what is a good caliber for moose?

a bolt action .30-06 with a 180 to 200gr bullet is what I am thinking.

thoughts from the T man experts?

That will work just fine!

243 according to many of the locals I was talking to in northern Ontario on a fishing trip a few years back. Im not advocating it nor can I confirm it. Many some folk from up there will chime in....

When I spoke to Emo (sp) Kurth at a convention, he said he used a 22-250 for everything - green and yellow box ammo.

The one you can shoot the most accurate with. Bullet choice is more important than caliber.

That is the best answer to that question!!!!!......jk

I’ve always used either a .300 WM or .300 WSM, both loaded with 180 grain Hornady Interlocks. Ive shot 17 moose, never had one go more than 60 yards. Never missed or wounded any.

Theres lots of other good calibers out there, but I wouldn’t use anything smaller than a .30 caliber. With a heavier bullet. Some exceptions to the .30 cal, my buddy was hunting with me with a 7 mm Mag, it did well.

I don’t care how many stories I hear about polar bears being killed by Eskimos with .243s…don’t use it for moose.

A lot of what works is determined by where you hit it. I have only shot two moose, the first with a 180 gr ballistic tip out of a 300 Win mag and the second with a 100 gr soft point out of my 25-06. I shot the first one behind the ear and the second in the forehead. Both fell where shot. I think the 30-06 would be a good choice for you. There would be no reason to use anything else as long as you can shoot it.

I was lucky to shoot a Mn. Moose years ago and used a 30-06. It did the job but if I was going to do it again I would go bigger.

I saw a moose shot in the ribs with a 250 bullet out of a 338 Win Mag. The bullet hit the heart, and it was something how long it just stood there. It was about 100 yard when shot and stood there until it went down, then it was laying there with its head up for a couple more minutes. I was watching with binoculars when it was shot a few feet from the shooter.

Moose die much easier than something like elk, kind of a strange thing. You'll be fine with an '06 with the bullet you mentioned.

there was a study years ago where they were doing a cull hunt on if I recall a bunch of cape buffalo with a 458win mag shortly after it was introduced by if I recall Jack Lott the maker of the 358 lott a few years later

they shot something like a 100 cape buffallo in as close to the same place in the heart as they could , they kept records and found it was almost 50/50 if they ran or dropped basically stating hydrostatic shock is a inconsistent killer so you can't really count on it

I can't find the article now , so I am going off what I read and recall form years ago.

few people have shot as many moose as US and Canadian first nations have being they get different tags they have very successfully used 30-30 , 30-06 and 303brit , shot placement is important.
they also typically talk about shooting them all in the spine so they drop and don't run into the willows making a mess of recovery.

Waggler nailed it. Moose die pretty easily. Punch them in the lung and they can’t do much. They are too big and need all of their lung capacity so I would say anything 243 up to the 300 magnums is plenty to take them.

35 Whelen just seems like a a “moose” caliber to me

I've seen just one moose die in my life. I watched Dad hit him twice with the 375 H&H. I was amazed that the moose didn't react at all other than to start trotting away. He only made it 25 yards and tipped over, but I couldn't believe how well he took those two hits.

Had a chat with a logger in Ontario once that claimed he killed all his moose with the 22 LR that he kept in his skidder. They would come in to the slash to feed, and he'd pop them in the heart. He said they stayed calm and would eventually tip over and he'd grab them with the skidder.

I love my.338

I agree with this. Moose tend to have a bit of a glass jaw in my experience anyway. I haven’t shot a lot of them but all died pretty much within a few steps of where they were shot. I’ve used 30/6 and 45-70 as well as a cross bow. Friends of mine in NW Ont use .308 and 270, they have shot and killed a lot of moose.

I don’t think moose have the same need for adrenaline as deer and elk. They’re just not use to having to run from anything, is my theory anyway.

Townsend Whelen for whom the 35 Whelen is named once said, “the 30-06 is never a mistake.” As true today as when he first said it.

Shoot them in the lungs and most any center fire will do the job. I have seen a bunch of one shot kills with 7mm-08. Moose lung shot is a big target.

I’ve only used my .375 or a sharp stick. Both work fine.