Moose rut?
06-21-2003, 10:57 AM
#11
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rancho Murieta CA USA
Posts: 160
RE: Moose rut?
I saw a hunting show where a guide was using what looked to be a thin piece leather that had been wetted and then dried hard in the shape of a fan. It appeared to be very rigid and he' d scratch it against a tree. It sounded like a big flat horn raking a tree....wait a minute...moose have big flat horns!!!!
Anybody ever see anything like I' m talking about. I' ve looked all over to find one made commercially, but this must have been a custom made job.
Anybody ever see anything like I' m talking about. I' ve looked all over to find one made commercially, but this must have been a custom made job.
06-21-2003, 11:45 AM
#13
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location:
Posts: 70
RE: Moose rut?
You can make a decent call with a coffee can and a flat shoe lace, if your interested I will take the time to explain!!
I use my own voice as well, but I have called bulls and cows with the coffee can call.
Mid September to mid October is pretty hot in my area for calling, but I personally only use a call to locate and then put the sneak attack on them.
I use my own voice as well, but I have called bulls and cows with the coffee can call.
Mid September to mid October is pretty hot in my area for calling, but I personally only use a call to locate and then put the sneak attack on them.
06-22-2003, 09:12 PM
#16
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location:
Posts: 70
RE: Moose rut?
Take an empty coffee can ( try various sizes ) drill a hole in the bottom of the can at center and pass a flat shoe lace through the hole and tie a knot in the end that is on the inside of the can. You should have a can with a shoe lace hanging from the bottom side of the can. Wet the lace and then grip the lace with thumb and index finger at the closest point to the bottom of the can and pull down letting the lace glide through your finger tips ( experiment with finger pressure and wetness of the lace for best sound ) this should give you a moaning noise out of the open end of the can. I hold the can with my left hand at the bottom edges so that the sides of the can will viberate freely, this is what produces the noise inside. Use short jerks to imitate bull coughs or grunts and long pulling stokes for moaning cow calls. With a little practice, you will be supprised how good a sound you can get.
An old fellow showed me the can some years back and it was a good learning!!
He will be missed!!
Take care
Marlin
An old fellow showed me the can some years back and it was a good learning!!
He will be missed!!
Take care
Marlin
06-22-2003, 11:06 PM
#17
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Everett WA
Posts: 34
RE: Moose rut?
Hey Marlin;
Thanks for taking the time to explain how the coffee can call is made and used. I will give it a try sometime in the next few weeks and, hopefully, learn how to use it during the Summer.
And.....Thanks to all for you ideas, tips and suggestions. Hope to post photo of my first Moose here this Fall.
Thanks for taking the time to explain how the coffee can call is made and used. I will give it a try sometime in the next few weeks and, hopefully, learn how to use it during the Summer.
And.....Thanks to all for you ideas, tips and suggestions. Hope to post photo of my first Moose here this Fall.
06-24-2003, 07:05 AM
#18
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 417
RE: Moose rut?
I thought you guys might appreciate this; it' s from my book " Hunting Northern & Western Big Game."
Moose Vocalizations and Communicative Sounds
In areas with high populations, bull moose are territorial and crisscross their area in search of cows. To attract cows while they wander, bulls use sound. Like elk, moose thrash small trees and brush during the rut to express dominance. The large palmate surface area of their antlers has a hollow sound that carries well in densely vegetated areas during thrashing. Cows respond to this sound by calling when they are ready to breed. Subdominant bulls (less than five years old) hearing either of these sounds investigate in hopes of intercepting a willing cow. During much of the rutting behavior (wallowing, thrashing and fighting) bull moose expend a lot of energy and breath heavily. The sound of the thrashing and breathing often attracts any other moose in the area.
Estrus cows use sound to attract bulls. It' s actually the cows that call to the bulls during the rut, not the bulls calling to the cows.The cows often call in soft, drawn out grunts; uuuuugh ugh, ugh, ugh. Cows that are not yet ready to breed and are harassed by bulls often protest in a long, drawn out grunt that rises in pitch. Mature bulls respond to this protest grunt to exert dominance over any subdominants harassing cows in their area. A bull that hears the calling or urinating of a cow usually responds by thrashing and grunting to alert the cow of his presence.
Scents
Moose are primarily solitary animals, generally coming together in herds only during the breeding season. Depending on the latitude and area bulls begin wallowing in mid August, and rubbing in early September, with the peak of the rut occurring from mid September to mid October. Moose wallows serve the same purpose as scraping in deer and wallowing in elk. They help synchronize breeding behavior between sexes and bring females into estrus.
