot just aint gonna happen . So at a distance of say 40 to 100 yards with a scoped 30 06 and from side profile shot , where would you aim for . I know for a fact with a shooting stick type support he can do a 2 inch moa at 100 .
I have not spoken to him about this yet and wanted to ask here first . I would like to help him with his quest . Thank You
 
Where the neck meets the skull, and don't pull the shot up. Much better an inch low than an inch high.

Done right, it'll either be shattered vertebra (lights out, bang flop) or explosion of the major neck veins/arteries - or both.
 
If it's visible the point of the shoulder where the top of the humerus meets scapula, with vertebrae underneath is a much more reliable shot - bigger aiming point / margin of error. But it's easy to shoot high and only hit the hump. A moose head is more than 2' long. -so called " Head" shots should never be taken, but if you can make a brain shot, it will do nicely. The brain is fist sized on a moose. Behind the eyes and between the ear hioles. Miss it and you will have a wounded animal that dies slowly and miserably.
 
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bush1 said:
I hope you’re reply was to the OP’s question about the lack of visibility to get a proper shot. A boiler room shot is the only proper place if it’s available.
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Nope repling to grizzly adams
And again i will clearly state it
If a head shot is available i am going to take it before
Your “ proper” shot

Head shot..... between the eyes
Between the ears from the rear
In from the ears side on
All work fine me
My freezers are full

Personal choice were you shove your bullet and were i shove mine
 
remyltr said:
Nope repling to grizzly adams
And again i will clearly state it
If a head shot is available i am going to take it before
Your “ proper” shot

Head shot..... between the eyes
Between the ears from the rear
In from the ears side on
All work fine me
My freezers are full

Personal choice were you shove your bullet and were i shove mine
Click to expand...

^This.

If I said I always shoot snowshoe hares in the head/neck at up to 60 yards or so (and I do), nobody here would think twice about it. However, as soon as someone says they shoot big game in the head/neck... well, you know the rest of the story.

The end result is that plenty of people take head/neck shots on moose, deer, bears, etc. They've just learned not to talk about it on the interwebs.
 
A small miss is still a miss.
I'm sure if he waits long enough ( the old boy) the moose will eventually move to give a clear shot of heart/lung.
But, really if he has a head shot and wants to take it whats going to stop him.
Worse thing he can do is either shoot another hole in the ear or blow its jaw off and now the tracking begins.
Rob
 
I think it would really depend on the situation. Am I snap shotting at it on the run? Is it 30 yards away and stationary? Is my rifle rested?

I don't like head shots, but in would take one if needed and conditions were right. I'd rather watch a moose run off through the brush whole than pull a headshot and blow its jaw off and know I condemned it to slow painful death.
 
FLHTCUI said:
A small miss is still a miss.
I'm sure if he waits long enough ( the old boy) the moose will eventually move to give a clear shot of heart/lung.
But, really if he has a head shot and wants to take it whats going to stop him.
Worse thing he can do is either shoot another hole in the ear or blow its jaw off and now the tracking begins.
Rob
Click to expand...

He won't be doing any tracking with buggered up legs/hips
 
Potshot21 said:
I think it would really depend on the situation. Am I snap shotting at it on the run? Is it 30 yards away and stationary? Is my rifle rested?

I don't like head shots, but in would take one if needed and conditions were right. I'd rather watch a moose run off through the brush whole than pull a headshot and blow its jaw off and know I condemned it to slow painful death.
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Playing devils advocate here, I personally wouldnt take a shot at a running
Animal. Wouldn’t this increase the chances of a miss hit and injuring the beast
 
remyltr said:
Playing devils advocate here, I personally wouldnt take a shot at a running
Animal. Wouldn’t this increase the chances of a miss hit and injuring the beast
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Common sense to me ..But others think they are American Sniper types
You never hear about their misses or woundings..usually big talkers
 
I don't remember the OP saying anything about running shots:

Think of it as you can just see the moose neck and head over the bushes. And for him trying to keep up to a moose he tried to flush out in open for better shot just aint gonna happen . So at a distance of say 40 to 100 yards with a scoped 30 06 and from side profile shot , where would you aim for?
Click to expand...

My answer is (red X ideal, green circle - safe error zone):

20190628110443-7f4e3db1-xl.jpg


It is up to the shooter to decide whether they are confident to make that happen at 30 yards, or 100 yards. And yes, the safe error zone extends down the spine and beyond but anyone with even average marksmanship skills should be able to keep it in the green circle with a decent rest. It's about 6" across for Christ's sake. As I said before, pulling high is the worst case scenario.
 
A picture is worth a thousand shots.

This big cow was hit with a 165 gr Speer Hot-Cor launched from a .30-06, and which landed just about equidistant between the eye and the ear.

boom-head-shot2.jpg


But would I advocate for making this shot? Nope. The brain is pretty small, smaller than a grapefruit. Even if you can put your bullet into a space that small, there is probably a decent chance it will be deflected by bone (or antlers if you're shooting a bull), the moose will move its head, etc, etc.

Neck shots also have their problems, though perhaps less so, and I know its a popular target zone. If I had to choose, it would be the juncture of head and neck as someone has suggested.

Heart and lungs for me, if at all possible.

Edit: I should add that there is a bigger, common sense consideration. Remember, hunter education and best practice is always catering to the lowest common denominator. I don't care what province or territory in which you hunt, there will be hunters who will be inexperienced, unskilled or just plain dumb. Too often all three. So, frankly, there is a reason why we don't teach hunters to aim at the head/neck. There are, of course, who can do it (though they are typically subject to the same negative variables as everyone else) and an awful lot of folks who cannot (or should not.) I would very much rather that, in the spirit of good sense and conservation (including reducing the number of wounded animals that are not retrieved), that the number of moose shot and the number of moose harvested are exactly the same.
 
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he's a older guy and over the bush means a standing shot..with a weakened lower half that holds the upper body steady
all older guys loose the ability to tighten down for any standing steady shot
And yeah I've watched and try to practise the Savage Rifle Pro advise on taking the shot within the moving reticle
But he is a Pro and 25 years younger and not hunting..at a closed range
 
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