30-30 for moose

[H&Hhunter]

Lots of moose and grizz and big bull elk have been and are still killed with a .30-30. when my girls were little I used to load their .308 or .30-06 rifles with 150 gr Sierra flat point game kings @ a muzzle velocity of about 2200 FPS (sound familiar). They both took big feral hogs, deer, antelope and elk with those loads. It did a fine job as long as we kept the range under 200 yards.

 

[Davek1977]

Legally?

Because I'm having trouble with the math. Let's say you've been hunting for fifty years. And let's say that every year you have shot two deer. That's only a hundred. "Hundreds" must mean at least two hundred, right? So that would 4 deer every year for 50 years. That's amazing. That's modern day Leatherstocking stuff. How many rifle tags do you get a year? I guess you hunted multiple States each year? Very impressive. Most of us know dedicated, competent hunters who have gone entire seasons without getting a deer. To get 4 a year every year, or something like that is really remarkable...

One man's experience in one area cannot be compared to another man's experience in another area. In South Dakota, for example, taking four deer a year is relatively easy, if one makes the effort to do so. You have 3 primary rifle seasons...east river, west river, and Black Hills....in most if not all of these seasons, there are a number of two tag licenses available, giving one a potential of six deer without hardly scratching the surface. Then factor in muzzleloader and archery tags, which bring our count up to 8. In nearly every season, at least historically, there are licenses available for purchase after the draw, adding another few deer to the potential harvest. We also have seveal Indian reservations in state, each having their own hunting season, some of which allowing multiple kills. We're now hovering right around a dozen deer, not even beginning to take depredation opportunities into consideration. I don;t think its such a feat for someone hunting 50 years to have taken "hundreds" of deer. I just demonstrated that, depending on your level of dedication, one can take over a dozen deer legally per year in some states, making a 100 year per decade entirely feasible. I only apply for one season, and can honestly say hunting from age 13 to 37, there has been exactly one year I didn't harvest a buck.

 

[jrdolall]

The bag limit in Alabama is 1/day. With a 3 month season.

Actually it is 2 deer per day only one of which may be antlered. I think they changed the law to limit the number of bucks taken but I can't remember what it is now. Either way you can still take 2 doe per day from October 15th through January 31st in most of Alabama which comes to about 112 or so legal deer every year. They actually extended the season in a few counties into February because the deer rut so late. The most I have ever killed in AL was 12 and that was a long time ago. That doesn't include depredation permits. Back when we ran dogs a lot I knew plenty of people that took over 30 deer just about every year.

If I were going moose hunting and looked in my safe for the best gun I probably would NOT pick up a 30-30. Or a .35, or a .243, or a .223, or a 22-250, or a .25-06. Probably not even the Swede. If I was hunting moose and all I had was a 30-30 then I would feel perfectly comfortable in MY ability to humanely kill the animal. It is my understanding that most moose are taken at very close range because of the dense brush. I have several friends that have killed trophy bull moose with a bow so a 30-30 at 50 yards will do the job.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

^ I agree with your assessment of it.
Will a .30-30 do it? Yes.

If I were going moose hunting however, I'd reach for the .30-06 with 180 grain Nosler Partitions.

If I had a .300 mag or a .338, I'd reach for that.

 

[Jason_W]

Vermont re-opened a moose season back when I was about 13. the .30-30 was a saw a lot of use during those moose seasons.

Tags were issued via lottery and if you drew one, it was likely a once in a lifetime hunt. Having a lot of working poor in the rural parts of the state, people didn't run out and buy a shiny new rifle for a once in a lifetime hunt. Drawing a moose tag was a chance at putting a lot of meat in the freezer. Buying a new rifle nullified the meat savings, so to speak. It followed that grandpa's old .30-30 killed a lot of moose.

As others have mentioned, the round has it's limitations. There will be no shooting across clear cuts and swamps or taking weirdly angled shots. If you're after meat rather than a trophy, an approach could be to target a smaller cow or yearling. I've hear that the meat is better on the smaller ones and that they're easier to drag out of the woods. The northeastern states require moose to be checked in whole.

 

[twofifty]

Whole, as in not quartered?

 

[Jason_W]

Whole, as in not quartered?

Yup.

For that reason, most people in Vermont and Maine tried to shoot their moose within sight of a logging road.

 

[H&Hhunter]

The northeastern states require moose to be checked in whole.

That is corporal punishment. I simply don't understand why some states can't use a bit of common sense on these issues?

 

[Sav .250]

If that`s all you have ..............and shot placement is spot on.................sure.

 

[Jason_W]

That is corporal punishment. I simply don't understand why some states can't use a bit of common sense on these issues?

I'm not sure why either. It probably has something to do with biologists wanting to examine a more or less intact animal.

 

[WestKentucky]

How heavy is a typical moose? And how does one go about heaving it into a truck bed all by themself?

 

[Jason_W]

How heavy is a typical moose?

Male moose weigh about 1200-1500 pounds
Female moose weigh more than 900 pounds
Newborns are about 33 pounds and will be 300-400 pounds by its first winter
Average Body length: about 8.5 feet
Average Height: 6-7 feet at the shoulders

Source: http://www.jackmanmaine.org/maine-moose.php

And how does one go about heaving it into a truck bed all by themself?

You don't

 

[Art Eatman]

"And how does one go about heaving it into a truck bed all by themself?"

A winch with a thousand feet of cable and a whole bunch of snatch blocks.

 

[DM~]

Quite easy to understand. Break the animal's shoulder/s and, whether it's still alive or not, it's anchored.

NOTHING is guaranteed, not even shoulder shots!!

