wild guide: 36 commandments of moose hunting
CALLING
20 After many
years of hunting, I
am of the opinion
that, beyond time,
the call of the moose
has not aged and
will never change.
Even today, males
and females make
the same gestures,
vocalizations
and calls as their
ancestors. I remain
faithful to my two
good old callus
birch bark calls and
distrust electronic or
synthetic gadgets.
21 When hunting,
after assuring the
wind is in your
favour, if a male
answers you or
even the occasional
curious or jealous
female, do not
hesitate to spread
scents of urine
or pheromones
(natural or synthetic
depending on local
regulations) on the
ground and in the air.
22 If you hear a
moose lamenting,
be it a male or a
female, immediately
embody a sire and
head towards it while
checking your wind.
Your bull replies
should be repetitive.
In addition, it is
best to break some
branches while
moving and make
sure to pause for
a minute every 60
meters or so.
23 Call hunting
will only work if
you succeed in
convincing a bull that
the language of love
between him and
you is natural and
true. The intensity
of your cries should
not exceed 16 or
17 decibels. As for
the shorter moans,
I vocalise for about
two seconds.
24 In order to
thwart a mature and
cunning specimen on
public lands, where
hunting pressure is
high and moose are
accustomed to the
presence of humans,
use small lamenting
calls with varying
tones, mixed with
male responses. In
other words, we must
not utter the same
loud cries that all
other hunters in the
area have used since
the dawn of time.
25 During the
period surrounding
the rut, the call
imitating a sexually
receptive female is
to be remembered,
but to really get
success with this
vocalization, the
hunter must practice
by accentuating the
nasal vibrations. He
must avoid imitating
a monosyllabic sound
which is why tremors
of the voice are
important.
26 All calling
techniques can be
effective. However,
mimicking a female
in oestrus followed
by a male is, in my
opinion, the sequence
that has the greatest
impact on a bull. The
latter seems to be the
most attractive, since
it is ready for mating.
The bull, which
gives the impression
of following it,
provokes jealousy.
Then, in the same
succession, the
moose is seduced
and mocked to the
maximum.
27 Some dominant
males are very
cunning and cautious.
They will move
towards you, but will
stop their progression
at about fifty meters
from your position.
In many cases, you
can try anything and
they will not budge.
In this situation,
try acting like a
combative bull and
head towards him
like you want to pick
a fight while grunting
like a bull.
Wild Guide
. Fall 2017
18