156 THE AMERICAN MOOSE 



animal a portion of the energy is wasted. But 

 such waste of energy, or excess of power, will do 

 no harm. 



The wound at the point of emergence of a soft- 

 nosed bullet is much greater than that at the 

 point of entrance. If the bullet stops inside the 

 skin, however, and the ground is bare and tracking 

 difficult, the external flow of blood from a mortally 

 wounded moose may be insufficient to enable the 

 hunter to follow him effectively. The bullet 

 should have a soft point, to insure mushrooming, 

 but it should have ample power of penetration 

 as well. At best many soft-nosed bullets, fired 

 from even the most powerful rifles, will stop inside 

 the skin of the moose. 



Some experienced moose hunters who have used 

 the present United States Government cartridge 

 carrying the "spitzer" full-jacketed bullet weighing 

 172 (or 180) grains, recommend it highly. The 

 bullet does not mushroom, but in nearly every 

 case it turns over when it strikes, making a very 

 effective wound. Its muzzle velocity is about 2600 

 feet. In some sections, however, the use of full- 

 jacketed bullets in hunting is forbidden bylaw. 



A rifle of less power than the so-called .30-40, 

 in respect either to velocity or weight of lead, 

 should be rejected as a weapon for moose hunting. 



