Elk hunting is a popular trend in this kind of male hobbies. In order to track down the animal for sure, experienced hunters use a special moose decoy.

This device can be bought ready-made or do it yourself. Calls perfectly copy the sound of a male or female, thanks to which the beast comes to the place the person needs.

Features of hunting for elk with decoy

Moose make a lot of sounds on the rut - during the period when they begin mating games. At other times, the elk almost does not use his voice, therefore it is even developed, or "on a groan." This tactic got its name because of the peculiarities of the sounds during the rut. The call of the male resembles a roar with moaning. After the end of the rut, the maximum that can be heard from the animal is a snort. The roar of the elk can be downloaded as an audio file or listen to the video.

Hunting is carried out with a huntsman, a group of hunters, less often alone. First, the place of the rut is revealed according to the following signs:

• broken branches, trees;
• potholes, pits;
• strong smell of urine;
• fresh litter;
• audible animal sounds.

You should choose a clear, quiet day, good weather without rain. Hearing the animal, the hunter begins to roar with the help of a decoy, which is also called "waba". If the moose does not respond to the sound signal, you can imitate the presence of an opponent - crunch branches, hit the trees with a stick. When rutting, moose are not as careful as usual, therefore they quickly come to the sounds of decoy.

Important: the animal must be lured closer so that the shot is successful and you can aim well. One hunter wabits, the second shoots. Experienced hunters determine the age by the voice of the animal - too young moose are usually not touched. If unsuccessful, they change location or continue to wait.

Moose hunting dates

The period when hunting for adult males is allowed is limited to 01.09-30.09. Further, all sex and age groups are allowed to hunt from 01.10 to 15.01. For trophy hunting, the initial days of the rut are usually used - usually 10 days. It is at the beginning of the rut that the largest elk roars, whose horns are a valuable trophy. After the animals actively compete, fight, and the horns lose their beauty.

It is better to go hunting early in the morning, at dawn. The animal in this period is most strongly attracted to the opposite sex, it is looking for a female, roars. During the day it is easier to track down a wounded animal, at night it is difficult to do so.

Types of decoys

The popularity of the use of decoys is great. They are technical devices used to attract animals. A homemade decoy also works no worse, greatly increasing the hunter's chances. Experienced specialists can lure an animal even without a decoy, using the palm of their hand and their own voice, attracting an elk.

Brass decoys

Usually, a wind call is used on an elk, a roe deer, it reproduces the call of a male, issued to attract females. There are also calls that imitate the sounds of females, moose, even sets or devices with different capabilities are sold. More expensive devices additionally create the sounds of breaking branches.

Using semolina is not difficult. It is necessary to blow into the mouthpiece, although it is permissible to use the device without a mouthpiece, placing the lips on the device. You can change the sounds by moving the holes, as indicated in the instructions - this will amplify, weaken, lower or increase the sound. Some calls have the function of screwing to the amplifier (horn), which allows you to make louder sounds.

Electronic calls

Electronic (electric) decoy is a more modern device. You do not need to blow into it, the necessary sounds are already recorded inside the device's memory. Usually the recording includes a certain set: the voices of females, males, moose, a cry for help, the sounds of fights, mating. The buttons are responsible for individual sounds, so using calls is easy.

The technique is powered by batteries, accumulators, allows you to adjust the volume over a wide range. Additional sounds can be downloaded to some devices. You can make a request on the Internet, find records in mp3 or other suitable format, download for free and use as needed.

Important: before hunting, you should carefully listen to all the sounds. Low-quality products can make false voices that the animal will not go to. Professionals still in the store will distinguish fake from good products in terms of sound quality.

Popular models from the list, highly rated by hunters:

1. Cass Creek (moose and deer). The device gives a pure, high-quality sound. It allows you to create animal voices that differ from behavior. For an elk, this is a call of a male, aggression, lowing, fight, a female during mating, for a deer - lowing, inviting lowing, a fight, a lost deer, an aggressive male. The package does not include a speaker, you need to buy it separately.
2. Buck Expert. Reproduces various sounds of the moose family - bull, cow, calf. The decoy is light, easy to wear and use. The sounds are very authentic.

Do-it-yourself decoy

You can make a decoy yourself. Production is possible from a can, birch bark. How to create semolina from birch bark:

1. Take a piece of birch bark 2 mm thick, smooth, without knots.
2. Helical cut the birch bark, getting a spiral.
3. Straighten the tape, cut a strip (wide end - about 17 cm, narrow - 10 cm).
4. Cut another piece 12 cm wide, make 3 rectangular holes on one side.
5. From the second side of the piece, make 3 triangles so that when folded they fit exactly into the holes.

