Bowhunting Moose: Draw Weight and Shot Placement

The legal draw weight to kill a moose with a bow is set by each state or province: Alaska requires at least 50 lb peak draw weight for moose, and Maine requires 45 lb. Those numbers are floors, not targets. What matters on an animal this size is a heavy, legal arrow with a sharp fixed broadhead, placed through the chest from a broadside or quartering-away angle.

Legal minimums: Alaska and Maine

Here is what the two agency pages we read say. Other states and provinces set their own rules, which change, so read the current regulations before every hunt.

The copy we read on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) site lists amendments up to 2009, so check the current Alaska hunting regulations as well.

Arrow weight and broadheads

For moose, Alaska sets both a draw-weight floor and a minimum arrow weight, and limits hunters to fixed or replaceable-blade heads. Our guide to draw weight for deer hunting explains how kinetic energy and momentum relate to draw weight and arrow weight.

Practical points that follow from the rules:

• Weigh a finished hunting arrow, broadhead included, and make sure it clears any legal minimum.
• Pick a durable fixed-blade head that meets the cutting-width rule where you hunt. Our fixed-blade vs mechanical broadheads guide covers the trade-offs.
• Tune with the broadheads you will hunt with, and confirm they group with your practice arrows.
• Choose a draw weight you can pull smoothly when cold and stiff.

Shot placement on a moose

No state agency page we found gives moose-specific anatomy, but the general big-game guidance in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) hunter education course applies. TPWD says "The Broadside Shot presents the largest target area to strike the heart and lungs." Aim "just behind the shoulder bones", or follow the back of the front leg and "come up one third of the way into the body."

TPWD's advice on other angles is just as clear:

• Quartering away: "aim behind the shoulder", but a misplaced shot "can result in a 'gut-shot.'"
• Quartering toward: bowhunters should "avoid taking this shot because of the added density of the shoulder bones that the arrow must penetrate."
• Head-on: bowhunters "should not take this shot."
• Rear-end: "Never take this shot with firearm or bow."

A moose's long legs can fool your eye. Pick a spot on the body itself, not the middle of the whole animal. Our deer shot placement guide explains the same heart-and-lung principle in more detail.

Distance discipline and meat care

Only shoot at distances you have practised, in the light and wind you expect. If you would have to stretch, let the animal walk.

Then think beyond the shot. ADF&G's meat care page says hunters "must salvage all of the edible meat for all big game animals except brown/grizzly bear, wolf and wolverine", which includes moose. Its advice is to "Keep the meat cool, clean, and dry", "remove the hide as quickly as possible", and use "cotton game bags" that let air circulate. Plan how you will move that much meat before you hunt.

For examples to consider, you can browse fixed-blade broadheads on Amazon or look at heavier hunting arrows. Check every spec against your state's rules first.

Frequently asked questions

What draw weight do you need to kill a moose?

It depends on where you hunt. Alaska's regulation requires at least 50 lb peak draw weight for moose, and Maine IF&W requires 45 lb. These are legal minimums, not recommendations. Choose a weight you can draw smoothly and shoot accurately, with a heavy arrow and a sharp fixed-blade broadhead.

Where do you shoot a moose with a bow?

Aim for the heart and lungs, just behind the shoulder. TPWD's general big-game guidance says to follow the back of the front leg and come up about a third of the way into the body. Wait for a broadside or quartering-away angle and pass on quartering-toward, head-on and rear shots.

Can you use mechanical broadheads on moose?

Not everywhere. Alaska's regulation allows only fixed or replaceable-blade broadheads for moose, elk, bison and several other species. Maine accepts mechanical heads if they are at least 7/8 inch wide when open. Always check the current rules for your state, province and hunt before you choose a head.