Moose rutting behavior and vocalization. A hunter’s guide to getting in close. Part 3 – Main Rut.

January 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Trophy bull moose taken on a Webber's Lodges hunt in northern Manitoba.

Webber's Lodges Main Rut Moose!

Moose rutting behavior and vocalization. A hunter’s guide to getting in close. Part 3 – Main Rut.

by Kent Michie, Professional Guide, Webber’s Lodges

The main rut runs from approximately September 28 to October 10 in most of the northern regions of Canada. About 80% of all moose harvested will be taken during this two week period of prime rut activity. I must admit this is my favorite time of the year. The land is awash with the brilliant colors of change, the skies are full of south bound geese, warm days are followed by frosty nights, and the forest is alive with the sounds of rutting moose.

During the main rut, both bulls and cows are very vocal, with slight vocalization changes when compared to the pre-rut period. One of the biggest changes in moose vocalizations comes from the cows. During pre-rut, cows primarily make calls of annoyance due to being pestered by excited bulls, but during the main rut the cow’s calls change to an inviting call for love. Unlike the aggressive calls cows make to show their displeasure towards unwanted suitors, they now make long, flowing, almost musical calls in an effort to attract the strongest of the bulls. Along with the long mooing calls of love, the cows also make very soft, short grunts and bawls. Knowing when and how to imitate these calls can make the difference between having a bull come out into the clearing or hanging up just out of range.

I was once told by a senior woodsman (who I considered a genius when it came to moose calling) that you could call in a moose with a bad cough. That might be true for some bulls, but if you want to get a look at every bull in the area in your quest for that trophy bull, I think you have to play your cards right and “talk moose.”

The cows will be calling day and night if they are not in the company of a bull. Time is short, the cows need to make sure of the next generation of moose and they know it. As a hunter we can use this to our advantage by imitating “come check me out” calls to bring the bulls in close.

I like to get out on the edge of a large swamp, lake shoreline or open ridge over a valley at first light in the morning and start cow calling to locate bulls. The call I make is a moderately low moo that is slow and steady with a slight nasal tone. I usually make two long calls, 5-10 seconds each, followed by a shorter, softer mooing call. On a calm morning these calls will travel a long way and get the attention of any bull in the area.

I repeat this call sequence three to four times with a couple of minutes between call sets. When a bull hears this and he is not already tending to a cow, he is quite likely to come in to check you out. When traveling in to check out your call, bulls will often grunt. It is not uncommon to make one or two sequences of calls and have a bull announce his interest from a couple of kilometers away.

One thing many hunters might not know is that a bull will generally only grunt when he is moving. I have seen bulls stand at the edge of a lake or swamp and grunt a couple of times while standing still, but this is not common. The bulls will grunt loudly while walking and moving towards the cow call. As a hunter you have to remember that if a bull stops grunting, it’s likely because he is standing still and listening carefully to try and pinpoint the position of the calling cow. This is a very important, as my experience shows that this is the most common time for a hunter to “get busted” by a bull moose.

I have learned never to change my position when a bull is stopped and listening. I usually freeze and make no sound at all, just to keep the bull guessing. If the bull hears nothing for a couple of minutes he will often grunt loudly in an effort to get a response from the cow. If that happens, I give him a response. I come back at him right away with a short, soft, sexy cow moo generally directed at the ground. The bull will usually start walking again towards your position with steady rhythmic grunts. This is when you should move if you need to get in a better shooting position.

Moving while the bull is moving and grunting will help you hide any unnatural sounds you might make while traveling through the bush. Two good simple rules to follow: When the bull stops and listens, you should stop and listen. When the bull moves and makes noise, you can move and make noise. If you have played the role of a hot cow correctly and a bull has come directly in to you, but then hangs up just out of range, there are a few tricks you can use to get the bull to step out. One thing I like to do to enrage hesitant bulls is to imitate the sounds of a young bull that has joined the cow. This gets the blood boiling in a mature bull and he will usually come in spoiling for a fight.

To imitate a young bull I use a couple of different methods. I will turn in the opposite direction of the mature bull and grunt to simulate a bull approaching from the opposite direction. I will also rake or rub the trees and brush to imitate another aggressive bull. These two techniques will agitate the mature bull into coming in. To imitate antlers rubbing the brush I use a beef shoulder blade that I have cleaned and bleached white to simulate the sound of bone on brush. Over the past 20 years I have also on occasion used an old canoe paddle for the same purpose. The shoulder blade and canoe paddle work both as a sound stimulant and as a visual stimulant, providing flashes of whitish brown that the bull can key in on and then approach directly.