The second tube, after folding, will need to be used as a cuff for the wide end of the decoy. Actually, the decoy needs to be rolled up with the white side inward, cut off the protruding corners, put on the cuffs on the wide end. Glue the entire structure with tape, adhesive tape. When blowing air, you can adjust the volume of the sound by pushing and moving the pipe.

The decoy can also be made from a can of coffee, infant formula, but in shape it should be like a truncated cone (the diameter of the top is less than the diameter of the bottom). You also need to take a clothesline 60 cm long, electrical tape or a piece of leather. The diameter of the opening of the jar should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the bottom. The smaller the bank, the lower, louder the moose roar will be. In the middle of the bottom, a hole is made along the thickness of the cord, the latter is pushed into the hole, a knot is tied from the outside. The top of the waba is wrapped with electrical tape or leather to make the sound more realistic. The inner contents of the jar are loose moss, it is applied before use.

Using this device is easy. The cord is soaked in water, clamped with fingers, drawn from top to bottom, while holding the jar by the base, without touching the walls. As a result, a sound resembling an elk is heard. It is worth practicing at home so that there are no misfires on the spot.

For more detailed instructions on making homemade semolina, see the video:

Moose sounds

The roar of an elk resembles the sounds "wa", "woo", in young animals - "oe". In some moose, it sounds like an okaniye, in old elks it is more deaf.

moose roar

The sounds of the animal during the roar are made from the very depths of the larynx. Males emit them in the morning, as well as at sunset, sometimes all night. The sound is deep, reminiscent of a groan, while as if vibrating, rattling.

The sound of a male

The roar of females and males differs greatly in timbre. The male calls shortly, groaning and grumbling. By the end of the rutting season, the sounds may change to mournful, whistling.

moose sound

Moose cows, calling males, give drawn out sounds, the rest of the time during the rutting period they make weak, light cries. When covered by a male moose cow makes a short neigh. Hearing the voice of the male, the female begins to snort in response.

The sound of a roaring moose in the forest

When a male is looking for a female, he is very dangerous. In some cases, his roar resembles a bear and is quite scary. As the rut subsides, the sounds become more deaf - lowing, croaking.

How to beckon, whack an elk

There is a certain tactic of luring the elk. They begin to use the waba after the sounds of the animal itself are heard. You can use the roar of an opponent, a cry for help, the sound of a female, observing the measure. With too frequent cries, the moose may suspect falsehood and not come up.

Usually the technique for applying semolina is as follows:

• at first they use the voice of a young female - ee-o-a-a-x, i-i-e-e-e-x, repeating the sound every 5 minutes, then after a minute, increasing the volume;
• in the absence of a result, the voice of the male is given - yy-oo-x with approximately the same frequency;
• you can supplement the lure with “croaking” - oh-oh-oh-oh;
• if there is no answer, you should play the sound of breaking branches or beat a tree with a stick.

The lack of effect can be observed if dogs or other hunters drove the moose out of their rutting zone, as well as in the presence of a young male who is afraid of rivals and several females. In this case, you need to change the site and repeat all the steps - then success is more likely.

Elk hunting does not cause any particular difficulties, if you follow certain rules and use the necessary tools to lure animals. The choice of decoys and waba should be approached with special care, since the success of the whole business depends on these devices.

September is the most wonderful and beautiful autumn month, filled with a gentle, not scorching sun, clear air and a luxurious autumn palette. It is at this time that the mating season for moose (gon) begins, and their roar is heard far across the district. In September, you can watch real tournaments between forest giants, and for hunters, this is a kind of command to start hunting for a roar.

The behavior of moose during the rut.

As with any other hunt, in order for it to be successful, the hunter should study the habits and behavior of animals during the rut in great detail. The fact that the rut has begun in moose can be determined by the same signs as in all representatives of the deer family.

The moose starts digging holes, then urinates in them, then rubs his back in this mud. It is known that moose have a kind of skin growth on their neck, it is also called an “earring”, and the older the male, the larger the “earring” he has. There is an explanation for the presence of this outgrowth in the elk: thanks to the “earring”, it sprays its scent as high and as far as possible. Hunters, for sure, met these characteristic depressions in the ground, made by elks at the beginning of the rut. This period is also characterized by the fact that the males have a very pungent smell, so strong that not all dogs can work on the moose at this time. Why are there dogs, even a person can feel it, being near moose urinary pits.

