Moose Anatomy

[The BushMaster]

A recent post regarding bow weight for moose reminded me to post this.  I have my first moose hunt scheduled for this fall and would like to try and obtain drawings or photos of the moose anatomy.  I know "right behind the shoulder" is correct, but the hump tends to throw in a bit of confusion about the size of the area.  I would assume the kill area to be about the size of a basketball.  I've conducted a number of internet searches on this, but info seems limited.  Any info you can offer is appreciated.

[Kevin L.]

Check out page 30 of this .pdf file. It's put out by Maine IFW and I send a copy to all of my hunters.

http://mainegov-images.informe.org/ifw/licenses_permits/lotteries/pdfs/moosehuntguide2008.pdf

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

On my Alberta hunt we had a pre hunt anatomy instruction with the out fitter . The  8/8 rule was to be adhered to at all costs ( 8 inches behind the shoulder and 8 inches up from the bottom of the animal was to be our bulls eye). It was extreemly helpfull to know this and resulted in my very short blood trail

[Orion]

Yep.  That big shoulder hump tends to draw one's eye up, but center body is really higher than one wants to be.  Lower third is better.

[Mooseman]

It is not a bad idea to know the moose anatomy when moose hunting. But buck (bull) fever will do funny stuff with your arrow. (Usually low)

It is "VERY" important to have a razor sharp broad head and did I mention that it is very important to have a sharp broad head?
A tracking dog helps too, when the shot is not perfect.

[JDice]

If you want more info - check out the DVDs at 3Rivers

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Here is the heart out of my bull

[JDice]

Check out "The Perfect Shot, Mini Edition for North America" by Craig Boddington. I paid less than $15 for the book. It has shooting level anatomy information on Mule Deer, White Tails, Elk, Moose, Caribou, and Pronghorn. The moose section is 15 pages long and shows 3 views of a moose - broadside, quartering in, and quartering away. Each view consists of 2 pictures - one showing the internal organs and one showing the external aiming points.

[JDice]

LittleBigMan,

Your heart shot is exactly what I hope to emulate on every "live" shot. I am curious - did you hit the lungs as well? Also - will you describe your arrow/broadhead?

Thanks,

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Yes, well actually only one lung the closest one which is weird, you would think i'd have nailed both of them.

I was shooting a CE heritage 150 shaft cut to 27.5 with a 100 grain brass insert and a 125 grain glue on steel force two blade.
Entire arrow wieght was 595.

The bull went down in 30 to 40 seconds.

[The BushMaster]

Thanks guys for the input.  Kevin and Mooseman, I really appreciate the details you provided.  Those diagrams are a really big help and confirmed the confusion brought about by the hump.  On the moose that is!

[Kingwouldbe]

Littlebigman, That there is a cool shot  

[trapper1]

for what it's worth, and I know I'll get banged around for saying this, but I've taken 13 moose with archery equipment and have seen  my fair share of moose anatomy.  8" up and 8" back from the shoulder is a MARGINAL lung shot. Even in the photograph, those dimensions put you in the very bottom of the back lobe of the lungs...still very fatal, but very little room for error. The place to put your arrow is at the very top of the leg muscle. When looking at the animal the muscle (on deer as well)tapers off into the rib cage. At that point is dead centre of the lungs...your highest percentage kill shot. the bulging leg that you see on the side of the moose is not bone but muscle the leg bone is about 8" forward of that. A lot of people tend to shy away from that area resulting a shot too far back and into the liver or worse.

For what it's worth
Trapper

[beyondmyken]

Hey Michael, that photo looks familiar!  Too bad we didn't get a chance to bone out a moose and see how it looked.  Gouthroe's (sp?) moose madness videos are good with showing shot placement.  As I recall he recommended going straight down from the peak of the hump and about 1/3 up.  He also had some allowances for different shot angles.  Maybe I'll get a chance to test that in a couple of years.

[Mooseman]

Hi Al!
Thanks for the picture. It comes in handy.

How are you???

[Ken Taylor]

trapper1,  I too am a life long moose hunter and I agree with you.

Alex Gouthro's method of determining shot placement is also "safer" than the 8" rule.

[hunt it]

Yep Charlie/Trapper1 is 150% right, that 8x8 rule needs to be 8" up (minimum) - 8 mm (3/8") back at best.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I'll admit I have only my experience to base my comments on but it is hard for me to beleive an outfitter with the number of moose killed would instruct me to take a"Marginal Shot". I think more importantly it depends upon where the animal's leg is at the moment of your shot. If the moose is laying on its side as in the example above , then yes it would appear that 8 inches back would place your shot too far back in the body cavity. If the moose is standing or walking slowly ( in my case trotting past me), when the leg is all the way forward, the 8 rule put me in the bulls eye.

[The BushMaster]

I appreciate the descriptions provided by Trapper1 and Beyondmyken.  When I compare those descriptions with the photos, they come together quite well.  Again, thanks everyone.

[trapper1]

First off congrats Littlebigman on a dandy moose, and a nice shot.
I have to put my two cents worth in here though regarding the placement of the muscle where it fade into the ribcage as previously noted. Regardless of leg position this area changes only very,very slightly. Even on a quartering away shot, that spot will put a moose on the ground very quickly.
I have had plenty of experiences with different outfitters and have guided moose hunters myself and believe me most are not biologist or bowhunters. No doubt they have seen plenty of game at their feet, but few actually look at shot placement and what actually brought it down the same way we do.
Trapper