Don't believe everything you hear about the "latest and greatest".

To be 100% blunt, a new hunter/shooter, even 90%+ of experienced shooters, will never realize any REAL difference in ballistic performance on North American game for anything above the .30-06. Realize that you live in the REAL WORLD, where numbers on a page don't tell the whole story.

There are "flatter shooting" cartridges than the .30-06, but in general they are heavier recoiling, OR have a lighter weight bullet, or both. The difference in trajectory for a .30-06 and say, a flatter shooting 7mm Rem mag (lighter bullet, more recoil), or .300Win mag (same bullet, more recoil) is inconsequential even out past ranges where hunting isn't realistic. For example, comparing the load I shoot from my .30-06 to my 7mm WSM: .30-06 drop at 500yrds = 38", 7mmWSM drop at 500 = 33". 5" difference on 38" isn't a REAL difference, and both have more than enough energy to kill at that range. Even at 1,000yrds, comparing the two is moot - if you're skilled enough to shoot that far AT ALL, then you're skilled enough to shoot either of them that far equally well. Considering that REAL WORLD HUNTING happens at 0-300yrds, the difference between the two will be even LESS important.

Considering moose: Smaller caliber, lighter bullet cartridges are not my cup of tea for heavy game like moose. Unless you're shooting a heavy magnum in 7mm running a 180grn bullet at 2900fps+ (i.e. about where the .30-06 runs), I'd want something heavier. The only cartridges that would be "more appropriate" than the .30-06 class cartridges would be heavier caliber, heavier bullet rounds, like the .338Win mag, or the .375 H&H. These are NOT inexperienced shooter friendly cartrridges. These are NOT deer friendly cartridges. These heavier cartridges generally fly slower, meaning more drop over long distances.

So if you like the .30-06, it's a perfectly fine cartridge for what you're looking to do.