Already in the first days of September, roaring moose can be heard in the forest. Adults are the first to open the season, and the most active elk rut begins around the twentieth of September. When the rut is in full swing, one female can be harassed at the same time by three or four males. It also happens that the rut drags on for the whole of October, but by the end of it, young males enter the mating rut. But few people know that the preparation for this important event of the moose life is quite long. Moose actively feed, trying to gain maximum body weight, and by the end of summer, males become very well-fed.

By the time the hunt begins, moose have ten centimeters of subcutaneous fat on their backs, and all the fat on the body of a moose can be up to seventy kilograms. Approximately, by the fifteenth of September, the horns of males lose their "velvet" completely. In autumn, trees damaged by elk antlers can be observed in the forest. During the rut, the males rub their heads against the trees, leaving a secret on them, secreted from the glands that are on the head.

An elk is a solitary animal, in this state it spends most of its life. Therefore, the male attracts several females at once, but does not start constant companions. Only for the period of the rut, moose unite in pairs that coexist for up to six days. The male uses the female several times a day. After that, the female no longer needs him, and the male begins to look for a new partner. There are situations when stronger and older males try to recapture a moose cow from an opponent, but the female herself chooses with whom to stay. However, during the rut, calves born last year are close to their mothers and their adult males do not touch them.

If compared with deer, then moose, of course, are inferior to them in the beauty of mating behavior. The noble deer trumpets so that it can be heard far away, but the moose are not so loud. However, in moose, not only males, but also females make calling sounds, so they communicate with each other. These sounds are similar to jerky, short lowing. They are well heard only in calm weather or at night, sometimes at dawn. During these periods, sounds are carried along the river valleys for several kilometers. The roar of females and males can be distinguished by timbre. Moose cows scream long, calling for males. And the male is short, like a grunt. By the end of the season, the sounds made by males become plaintive with a whistle. At sunset and sunrise, as well as at night, males give a voice, and females snort in response.

Male Tournaments.

In terms of showiness of the spectacle, the fights of elks are not inferior to the fights of deer, only the former get it more powerful and ferocious, since they surpass deer in body weight. The battle begins with a kind of prelude. Opponents scare each other: they dig the ground with their hooves, wave their horns, make lowing sounds. If the enemy did not retreat, then the males rush towards each other with rage. The blows of their horns are so powerful that it can be heard within a radius of a kilometer. If the strength of the fighters is not equal, then everything ends very soon with the escape of the one who is weaker. If the forces are equal, then the duel can last several hours. In the battlefield, the grass is completely trampled down to the ground. It is a rare case if the outcome of the battle is lethal, although the fights of males are very cruel.

In a duel, moose can cause significant damage to each other: lacerations, broken ribs, damaged horns. The antlers of the elk have a spade-like structure, therefore the rivals are not entangled by the horns, but by the sharp processes on them, they can inflict a serious and even mortal wound on each other. Even if the rut is long enough, most moose cows are covered in a short time. And the less uncovered females remain, the fights between males become less frequent.

When hunting moose, one should not forget that these animals represent almost the greatest danger of all living on our territory. The aggression of males during the rut increases not only in relation to the opponent, but also to predatory animals and people. When defending and attacking, the elk beats with all limbs and horns, it may well mutilate to death. Of course, an elk tries to avoid meeting a person, but a wounded animal is always dangerous. Therefore, the hunter needs, before going to the elk, to outline the path of retreat. An elk is not a shy animal, if he went on the attack, raising his hair at the withers, it is unlikely that a shot will scare him.

As mentioned above, it is best to start hunting for a roar at the very beginning of autumn. The duration of this type of hunting depends on the period of the rut, which in turn depends on the area where it all happens. If September is hot in summer, then moose postpone their mating games for some time, which means that hunting for a roar is also postponed in time. However, not only this can interfere with hunting, but, for example, gusty wind, rain, slush, since in such weather the elk is almost inaudible. Moose rarely make their sounds during the day, most often, this happens early in the morning or late in the evening, sometimes all night. When the male is in search of a female, he is quite dangerous, and his roar is similar to that of a bear. These sounds, if you hear them close, in silence, are very creepy, especially if the moose itself is not visible.

