Large Game Hunters!

[CanuckBen]

From all of the thread titles and overall discussion in the forum, it’s quite clear (make that crystal clear!) that the very vast majority of the members are deer hunters. This can easily be explained simply by most of your home and hunting locations in Canada and in the US of course.

Wanted to put the feeler out there as to who else like me and my hunting partners are mostly, if not exclusively, large game hunters? By this I mean Moose, Elk, Caribou and / or Bear hunting?

I know there’s two or three, but is that it? I can’t be!! There is NOTHING that can compare to facing a 1000lbs+ Moose at 30yards from you

Cheers
B

[Xbowkiller]

Would love to hunt moose but not many around the Irish Hills. To expensive to hunt in Canada and hire and outfitter as well.

[DRAINO]

Hi all. I'm new to this forum and I must say that it's nice to see and hear all of your stories. I just pick up my first bow. Of course it's an excal Equinox and I am very pleased with it. I'm also a big game hunter. Moose hunting is the way to go. Don't get me wrong deer hunting is challenging and is a real rush when they come running at you. I was just up north for the deer opener and I passed on a nice black bear as he was running towards the road and didn't want to shoot just in case. Safety first. I look foward to reading these post. Thanks again Excal for making the greatest xbows around.

[rayman]

Biggest thing in North Florida would be hogs. Biggest was 300lb - weighed not guessed. Most are about same as deer though. Bears, but not legal at present. Aligators get 500 plus but find the season to be too restrictive, not fun for the casual gator hunter. Sorry but no moose, elk, or other. Have gone out west on big trips but not into it on an annual basis.

[bucknbill]

just a regular deer hunter here..but i would enjoy moose.. i shot one in 1973 at fairbanks, alaska..but i had a rifle..would enjoy seeing pictures and reading post on bow huntin the bigger stuff

[CanuckBen]

Hank - I know you're in the southern part of BC, but Yukon is a few hrs flight North of you! You have to make it up there for some big game!

[vortex]

Only hunt moose with a rifle at this time, has been talk about having a archery season in my WMU but so far it has only been talk.. I hunt bear (as well as deer) with my vortex.

[georgiaboy]

No moose in Georgia...or elk, a few bears but no season in the southern zone.
Now i know a pissed off 1,000 pound bullwinkle is no joke...but you a'int lived until you have blood trailed a gut shot and very angry 250lb boar hog into a briar thicket and you know he's in there and you got to go in and finish him off!
Watched my nephew ruin a perfectly good remington 700 that way...hog charged him and i couldn't shoot cause they were to close together...he had to use it as a club!!!
Don't sell a hog short on the pucker factor scale!!

[planter]

Gonna hunt moose and elk someday but for now I'm just going to hunt whats here. Hey Ben.... Send one of them 1000 pounders my way. I've spend $40.00 every year for the chance at a state of ME moose permit. Been doing it for close to 20 years and have multiple draws and I am still waiting. Thinking ME might be sticking it to me at this point. $40.00 a year for 1000's and 1000's of people is a great money maker. Can't even guess the odds and if I do draw some day I'll have to have a guide if just for the logistics. .

[j.krug]

Years ago I used to go every couple of years with my dad and uncle up north for moose hunting. It was always a great time. Right now I can hunt deer 5 minutes from my home but would have to travel about 7 hours at best to hunt moose. Time and money don't make that workable for me right now. In 2-3 more years the kids will be grown and on their own more and I hope to start hunting moose again.

I was fortunate to sneak in a bear hunt this year and took her at 7 yards with my Vortex. That was a rush for sure!!

[CanuckBen]

No moose in Georgia...or elk, a few bears but no season in the southern zone.
Now i know a pissed off 1,000 pound bullwinkle is no joke...but you a'int lived until you have blood trailed a gut shot and very angry 250lb boar hog into a briar thicket and you know he's in there and you got to go in and finish him off!
Watched my nephew ruin a perfectly good remington 700 that way...hog charged him and i couldn't shoot cause they were to close together...he had to use it as a club!!!
Don't sell a hog short on the pucker factor scale!!

I've never had the opportunity to do so, but I really do hope to one day!! Seen of few hunts on tv and can say for sure that it'll get a guy's blood going for sure!

[G Spot]

just got into bow hunting this year and I am hoping to get into a moose hunt and a bear hunt next year.

[CanuckBen]

Moose are fairly dumb and can be out smarted fairly easy

Hank - I think you're giving too much credit to what you're read online when it comes to Moose hunting!! They do have a poor eye sight, but they make that up with a very keen sense of smell ten folds over. Hunting methods are the same as deer hunting (can't say for hog as I've never been) - camo, scent, wind control, call, food plots, stealh, etc.

If you are rifle hunting, then much like for any other large game you can take them down at 400yards + if you wish too, but then the argument of a smart or fairly dumb animal is nul. Calling in a bull at 30yards from you for hrs on end, having a conversation with him, convincing a dominant bull to come in for a fight or to mate, making him decided to leave the current cow he has for a more attractive cow is no easy task - same goes for deer hunting, not discrediting that at all

Fairly dumb is a really long strech

[CanuckBen]

Gonna hunt moose and elk someday but for now I'm just going to hunt whats here. Hey Ben.... Send one of them 1000 pounders my way. I've spend $40.00 every year for the chance at a state of ME moose permit. Been doing it for close to 20 years and have multiple draws and I am still waiting. Thinking ME might be sticking it to me at this point. $40.00 a year for 1000's and 1000's of people is a great money maker. Can't even guess the odds and if I do draw some day I'll have to have a guide if just for the logistics. .

All of my hunting partners are from Ontario, a province just 15mins away from my home and about 1hr and half from our hunting ground (partner's cottage) that are both located in the province of Quebec. That means that they all have to purchase non-resident provincial hunting tags. Non-resident hunting tags - and keep in mind that in Quebec you need two tags per moose - are a whooping $349 EACH !! If I was to go hunt in Ontario, I would then be the only one who'd have to purchase a non-resident provincial tag and I believe it's even more in Ontario.

That doesn't amount to anything close to what you've got invested in those draw though. I do hope that you'll get the opportunity one day to go.

[CanuckBen]

This goes way...way..(way) beyond the range of xbow hunts, but has anyone here had the opportunity to draw a mountain goat hunting tag. I understand that they are very hard to get and take years in multiple draws to ever come close to being able to go on a hunting guide trip.