Moose Hunting Lessons Learned

[Tatersalad]

Alright...I'm reaching out to all of you moose hunters!

Please share some of your mistakes you made during your moose hunts.  This is my attempt to learn from your mistakes.  There is no reason I should have to go blundering through my first moose hunt making some of the same mistakes you've already made!  

I promoise when i come back from my hunt i'll add mine own mistakes to the list to help the next "virgin" moose hunter.  Guess wearing "white" for my first hunt is out of the question (unless its snowed!  

Thanks

Michael

[Huntrdfk]

Here's one for I learned the hard way.....if you are calling and think that you heard a response, play it like you did.  Me and a buddy hunting in Newfoundland, guide is calling, pretty windy.  Two of us thought we heard a grunt reponse to a cow call,  we got lazy because we didn't hear it again........half hour later a big bull suprizes us from the direction we had heard the grunt from, we were sitting and having a snack when he showed himself.  He saw/heard us at the same time and the gig was up before it started......don't want to talk about the rest of the trip.

David

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

1. Relatively speaking, their eyesight is not very good. You don't have to tuck into cover like you do with whitetails. When I shot mine, I was kneeling pretty much right out in the open and he never saw me until I drew to shoot him at ten yards. By then it was too late. Given the choice between concealment and mobility, I'll take mobility.

2. Their eyes may not be very good, but their noses and ears are a different matter. Always, always, always watch the wind.

3. It's a big deer; shoot it like one.     :D    

4. Being ground level with an irritated bull moose can be a little intimidating. Be prepared to shut off that part of your common sense that says, “This may not be such a good idea.” Most of the people I know who’ve bricked shots at moose did so because of nerves.

5. Don’t always expect a bull to come in grunting and raising hell. I’ve had just as many slip in silently.

6. (I know this may be controversial) If you can do so, use a range finder. Moose look HUGE to a person used to hunting whitetails. They can appear to be a lot closer than they really are. If you don’t want to go that route, do a lot of practicing with a target the size of a moose so you get used to “feeling” the distance between you and an animal that large. Most of the folks I know who messed up shots not because of nerves did so because they couldn’t accurately judge distance on a bull moose.    

7. Above all else, have fun. Moose hunting is a great experience, kill or no kill. Take lots of photos, and enjoy your hunt.

[bofish-IL]

Good post Maybe some day I wil be able to go after one.

[Tatersalad]

Jason and David

Wow both great posts and great advice.  Thank you, thanl you, thank you.  

David - is there more to that story you would like to get off your chest  


Keep them coming I'm a sponge soaking it all up!  

Michael

[John3]

You must be absolutely SILENT with clothing.. Not so the Moose will not hear you,,, so that you will be able to hear any faint calls.  Other than shooting your bow well this is the most important "thing" about Moose hunting.

Only shoot a crazy sharp two blade broadhead in front of a heavy arrow.  Add weight tubes/poly rope but make sure your close to or over 600 grains.. Forget Woodsman or any other multi blade broadheads.  They simply will not penetrate as well as a two blade...  

Only wear Fleece and UNLINED fleece at that... No liner, wind stop ect. in the fleece.  Cabelas sells a superb unlined fleece.

Good luck in Moose hunting,

John III

[JimB]

Jason makes a very good point.I new that moose were a lot bigger than game I was used to hunting but shot under a young bull that I thought was 30 yds.It was 40.I just didn't think his body was that big but it was.And I was only hunting Shiras moose,the smallest.Canadians are bigger and Alaskans bigger yet.

[Tatersalad]

Check on the range finder..got one that i use when i use my rifle (sorry...yes i shoot one).  i will bring it with me and start using when i practice.

Looks like i can eliminate number 6 on jason's lis with a range finder.

I never dreamed there were so many sucessful moose hunters out there!!!

Thanks

Michael

[Bowshot]

1.Carry a small plastic or tin can (bean) with a hole in the bottom, put a skate lace or leather boot lace about 4-5 ft long inside it, have the knot sticking out the bottom. get the lace wet and give it a long pull...old time cow call. Give it a short pull with more friction...bull call. Costs about .25 cents and totally functional, you can play with the tone by wrapping the can with cloth friction tape.

2. In the rut, use a decoy made of black landscaping cloth. Cut in the rough shape of a cow moose, add grommet holes and tie it to some brush when you set up. It rolls up compact and works awesome...cheap and fits in your pack.

3.Listen to the above info about judging moose.
You can practice by using horses for reference if you have access to them, they are closer in size than a deer which is what most guys are used to.

4. Shoot for the center line vertically behind the leg which will give you more room for error than focusing on the bottom 1/3, they will die just as quick as the arrow still takes out the lungs. The last 3 moose i have shot have all been hit at center or a hand width above. I have been involved with a couple that have been shot too low behind the leg, they can go a long ways with that shot and it looks perfect when you watch the arrow blow through.

