BigBulls,

Sometimes more power helps, like this year on my moose hunt. On the sixth day in the bush, we were actually waiting for some maurading grizzly bears that had managed to take most of our caribou. We were determined to end our bear problems right there that evening. Well, I am watching down river, and calling for moose just to pass the time. Out walks a nice 48 -inch bull. My buddy was right beside me as we were actually hunting bear that evening. We decided we take the bull, so I went ahead and shot him. I shoot a .338 RUM mostly because moose are big but grizzlies are big and have the habit of occaisonally chewing on hunters. Anyway, I hit that moose solid in the lungs. He just stood there. Moose are very phlegmatic creatures, and not too prone to panicking. The old timers also say it don't matter if you shoot them with once or five times, it takes two minutes to bleed them out. Anway, old bullwinkle is headin for the river cause momma always taught him in danger that is where to be. I had no real desire to handle a 1200 Yukon moose in the water, and neither did my buddy Scott. Shoot him again NOW! he tells me. So I put one in his neck at about 220 yards. Down like a ton of ...well, like a ton of moose he goes. He lays down and expires his nose about six inches in the water. You can see the pic I poster here to verify.


Upon butchering, I found out I never hit a bone. I am a biologist and have done more than my share of necropsies. There was no bone that broke, no severe blood vessel damange. Still, the shock from that 250 Swift A frame moving at 3000 fps had put the moose DOWN! That was good, because if he had not, it would have been dangerous to butcher in the river and I probably would have lost some if not most of the meat. As it stands, I just had a nice, delicious, tender moose roast for dinner.

The big calibers have their place and their usage, but you certianly do not NEED one to kill an animal, but if you can handle them well, and can afford to shoot them, why not?