Moose hunting for a roar during the rut takes place in places where elk weddings take place. You can find these places by certain signs, imperceptible to an ordinary person, but understandable to every hunter. One of the main signs is damaged trees and shrubs, on which traces of horns are visible. The second sign (we also wrote about it above) is the pits in the place of the rut, which the male knocks out with his hooves. These pits can reach up to one and a half meters in diameter at the top, and up to twenty centimeters in depth. And from them come the characteristic smell of urine.

So, you have found the place of the rut, you can start preparing for the hunt. You should come to the hunting place even before the sun has risen or at dusk, since at this time of the day the elk is most active. If you are going to hunt at night, then you should have a special hunting lantern with you. While, when hunting other animals, one must be quiet, in moose hunting one must be as noisy as possible. Go to the place of hunting ahead, breaking bushes and branches. Thus, the moose must understand and hear the approach of the enemy, then, perhaps, he will come out to meet you. Since this animal is aggressive during the rut, it can appear abruptly and unexpectedly, which means that you have your gun ready. With this type of hunting you are guaranteed thrills.

Most often, they hunt moose in pairs. You should approach the rut from the leeward side. One of the hunters "wabit" - imitates the roar of an elk or moose cow, thus luring the male. However, it should be remembered that in this case one must be ready to shoot at any time, so the place where the hunter is located must be with good visibility. “Vabit” must first be done slowly, as the moose may be nearby. It is necessary to add volume only if the animal does not manifest itself in any way. If the male responded, then it is necessary to continue the “vabing” only at the moment of his movement. For greater credibility, you can break the branch. And get ready to wait for his appearance, keep your gun at the ready. Aim at the skull or between the shoulder blades. They shoot a wounded elk close to just below the ear, approaching him from the side.

If you hunt moose, then safety precautions must be observed especially carefully and do not forget about the rules of hunting. It happens that the hunter makes a mistake and instead of the animal shoots at the second hunter, mistaking him for an elk. Therefore, until you see the elk, in no case do not shoot. At night or at dusk, the roar of an elk causes fear, but despite this, it is necessary to maintain composure and maintain restraint.

This hunt is one of the most interesting, however, be careful, as the animal during the rut is aggressive and dangerous. Despite the fact that the moose walks quite calmly, not being afraid of anything, it is almost impossible to approach him. They have an excellent sense of smell and keen hearing, so he will quickly detect a hunter who tries to get close to him. If you scare away the animal, then there will definitely be no hunting that day.

Also, read on the website:

(no subject)

I have a girlfriend. Lives in another city. Beautiful, smart. But one. She has a good job. I bought a car and am waiting for it to arrive. Today, in an ICQ conversation, she gave out that a car would come, and she ...

First, let's define what "roar hunting" means. In fact, it would be correct to call it not “on the roar”, but “on the rut”, since the elk does not roar, but makes moaning sounds during the rut, attracting the female. In the mating season, a deer roars, the sounds of which are heard at a great distance. Among the hunters, these definitions were mixed up and, in the vast majority, they began to call hunting for an elk “roar”.

The moose rut, as a rule, takes place in September, but depending on the weather conditions, it can move to the month of October. Perhaps the beginning of the rut has shifted to the second half of September due to the changing climate, which is affected by global warming. Remembering past times, the old hunters notice that they had to “fade” - to beckon the elk, being dressed in warm clothes, since in September it was already cold in the evenings, and sometimes frosts set in.

The uniqueness of this type of hunting lies in the fact that a hunter-walker, imitating the voice of an elk during the rut, is able to lure a bull at a great distance. There are several ways to beckon a elk. The most effective is when a person pronounces similar sounds using the vocal cords. Of course, not everyone is capable of this, and hunters use various kinds of products, such as a can with a rope or an old glass milk bottle without a bottom, covered with birch bark. The art of imitating and luring a wild animal out of the forest that is its home is highly valued among hunters and deserves special respect.

How to find and determine the place of the rut

During the autumn rainy season, the soil in the forest becomes soft, on which traces of the hoofs of the elk are clearly visible. Therefore, it will not be difficult to find places of concentration of moose, moving along a fresh printed trail. Adult males for several seasons mate with females in virtually the same places. These places are forest plots, glades and mowing meadows.

You can determine whether the bull came or not by broken branches of bushes and young trees. If there are a lot of creases and they are of different freshness, then the elk has already been more than once. In addition to the creases, the male leaves "combed" on the trees with his horns, by which his presence can also be determined. If the plot has begun to overgrow with young growth and is poorly visible, it should be bypassed around the perimeter in order to find the path along which the elk leaves the massif on it.