Many years ago, I was deer hunting with my dad. He had a 742 Remington chambered in 30-06 and back then he used 150 grain factory loads, either Bronze points or Cor-loks...

Anyway, we jumped two does in about 6" of water in a swampy area with big tree's. Because of where I was, one was a running "side shot" for dad and he hit it in the shoulders, breaking both of them. That deer kept going bouncing off it's chest on the ground after every jump for close to 100 yards, until it came to a fence it couldn't jump and got caught up in it.

Dad knew he hit the deer in the shoulders but couldn't get a second shot, so he swung onto the second deer that was running wide open, and dropped it with his second shot.

We followed up on the first deer and found it dead in the fence with both front shoulders broken, but hit low enough to not damage the spinal cord.

SO, like I said above, NOTHING is "guarenteed" when hunting!

DM

 

[1911 guy]

I understand the appeal of a shoulder shot to "break down" a dangerous animal. However, when shooting an animal you're going to eat, why would you put a bullet, deliberately, through a roast? Everyone talks about the vitals being behind the shoulder bone. Nobody mentions that they protrude behind the bone into the other half of the animals chest cavity. The rib cage protects these organs. Ribs are much easier to punch through than a scapula.

From the side, put your bullet directly behind the shoulder. This hits lungs and pretty much everything else but the heart.

Quartering away, your entry point is behind the close shoulder and exit point is the off shoulder.

Quartering toward, your entry point is the animals chest (obviously) and the exit point is the portion of the animal farthest away from you, to maximize bullet travel through the chest cavity.

Quartering shots MAY result in a busted up shoulder, but the target is internal organs. In my opinion, deliberately shooting a shoulder, making your bullet pass through muscle mass and bone before reaching ANY vital organs is foolish. Not only is it wasteful of meat, it demands far more of bullet performance than is needed. And we ask why everyone is convinced you need a .999 LoudenBoomer to hunt anymore. Because we've lost sight of how to make the most of what bullet performance we have available to us.

There's no medals for shooting game at extreme ranges. Stalk as close as possible, then get one yard closer. Choose your shots wisely. Be willing to pass on marginal shots. Unless you are a subsistence hunter, this is a hobby and sport. Do not make an animal suffer needlessly because you lack the patience or skill to pull off the shot.

Tracking is a skill we all need, but the best result is an animal falling within eyesight. No trophies for "I tracked him all day and finally found him. Bullet in the ass. One shot, one kill, baby!"

Before you tell me I'm being unrealistic, I've shot a lot of deer. Not hundreds, but dozens. Shotgun slug, .308 and handgun. I have NEVER had to track a deer more than somewhere between 70 to 100 yards. While I am a decent shot, especially with a rifle, the main reason is I choose when to shoot, not the animal. If I feel out of control of the shot scenario, it's time to change the scenario, not get boxed in by circumstances that you can change.

 

[AKElroy]

Tracking is a skill we all need, but the best result is an animal falling within eyesight.

For some, "out of eyesight" can be 10 yards from the shot due to really thick cover, and not all shot animals bleed. I took a doe last year that took hours to find. She was shot from a tower, downhill with a .308. Point of impact was roughly 80 yards, remmy core lokt 150 grain.

The shot was text-book boiler room, high behind the left shoulder exiting low behind the opposite side. Not a drop of blood anywhere. If not for a rare late afternoon dew adding a hint of moisture to the ground I would have lost her hoof marks as soon as she got into the grass. I did lose her trail, and dumb luck intervened as I stumbled on her accidentally roughly 400 yards from the shot, hidden in the thick stuff.

When I finally reached her, she had a couple of inches of rib bone/connective tissue protruding tightly from the exit. Since the entry was high behind the shoulder, she didn't spill a drop. I was alone and could have easily lost her. Shoulder shots prevent this, and since I grind shoulders anyway, I lose very little meat.

I placed that shot to save every ounce of meat, and nearly lost all 90lbs.

 

[DM~]

What little meat that is lost from a shoulder shot sure doesn't bother me, but when I make the shot I hit high on the shoulder, that way there is some spinal cord damage and it does anchor them EVERY time.

I don't like to waste meat, but we can shoot more deer in a season than I could ever eat and they are easy to get, so I never worry about a few pounds of shoulder meat.

DM

 

[Davek1977]

I often take shoulder shots, and would hardly consider the practice inhumane nor wasteful.

 

[Davek1977]

People intentionally taking out both shoulders is stupid. It is disrespectful to the animal in that it's a longer more painful way to die with less benefit to the predator.

Well, the several deer I've taken with such shots would likley argue with you about how humane the shot was...if they weren't DRT. I don't see it as the least bit disrespectful or inhumane, and as far as n benefit to the predator (myself) I say nonsense. I can anchor an animal where he stands, allowing a followup shot if necessary (which it is only in extremely rare cases) to finish it. Most often, this is not even necessary as the vitals are most often shredded with this shot. You might feel the shot is "stupid" but I try not to insult hunters I've never hunted with, myself. Experience has told me everything I need to know about the shoulder shot. I don't need someone else to critique what I know works consistently and humanely. I'd call a shoulder shot that ruined a bit of meat and anchored the animal in its tracks much more humane than a shot that allowed the deer to run, increasing chances of losing it, and increasing the amount of time the deer is alive and wounded, suffering. Call it stupid if you must, but there are times I think nearly any other shot is the stupid shot to take, if putting one through the shoulder is possible.

 

[j1]

The 30 30 has been killing moose for long enough to be trusted as adequate. Practice till you feel confident in you and your rifle. Then go do it.