Author Topic: What's the most amount of shots you've needed for a Moose? (Read 2771 times)

teddy12b · « **on:** March 22, 2007, 10:21:36 AM »

I was watching a video the other night and I saw an old hunter make 4 good shots in the vitals of a moose from about 200 - 300 yards with a 300 Win Mag, and the animal just stood there and walked around. It was easy to see where the bullets struck and it looked to me like they were good shots but the guy would wait a little bit between shots and hit him again once he could see it wasn't going to just drop. I think he did the right thing by trying to make the additional shots count so the animal wouldn't suffer anymore, but is that normal???

After seeing that I thought I'd ask the experts about the most rounds they have had to put in a moose to get it down. I've heard they were tough but to see that I was just amazed. A 300 win mag in no little kitten and the guy really made good shots.

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2007, 10:27:53 AM »

Sometimes they just don't realize that they are dead. I have seen them soak up a few hits myself from time to time.

teddy12b · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2007, 04:55:47 PM »

I was amazed when I saw this video. It just seemed like it was a little pinch to the moose and he kept on walking around trying to figure out what just bit him. I'd love to hunt one some day and maybe I'll have to get the 416 barrel for my encore.

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2007, 05:20:54 PM »

I have seen several take multiple hits from 338 win and 300 win mags, even a couple of 286gr 9.3x62 slugs and keep walking, but once watched a 270 knock the feet out from under a decent bull like he was hit with lightening. I think it has more to do with them being all worked up when you shoot them. They can be pretty jacked up when coming to a moose call. The 300 win usually does a decent job of taking them down though.

teddy12b · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2007, 02:01:56 AM »

I've thought about about hunting them with my 30-06, or 30-30 (if close enough), but after seeing that, I don't know.

steve66 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2007, 01:43:06 PM »

1 shot from a 30.06 and he hit the ground, he got back up and was finished off with 1 shot from a .303. aprox. 900 lb bull

Drilling Man · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2007, 03:22:28 PM »

The most shots that i can remember shooting at a moose is two... Over the years i've harvested over 20 moose and never had a problem putting one down...

It's pretty funny how folks these days think they need cannons to hunt big game with...

DM

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2007, 03:45:11 PM »

I think it just depends on the attitude of the moose at the time of the shot. If they come in all jacked up to a moose call or if they were just spooked they can take a few hits before they know they are dead, They are enormous animals and its hard to "knock" them off their feet with any thing if they are all pumped up. They aren't any harder to kill than anything else and I'm sure the 30-30 would do just fine. Shot placement also has a lot to do with it. You zip one thru the lungs and they will bleed out just like anything else, but might walk a few feet, probably into water in the mean time. Granted a bigger caliber that breaks a shoulder or two might anchor them a little faster but either will kill just fine.

I saw one take 5 shots to bring down but it had just been spooked by the airboat. 2 338 250gr corelocks, and 3 180gr partitions outo f a 300 win. two shots to the lungs, one a little far back in the liver, one thru the tip of its nose and finally a 180gr partition stopped dead in its spine, dropped like a sack of grain to that last shot.

mardrobe · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2007, 04:52:12 PM »

I have only had the opppurtunity to shoot one, but he walked behind a bush and collapsed with two rounds from a 7 mm magnum. I think either shot would have been enough.

akpls · « **Reply #9 on:** March 23, 2007, 07:06:28 PM »

I've shot several with a .338WM and one with a .450 Marlin........all 1 shot kills. They're big, but they aren't hard to kill. Usually just stand there until they tip over.

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 23, 2007, 07:18:48 PM »

I'm sure that several of the moose we have shot multiple times would have died from the first shot but we have a shoot till they drop policy. If its still on its feet I am not going to stop shooting. The longer they stay on thier feet the deeper the water they get into, at least that has been my experience. Cleaning and quartering a moose in thigh deep water is NO FUN AT ALL. talk about a mess.

