The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-02-06
GIANTS OF THE wooDs.
Adventures in Moose Hsunting-TeMpting
the Animals 10 their Death.
tFrom the Emigrant and Sportsman in Canada.

From the Emigrant and Sportsman in Canada. ]
From the goth Of September to the
Goth Of October is the season for moose
calling. and the full of the moon is the
best time. as the bulls seldom come up
to call before sunset. / have had most
success in that short half hour between
shutdown and dark. Later than that,
even with moonlight, no one can make
sure of his shot and the moose, though
not O. very difficult animal to kill, Is, [
have always thought, more tenacious Of
life at this time OF year than at any
other, and requires to be hit in the right
spot. The old bulls leave off call the
soonest: the young ones l have called
as late as the first week in November.
They are very pugnaoious in the season,
and fight desperately.
On one occasion, had 1t not been for
my Impotence, [ should have Witnessed
one OF these encounters. L was calling
In little barren or open space in the
woods, and during a quarter or an houf
OF breathless suspense [ could hear two
bulls advancing toward me from differ
ent directions, and both SO near that it
was d toss-up which would come first.
At last one fellow came out into the
opening and stood defiantly awaiting
the approach of his rival, whom he
could plainly hear rampaging through
the neighboring thicket. Had | been
able to control my impatience for q
minute or two, I should no doubt have
seen set-to between these gigantic
beasts but 1t Is hard matter for the
sportsman to. keep his finger off the
trigger Of his rifle when beast some
seventeen or eighteen hands high, and
with q pair of antlers five feet In the
stretch lying back on his withers, stands
broadside on within fifty yards. The
temptation was too much for me, and as
I fired | heard the horns Of his would
be antagonist crashing through the
alder bushes not fifty yards off. After
getting his death wound he never moved
while one might count thirty, and then
lurehing heavily once or twice like u
boat in d sea. he came down with q
crash, stone dead. On another ocea-
sion wounded bull charged me re-
rather laundering way. Fortunately
was in the woods, and had no difficulty
in avoiding his attacks by lodging
round the trees. Had it been in the
open I might not have Jared SO we'll.
I know of nothing more exciting than
to hear moose slowly approaching
through the woods: one is sometimes
kept on the tiptoe Of expectation for
half an hour or even longer. The still
ness after sunset Is SO profound that
his slightest movement is distinctly
audible. The sportsman hardly dares
to breathe; and when at last the ami
NAL comes out on the lake or opening
within range it is a grand moment, il
happily he has not delayed his coming
till too late to be seen. Moose walk at
the rate Of about four miles an hour,
even in woods so thick that il is hard
to understand how they get their horns
through. They carry their heads high,
noses we'll UP, and horns thrown back
on their withers. When disturbed they
move in long stumbling trot, clear
ing every obstruction in their stride !;
they never jump or gallep.
The Nova Scotian Indians are the
best moose callers in the world, and
among them the old men are better
than the young ones. / have never
seen white man who could call moose
really well.
Sometimes moose answer to the call
much more readily than at others. L
once brought up q young bull by tear
ing piece Of birch bark off tree to
make horn; he heard the noise
and came up, so had no further trou-
bile. I have at different times brought
up moose from distance, who came to
my call ansuspiciously, without need
ing any further stimulus in the shape Of
low, haif-suppressed call which the
more wary old bulls sometimes need to
bring them within shot. These. 'ow
calls, made when the moose Is pausing,
uncertain whether to come or go, close
to the caller yet not within shot, re-
quire the greatest skill-a false note,
and all is lost. I have at times seen an
old Indian trembling with excitement,
the small end of his horn to his lips,
- LNr nt,l an, hn md tE,1 npI ar,
the seund--his face pulled up with the
volumes Of wind he Is pouring into his
horn, which produce low and far-of
sounding series Of grunts.
AS the haunts Of the moose are in
thick forest, where it is impossible to
see any object at q greater distance off
than sixty or seventy yards, and as
their senses of hearing and smell are
very acute, iC requires more skill and
experience to creep them in the fall
than it does to hunt any other animal
in this country. The Mtcmacs OF Nova
Scotia are by far the best moose hunt
ers. The hunter would seem to require
two or three pairs CT eyes instead OF
one. He must steer clear of rotten
sticks, tfor to tread on one is ruin to
his hopes, and the ground is covered
with them. AS he creeps along on
fresh tracks he must keep a sharp look
out for the animal, and at the same
time watch the wind and the browse. Un-
like the cariboo, whe are always travel
ing about, feeding as they go along,
the moose, when the rutting season is
over, il not disturbed, choose a
locality Astounding with their fa-
yorite browse maple and moose
wood-remain there for the rest OF the
year, contracting their daily rambles in
snorob ~ food az the snow gets denDer
until at last the "yard" is only about
an acre or two in extent. One great
difficulty in creeping moose is whereas
the tracks one Is hunting are going Ia
one direction, the hunter cannot be
certain that the moose may not have
doubled round and got his wind; for
this reason the Indian, when well to
leeward OF the yard, quarters his ground
against wind much as well trained |
pointer quarters q stubble-f field,
When the wind IS bowling through |