The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-08
Moose Are Sometimes
Very Obliging Animals

guide had. reached the QeSeTlSu luiiUCt
shanty which was to be their head
quarters while deer hunting in Pom
tiac county Supper was over. and the
men were sitting around the nfe smok-
ing while the lad washed up
The eveT-restless guide was whlS-
Ting softly to himself, as by means of
long thorns he fastened IN position a
large square of birch bark he had care
fully rolled into the similftude of a
fair sized megaphone Maybe you dld
not take notice of it, but | saw the
track of big moose leading right
alongside this shanty," he said quietly
in reply to some bantering remark
from one of the younger sportsmen. l
guess he has been used to come ana
lick the salt off the old pork barrels
you see thrown out back of where the
wood pile used to be-
How do you work the thing, any
way?" said one of the men.
well, my plan is to get the man with
the gun and myself behind a big wind
fall on little rise facing the swamp
where you expect to find your moose,
and when I have called him with the
horn the other man rests his rifle on
top of the windfall and let's drive. Then
if he is not killed there is the big tree
trunk between you and the danger
from the moose"
something of a trick to call moose, so
that he will come ?"
By way of reply the man put the
bark cone to his mouth, and produced
a series of grunts and means and bel
loWings, which might have been very
good limitations Of the invitations of a
COW moose, but were very unlike any
thing the hunters present associated
with the big deer. However under the
~o,.i-
mented with the rude call and at least
derived a good deal of fun. from their
attempts 5..e,--
Their instructor was standing near
the waterproof coat hanging over the
opening in the log wall from which
the lumberers had removed their g1aZ-
ed window when they deserted the
shanty the previous spring. On sud-
den he gave a quick exclamation Of
silence.
His hearing had not been at fault.
From outside came shrill roaring bel
low, almost a scream.
cts him. Sure as you live we've
got him right here. Put out the Ian
terms, and get the guns" he whisper
ed eXcitedly.
Two of the party stationed them
selves at the window the other two
went to the door.
I'll count three. and then you open
the door without making any noise and
| will lift the blind" said the guide.
Quietly as both operations were per-
formed, the watchful animal took fright
at the slight noise, and from the win
dow he was seen to check his course
fifteen yards away and pause to see
what had alarmed him. In the bright
moonlight he was a fine spectacle as he
I'm cd haI 5ty,rr
horns and ears uplifted showed himself
to the hunters.
Each man held his breath as the
creature turned himself around toward
them, snorted, tossed his huge head and
stamped angrily. Then the rifles rang
out. and all rushed out of the shanty
to see the result.
One bullet had gone through the
neck, others through shoulders and
chest. His forequarters were pros
trated of course. but the gallant brute
still kept his hinder part erect. and APP
peared to be amazed at the helpless in
ertness of his front legs and deter
mined to overcome their weakness.
But as one of the sportsmen slipped
another cartridge into place, he finally
collapsed, and not without certain
kind of dignity stretched himself in
death.
What did I tell you?" began the
guide after the carcass had been laid
away for the night in the old stable
alongside the shanty.
Jake you're a jewel" was the an
sWer. But, come now, you never eX-
pected to call up that moose tonight ?"
You can never tell about moose,
you know" he said, as he rubbed the
tobacco between his palms before load
Ing his pipe. Il remember once when
me and Joe were on a hunt for a big
head New York man wanted, when
I had just torn off my bit of bark and
was twisting UP my call, Joe sings
out: Heavens and earth! Why, he's
right here!'
And sure enough, there he was,
coming down the old log road, looking
every way to see what all the row was
about We got him all right, but we
had run after him, for Joe's ball went
through his lungs and he ran more
than two miles before he bled to
DEATH"
That was kind of accident, though.
wasn't it?"
\ Not much. We were young at the
business then, or we ought to have
known enough to have been a kind of
expecting him. You see, very often in
the fall, when a bull moose is feeling
extra we'll, he rips off bark from trees
or paws up sand banks or side hills
with horns and hoofs, just as you have
seen a COW do when she is excited.
Another bull hears the noise and
thinks it challenge from the one that
Is roofing up things, and comes along
in hopes of getting up a fight. Joe's
moose had heard me tearing my bark
off the tree, and thought it was an
other moose on the ramfI ge.
Sometimes the best kind of call is
ripping up some bark or rubbing two
rough sticks together to initiate the
rubbing of the deer's horns against a
tree"
Il am, beginning to think the moose
is about the most obliSing thing a man
can hunt remarked the quiet man of
the party. 1.-THE only time ever got a
shot at a moose before tonight was in
similar unexpected sort of way
"Old Merrifield was my guide, and
was explaining to me about his call as
he finished making a horn near the
Otter lake one evening. We knew
there was big yard of moose not very
far away. and were expecting to begin
our fun next day.
Just as the old man was trimming
up his megaphone with his knife we
heard some meanings and noises down
In the water in front of US.
Somebody else trying a call, and
making mighty poor hand at it, Mer-
rifield whispered. Too bad to spoil our
fun that way. What a mess he is MAX
ing of it! Hang it all, no moose that
runs would ever mistake that row f,,,