The aforementioned techniques will work to get the bulls in close, but if the bull is already in the company of a cow you could get into what I call the “Yo-yo Effect.” This happens when you are calling the bull and he calls back and starts his approach towards you, but then suddenly the cow close to him calls him back. This can go on for hours. The bull starts to come to you and then the cow calls him back. This happens when the cow has determined that this bull is her preferred suitor, and she does not want him to leave when she is close to readiness for breeding. When this happens, rather than playing “Yo-yo” I like to move in close a put pressure on the bull.

I usually approach the bull as slowly and as quietly as possible, except for making small bull grunts and dragging the shoulder blade on branches as I get close. When you get within the comfort zone of the bull and you are imitating a smaller bull he will think you are challenging him for the right to breed his cow. This will provoke him to come in and challenge you. This technique can be successful but it can also be hazardous, as the bull will be in an aggressive mood and can approach you very quickly.

Years of calling moose has taught me that if you find a trophy bull with a cow, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The bull’s attention will be fully consumed by the cow, which often gives you the advantage. You can slip in undetected and fool him into making a mistake. When faced with a bull and cow pair, be very careful not to get busted by the cow and you should have little difficulty getting Mr. Big to present himself to you in a vulnerable manner.

In part four of this series on moose hunting in Manitoba we will discuss the post-rut moose hunting stage.

Our moose hunts have a very high success rate and book up quickly. If you would like more information on moose hunting with Webber’s Lodges in Manitoba, Canada, please e-mail us at info@webberslodges.com or call us Toll Free at: 1 (888) 932-2377. We would love to hear from you!

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Moose rutting behavior and vocalization. A hunter’s guide to getting in close. Part 1.

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
trophy bull moose Webber's Lodges

Guide Kent Michie (right) with very happy moose hunter at Webber's Lodges.

by Kent Michie, Professional Guide, Webber’s Lodges

Sitting on an old, dead autumn stump, you watch the emerging sun as it burns through the mist rising off the water. Daylight breaks on your moose hunt and vibrant fall foliage begins to reveal itself. The damp, musky smells of the boreal forest fill your nostrils as you sit quietly, straining your ears to identify any sign that you are not alone on the muskeg delta of a northern lake. As distinct as a rifle shot you hear a loud guttural grunt echo from the Tamarack covered ridge. Your body stiffens. Your grip tightens on your rifle in anticipation of the next sound from the ridge.

Like magic you hear the grunt again, now accompanied by the sound of large antlers scraping through branches. This time it is much closer and moving directly towards you. Your heart races as your eyes search for movement. The bitter cold you felt only moments ago seems like a distant dream. Like a mythical being, a bull moose steps out of the tree line not more than 100 yards away. He appears in full view in the open. Still and stoic, he stands, like a magnificent statue. You glance at your guide.

“He’s the one we want.”

As if in slow motion, you lift your rifle and take careful aim.

One well placed shot dispatches the mighty beast.

As the morning excitement subsides, you sit and reflect on how all this could have happened – picture perfect. You wonder, “Is my guide some sort of wizard that has control over the wild creatures in the forest, or was I just really lucky today?”

I believe I can give you some clarification on the above.

I will share with you what I have learned and used for 25 plus years of guiding moose hunts during the rut. These insights are a result of both hunt experience and an education in wildlife biology. I will not bore you with a complete year-round life cycle of the moose. I’d much rather concentrate on the fall portion of the moose life cycle, which is the time of year when many of us are in pursuit of this grand animal.

I understand that not everyone will agree or even understand my outlook and conclusions when it comes to the moose rut, and that’s ok. As a wise man (my grandfather) once said, “You’ll learn a lot more by listening than talking.” So please enjoy what I have to share with you and who knows, you might even learn something new that will help you on your next moose hunt.

I think many people are misinformed when they talk about moose and their primary senses of sight, smell, and hearing. My beliefs are the result of an enormous amount of time spent in the field in pursuit of giant bulls. I believe that moose are somewhat color blind and that they see their world in shades of greys and blues, but they do have a keen ability to pick up movement. Remember that a moose weighs over 1000 lbs. and they have very few enemies in the wild. This is why they are not as skittish as smaller prey such as deer.