Drilling Man · « **Reply #11 on:** March 24, 2007, 03:57:29 AM »

Quote

Cleaning and quartering a moose in thigh deep water is NO FUN AT ALL. talk about a mess.

Thigh deep water?? I wouldn't clean one in the water like that! They float, and are quite easy to get out of the water... One guy with a simple saw/harchet, a rope and a couple pullys will do it, two guys makes it easy... A come-a-long really solves the problem, if you have one.

DM

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 24, 2007, 11:21:36 AM »

In this particular situation there wasn't anything solid enough to attach a rope to. There are large open areas of swamp where it is actually floating vegitation with knee-thigh deer water underneath, you will sink in as you walk. You would need a lot of rope, not to mention these things are HEAVY and dragging them thru a tangled mess of grass/reeds in that kind of water is not really a possibility. You would end up falling down a lot, trust me on this one.

Here is a picture of my dad in my buddies airboat. Notice it looks like nice solid ground with grass but it actually is sitting in about 4" of water where its at. This was one of the drier spots where we could get out and walk around without sinking in too bad.

Here is another shot of this kind of swampy area. It looks from the picture like a brook running thru a nice field, but it is all about knee to thight deep under all that vegitation. Walking thru this is not fun at all and dragging a moose is impossible, and the more you move around in it the more water comes up until you are deeper and deeper in water.

This area is pretty good hunting because there are a lot of moose here in the eariler part of the season and visibility is great. Throughout all the swamp are higher "islands" with heavier tree growth and the moose tend to bed up in these areas, there is some good moose hunting in this kind of country and hardly anyone else hunts back there because you need an air boat to hunt it.

akpls · « **Reply #13 on:** March 25, 2007, 02:14:32 PM »

Quote from: Drilling Man on March 24, 2007, 03:57:29 AM

Quote
Cleaning and quartering a moose in thigh deep water is NO FUN AT ALL. talk about a mess.

Thigh deep water?? I wouldn't clean one in the water like that! They float, and are quite easy to get out of the water... One guy with a simple saw/harchet, a rope and a couple pullys will do it, two guys makes it easy... A come-a-long really solves the problem, if you have one.

DM

You haven't been out on the Minto Flats, have you?

Drilling Man · « **Reply #14 on:** March 25, 2007, 03:43:03 PM »

Quote

You haven't been out on the Minto Flats, have you?

Any moose i've seen in "thigh deep" water can be pulled to shallow water and rolled into shallower water yet. Cutting 3 smaller trees and lashing them together the "right way" will easily allow you to pull the moose with a com-a-long or rope and pullys... Even in a wet swamp that you'd think the tree's would sink out of sight in, they will anchor enough to get the job done. I guess you never tried to do it, or figured out how to do it, so you assume it can't be done.

I've never had the luxery of haveing an air boat along, you'd beable to "easily" carry anything you'd ever need to get the job done with one of those! Even an air boat would make a good anchor, if things were rigged up right!

DM

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 27, 2007, 05:00:36 AM »

"Any moose i've seen in "thigh deep" water can be pulled to shallow water and rolled into shallower water yet. "
Then you haven't seen a few of ours. by "thigh deep" I don't mean a nice gravel bottom with open water thigh deep. Its more like mid calf thick mud, then some water/mud mix up to your knee, then mass of floating vegatation from knee to thigh.

"I've never had the luxery of haveing an air boat along"
THen you've never been to the kinds of places an airboat can take you.

I'll make sure to bring you along next time so you can drag our moose out. By the time your done searching for all your trees and com-a-longing the moose the several hundred feet to the nearest drier part of ground, then clearing out an area in the thick scrub big enough to work on your moose, and finally starting the process of skinning and quartering I will be done and back at camp. Its really not that difficult to skin and quarter one out even in the water, just a lot messier. I can't see going to all the effort. A lot of times once gutted 3 or 4 guys can lift the moose up onto the nose of the boat and then motor to a better place to do the cutting. A set of chest waders goes a long way in keeping you dry and fairly clean, except for the waders.

