354 



THE VANISHING MOOSE. 



snow, when the surface has melted and refrozen 

 hard enough to support a man on snow-shoes. 

 The heavy moose of course cuts through, and 

 is soon exhausted by phmging, and his legs are 

 terribly lacerated, so that he can be safely ap- 

 proached and killed with an ax. In this way 

 the lumbermen slaughter numbers of them for 

 their meat, and even more are killed every year 

 for their hides by the Indians and half-breeds. 

 One Indian on the Ottawa killed twenty in 

 the spring of 1 89 1 . The law is apparently help- 

 less to prevent this indiscriminate destruction, 

 and in fact does little except annoy sportsmen, 

 who as a rule kill very few, and then only bulls 

 and in the proper season. If this hunting in 

 the deep snow could be severely punished, 

 and the law enforced in Canada and Maine, 

 the natural increase would fully compensate 

 for those killed by other methods; but it is use- 

 less to expect this amount of foresight among 

 legislators until, as was the case with the buf- 

 falo, there is no game left to protect. 



Maine and New Brunswick need a long, close 

 season like that in force in Ontario, until the 

 number ofmoose increases again. This,if rigidly 

 enforced, would be effective to preserve them 

 for a time at least. 



No true sportsman would kill a bull in sum- 

 mer, or a cow at any time, except in case of 

 actual need of food, and then only when no deer 

 or other game could be had. The antlers at that 

 season are in the velvet, and useless to mount, 

 and the skins are of little value as rugs. Still, 

 many are shot on the borders of the lakes and 

 rivers while feeding on the roots of the water- 

 lily. 



" Jacking," or " floating," for moose is seldom 

 practised, from the difliculty found in getting 

 close enough to flash the light on the game. 

 Deer will stand and watch a light until they see 

 the boat or scent its occupants, but in the case 

 of moose a light would drive them back into the 

 bush. So a lantern fastened to the hat, and pro- 

 vided with a powerful reflector and quick-work- 

 ing slide, is used. Generally the animal can be 

 located from his splashing in the water near the 

 shore as he tears up the roots of the water-lily, 

 his favorite food. He can be ver)' closely ap- 

 proached by listening carefully and advanc- 

 ing only when his head is underwater. When 

 very near, the lantern is flashed suddenly on him, 

 and a shot fired at the same moment. The light 

 must be instantly extinguished, and the canoe 

 drawn noiselessly back ; otherwise a charge will 

 instantly follow, probably with fatal results to 

 one or both hunters. If, however, the animal 

 hears or sees nothing after the flash and report, 

 he retires to the bank, and attributes his wound 

 to some unknown agency. If disturbed again, 

 he will fight, or run for miles without stopping. 

 If left alone, he will not go far, and can be easily 



trailed in the morning, when he will be found 

 stiff and weak from the loss of blood. 



" Calling " is a perfectly legitimate but rather 

 lazy way of hunting, practised in September, 

 chiefly in Maine and New Brunswick. The long 

 call of the cow is imitated by the Indian guide 

 at night with the aid of a birch trumpet, and 

 the cry repeated at intervals until answered by 

 the bull. Great caution is then necessary to 

 prevent giving alarm, and sometimes most of 

 the night is passed by the bull in circling around 

 the supposed cow to catch the wind. It is ex- 

 citing, and requires strong nerves and a steady 

 hand, for the bull is very close before he can 

 be seen clearly enough to afford a good mark, 

 and he sometimes charges if only wounded. 



By far the noblest way for a real sportsman 

 to secure a set of anders is the still-hunt. It re- 

 quires strength and nerve, and calls into play 

 great knowledge of woodcraft and of the habits 

 of the quarry. None but a true hunter is capa- 

 ble of the persistency needed, and the result is 

 in proportion to his patience and shooting quali- 

 ties. After locating his camp in a good moose 

 country, the hunter first carefully inspects the 

 neighborhood for moose-signs. This is done by 

 taking a wide circle, crossing over the tops of the 

 hardwood ridges, if there are any, to find indi- 

 cations of a yard. Tliey do not, properly speak- 

 ing, yard up until the deep snow comes; but 

 immediately after the rutting season they appear 

 to locate the future yard, and to frequent the vi- 

 cinity. Like all other deer, early in September 

 they leave the watercourses and lakes and re- 

 tire to the hills. In winter the yards often cover 

 several acres, and have beaten paths radiating 

 in every direction. The snow is trampled, and 

 the twigs are cropped close. The smaller sap- 

 lings are ridden down, and the tops and bark 

 torn off". A yard usually contains a family — 

 an old bull, sometimes a half-grown bull, and 

 several cows and yearlings. At times several 

 such groups yard together. 



Throughout the following summer, and often 

 much longer, the evidences of an old moose- 

 yard are easily seen in the mutilated condition 

 of the branches and bark, and sometimes, but 

 rarely, by the presence of a single ander-blade, 

 cast off" in midwinter. It is very strange that 

 horns are found so seldom, especially in yards ; 

 but the truth is, almost as soon as dropped they 

 are eaten by mice and other small rodents 

 which abound in the woods. 



Another excellent plan to find moose-signs 

 in the early fall before the freezing of the small 

 waters is to examine the edges of the ponds or 

 marshes in abandoned beaver meadows, where 

 the moose come at night to drink or wade in 

 the mud. As soon as a fresh track is located, 

 and followed for a short distance until his gen- 

 eral route is clear, the hunters are satisfied for 



