Shiras Moose Hunting

Shiras Moose

(Alces alces shirasi)

Current SCI all time record: Score 461 7/8

Description: The Shiras is the smallest of North American moose but is still quite large. It has smaller antlers than the Canada moose. Its body color is a rusty-brown to black with pale-brownish saddle and its legs are gray to white. The female is slightly smaller than the male and does not have antlers.

Other Common Names: Wyoming Moose, Yellowstone Moose

Size: Wt. average 992 lb (450 kg); Shoulder Height average 75" (190 cm); Length average 108" (274 cm).

Range: Boone & Crocket recognizes Shiras Moose hunted only in the U.S. (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Montana). SCI (Safari Club International also recognizes moose hunted in southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta; September - November.

Natural History: Moose breed from early September to November and one to three calves are born in May or June. Calves weigh 25 to 35 pounds at birth but grow rapidly; adult females (cows) weigh up to 800 pounds and males (bulls) up to 1300 pounds. Bulls are readily identified by their large, palmate antlers, which are shed annually, and their bells, an apparently useless dewlap of skin and hair that dangles from the throat. Moose live mostly solitary lives, and die from disease, starvation, or predation by wolves and, occasionally, by grizzly bears.

Primarily nocturnal, they feed in the late afternoon and throughout the night. Antlers can spread up to 4 feet. Unlike its cousins, the Shiras Moose is comfortable at high elevations, although they prefer willow bottoms.

Hunting Characteristics: Look for Shiras Moose both on the forested lowlands and the lower mountain elevations. They can often be found in or near water, grazing on aquatic plants where they may stay from late afternoon until the next morning. During the day, they climb to higher elevations to rest in the shade. Flattened willows may indicate a bedding spot. During the fall hunting season, keep on the lookout for rubbed trees and pellet-like moose droppings. Bull moose begin rubbing in early September. Both rubbed trees and pellets are good indications of the nearby presence of bull moose. Regularly monitor the wind direction, as moose have good senses of smell.