Any moose/elk hunting tips?
March21
I’m going hunting this winter for some elk/moose/deer, probably in Alberta, Canada. Which places in Canada do you recommend? Also, I will be eating the game after the hunt it. How would you go about preparing a big animal such as this for consumption? Any parts to avoid…or preserve? I don’t know if I’ll be doing the shooting since I’m a novice, I’ll probably leave that up to my uncle.
I have a big budget for this, so money is not an issue. What gear should I get? Any shooting tips? What if I run into a bear? I have many questions in so little time. I really want to live an outdoors experience for a few weeks and just want to prepare.
Thanks!
The 30-06 really is a moose rifle. Elk are big enough that the mighty 30-06 won’t tear them up too badly. Use 180 grain bullets, preferably Nosler Partition. Take centered lung hits, as they are the biggest reliable target, the animal won’t get far, and you won’t nick any git and ruin the meat. If you do nick gut, either because the beast moved forward just as you were shooting (it happens sooner or later to everyone!), or when cleaning the carcass, suspended head UPWARD, it makes sense to instantly hack the quarters off the torso before that bile and rumen bacteria migrate into the entire carcass! You have only minutes under that situation. Don’t take your kill to any processor who simply weighs the meat you bring in, and then gives you somebody’s gutshot crud of the same weight in neat packages. If you run into a big grizzly and it charges, go for head shots. You would need the 220 grain grizzly bullets for body shots. Black bear aren’t nearly as tough. Don’t believe that nonsense that all meat must be hung for a time to become tender. By the time tenderizing sets in, so does slime and rot. If you smoke the meat at camp, cut it thinly so that the smoke will penetrate enough to kill the bacteria and parasites. Maybe check out some websites which are for new hunters, like http://www.oldhunterrumors.com/ , and scroll down a lot.
a bear : get some bear spray but not a lot because you probably wont even see one but be prepared
gear: you will need insulated clothing(bibs,parka,etc.) get a bottle of scent cover because deer, moose, and elk can hear and smell very well a trusty knife (buck or gerber) would be a good thing to have.
just go to cabelas or basspro.com
well, dress warmly, it starts to get frostbite cold around there at this time of year, i don’t know about the hunting situation around there, but your better off letting your uncle to research these things and help him and learn from him, this is the best advice I can give you, since I’ve never hunted in alberta before.
If you run into a black bear, act big, open your jacket up and make yourself look bigger then it, make a lot of noise and it’ll probably run away with his tail between his legs. if it decides to attack, get your gun ready and shoot if he gets too close or your knife ready to fight, stand your ground, if you run it’s hunting instincts kick in and your a goner, it might also change it’s mind at the last second and run the other way, testing you or you can try to move to the side sorta like bullfighting, he might run right passed you trying to get into cover that’s behind you(weird, but it happens), if he gets on top of you and your alone, starting attacking back, they usually are all buff and get scared off easily.
if it’s a grizzly, lay down flat and don’t make a sound, even if it touches you or pushes you over onto your back, KEEP QUIET! it’ll think your dead and no longer a threat, they also lose interest easily and it’ll just walk away, make sure it’s gone and get yourself outta that area no matter what, because that bear will be coming back to see if your still there later on.
never lay down for a black bear, NEVER! blacks and grizzlies have different tastes for food and a black bear will eat you if you decide to play dead, also never fight a grizzly, it’s impossible to win and it will fight and chase you until your dead or it’s dead, better off doing listening to what I said above.
since it seems that you don’t have much outdoors experience, here’s some pictures of black and brown(grizzly) bears:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_bear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Black_Bear
Get a guide and then listen to him like he knows everything. Elk hunting varies from location to location and even from season to season. If you hunted today where I elk hunted in October, you’d never even see one. An experienced guide is invaluable when hunting a new location or species. Ask for references. Not only of people that harvested an animal (they’re always happy), but also of those that didn’t. Those are the ones that will paint a realistic picture of the hunting situation. I wouldn’t worry about bears too much. That’s why you’ll have a gun and a guide. This brings me to another point. USE ENOUGH GUN. I see so many people on this site that recommend a 243 for elk. I would not recommend anything smaller than a 30-06, and if you can handle the recoil, I’d recommend a 300 mag, or even a 338. Yes I know that Winchester service manual says magnums are not necessary to kill elk. Some guy puts that in on every similar question. To put it into perspective just how big and strong and elk is, I just shot a 5×5 bull a few days ago. It was 27 degrees below zero, and we just went for a ride to see if the elk were coming into a local field. We didn’t really plan on shooting any, but I took a rifle any ways. I grabbed my new 416 Rigby. I didn’t get a 416 to shoot elk, I’m just hoping to get to Africa one day and am preparing now. I’m in no way saying that you need a 416 Rigby to kill an elk. I shot my elk at 100 yards. He was quartering away. My bullet entered at the last rib on the right side and lodged under the hide in front of the left shoulder. That’s a 400 grain Swift A frame bullet at 2400 fps. No exit hole. Had I been using a 270, I wouldn’t have had a viable shot. Not the case with a 300 or 338 Win Mag (the 338 is the gun I usually use when hunting elk). If you have a perfectly broadside shot and a well placed shot on unspooked elk, you can get by with the smaller calibers. Like I said, I’m not recommending the 416 Rigby, but I told the story to illustrate just how large these animals are. A bullet and caliber designed for elephant, and no exit wound on a shot that didn’t even hit a major bone. Moose are larger yet. I’d strongly suggest using Jack Atcheson’s website to plan my hunt. All of the guides on his site are top notch. http://www.atcheson.com
moose and elk hunting is a lot of fun until you pull the trigger. Lot of meat to pack out. Have a great time and enjoy the experience. Form your own opinions and listen to the guides. Also, Moose and Elk meat put the best Iowa beef to shame.
you should have started cardio workouts by now. these are exhausting trips.
Have you checked the hunting season dates? All the hunters I know tell me the season closed a few weeks ago (in Alberta).
1. ACR ResQFix 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon.
2. Sharp knife with 4″ blade, if folding must lock open.
3. Folding saw.
4. Back pack frame.
5. Orange clothing.
6. Warm boots and thick wool socks.
7. 30-06 bolt action rifle with 6x fixed power scope and 180 grain bullets.
8. Pocket camera.
If you see a bear take a photo. If the bear wants your kill let him have it, but only after taking photo.