In the places of the rut, bulls knock out rutting pits with their hooves, into which they urinate, and then wallow. The smell of urine is specific and so sharp that the hunter can easily determine the place of the rut. The bull goes to the racing pit in the same place, breaking the branches and trunks of young trees. On the way, having arrived at the place, he listens and observes the situation, after which he begins to beckon the cow, making the sounds of a moan.

A case from my practice

I would like to share a case from my hunting experience. Moving along an old, overgrown forest road towards a promising plot, which was three kilometers away, from the middle of the path I began to observe the printed tracks of a female elk, which had passed in the same direction, a few hours before me. Based on this fact, one could make the assumption that the cow goes this course for a reason. Most likely, the male is already in the plot and from where he calls her for mating. Approaching the plot, which was fairly overgrown with young trees, without having a good view, he began to make a slow and quiet detour with stops along the edge of the array.

Very soon I discovered a well-filled path with very large elk hoof marks. Judging by the tracks, the male was not just big, but huge. Along the entire trail along the edges, a lot of trees were broken, having walked along the animal trail about a hundred meters deep into the plot, I went to a small clearing on which there was a driving pit. By all indications, the elk was somewhere nearby. After standing in silence for one hour, I decided to start “wabbing” with my voice, covering my mouth with my palms so that the sound would go into the ground. What was my surprise when the bull responded after about ten minutes, but the sound coming from the elk was more like a groan than a groan.

During the roll call, the elk each time willingly responded to my call, but the distance between us did not decrease, it was clear that he was standing in one place and was not going to leave the array. My assumptions were confirmed, the bull was not alone, but with a cow. Without losing hope, I continued to “fade” and the elk responded, this went on for about thirty minutes, then the angry bull let out a loud roar, hit the tree with its horns and fell silent.

How to beckon a moose

You can beckon a moose in the morning, but it is best if it is in the evening, when the male feels much more confident at dusk. This type of hunting must be carried out together, the shooter and the wader. The shooter must master the skills of firing in different conditions, both day and night. An adult male in the mating season is especially strong on the wound, so the ammunition should be selected with good lethal force. Often, an elk comes out under a shot already in complete darkness, for this you need special devices in the form of an underbarrel flashlight or a night vision sight.

You should also take into account the fact that evening fogs and a veil are inherent in the autumn period. You should come to the hunting place in advance, choosing a position on the highest place, you can just be, listening and watching, since it is not uncommon for an elk to go out on its own and the first one starts to give a voice. In this case, the wailer must adapt to the sound made by the moose and try to imitate it, using the capabilities of their vocal cords. The first trial voicing by the wailer should sound not loud three times.

After a ten-minute pause, you can do a repetition of five times. If the moose responded and moves towards you, you should stop beckoning, hide as much as possible and not move. Also, in the intervals between serving, you can break dry branches, thereby simulating the presence of an opponent. Do not forget that any hunt is unpredictable and you never know how it will go and what will happen.

On one hunt there was such a case. A young bull with horns on two processes ran out to the waler absolutely silently, bypassing the hunter-shooter. It's good that he was with the gun from which he got it. You can change positions depending on the situation, as the beast can come out unpredictably from any direction. The weather is one of the main factors for successful hunting. In clear and calm weather, on a young moon, activity is much higher than in bad weather.

From mid-September to early October, moose begin rutting. Notifying females and rivals, males make specific sounds. By imitating the sounds made by moose with the help of a special decoy, you can lure the animal. Of course, it is better to know in advance where the moose from year to year found racing pits and favorite clearings with creases and combs. But, if there is a lot of moose, then he will go to the waba from afar. The main thing is that another hunter does not go for it.

The moose call (waba) allows you to copy the call of the male by extracting sounds from the depths of the larynx. To amplify the sound obtained with the moose call, it is recommended to use a birch bark horn about 40 cm long. By the way, during non-marital periods, the elk practically does not make any sounds, and if it produces a short snort, then only with a strong fright.

For trophy shooting, the most favorable initial period of the rut especially the first 10 days. At this time, bulls with good trophy horns, not damaged during fights, are suitable for baiting. Knowing from the experience of past years, the time of the peak of the rut, you need to subtract 25 days from the average peak date. As a result, a date will be determined from which to start testing the reaction of the bulls to the waba. On the territory of the forest zone of the European part of Russia, the average dates of the peak of the rut fall on September 17–20.