Moose are not intimidated easily, nor are they flighty. Their calm demeanor is often mistaken for an inability to see you, but it’s more likely that they are just not all that concerned. Secondly, many moose encounters occur during the fall rut, at a time when moose are active all day and the bulls are especially brave and aggressive. During this testosterone-fueled period, moose are easy to observe during the day, which gives us a sense that they cannot see us. But the rut brings out a “King of the Mountain” attitude in bull moose, which makes an encounter with humans even more of a non-threatening experience for them. They see us. They just don’t care.

Moose also have a finely-tuned sense of smell, which is likely due to the huge olfactory organ in that enormous nose of theirs. And along with a great sense of smell, moose may possess the most sensitive hearing in the north woods. Their satellite dish size ears are extremely sensitive and play a big part in why moose are such vocal animals.

Many of us are excited by the sounds of a bugling bull elk on a distant ridge or by the grunting of a whitetail buck in the November forest, but I feel moose have been vastly underestimated for their vocalizations, especially during the rut. Moose are very vocal animals throughout the year, but especially during the fall rut. The rut is divided into three separate stages, the pre-rut, the rut, and the post-rut. Each stage  requires the use of different techniques to bring a big bull moose in close.

In parts two, three and four of this article, I will explain why, when, and where, moose use different vocalizations, and how you as a hunter can capitalize on this during the three different stages of the rut to get in close with your next trophy bull moose.

Our moose hunts have a very high success rate and book up quickly. If you would like more information on moose hunting with Webber’s Lodges in Manitoba, Canada, please e-mail us at info@webberslodges.com or call us Toll Free at: 1 (888) 932-2377. We would love to hear from you!

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Manitoba Caribou and Moose hunt too good to be true – Part 2

December 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Part two and conclusion of Paul Kimptons Caribou and Moose Combo Hunt with Webber’s Lodges in September 2009.

On September 15th the float plane came to pick us up and take everyone back to Churchill. I did laundry and took a really long shCIMG1115.JPGower knowing that I was leaving the next day for Moose camp. Now I was really excited. I meet Bob the other hunter who was going to hunt with me the next morning and had one of the most exciting float plane rides of my life. Flying into Nowell is a river landing and you fly right down the river at tree level and land right on the river. 
Once we unloaded and sighted in the guns we were off for one of our numerous rides up and down the river, stopping and calling. Because the weather had been so warm hundreds of caribou had moved down into the Nowell area and were making the Moose spooky. The moose were not answering any calls as it was hot and they were not interested. The rut had to happen sometime so we kept our spirits high with optimism. Each morning we would see cows but no bull moose. Finally on my last full day we spotted two nice trophy bulls and two cows just up the river from where we had started that morning. 
The guide quickly pulled the boat over to the opposite bank and I got out for a very exciting stalk. I ranged the bull at 380 yards and wanted to get closer. I got my shooting stick set for a kneeling shot and started off keeping low and quiet. I constantly ranged the bulls and the cows watching the distance getting shorter each time. The two cows and one bull began moving off into the willow trees for the day but one bull stayed behind. I knew he would follow shortly so made one last range check and it was now 270 yards. This was it. All the practice, videos, hunting shows and dreams were coming down to this moment. I said to myself, "Oh lord don’t let me mess up." I knelt down put the cross hairs on him for 270 yards, and took a shot.  Paul-Moose-09.jpg
The moisture flew off the hide when the bullet hit him and that big Bull Moose began to sway back and forth. I thought; don’t stop shooting until it goes down, although the one shot probably would have done.  Several more shots and it was over. I was speechless. I heard the boat start up and knew they had watched and were coming to get me. After a quick trip across the river I had my first moose ever. Remember the coolers; well they were definitely not going home empty.  
The next day while we were waiting for the plane, Bob the other hunter went out on the porch of the cabin and would you believe that a bull moose was walking right down the river bank to the cabin. The rut had started. We took pictures and video of the Moose to prove it, wow. 
We flew back to Churchill, Bob flew on to Winnipeg and I took the train with all the caribou and moose meat along with the antlers on the train. What a great time.  The train was full of hunters and guides and we stayed up most of the night talking and socializing. 
Be sure you take the train it will save you tons of shipping and you will have a great time seeing the country from the train. I look back at my pictures and believe that dreams do come true with the proper planning and outfitters. Thanks Webbers for making my dreams come true.

Paul Kimpton – Illinois 

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