film-maker airlifted from wildernes- dying of starvation

[Cold Zero]

If that is what I had ONLY, and I knew it was "for keeps"....me and that moose would be fixing to have a shooting contest.

I guarantee I can get 2-4 shots out of an 870 and hit 4" clay birds at distance moving in just a second or so. The head and face of a moose, even if charging, would be a cakewalk in comparison. Then again, I know WTF I am doing in that regard.

That being said, he was set up to fail from the start. No trapping or other survival skills? Yikes.

It is much easier to break a clay pigeon, at any distance, than to bring down Northern duck. They take a solid hit to bring down, with a 28-30 inch barrel. If you can hit anything flying at 40 m.p.h. at 60 yds with an 18 inch barrel, while starving, that is very good shooting. Most guys could not hit that duck, let alone bring it down.

Number 2 steel shot, is not an ideal Moose load. I don't know if he even had any other options for ammunition for big game.

I have hunted and taken Western Canada Moose. I can tell you many guys would not want to stand in front on an angry, rutting Bull with a shotgun without slugs and calmly get the job done. A frontal neck shot with steel shot, would be unlikely to break the C spine on a bull moose. I don't think that anything is a cakewalk about standing in front of a charging 1,200-1,500 lb. animal who will stomp you pancake flat, or gore you like a shiskabob, when all you have is a shotgun. You may kill it, but can you stop it before you are road kill....

[Cold Zero]

Put a slug in it and it surely is.

Who said he had slugs.

He is not shooting at any ducks with slugs.

If I were him, I would be looking for a Mountain Caribou.

[Thomas M-4]

If that is what I had ONLY, and I knew it was "for keeps"....me and that moose would be fixing to have a shooting contest.

I guarantee I can get 2-4 shots out of an 870 and hit 4" clay birds at distance moving in just a second or so. The head and face of a moose, even if charging, would be a cakewalk in comparison. Then again, I know WTF I am doing in that regard.

That being said, he was set up to fail from the start. No trapping or other survival skills? Yikes.

It is much easier to break a clay pigeon, at any distance, than to bring down Northern duck. They take a solid hit to bring down, with a 28-30 inch barrel. If you can hit anything flying at 40 m.p.h. at 60 yds with an 18 inch barrel, while starving, that is very good shooting. Most guys could not hit that duck, let alone bring it down.

Number 2 steel shot, is not an ideal Moose load. I don't know if he even had any other options for ammunition for big game.

I have hunted and taken Western Canada Moose. I can tell you many guys would not want to stand in front on an angry, rutting Bull with a shotgun without slugs and calmly get the job done. A frontal neck shot with steel shot, would be unlikely to break the C spine on a bull moose. I don't think that anything is a cakewalk about standing in front of a charging 1,200-1,500 lb. animal who will stomp you pancake flat, or gore you like a shiskabob, when all you have is a shotgun. You may kill it, but can you stop it before you are road kill....

Thats the point this guy was ill advised and didn't have the skill set to do this if he was required to have a shot gun then it should have been a proper bird gun not a HD shot gun. But I believe he choose his own equipment and for some misinformed reason choose that shotgun. If my crappy memory is right .

[SHIVAN]

It is much easier to break a clay pigeon, at any distance, than to bring down Northern duck. They take a solid hit to bring down, with a 28-30 inch barrel. If you can hit anything flying at 40 m.p.h. at 60 yds with an 18 inch barrel, while starving, that is very good shooting. Most guys could not hit that duck, let alone bring it down.

No shit? Thanks for clarifying, I've never been afield for birds. Er, maybe I have...

BTW, when the game is on the line, why shoot them on the wing like you do for sport? Peg them on the shore, or if necessary on the water's edge.

I don't think that anything is a cakewalk about standing in front of a charging 1,200-1,500 lb. animal who will stomp you pancake flat, or gore you like a shiskabob, when all you have is a shotgun. You may kill it, but can you stop it before you are road kill....

Again, if you were "playing for keeps", without a safety net, and all you had was a 12ga. You better think of a way. The difference between dead, and surviving is the ability to outthink your food. It's not like you can run to the internet and ask what is best for 1200lb moose and then go buy it. Wonder how the big hairy dudes took down mastadons?

Can moose climb trees? Can you? Maybe you'll have to wait it out in a "moose highway", but again no safety net and ONLY a 12ga, what are you going to do? Tell yourself that you might piss off a moose with a 12ga, or set a snare/trap and shoot the damn thing in the face as fast as possible?

It's not ideal, neither is being put out there in the first place. Make do. It can be done.

[Savior 6]

Better him than me.

[Vic303]

Here is a link to the full story with more pics.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...tarvation.html

It appears he did also take a rifle of some sort with him. Look over his right shoulder in a couple pics and you can see what appears to be a barrel sticking up.

[kaiservontexas]

Epic Fail! Wrong shotgun for the woods. A shotgun is fine if it is in a hunting configuration. I would have packed a .30-06 and a large bore handgun.

[tpd223]

I think the gun was fine, the operator had head space and timing issues.

[Heavy Metal]

I think the gun was fine, the operator had head space and timing issues.

I agree.

Plus, he should have brought some Lembas.

[LOKNLOD]

It appears he did also take a rifle of some sort with him. Look over his right shoulder in a couple pics and you can see what appears to be a barrel sticking up.

I think it's a shotgun, based on the big picture at the top of this thread