Drilling Man · « **Reply #16 on:** March 27, 2007, 05:26:48 AM »

Originally you said,

Quote

Cleaning and quartering a moose in thigh deep water is NO FUN AT ALL. talk about a mess.

All i was trying was pointing out there are "other" options...

Now you've changed your story to,

Quote

Its really not that difficult to skin and quarter one out even in the water, just a lot messier.

So now that it's no big deal to you, i guess i have to take back my offer of "options"

As to your offer to go along with you.... "no thanks", after many years of shooting those darn things for food i got sick of them and wouldn't even shoot one if it walked in my yard. I don't like the meat when it's harvest "properly", so i dang sure don't want any that's been "marinated" in swamp water... ha ha ha ha

DM

Bushwalker · « **Reply #17 on:** April 02, 2007, 06:41:18 PM »

A Moose hunter must have the proper caliber rifle and the proper bullet weight to bring down a Moose. Moose have been shot at 350 to 400 yards, but when shooting a moose at that distance, you have good chance of just wounding it. The energy required to bring down an Adult Moose is Minimum of 2100 foot pounds, preferably 2400 foot pounds. The knock down power will vary with the different bullet weights. The proper caliber should be a 30 cailber or larger, with the exception of a 270, which would have the poper knock down power of at least 2100 foot pounds at 150 yards using a 150 grain bullet. The knock down energy is required on impact to get the greatest penetration and make a clean quick humane kill. This also depends if you have hit the animal in the vital area (Heart, Liver, Lungs). On a adult Moose, the vital area is approximately 16 - 18 inches. Another factor is the mental and physical condition of the animal. I have shot Moose at a 100 yards, using a 30.30 Winchester Model 94. The knock down energy for a 30.30 at 100 yards using a 170 grain SP is approximately 1400 foot pounds. The Moose was browsing and not excited. He simply dropped on the spot with one shot. This does not happen very often, although many moose are shot with a 30.03. I have hunted Moose for 54 years. I hope this is some benifit to you.

Drilling Man · « **Reply #18 on:** April 03, 2007, 03:23:58 AM »

Quote

The proper caliber should be a 30 cailber or larger, with the exception of a 270, which would have the poper knock down power of at least 2100 foot pounds at 150 yards using a 150 grain bullet.

I guess you've never heard of the 280 Rem.?? It outdoes the 270 Win. on "bigger" animals every time, with better bullet choises to boot...

DM

Bushwalker · « **Reply #19 on:** April 04, 2007, 07:08:09 PM »

Hi DrillingMan, I know about the Rem. 280 and it is comparable with the 270, the velocity with various bullet weights and energy in foot pounds run around 2000 foot pounds at 150 yards. The lighter bullet 140 gr will push 3000 ft/sec. at muzzle and at 200 yards it will push 2500 ft/sec.. I will have to agree with you that the 280 is comparable with the 270 Rem. Ammunition is getting hard to find up for the 280, unless you fill your own. Take care and IU'll talk to you later.

Doesniper · « **Reply #20 on:** April 23, 2007, 05:38:12 PM »

I use a .375 H&H. One and done. It my be more than you need, but if it takes more than one shot, are you using enough to start with? My two pennys.

Sourdough · « **Reply #21 on:** July 29, 2007, 03:25:06 PM »

I've been hunting Moose since 1971, and I usually get at least one a year, with five being the most in one year. All of my Moose have been one shot kills.

I did shoot an allready gut shot (by someone else) Moose at over 500 yards and had to use a second shot due to wind. First bullet hit his hip and stopped him running. Elevation was good I just did not figure the wind properly. Second one dropped him where he stood. The original shooter gut shot him at 40 yards. Since someone else had already shot him this was not my Moose.