Tips for Moose Hunting

Moose hunting is one of the premier outdoor sports, with thousands of hunters a year taking to the forests to hunt down these animals that can be as big or bigger than horses. It is also one of the most challenging outdoor sports, because moose habitat is extremely diverse; they do not stick to certain areas where one is guaranteed to find them. They will often be down in the wetlands in the summers, swimming in lakes and rivers and feeding in swamps. They will also travel to high ground, moving about through sparse and thick forest alike, climbing hilly regions and lumbering down into the valleys. Therefore, a certain amount of knowledge has to go into moose hunting in order to have a chance a getting one at all. Some general tips and tricks are needed for the hunt to be a success.

Selecting the right gun with the right caliber and weight of the bullet is a must. There are a number of guns that are considered usable, and they all have heavy enough shots to kill a moose without leading to its suffering-this is a concern, because the size of the animal means that it can take more injury before dying; therefore, shots need to be dead on in the kill zone and need to come from a strong enough gun to take the moose down cleanly. A .30/06 Springfield or a .308 Winchester will do the job quite well with their heavy bullets, as will a .300 Winchester Magnum or a .300 Weatherby Magnum. The gun should be sighted in so that it hits at two hundred yards, since long shots are very common in moose hunting as the animal is visible for quite a distance. A sighting at two hundred yards will give the weapon a clean shot anywhere between zero and three hundred yards; after that, taking a shot is not advised, as the trajectory on the bullet will fall at a considerable rate.

Decoy Do’s and Don’ts – Deer Hunting

Although deer hunting with a decoy can increase your chances of bagging a beautiful specimen, there are a few rules and guidelines and it is important to be aware of them in order to get the most out of your decoy. There are hundreds of choices that must be made both when choosing and arranging a decoy and, if you decide on something that is not right for you or your circumstances, it could be highly counterproductive.

First of all, you have to decide which decoy you want to use. This will be your hunting companion for many lonely hours so choose wisely. There are hard plastic decoys, foam decoys, and 2D cardboard decoys. Some come with a carrying strap to facilitate transportation and some come with a special case for added protection. Some deer decoys are even electronic, adding movement and a little extra weight to the decoy.

Making the Most of Your Rifle Safe

Everyone purchasing a safe to store their long guns should always get the ‘most safe’ for their money, both in strength and size. Strength because many safes are not designed to hold up under aggressive entry attempts, and size because the safe will fill up quickly. There are videos available on the Internet that show how relatively easy it is to break into cheaply made rifle safes by lying them on their back sides and using pry bars. Whatever brand or style of safe that is chosen, it should always be bolted into solid floor and wall framing members as to not be able to be easily moved.

If a person has four rifles and a couple of pistols, it may make sense to only get a safe that would hold five rifles with some leftover room for pistols. Savvier consumers will buy a safe that they will grow into. If consumers plan on adding firearms and ammunition to their cache, it is a good idea to get a safe sized for how it will be used five years from now. If one has four rifles and plans on purchasing one long gun per year, then a safe that will hold nine long guns is conservatively appropriate.

The Need for Hunting Safety Vests

When hunting in the great forests to the north, the open prairies to the south, or the high mountains to the west, safety should always be the hunter’s number one concern. There are many things to keep track of when hunting, many things to think about, and safety is the biggest thing that should concern a hunter at all times. If executed properly, hunting can be a very safe and enjoyable sport, one where the hunter and his or her companions need not fear at all. It can be a sport where they can just relax in the woods and wait for game and think about the huge buck stories that will be told around the roaring fire that night. One of the first steps toward having this sort of safe and relaxing hunting experience is getting a hunting safety vest.

Now, a hunting safety vest can mean many different things, or a combination of different things. First and foremost, it means a vest adorned with bright, brilliant hunter orange. This may seem like a huge deterrent in the woods, where one is trying to remain hidden and unseen so as to attract game. The hunter does not need to fear that the orange will detract from this goal, however, as deer do not see in color and are therefore oblivious to the fact that there is a very bright hunter sitting just in front of them. Deer are more prone to notice movement, and sometimes patterns, so if the hunter stays still, he or she will be invisible no matter the color. Some orange vests are made in a camouflage pattern, with the orange substituted for the standard green, and this can help so that the deer do not notice any difference in the pattern of the forest when they see the vested hunter. Orange is very safe, as there is nothing else like it in the forest, and other hunters can see it from a long way off.

Hunting Outfitters – What You Should Expect

What you should expect from a hunting outfitter depends on the price of the hunting package and what the outfitter has promised for the price. If the hunt is taking place in a place far from civilization you should expect the outfitter to provide shelter in a cabin or top quality canvas tent that has a heat source and everything you need for cooking meals. The outfitter should send a professional hunting guide along if the hunt was advertised as being a guided hunt. After the animal has been harvested the outfitter should be available to assist with field dressing and packing out the animal. Most outfitters will also offer processing and taxidermy services. If you are hunting with a professional guide he or she should be able to tell you the habits of the animals in the area such as favorite trails and water holes where they will frequently be found. Tree stands and or ground blinds should already be in place for the use of the hunter. These stands and blinds should be placed in various locations on the hunting grounds for use on different days when the wind or weather will depend where you hunt.

Some of the hunting outfitters offer lodging and these lodges can be very nice having comfortable accommodations that will rival any hotel along with meals that will rival the best restaurant. These lodges may offer a range to shoot before the hunt. This will be very important if you have traveled any distance with your rifle or bow. You want to make sure you are sighted in before you take the shot of a life time.