While whitetails leave scent at rubs and scrapes as advertisement elk and moose dig shallow holes, often in low lying areas in or near water, with their hooves and sometimes antlers. They urinate in the wallows, often while calling, then roll in the wallow impregnating themselves with the scent of their own urine and testosterone. Elk spray testosterone laced urine on the " rut spot" as Dr. Geist calls it, just in front of the shaft. He adds that other Old World deer species, especially Fallow deer, have a rudimentary belly gland, which may act like the tarsal gland of a whitetail and help disperse scent.
Moose, however, impregnate their dewlap, or bell, which offers a large organ for the dispersal of scent. When bulls dig wallows they make a lot of noise. The sound of their digging will often attract females and lesser bulls seeking ready cows. The urine/testosterone combination, and the sound of calling bulls, attracts cow moose, and they seek out the wallows to check the urine. They even dig and roll in the wallows themselves. If the wallow belongs to a desirable dominant male the cows will form harems, fight for dominance and breeding rights, and wait nearby for the bull.
The digging, wallowing and fighting for dominance by females is well documented in the videos I watched. The females choose the bull they breed with dependent on the smell of his urine and testosterone; dominance shown by body size and rack size; and sometimes fighting ability. Moose also rub-urinate like deer, but instead of using it as a recognition scent moose rub-urinate when alarmed.
Dominance Behavior
Bull moose encountering other bulls in their travels judge social status by the size of the other bulls antlers and actions. Bulls express dominance by thrashing, pawing and tipping their antlers so that the length and width of the rack is evident to the other bull. Subdominant bulls often retreat at the sight of the large racks of dominant bulls. However, if the other bull stops tipping it' s antlers or turns to leave it may be seen as an act of submission by the subdominant, which induces a charge by the smaller bull.
Dominant bulls respond to antler displays differently. When a bull turns away from a dominant it is seen as non-threatening and a fight is averted. If the other bull challenges a dominant the results are quite different. When confronted by thrashing, grunting, rack tipping and pawing a dominant responds with aggression, and if neither bull turns away a fight usually occurs. This ritualized dominance display in moose is designed to defuse aggression. A lesser bull seeing the power of a dominant bull thrashing and pawing, and the size of the dominant’s rack, is given every chance to back down.
The size and strength of these animals is so great that fighting could seriously injure one or both animals. According to Dr. Geist moose have developed antlers different than elk or deer so that there are reduced injuries during fighting. Their antlers are not used for offense, but rather for defense. The large broad racks with short points are not designed to inflict stabbing wounds but are better suited for pushing matches to determine strength and dominance.
Moose Hunting Techniques
My personal experiences, those of professional archery moose guide Scott Smith from Manitoba, and the above information has led to numerous new hunting techniques. Early in the rut I look for moose in the early morning and evening near ponds, creeks, rivers and open areas where they feed on Red Willow, Fireweed and aquatic plants. Dr. Geist explains that these are preferred food sources because they contain sulfur and minerals filtered from the water, which are needed for bone and antler growth.
Scouting for Sign
While scouting I look for droppings, tracks, rubs, torn up brush, and wallows. The droppings of a moose are much larger than deer, are often clumped and may resemble the familiar cow pie. Tracks of mature bulls can be up to 6 1/2 inches long with a total length from tip to dewclaw of up to 10 1/2 inches. Moose rubs are often found on large spruce at waist height with many of the branches torn off. I often find these in low areas near water. Moose thrashing areas are evident by broken, mangled brush, in extreme cases it may look like a D9 Cat came through. When I find evidence of thrashing near water I look for wallows because both elk and moose thrash near their wallows. Moose wallows look like elk wallows, large depressions with mud and water surrounded by numerous tracks. I also look for mineral licks in the area. Moose have been known to travel several miles to visit a lick.
Calling
When Smith finds sign he prefers to call from open meadows or across water where he can see any approaching moose. He likes to call into the wind so that he can hear the sound of any bull thrashing or calling. He starts calling with a short series of grunts, then listens; it may be a half an hour before hearing anything. If a bull does respond he can usually hear the thrashing or snapping of twigs as the bull comes in. When there is thick vegetation he may not be able to see the animal and doesn' t know if it is a bull or cow, but always assumes it is a bull coming to his call.
During the rut a bull usually responds within 45 minutes by thrashing and giving its position away. If it hangs up because it doesn' t see a cow more cow calling can coax it in. Scott grunts into a megaphone for about six seconds in a long, drawn out grunt simulating the protest call of a harassed cow. I use a moose call in a long, rising grunt followed by three short grunts to simulate a cow in estrus. Bulls that are still reluctant can be brought into range by pouring water from a canteen onto the ground, or from a canoe paddle into a lake or stream to simulate a cow urinating.
