Having been up to Alaska a number of times, I always wanted to see a moose. Saw my first an only one in down town Anchorage at about 12 midnight. Bull moose just walking through a downtown area heading to a park like he owned the place. His shoulders stood taller than the stop signs. He walked right past some lady standing on the street and she could have walked under him without ducking. Magnificent beast!!! True fact, moose kill more people in Alaska than bears or any other animal in Alaska.
A well placed anything will kill them dead. The trick is getting a well placed shot on a pissed off moving, coming for you target. I have seen moose killed with .223, 7.62x39, 30-30, .243, 308, 30-06, etc, all when hunting and taking an easy broadside shot at a standing moose. I have never felt overgunned with a 350 Rem Mag or a 375 Ruger. I had one moose take 3 chest shots from my 350 Rem mag and still just stand there for a while before falling over, lungs were shredded. I also had a small bull that was hit by my 350 and a buddy's 300 and it still went 75 yards before going down.
That's why I never take my larger guns out of the safe. Once they get to be a certain size, you just never know when they're gonna just go off.
Indeed. I carry a 10mm Glock with 140gr underwood extreme penetrators in the backcountry. I feel like it would be enough to discourage brown bears and moose and doesn't weigh enough to cost a person their Iditarod finish. The real question is whether or not I would just shit my pants and get killed without ever getting a round off. Also I'd like to have a nice sit down chat with anyone who thinks hunting moose with .223 is a good idea.
If you have a cow with a calf nearby, it's best to GTFO. A pissed off bull is nasty AF but momma will bring the pain.
Poor dogs. I hope they all heal up. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, but if they were my dogs, I think I would have found out if a high speed snowmobile was an effective anti-Moose projectile.
A crew cab dually loses against a moose, only thing I'd do with a sled is run like hell the other direction.
Moose are tough. Years ago on I-95 in Maine, a state trooper hit one at night, totaling his cruiser and leaving him trapped. He radioed for help and another trooper headed his way, coming from the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the moose was still mobile and it staggered over to the other side of the highway where it was struck by the other trooper, also totaling his cruiser. And they still had to shoot the damn thing.
Unless you have seen a bull Moose in full rut, you really just have no idea. They make a one ton dually look like a Yugo.
Truth. I lived in Alaska for years. Another one that doesn't get fully appreciated in photos and videos is the Grizzly. I've had the poop-inducing experience of being within 20 feet of full grown males, and their size and strength is just unbelievable.
The strength of a 600lb animal with claws is nuts. Try hanging on to an 80lb house dog that doesn't want you to.
We have them around here but you seldom see them unless they decide to wander through the business district for whatever reason. They aren't intelligent animals. It's easy to hit them at night if they're in the road because your headlights don't illuminate them well.
We've got some around here. A couple years ago there was a young male coming out most nights about dusk in one of my brothers fields for most of the summer. Only time I've seen one in the wild.
You just have to gain their respect. One well placed uppercut and the pair of them would be cruising for cows together.
My only real encounter with a brown bear was a sow with cubs while I was fishing on the Upper Kenai River. I had a 1911 in 45ACP and felt way undergunned. A week later a fisherman had an encounter with probably the same bear and emptied his Browning Hipower 9mm and killed it. Lots of the local Natives use a 223 on moose. The Mini 14 is very popular. Lots of rounds on target gets the job done.