Hunters love waba hunting for its thrill and thrill. However, a necessary condition for a successful hunt for waba is the skillful work of a wabber. Some hunters very plausibly imitate the sounds made by an elk without any improvised means, only by making a kind of mouthpiece out of their palms and holding their nose with their index fingers. Someone moans into the barrel of a gun or into the glass from a kerosene lamp, someone into a bottle with a broken bottom. All these methods require some talent from the waler, the ability to accurately reproduce the voice of an animal of the desired sex and age. Therefore, most hunters still get decoys for elk.

To effectively hunt moose with a decoy, you need to take a responsible approach to determining the place of the rut of animals. This will not be difficult if you carefully listen to the cries of males, pay attention to broken or trampled bushes, fresh moose droppings. Don't vote too often. If the elk does not approach the hunter, you should try to stimulate him to fight with the opponent. If the animal does not respond to such actions, you need to try to make a sound similar to its neighing with the help of a moose decoy. This sound is made by the male after covering the female. Males lose their vigilance during the rut, so continue to lure the moose, trying to get as close to him as possible.

It is undesirable to hunt with a decoy for an elk in rainy weather, the most suitable for this would be early morning in calm, clear weather.

Despite the variety of situations that arise in the process of hunting moose during the rut, there are only two fundamentally different ways of hunting:

1) waiting for the animal that answered the waba and approached;

2) approaching, hiding and luring animals that respond to wabu but remain in place.

The different mobility of bulls and the methods of hunting them depend on several factors, the main of which is the presence of a female with him. Therefore, one of the primary tasks of the wailer is to determine the status of the bull - whether he is single or group.

When beckoning, one should take into account the patterns in the change in the tone of the bull's voice and the volume of mechanical sounds produced by him, associated with age, which determines the absolute rank of dominance. We have developed such a tactic for identifying the situation in the rutting area.

If there is no response after 2 minutes. gave the voice of the bull- “grunting” (o-o-x) - in the same sequence as the protesting voice of the female. Then they also wabbed "croaking"(oh-oh; oh-oh)

Without waiting for an answer, after a one-two-minute pause, they cracked the branches, breaking them with their feet or hitting deadwood or thick dry branches with a thick stick.

Failure to respond to all baiting methods is very rare and can be due to two reasons:

1) the animals are stolen from the site by dogs, predators or people;

2) a group of chasing moose consists of a female and a medium-sized male of medium age.

The female is on the hunt, and the male, following her relentlessly, does not give a voice due to his low absolute dominance rank. He is afraid of opponents. Further efforts to find moose in this area will not bring the desired success this dawn. The optimal solution should be considered the transition to the next section of the rut.

How to make a waba on an elk yourself?

To make a decoy for an elk, take: a tin can, 60 cm of nylon cord or rope.

For a jar, the following nuance is important: the diameter of the inlet should be less than the diameter of the bottom, a kind of truncated cone. If you take a smaller can, then the sound emitted will be higher; if you take a larger can, the sound will be lower.

Once you're done, start making. In the center of the bottom of the jar, it is necessary to make a hole into which to thread a cord or rope, fix it with a knot.

How to use the ready-made decoy: with one hand, hold the base of the jar, with the other hand, take the rope pre-moistened with water at the attachment point to the jar with two fingers and lead down. The result of your actions will be the sound of the moose's voice, the so-called moan.

To get rid of the metallic sound, you can wrap the decoy with electrical tape or other material, such as leather.

From the additional equipment needed for hunting the waba, one should name a pipe and a “grunt” jar, a compass, an electric flashlight, a hunting knife, a whetstone. Clothing should be the same as that usually used by animal hunters in the autumn: a jacket and trousers made of gray cloth, the same color or gray-yellow, a hat or cap. It is better to have leather shoes impregnated with a water-repellent compound, but in the absence of such, ordinary rubber boots are also suitable. Pants should be worn loose, over the top. This will reduce the noise when walking. In a small cloth or canvas bag (shoulder strap), along with accessories, you can put a plastic sheet for shelter from the rain.

Previously on Moose Hunting:

Probably, with a great deal of truth, it can be said that summer-autumn hunting, at least in the first half of the season, takes place under the sign of a bird, while shooting animals at this time is limited. Until October, the list of animal hunts is really not great: a bear and a wild boar in the fields from ambush, and a deer with an elk - that's probably all. In this review, we will look at one of the most exciting types of moose hunting - the roar during the rut. You will learn when the rut starts for moose, what are its terms, how to choose a weapon and shooting position, what are the behavioral features of old and young bulls during this period. You can also watch a video with a master class on how to beckon a bull elk.