Raking
If these tactics don' t work on reluctant bulls I resort to imitating a bull and try to arouse a dominance response. While elk hunting I have thrashed or " raked" as we call it for bull elk. This same technique works for moose. Dr. Geist suggests using a board instead of a stick to simulate the hollow sound of a moose' s antlers, or you can use a small moose antler to rake the bark of small trees or thrash small bushes. You can also employ the waving or " displaying" technique with the antler. My good friend and outdoor writer Norman Strung taught this technique to me. He waved a small elk rack, standing behind a rock or bush, to lure wary bull elk into range. You can use the same technique on moose. If the animal is within sight but out of range tip the antlers from side to side. It has been mentioned that waving with one antler can be very effective because it suggests the one antlered animal is very combative.
Dominance Display
Dr. Geist says he has successfully used a technique on moose that guides have used for years to get close to caribou. To use this technique you wear a dark suit, raise your bare arms (looking like antlers) outstretched at shoulder height, or hold your bow upside down over your head. You can lower your arms and head, or tip your entire body side to side to simulate the dominance display of a moose. You should only do this as a last resort and at long distance, because once you lower your arms or bow and stop " displaying" it may cause a bull to charge.
Usually a dominant bull will come close and begin displaying, then turn away if you stop. Young bulls on the other hand, are extremely aggressive, and readily respond to thrashing and displaying. Once you stop displaying a younger bull may interpret it as a sign of submission and charge you. You can also paw the ground to sound like a bull while you thrash and exhale heavily. All the researchers agree that you should be aggressive and confident when using any of these techniques, moose are not timid during the rut.
T.R.
Moose Vocalizations and Communicative Sounds
In areas with high populations, bull moose are territorial and crisscross their area in search of cows. To attract cows while they wander, bulls use sound. Like elk, moose thrash small trees and brush during the rut to express dominance. The large palmate surface area of their antlers has a hollow sound that carries well in densely vegetated areas during thrashing. Cows respond to this sound by calling when they are ready to breed. Subdominant bulls (less than five years old) hearing either of these sounds investigate in hopes of intercepting a willing cow. During much of the rutting behavior (wallowing, thrashing and fighting) bull moose expend a lot of energy and breath heavily. The sound of the thrashing and breathing often attracts any other moose in the area.
Estrus cows use sound to attract bulls. It' s actually the cows that call to the bulls during the rut, not the bulls calling to the cows.The cows often call in soft, drawn out grunts; uuuuugh ugh, ugh, ugh. Cows that are not yet ready to breed and are harassed by bulls often protest in a long, drawn out grunt that rises in pitch. Mature bulls respond to this protest grunt to exert dominance over any subdominants harassing cows in their area. A bull that hears the calling or urinating of a cow usually responds by thrashing and grunting to alert the cow of his presence.
Scents
Moose are primarily solitary animals, generally coming together in herds only during the breeding season. Depending on the latitude and area bulls begin wallowing in mid August, and rubbing in early September, with the peak of the rut occurring from mid September to mid October. Moose wallows serve the same purpose as scraping in deer and wallowing in elk. They help synchronize breeding behavior between sexes and bring females into estrus.
While whitetails leave scent at rubs and scrapes as advertisement elk and moose dig shallow holes, often in low lying areas in or near water, with their hooves and sometimes antlers. They urinate in the wallows, often while calling, then roll in the wallow impregnating themselves with the scent of their own urine and testosterone. Elk spray testosterone laced urine on the " rut spot" as Dr. Geist calls it, just in front of the shaft. He adds that other Old World deer species, especially Fallow deer, have a rudimentary belly gland, which may act like the tarsal gland of a whitetail and help disperse scent.
Moose, however, impregnate their dewlap, or bell, which offers a large organ for the dispersal of scent. When bulls dig wallows they make a lot of noise. The sound of their digging will often attract females and lesser bulls seeking ready cows. The urine/testosterone combination, and the sound of calling bulls, attracts cow moose, and they seek out the wallows to check the urine. They even dig and roll in the wallows themselves. If the wallow belongs to a desirable dominant male the cows will form harems, fight for dominance and breeding rights, and wait nearby for the bull.
The digging, wallowing and fighting for dominance by females is well documented in the videos I watched. The females choose the bull they breed with dependent on the smell of his urine and testosterone; dominance shown by body size and rack size; and sometimes fighting ability. Moose also rub-urinate like deer, but instead of using it as a recognition scent moose rub-urinate when alarmed.
Dominance Behavior
Bull moose encountering other bulls in their travels judge social status by the size of the other bulls antlers and actions. Bulls express dominance by thrashing, pawing and tipping their antlers so that the length and width of the rack is evident to the other bull. Subdominant bulls often retreat at the sight of the large racks of dominant bulls. However, if the other bull stops tipping it' s antlers or turns to leave it may be seen as an act of submission by the subdominant, which induces a charge by the smaller bull.
