What would be the recommended caliber of rifle for hunting the Alaska/Yukon Moose? Does anybody have any experience hunting this animal?

When the big Alaskan Moose stepped out of the alders a scant 30yds away I hit him with a 250gr Nosler Partition from a 338WM. He looked straight at me as if to say "I dare you to do that again" so I put another one in him. He was dead on his feet after the first shot but as long as he was standing there all pissed off I kept shooting.

.30 + with premium bullets with an SD greater than .26

375RUM is min.

Anything from 270 and up will work.

Don't anyone tell the 6.5 Swede shooters this!

I would be comfortable using anything from the 7mm on up.

OK. I'll toss in the 6.5 Swede as well!

Well, I personally would consider my .338 Win Mag to be just about perfect.

However, I am reminded of a funny story about moose hunting. A friend of my dad's who is now deseased went to Alaska moose hunting long ago and for some reason decided to take a .244 Holland and Holland Magnum. Yeah, I agree, that is no moose rifle. His guide just about had a fit when he showed up with that thing.

The next morning they located a hell of a big moose standing in a pond having breakfast. The guide says " you may as well go to shooting, by the time you kill him he will be half way up the mountain".

This guy lets go one shot with his .244 and down goes this moose for keeps. They had a hell of a time gutting it and quartering it in that pond.

On the flip side of the coin, I know of one group of guys who went to Alaksa for moose that had a different experience. They shot moose with three 300 Weatherby's and one .378 Weatherby. NO ONE killed a moose with one shot!

R F

Moose are not very tough...BIG as hell, but not as tough as an elk. Anything 6.5 or up is adequate, but as always, bullet placement is everything. I would always use premium bullets on anything larger than deer because of that last minute move to quartering that can happen.

Your question was for "Alaska/Yukon" moose. Thats a whole different ball game over Shiras and smaller European moose. Yes, the 6.5mm Swede is popular and works well on average moose of 700-900 lbs. Alaskan bulls can add an additional 700 lbs, so thats double the size at 1600 lbs. Thats a lot of animal for a 6.5mm Swede or even a 264 Win Mag, which packs a much greater punch than the Swede.

My close friend took a 60-inch Alaskan moose two years ago with a 338-378 Wby at 265 yards. First shot did not get a reaction, second shot barely got a step, third shot, took two steps and crashed to the ground. All shots were in a baseball size area and textbook lung/vitals. Echoing what Rich Anderson previously stated, the first shot would be fatal, but you have to keep at it for the sake of recovery.

I have hunted elk for years, but have never had a crack at an Alaskan moose. In my mind, I'm quite confident that what works well on bull elk will work equally well on moose. For me the choice is my 338 Win Mag or my 444 Marlin. Both have put down elk with a finality that suits me just fine. As a minimum, a 7mm with any quality controlled expansion 160 grain bullet at 2850 fps would be a good place to start.

[ 11-14-2002, 01:34: Message edited by: rossi ]

RD,

Based on my friends experience, I would agree wholeheartedly. What did you use and what do you recommend for Alaskan bull moose?

Jon B,
What area are you going to be in (GMU #)? Are you going on a guided hunt?
I was in GMU 21 this September for moose & bear. I took a moose but no shootable bear were seen.
I used a .338 Win with 225 gr North Forks. Details of the hunt can be seen in the Hunting Reports - Rest of the World Forum on this site then go to Alaskan Moose Hunt.
Any of the .30's and up can be used, but be aware that you will be in grizzly country. I wouldn't use anything smaller.
Go to the ADF&G website http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/
there is a wealth of info here. Check out all of the regulation and Hunting pages. The hunting pages are great, they provide recommended calibers and anatomical views of moose and bear. Studying them helped me when it came time to shoot.
One thing, get as many wolf tags as you can. You can get up to 5 and they cost $30.00 each. After you kill your moose, the wolves will come. The moose and the locals will thank you.

Killed my one and only AK moose with a .300 Weatherby, one shot, stone dead, dropped in his tracks.
On same hunt, my Dad whacked one three times in the chest w/ 30-06, 180's before it went down.

I don't think they're that tough to kill, but like someone else said they are dead on their feet and just don't know it yet.

A .270 wouldn't be my first choice, but it would handily do the job if the bullet(s) is put in the right place. Seems like most AK folks like the .300 mags or .338, both great choices.

The most popular cartridges in Alaska are the .30-06, 300WM, and .338WM, so I imagine any of these three should be fine. But since moose roam in bear country, it is not a bad idea to use premium ammo with bullets on the heavy side. Shot placement is very important as you can see in the Web site below.

My favorite "all around" cartridge is the .338WM, because you can use heavy bullets from 225 grains to 300, which are very good for those times when you may want to break a moose's or bear's shoulder, or for taking quartering shots. But there is nothing wrong with the .30-06 as long as you can keep in mind its limitations. Lots of moose are killed with this cartridge each year.

http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/wildlife/geninfo/hunting/huntak16.htm

[ 11-14-2002, 06:58: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]

I've shot moose with a .270 and .300 win mag and have seen others in camp shoot moose with 30.06, .300 mag, .338 win mag, and .338 Ultra Mag. The one factor that made the biggest difference was shot placement. The guy that brought the Ultra Mag to camp was from outside and bought the rifle on the advice of the sales clerk (an expert who probably never hunted moose). He could not handle the recoil and had a terrible flinch, ended up shooting a moose in a rear quarter after he fliched on the shot. My partner had to finish the job with his 30.06. I've got nothing against the Ultra Mag and think it would make a great cartridge for hunting in Alaska. The point I'm trying to make is a big magnum isn't necessary, use something you can shoot well and use heavy for caliber premium bullets.