5. If you are having a hard time judging distance, close the distance, moose inside 10 yards are huge and even I can't mess that up very often.

6. Draw when they are not looking at you, get them to pass behind a tree or something to hide the movement otherwise you are in trouble, they are huge and you still need the broadside shot, it is easy to stick an arrow in the guts when they spin which never makes the pack job shorter.
They move a lot quicker than you would think.

Terry

[Tatersalad]

Bowshot - so your saying shoot some horses for practice?     just kidding.  Thanks for the advice,

Michael

[akdd]

They have great hearing. They will more than likely hear you but if it is a natural noise they don't get too nervous. Take you time, go slow and you can stalk them. I wear 100% wool clothing including wool gators for the noise. Also for a large animal they can just disappear and appear in the brush. If it is very bushy you will very seldom see the entire moose just pieces of them of them will be visible.

[chinook907]

Some areas bull calls work better; other area's cow calls seem to work more.  Talk to somebody who's hunted in the area about the local preference.

When you call an area in the evening, even if nothing returned your call or showed up, get back there early the next day.  Pretty common that a bull or 3 will be right there in sight, or will answer your morning calling from very nearby.

Oh ok, mistakes.  Didn't change out of my heavy/noisy raingear when a squall let up, a bull showed up at close range unexpectedly, I reached for my bow and the raingear made a loud "shreek", he swiveled toward me & spotted me, and was gone-daddy-gone.  Have a great time, they are fun and tasty.

[jeanpaul3006]

when calling and a response is heard, stop cow calling and use bull grunts. the bull expects a cow to have another bull around. also mimic what  calling the  bull does. if he grunts 3 times , you grunt three times. he dictates what he wants to hear.

[rlc1959]

i second the advise that if you think you heard a Bull you probably did. I was on a hunt in the Yukon when I thought I heard a Bull late one evening. I then spotted the Bull (with my binos) across a lake probably 2 + miles away. We called back to this bull and in a matter of minutes he swam across the lake and was on top of us. Unbelievabe how fast he covered that distance. Shot him at 6 yards . he was knocking down small trees to get to what he thought was another Bull. What a rush. Stay calm and pick a spot. Good luck & God Bless , Randy

[Biggie Hoffman]

You don't have to lead a moose at 15 yards even if he's walking....

[Horne Shooter]

This is really great stuff.  I have moose plans in the future (hopefully 3 years or less) and I'm going to print this and put it in my hunting file.  Thanks for all the good stuff!

[jeanpaul3006]

carry a moose shoulder or paddle to imitate a bull scraping brush . don't be afraid to make noise.

[Tbay]

a moose scapula not only makes a good antler imitation on bushes but it also serves as a good antler decoy when a bull is coming in. Hold it up and sway it slightly. A bull does not have to see two antlers, one antler will work just as well. I carry a "face" of a cow made from a wire frame covered by a light weight black material. I cut two slits so I can see thru it and call in the bull the last 60 ir 70 yards. When not in actual use I carry it on my chest hung by a light cord. Even when a bull catches me by surprise (which they do every year) it isn't too late to hold it up and give some low calls. My hunting partner says that my cow face looks more like a mule than a moose but a long black face and two big ears has convinced at least 5 bulls to come closer. When I'm calling and I get a close response, I begin calling away from the bull and right into the ground. Until you're a seasoned caller it is easier to call loudly into the ground or cover the call with your hand than it is to call softly. When a bull is still some distance away, mistakes or a poor call doesn't always blow it...when they are close any mistake or "off call" stops them in their tracks. Too few calls during the end game is preferable to over calling.  Good luck and have fun.

[Tatersalad]

Oh yeah...keep them coming.  i'm learning something with each post!

Thanks

Michael

[Ryan Rothhaar]

If you're hunting with a guide trust his ears.  It has taken me several days to get onto hearing moose at long ranges every time I went.

Moose aren't whitetails - as my buddy John put it they will often "Stand there and take it like a man!".  Moose ain't going to duck arrows.  Also you may get chances for follow up shots.  My bull was the only animal I've ever "dequivered" on.  There is no shame in shooting him again! (and again..)

I didn't have any problems shooting through my bull (65lbs, 680 gr arrow, 160 gr Snuffers).  Last arrow entered in front of the hip quartering away and ended up sticking 1/2 way out behind the shoulder on the other side.

Take the guys' advice about size/range/shooting.  Lots of folks shoot low on the BIG target.

Moose are a blast.  They can come thrashing in, showing the whites of thier eyes, and it is either shoot or get trampled.  Much more likely he'll come sneaking in or grunting softly, it is amazing how that big of an animal can come out of nowhere!

have fun!

R