When does the moose race start?

All deer living in our country have a mating season in the second half of the year. The rut of roe deer begins earlier than all - from the end of July to the end of August; the musk deer "chases" later than all - from the end of November to the middle of December. By time moose chasing and red deer, including deer and wapiti, approximately coincides, the first signs appear at the end of August, and everything ends by mid-October.

The almost two-month stretching of the rut refers to the populations of these animals as a whole, because the animals living in the southern parts of the range start earlier, and in regions with a harsh climate - about two weeks later. For the middle band (in latitudinal terms), the most active part of the rut occurs in mid-late September.

Bulls during the rut

I must say that literature (I do not mean scientific) and fine arts have always paid much more attention to the red deer than to the elk. And that is true: a slender handsome man in a pose of challenge, with an elongated powerful neck, an elegant head adorned with horns of extraordinary beauty thrown back, is much more suitable for the role of a model than a powerful one with a heavy hook-nosed head, horns of not always a certain shape, at first glance clumsy moose figure. Nevertheless, hunting for an elk during the rut - “for a roar”, or, as they say, “for a groan”, - in terms of emotionality is unlikely to yield to that of a deer. Moreover, the elk at this time can also pose a very real danger to the hunter.

Adult sexually mature bulls tend to pick up a mate for themselves even before the start of the physiological rut, and until the end of the estrus of the moose cow, they are together. Then there comes a moment when she rejects the "courtship" of her boyfriend, and he can go in search of a new girlfriend. Unlike red deer, bull elks do not create "harems", and finding several females with one bull is an unusual matter, although such facts are noted.

Outwardly, the bull's readiness for rutting can be determined by the horns. If they have already cleared their skin and fur and acquired a normal "bone" appearance, then his body has already begun or is about to begin to produce sex hormones. However, the bull becomes completely ready for mating only when moose cows come "to the hunt". The secret secreted by their genitals, with urine, enters the soil, the bull finds this place by smell and comes into an excited state. He breaks branches, sometimes the tops of young trees, rakes and knocks out the grass to the ground with his hooves, especially where the moose cow urinated. Such places are called "points", and they are up to two meters in diameter. At the same time, physiological processes are activated in the body, making it ready for mating. Against the usual, not only the behavior changes, but also the appearance of the male. The eyes are filled with blood, the neck becomes thicker, and it seems that the entire front of the body is increasing in size. It emits a sharp specific smell, which is difficult to describe, but the smell of a mighty beast is unmistakably guessed in it, and a sense of danger involuntarily appears.

Throughout the rut, the bull gives a voice. The sound it makes is completely different from the roar of a red deer. This is something between a lowing and exhaling relief with a voice. This sound is most accurately characterized by the name that our ancestors gave it - “groan”. In strength, it is much weaker than the roar of a deer and is rarely heard from a distance of more than a kilometer, although the ability to hear it is strongly influenced by the terrain, planting density, extraneous sounds (wind, water noise, etc.). The greatest activity in giving voice is noted at dawn and in the evening closer to sunset; hearing a moose during the day is a rarity.

For mating games, moose choose a variety of places. This is largely determined by the terrain and the nature of forest plantations. In the northern regions of the European part of Russia, they prefer to “groan” along dry manes and the edges of moss swamps, in dense young growths of old clearings, overgrown forest hayfields, as well as in the floodplains of forest streams and rivers. In the mountainous regions of Siberia and the Urals, where moose permanent habitats are limited by river floodplains and intermountain valleys, the racing areas gravitate towards the river banks. The same can be said about the plateaus of Central Siberia and Transbaikalia. In places almost not visited by people, where there is no need to constantly hide in the thickets, elks are especially fond of the wide pebbly beds of small rivers with forest islands, which in September literally exude a “rutting elk spirit”, forcing a person who suddenly finds himself there not on hunting business to feel feel very uncomfortable.

The subtleties of hunting "roar"

According to the tracks, “points”, broken branches and trees, according to the voice and smell given, you need to find a place where the animals “chase”, i.e. where the bull feels himself the master of both this place and the female who is with him. Giving a voice from time to time, he warns potential rivals that everything is busy here and he will not allow the presence of a stranger. The task of the hunter is to imitate the "groan" of the alien, to tease the bull-owner, make him believe in the appearance of a competitor and lure him to a clean place under a shot.