Dominant bulls respond to antler displays differently. When a bull turns away from a dominant it is seen as non-threatening and a fight is averted. If the other bull challenges a dominant the results are quite different. When confronted by thrashing, grunting, rack tipping and pawing a dominant responds with aggression, and if neither bull turns away a fight usually occurs. This ritualized dominance display in moose is designed to defuse aggression. A lesser bull seeing the power of a dominant bull thrashing and pawing, and the size of the dominant’s rack, is given every chance to back down.
The size and strength of these animals is so great that fighting could seriously injure one or both animals. According to Dr. Geist moose have developed antlers different than elk or deer so that there are reduced injuries during fighting. Their antlers are not used for offense, but rather for defense. The large broad racks with short points are not designed to inflict stabbing wounds but are better suited for pushing matches to determine strength and dominance.
Moose Hunting Techniques
My personal experiences, those of professional archery moose guide Scott Smith from Manitoba, and the above information has led to numerous new hunting techniques. Early in the rut I look for moose in the early morning and evening near ponds, creeks, rivers and open areas where they feed on Red Willow, Fireweed and aquatic plants. Dr. Geist explains that these are preferred food sources because they contain sulfur and minerals filtered from the water, which are needed for bone and antler growth.
Scouting for Sign
While scouting I look for droppings, tracks, rubs, torn up brush, and wallows. The droppings of a moose are much larger than deer, are often clumped and may resemble the familiar cow pie. Tracks of mature bulls can be up to 6 1/2 inches long with a total length from tip to dewclaw of up to 10 1/2 inches. Moose rubs are often found on large spruce at waist height with many of the branches torn off. I often find these in low areas near water. Moose thrashing areas are evident by broken, mangled brush, in extreme cases it may look like a D9 Cat came through. When I find evidence of thrashing near water I look for wallows because both elk and moose thrash near their wallows. Moose wallows look like elk wallows, large depressions with mud and water surrounded by numerous tracks. I also look for mineral licks in the area. Moose have been known to travel several miles to visit a lick.
Calling
When Smith finds sign he prefers to call from open meadows or across water where he can see any approaching moose. He likes to call into the wind so that he can hear the sound of any bull thrashing or calling. He starts calling with a short series of grunts, then listens; it may be a half an hour before hearing anything. If a bull does respond he can usually hear the thrashing or snapping of twigs as the bull comes in. When there is thick vegetation he may not be able to see the animal and doesn' t know if it is a bull or cow, but always assumes it is a bull coming to his call.
During the rut a bull usually responds within 45 minutes by thrashing and giving its position away. If it hangs up because it doesn' t see a cow more cow calling can coax it in. Scott grunts into a megaphone for about six seconds in a long, drawn out grunt simulating the protest call of a harassed cow. I use a moose call in a long, rising grunt followed by three short grunts to simulate a cow in estrus. Bulls that are still reluctant can be brought into range by pouring water from a canteen onto the ground, or from a canoe paddle into a lake or stream to simulate a cow urinating.
Raking
If these tactics don' t work on reluctant bulls I resort to imitating a bull and try to arouse a dominance response. While elk hunting I have thrashed or " raked" as we call it for bull elk. This same technique works for moose. Dr. Geist suggests using a board instead of a stick to simulate the hollow sound of a moose' s antlers, or you can use a small moose antler to rake the bark of small trees or thrash small bushes. You can also employ the waving or " displaying" technique with the antler. My good friend and outdoor writer Norman Strung taught this technique to me. He waved a small elk rack, standing behind a rock or bush, to lure wary bull elk into range. You can use the same technique on moose. If the animal is within sight but out of range tip the antlers from side to side. It has been mentioned that waving with one antler can be very effective because it suggests the one antlered animal is very combative.
Dominance Display
Dr. Geist says he has successfully used a technique on moose that guides have used for years to get close to caribou. To use this technique you wear a dark suit, raise your bare arms (looking like antlers) outstretched at shoulder height, or hold your bow upside down over your head. You can lower your arms and head, or tip your entire body side to side to simulate the dominance display of a moose. You should only do this as a last resort and at long distance, because once you lower your arms or bow and stop " displaying" it may cause a bull to charge.
Usually a dominant bull will come close and begin displaying, then turn away if you stop. Young bulls on the other hand, are extremely aggressive, and readily respond to thrashing and displaying. Once you stop displaying a younger bull may interpret it as a sign of submission and charge you. You can also paw the ground to sound like a bull while you thrash and exhale heavily. All the researchers agree that you should be aggressive and confident when using any of these techniques, moose are not timid during the rut.
T.R.
