Vol. LXXXIX NOVEMBER. 1919 No, 11 
MOOSE AND THE WAY TO CALL THEM 
THE EVANESCENT SPIRIT OF FROSTY MORNINGS AND THE DIM LIGHT OF PINE 
SCENTED WOODS SUMMON THE MOOSE CALLER TO THE DELECTABLE NORTH COUNTRY 
By H. A. P. SMITH, Vice-President, Nova Scotia Guide's Association 
M y first remembrance of moose call- 
in®: tvas some thirty-four years ago 
and at that time tlie art of suc- 
cessfully calling or enticing a bull moose 
to come out of the thick woods and ex- 
pose himself within rifle-range in the 
open, by the coaxing imitation of a cow 
moose through a birch bark horn was 
supposed to be beyond the power of the 
V. bite man and only practised by the lied- 
man. We called the Indian guides 
hunters in those days. The more 
modern term guide has only been 
used in the Province of Nova 
Scotia in recent years. 
How well I remember my first 
moO'C-calling trip. The procedure 
in th jse days and which still exists 
to a large e.xtent, v.’as to sit upon the 
top of the highest granite boulder 
in the vicinit3’ while youi- Indian 
hunrer stood up and after first 
clearing his throat, began to grunt 
in imitation of a bull mcose, fol- 
lowing with the cow call. .Vs likely 
as net he nulled away at a refrac- 
tory pipe between calls, while you 
listened for the answer. If the an- 
swering '-runt of a bull rewarded 
ids efTcrts there was at onee a gen- 
eral scramble t > take cover and 
noise enough to frighten the bold- 
est moose that ever roamed the 
I forest. Then, when the bull stop- 
ped to listen, the Indian held his 
call down to the .ground and turned 
1 away from the quarry v.’hile he 
called softly in a low, ,igcnizing 
wail, unlike anything on earth or 
sea. 
We were all taught this manner 
I of moose calling by the Redman 
I and many so-called “callers” prac- 
tise this method at the present 
time. Do I hear some moose hunter 
remark: “What is the matter with it?” 
Common sense will answer j'cur ques- 
tion if only j’ou reason a little. Did 
you ever know of a cow moose climb- 
ing up on a granite rock to call, and 
then when she heard the answer she 
longed for, turn her back and stick 
her nose in the moss and whine? Per- 
sonally I have known it to liappen 
manj’ times that a hull would sneak up 
and peek out at the caller, turn about 
and sneak awajg or run and tear through 
the woods in fright. To illustrate: Some 
j’ears ago my Indian was standing upon 
the top of a granite rock, about twenty 
feet high, calling, while I stood on the 
ground with my back against the boulder, 
listening, and enjojdng the beautiful sun- 
rise and longing for its rays to reach 
my position and v.-arm the blood in my 
veins, for it was very frostja 
A slight sound caused me to turn my 
head and there about a hundred yards 
away were the head and antlers of a big 
bull. He was intentlj' watching my In- 
dian and snuffing the air, trying to get 
the scent. I made a quick motion to get 
m>’ rifle and in an instant and without 
the slightest noise, my moose had dis- 
appeared. A farewell glimpse of his 
round quarters as he trotted into a dis- 
tant swamp was all I ever got of him! 
The first thing the modern moose-caller 
looks for now, when selecting a 
place to call, is a spot where he 
can look in ail directions without 
being- seen by a sneaking bull. My 
friend, W. N. Boylston, of Prince- 
ton, Mass., a noted big game hunter 
and one of the very best callers I 
have ever hunted with, is excep- 
tionally particular about his blind. 
There is a saying among our guides 
when chiding anjmr.e for being too 
particular that “you are as fussy 
as Nick Boylston building a moose 
blind.” 
L et us suppose it is late Sep- 
tember or early October and 
yo-.i and j-our guide are in the 
forest of Nova Scotia after moose. 
The westerly breeze which sprang 
up at noon is now dying out in 
puffs. The maple leaves no longer 
rustle, only those of the poplar are 
now making any fuss. .Always the 
last to go to sleep are they and 
when you can detect no sign of life 
in them it is assuredlj’^ dead calm. 
Let us walk out to our care- 
fully prepared blind as we have 
finished our cold supper. No fire 
have we made to boil the kettle, 
not wishing to scent the country 
with smoke. Here we are. Do you 
notice these bushes and small trees 
whore the bark is rubbed off, and the 
small limbs tvvisted and broken? These 
are “hookings.” Now just note how fresh 
thej’ lock. The air lias not yet turned 
the bare spots brown. They are fresh, 
and a bull has been here not more than 
a few hourk ago. "We are right among 
The bull strides into the open and his reckoning is up 
