DOWN ON THE FARM
Across Canada, moose inhabit pockets of prime cover in the midst of farmland—and that makes for a whole different kind of fall harvest
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GEAR
Farmland moose can be taken at both close range and long distances. Given a bull’s large size, it’s easy to judge how far away he is if he’s within 100 metres. If the bull is standing in a wide-open field with no reference points to help estimate the distance, however, it can be difficult to determine where to hold the crosshairs for a clean shot. In that case, you need a good rangefinder to help guarantee an ethical kill.
Moose can be tough to bring down. For rifle hunting, I recommend using good-quality bonded bullets in calibres of .270 and up (above left). They hold together on impact and provide maximum expansion, penetration and energy transfer at both long and short ranges. As for muzzleloader hunting, a 50-calibre rifle with 300-grain sabots (above right) propelled by 150 grains of powder works well.
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Although a bull moose is a big target, shooting sticks can also help guarantee an accurate shot in open farmland. They’re also good for resting your binoculars on when glassing open fields—and boosting your chances of taking a moose down on the farm.