Moose Deer, — Alces Americana. 67 



you m&h. to see them previous to sbooting them in their " yard," it is neces- 

 sary to make your approach to leeward, as their sense of smelling and 

 hearing is very acute ; the crack of a twig will start them, and they are 

 seldom seen any more, until fatigue compels them to knock up, and thus 

 ends the chase. Their pace is a long trot. It is necessary to have two or 

 three small curs (the smaller the better), as they can run upon the snow 

 without breaking through the crust ; their principal use is to annoy the 

 moose by barking and snapping at their heels, without taking hold. A 

 large dog that would take hold would be instantly trampled to death. The 

 males generally stop, if pressed, and fight with the dogs ; this enables the 

 hunter to come up unobserved and despatch them. Sometimes they are 

 killed after a run of an hour, at other times you may run them all day, and 

 have to camp at night without a morsel of provisions or a cloak, as every- 

 thing is let go the moment the moose starts, and you are too much fatigued 

 to retrace your steps to procure them. Your only resource is to make a 

 huge fire, and comfort yourself upon the prospect of plenty of moose-meat 

 next day. As soon as the animal finds he is no longer pm^sued, he lies 

 down, and the next morning he will be too stiff to travel far. Generally, a 

 male, female, and two fawns are found in a ' yard.' 



" When obliged to run, the male goes first, breaking the way, the 

 others treading exactly in his track, so that you would think only one has 

 passed. Often they run through other ' yards,' when all join together, still 

 going in Indian file. Sometimes, when meeting with an obstacle they can- 

 not overcome, they are obliged to branch off for some distance and again 

 unite ; by connecting the different tracks at the place of separation you 

 may judge pretty correctly of their number. I have seen twelve together, 

 and killed seven of them. 



"A method of hunting this animal is as follows : 



" In September, two persons in a bark canoe paddle by moonlight along 

 the shore of the lake, imitating the call of the male, which, jealous of the 

 approach of a stranger, answers to the call and rushes down to the combat. 

 The canoe is paddled by the man in the stern w^ith the most death-like 

 silence, gliding along under the shade of the forest until within short shooting 

 distance, as it is difficult to take a sure aim by moonlight ; the man in the 

 bow generally fires, when if the animal is only wounded, he makes imme- 

 diately for shore, dashing the water about him into foam ; he is tracked by 

 his blood the next day to where he has laid down, and where he is generally 

 found unable to proceed any further. Many are killed in this manner in 

 the neighbourhood of Moose River every season. 



" Hunters sometimes find out the beaten tracks of the moose (generally 

 loading to the water), and bend down a sapling and attach to it a strong 

 hempen noose hanging across the path, while the tree is confined by another 

 cord and a sort of trigger. Should the animal's head pass through the 

 dangling snare, he generally makes a struggle which disengages the trigger, 

 and the tree springing upward to its perpendicular, lifts the beast ofl his 

 logs, and he is strangled !" 