Not all bulls have girlfriends by the beginning of the mating season, and these bachelors are constantly on the lookout, go widely - you can meet them in different places. They also give a voice, trying to find out where the "lucky man" is in order to try to recapture the female from him, or whether there is a free cow nearby. Such animals more boldly go to the voice of the “wabelchik” - a hunter imitating the “groan” of a bull. The baiting of the bull is not limited only to giving a voice, but is accompanied from time to time by the crackling of broken branches and the tapping of a stick on a stick or tree, which should be perceived as the sound of an excited bull's horns on the trees. In general, the “groan” is formed by the whole complex of sounds that the elk produces.

Now more and more roar hunting is trophy. Well-developed horns are found in animals in the prime of life, i.e. at the age of 6-12 years. An experienced wabber can distinguish an old animal from a young one by voice and, based on this, build a hunt. Of course, it is best to start beckoning a specific moose, which is known for pre-hunting reconnaissance. If the hunt begins with a search, then, having heard the “groaning” bull, try to get an idea of ​​​​the age of the beast. When a powerful beast speaks, it is more likely that he will accept the challenge and go to drive away the bull, which seems weaker in voice than himself. A medium-sized elk is unlikely to rush at the alleged rival, if you imagine him with the voice of an old beast, rather, he will try to quietly leave and take the female away. When trying to lure a bull away from a female, you need to be patient, because he is reluctant to leave her, preferring roll call at a distance. It is easier to lure a wanderer alone.

It happens that with one cow there are two, and sometimes three bulls. Rather, near her is one of the strongest, who does not let anyone in, and the rest are nearby, but at a safe distance. In this case, it is not the main contender who often comes to the hunter, but from those who are nearby, clearly inferior to the owner in size and strength. Therefore, when beckoning an elk, you need to try to determine by the response voice whether the hunter is dealing with one or more males, and depending on this, decide whether to shoot at the first animal that appears or try to take the best trophy. It often happens that a large bull cannot be lured away from a female, especially if there are other males nearby, and then you have to change the place of hunting and look for another suitable one.

Many people think that during the rut, the aggressiveness of the bulls prevails over caution, but it seems to me that this is not the case. Sometimes one hears stories about how someone walks through the forest without hiding, with a bang, and suddenly an elk flies out and, seeing a person, does not run away, but demonstrates its aggressiveness. Rather, this can be explained by the fact that a person walking noisily through the forest tunes the elk to an approaching rival, who behaves noisily in nature, showing his strength and confidence. Try not to beckon, but to hide the “groaning” beast, and you will immediately feel how wary he and the female are about the slight noise made by the hunter when approaching. To quiet sounds that are incomprehensible to them, moose, as a rule, react by leaving this place. We must not forget that during the rut, not only people hunt moose, but also bears, meetings with which do not bode well for them. It is probably not out of place to recall that no other noise, except for imitating the action of a bull, should be made by either the “walker” or the shooter.

Weapon and shooting position

When choosing a position for luring a bull and shooting, one must remember that the beast must pass through at least a relatively clean place in order to be able to aim at the slaughter place. As in any other case, it is impossible to shoot through thickets (branches, bushes, grass, etc.).

From rifled - better than 9 mm caliber. These can be carbines chambered for 9.3x62, 9.3x64, 9.3x57 cartridges of foreign production, 9.3x64 and 9x54R domestic. A combined weapon is desirable with a rifled barrel chambered for 9.3x74R or for the above-named domestic cartridges. Smoothbore weapons are best used with 12-caliber cartridges loaded with heavy Brenneke-type bullets. All the cartridges that have been mentioned have sufficient lethal and stopping power for such an animal as a bull elk during the rut, and I took the liberty of recommending them for the following reasons. Firstly, by the time of the rut, moose reach the highest fatness, and among the bulls actively participating in the rut, specimens over 400 kg live weight are not uncommon; secondly, the cartridge must ensure reliable defeat, because hunting takes place in a snowless period, and getting a wounded animal without dogs in the autumn forest, and often at dusk, is not an easy task at all; thirdly, before the rut, the animals become especially strong on the wound, since all the reserves of the body are mobilized for procreation. It is advisable to equip the weapon with an optical sight, because it is not uncommon to have to shoot in low light, although the firing distance rarely exceeds 60-70 meters.

Alexey Sibirsky

Video: Master class "How to beckon an elk"

Video: Bull moose during the rut - hunting "for a roar":