To complete my Super Ten in hunting I need to get a moose and a mountain goat. I’m ashamed to report that even though I’ve lived in Alaska for over 3 years, I haven’t taken a moose yet. I’ve been moose hunting, helped skin and pack several moose, and helped buddies on their hunts, but I’ve been denied the experience for myself. In my defense, a lot of my energy goes into Dall sheep hunting. However, this is going to be my year for the moose!
I’ve started preparing myself already even though it’s January now. My buddies have donated their maps and advice, and also their hunting videos. One of these hunting videos I found very interesting. At first, I started to laugh at it, but it became more and more fascinating as I realized that it just might be awesome. It is titled, Calling Trophy Moose and produced by Hunter’s Specialties. It is specifically, as the title hints, about calling in moose. It mainly takes place in British Columbia, not Alaska, but the calling tips are world class.
The guide in the video uses one main call. It’s a large fiberglass horn. He can make all the bull moose grunts and calls through it; as well as the cow moose calls, but what amazed me were the other uses I would never have known for the horn. He used the horn to scrap against trees and scrub to simulate a moose raking its horns against the same substances with surprising similar sounds.
The horn was used to simulate a cow peeing by pouring water into it, and the most obvious, yet something I would never had tried, was using the horn as a hearing amplifier. The moose call was the most versatile I’ve even seen. I’m not a big call guy. I use calls for birds, but I’ve never had much luck calling deer or elk. I’ve tried various ones, but either I’m not good at it, or I just get my animal too soon to worry about it. However, watching the guy in the video work his art with only one tool was amazing.
The video was a decent hunting video as well. It not only showed how to call, but featured several shots of calling in moose and a couple of decent moose hunts. I’d recommend it to someone who was serious about moose hunting. The best thing it did for me was bring calling to the forefront of the planning portion of my trophy moose hunt. I know I won’t be going anywhere without a fiberglass moose horn. Those babies are serious business!