[ 11-29-2003, 01:18: Message edited by: DPhillips ]

I have taken moose with 7mm mag., .308, .30-06, .375 H&H, and bow and arrow. The longer I hunt moose the more I realize bigger is better. If not for the fact that the .375 H&H will topple a large Alaska/Yukon moose in short order but it kicks the shit out of the big Alaskan brown bear that wants to eat you and your dead moose.

I have taken moose with 7mm mag., .308, .30-06, .375 H&H, and bow and arrow. The longer I hunt moose the more I realize bigger is better. If not for the fact that the .375 H&H will topple a large Alaska/Yukon moose in short order but it kicks the shit out of the big Alaskan brown bear that wants to eat you and your dead moose.

I have taken moose with 7mm mag., .308, .30-06, .375 H&H, and bow and arrow. The longer I hunt moose the more I realize bigger is better. If not for the fact that the .375 H&H will topple a large Alaska/Yukon moose in short order but it kicks the shit out of the big Alaskan brown bear that wants to eat you and your dead moose.

I have taken moose with 7mm mag., .308, .30-06, .375 H&H, and bow and arrow. The longer I hunt moose the more I realize bigger is better. If not for the fact that the .375 H&H will topple a large Alaska/Yukon moose in short order but it kicks the shit out of the big Alaskan brown bear that wants to eat you and your dead moose. Use 300gr. bullets just in case.

i have hunted moose for a long time, and come to the conclusion that moose are dead for 1 minute and 57 seconds before it registers on their brain. that is why it takes so long for them to fall over.

Although not the best caliber or cartridge, I think a huge number of moose have been killed with the 30-30. Mostly by natives.

Took my moose in NWT this past Sept. Moose took one 225 gr. Partition in 338-06 and fell over dead in his tracks. Shot was uphill at 150+ yards and bullet found on far side skin about 1/3 down from spine, entered low in left side shoulder. However, while caping we found a 338-35 Barnes triple shock in the back hindquarters that appeared to have been in the moose for a year of longer. Just to agree that it is bullet/placement that matter.

When I lived in Alaska I took several with a Ruger M77, 270 win, shooting either 150 corelokts or partitions. On broadside shots, they worked great. With a little patience (waiting for the animal to turn), a 270 was more than adequate. I'd hunt them today with a 30-06 and 180gr partitions, and I am sure they would do the job!

Jon B,

I shot quite a few moose in the 22 years I lived in AK. I think a 30-06 with premium 180 gr premium bullets will kill a moose handily. I think for a hunter going on a one time guided or drop off moose hunt I would recommend a reasonably flat shooting caliber with a fairly heavy bullet. The 338-375 come to mind and have worked well for me. You may get one opportunity and it may be less than perfect shot. The large bullet and horse power will let you take that shot that you might pass up with a 30-06.

Mark

I used a .340 Wby with a 250 grain Nosler Partition Gold at 2950 fps to take my Moose in the Farewell Burn. If I were going back it would be with that rifle and a 240 grain North Fork, or one of my .358 STA's with a 270 grain North Fork at 2950 fps. Good shooting.

I personally use a 300WM with 180gr Accubonds for all my big game hunting in Alberta. And yes we do get some very large moose.

If not a 300WM or a 300WSM, then the 338WM would be my next suggestion with 200 or 225gr Accubonds for Alaskan/Yukon moose.


As mentioned, shot placement is the key, and take the rifle you feel most comfortable with.

Since 2004, shooting the 270WSM with 140gr Accubonds has sure inpressed me on elk, moose, deer, bears. My wife this past season took her bull moose with 2 shots @ 325metres. Both were double lung. First shot the bull was walking dead but she (and I) just wanted to anchor the bull before he made it to the timber. The bull went 20 metres, and dropped at the edge of the timber.

After the first shot, your guide will let you know to shoot again if he feels the animal needs it, or just to anchor the animal from running into some heavy timber or such, which will make it alot more difficult to dress out. Why work harder than you have too.

Good luck on your future hunt.

Who dug up this old thread?

I suppose you could use anything from a 270 on up to take a moose, but as someone else mentioned, there are bears usually nearby that like to ruin your day. At that point, I'd rather be a little safer with a bigger gun. 30 caliber magnum or anything from 338 up would be just about perfect.

I killed a Shiras moose bull here in MT a few years back with a 44 mag handgun shooting 300 LBT WFNGC "solids". First two shots were about 50 or 60 yards and punched through both lungs in back of the shoulder and exited. Last shot at about 15yds broke both shoulders and was found under the hide on the off side.

Yes, I know Alaska moose are much larger etc. But I'm sure that someone has wacked one of those with a handgun.

My Point:
Shot placement.
The 44 is no magical weapon and has far less power than almost any decent big game rifle, but it worked because I put the proper bullets for the job where they would do the most good, or rather damage.

Next moose:
I'll take my 9.3x62 because I can shoot it well. I'll also take my 44 along in case I get another chance to use it.

.338 WM


250gr Grand Slam

I wonder if he is still following this thread since it was posted in Nov 02' and dead until dug out of the back pages

quote:

Originally posted by skhunter:
I wonder if he is still following this thread since it was posted in Nov 02' and dead until dug out of the back pages

From the looks of his username, I think he got lost during the forum upgrade....

MG

Most of these long threads are kept alive for the posters themselves rather than the originator.

Most of the answers in this string are good. Correct shot placement and anything from 6.5x55 Swedish on up.

Make mine a .300 Win Mag. loaded with 180gr TSXs or Partitions.

Whats important is to "dump 'em" on the spot with a well placed shot. "Spinals" if at all possible. Allowing a moose to drop in deep water can provide for a very tough field dressing job.

I wonder if he went and did he get his moose. What did he use? Where's the PICTURES!!!!!!!!!! Nate