1 piece of advice for Archery Moose Hunters

[GotDraw?]

One take away I'll share from my Yukon moose hunt...

Moose are huge and it's easy to get hung up on trying to see where your arrow hit and wondering if you need a second or third arrow. FORGET worrying about that, plan that there will be immediate 2nd and 3rd shots. Plan to quickly keep putting arrows downrange until you can't see your moose.

Practice, practice, practice making fast, automatic 2nd and 3rd follow-up shots. Practice moving and shooting. You may be in brush and need to move a couple feet for your follow ups. Shoot your first arrow, nock #2 and quickly move two or three steps, then shoot #2, repeat.

Moose are so tough that your moose may not even know he was hit and this may make you doubt your shot. I did, and I wasted two or three seconds being stunned there was ZERO reaction from him. Don't get hung up on expecting a reaction from the moose when your first arrow hits. Keep putting arrows in him. Odds are high that he will still be looking for a cow after your first shot and you will be able to reload, move around without spooking him in order to get a better 2nd/3rd shot.

Also, don't expect that hollow "thump" you're used to hearing when lung-shooting whitetails, my moose was so solid and big that I never heard an impact. Also, the Iron Wills I was shooting were so sharp that it might be they cut so efficiently that they made no impact noise as they passed through.

Also, if your moose doesn't move much after your first shot, don't re-range him. Your target area is huge. Trust yourself and let them fly.

JL

 

[Trial153]

I would say that’s solid advise. My 2016 moose went 30 feet and ass over tea kettle before I could put another arrow in his lungs. I haven’t found moose to be the toughest animal to kill with a bow. In fact they seem to soak up bullets better. Pound for pound ....they are punks compared to elk or whitetails.

 

[go4thegusto]

Tru-Dat! I shot one in back of lungs and it went 1100 yards in willows and crossed two rivers. My buddy can track like an African legend and never gives up otherwise we never would have found him.

 

[Kilboars]

Great advise, Thanks. That's the reason i shoot a 5 pin slider sight. Not for the first shot but to range and adjust for the 2nd &3rd shot.

Good advise for Elk as well.

 

[go4thegusto]

Great advise, Thanks. That's the reason i shoot a 5 pin slider sight. Not for the first shot but to range and adjust for the 2nd &3rd shot.

Good advise for Elk as well.

But first...make #1 count. Mine blasted right through us and about mowed over by buddy who was calling. No chance for a second shot.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Good thread and not arguing in the slightest...

I've killed several bulls with a longbow. All took one arrow and I watched all of them go down and die. Only one went more than 50 yards. My personal strategy is to make that first shot into the chest broadside and then I react according to what the moose does. I might simply hold tight and watch, or move as needed to keep my eye on him. I think follow-up shots are fine of course, but I haven't ever felt the need to take one. My Yukon bull took a shaft at 12 yards and then ran about 30 yards where he pulled up and stood looking at me. I could've easily taken another shot but I knew he was dead on his feet. Moments later he dropped right there.

I limit myself to only broadside or slightly quartering (away) shot angles. A one-lunged moose is very bad news and recovery is only a 50-50 deal at best. That's not good enough for me, so I shoot only when I feel confident of getting both lungs.

 

[MallardSX2]

I think I shot my bull with a total of 5 arrows back in 2010.

Its was quite an epic showdown.

Long story short. He died from blood loss hours and miles later.....

Not one of my finest archery moments. But I got it done.

 

[Kilboars]

I shot this Whitetail last year at 20yds with a 2'' wasp expandable blade and thought he was going to go down on camera but he just slowly walked off. I took up the search a half hour but after a buddy and I searched for him through a swamp for 3 hours we found him 200yds away the next day partially eaten by a gator. Wish I'd of put a 2nd arrow in him but really not sure I could of. Thick woods and I was in a noisy stand.

Swamp Buck - YouTube

 

[Beendare]

Good advice there GotDraw. I will never forget a big bull [elk] I called in to a buddy at about 15 yds, he drills the bull and the bull spooks toward him, and then stands there at no more than 20 yds away looking the other direction for a decent amount of time...and he never shot another arrow.

Heck, I would have shot from where I was but he was in between myself and the bull. I asked him why no followup...and he said, 'Thats a dead bull"

We tracked that bull for a mile and bumped him....last time we saw him was 3 miles away from the shot location, never recovered.

 

[Grabwad]

Good thread and not arguing in the slightest...

I've killed several bulls with a longbow. All took one arrow and I watched all of them go down and die. Only one went more than 50 yards. My personal strategy is to make that first shot into the chest broadside and then I react according to what the moose does. I might simply hold tight and watch, or move as needed to keep my eye on him. I think follow-up shots are fine of course, but I haven't ever felt the need to take one. My Yukon bull took a shaft at 12 yards and then ran about 30 yards where he pulled up and stood looking at me. I could've easily taken another shot but I knew he was dead on his feet. Moments later he dropped right there.

I limit myself to only broadside or slightly quartering (away) shot angles. A one-lunged moose is very bad news and recovery is only a 50-50 deal at best. That's not good enough for me, so I shoot only when I feel confident of getting both lungs.

What’s the specs on your longbow and what broadhead you shoot?

 

[Kevin Dill]

What’s the specs on your longbow and what broadhead you shoot?

64" 2-piece TD is 62# at 28". I draw to 28" exactly. I have no idea of fps but it's enough. Broadhead is Abowyer Wapiti 175 gr glue-on. Every bull I've shot has either sustained a pass-through or at least full penetration to the opposite chest wall.

 

[Nick Muche]

In general, my policy while hunting anything is that if they are still standing in range without showing immediate signs of going down they are going to get another arrow. The bigger the critter, the more important that can be.

 

[5MilesBack]

Practice, practice, practice making fast, automatic 2nd and 3rd follow-up shots. Practice moving and shooting. You may be in brush and need to move a couple feet for your follow ups. Shoot your first arrow, nock #2 and quickly move two or three steps, then shoot #2, repeat.

That's how I practice and hunt everything, but my 1st shot is also a fast automatic shot as well. Just hoping and looking forward to drawing a moose tag some day.

 

[BRWNBR]

“That’s a dead bull” should never be said of a bull that isn’t currently dead. When you stick your finger in the wound channel, then say it. Shoot them again. No shame in that. I stuck my mountian goat three times because I wasn’t sure how good the first shot was.

 

[sndmn11]

Shoot your first arrow, nock #2 and quickly move two or three steps, then shoot #2, repeat

JL

I am wondering why you suggest nocking the arrow, then moving, rather then moving first?

 

[GotDraw?]

Not meant to be a mandate to nock first, then move.

My thought process is simply a motivation to the shooter to immediately prepare (nock/move or move/nock) for an immediate follow-up shot.

That follow-up shot may require move first, then nock an arrow and shoot, or it may require staying in position and immediately nocking and shooting from there. Either way, execute immediate follow up(s).

Just keep putting arrows downrange until you can't.

JL