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_Habits Haunts and Anecdotes
of
The Moose
and
Illustrations from Life_
_By Burt Jones_
_Founder of the National Sportsman_
To
E. A. D.
This volume is respectfully dedicated.
Copyrighted, 1901,
By
CHARLES ALBERT JONES.
Press of
ALFRED MUDGE & SON,
Boston.
Edition de Luxe.
ONE THOUSAND SIGNED COPIES.
No. 812
Signed by Burt Jones
[Illustration: YOUNG BULL MOOSE NEAR RUSSELL POND.
(West Branch Waters.)
Photographed from Life.]
NOTE TO THE READER.
I wish to extend to the following well-known sportsmen my sincere thanks
for their kindness in contributing to the illustrated section of this
volume: Mr. G. E. Harrison, of the New York Press Club; Dr. O. H. Stevens,
Marlboro, Mass.; Messrs. Harry L. and Louis O. Tilton, Newton, Mass.; Mr.
George M. Houghton, Bangor, Maine; and Mr. John E. Barney, Canaan, N. H.,
who secured the photographs facing pages 55, 61, 83, and 127, the one
opposite page 55 deserving special mention, as, in my estimation, it is the
finest photograph of live cow moose and calves in existence.
The entire collection is copyrighted, and any infringement on the same will
be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
PREFACE.
"This is the forest primeval." "It is my home." So spoke the moose. Suffice
it is to say, that a prize trophy over one's fireplace is an object to be
admired by one and all. It brings you back to a last hunting trip, and well
do you remember, as you gaze thereon, what a chase it had led you in life,
through bog and alder swamp, until at last an opportunity presented itself
whereby the deadly missile from your rifle sends him to his death. As the
blue rings of smoke from your brier pipe float up and away, you are carried
in thought to the North Woods wherein he roamed. There he lived, a monarch
of all he surveyed. The excitement of the chase, while it is on, knows no
bounds, but at the death it subsides, and you return to civilization to
recall the event only when the time arrives that another pilgrimage to the
happy hunting grounds is in order. On the other hand, you find him as a
subject for your camera. An excellent one, too. Exiled in his domain for a
few weeks and a wealth of enjoyment is yours, as, during the long winter
evenings, you may open your album and see him before you as he was in
life. The smoke from the same pipe will float up and away, and you can for
a moment realize what a happy pastime you have enjoyed while a guest of
Dame Nature in the Haunts of the Moose.
TO HIS LORDSHIP.
"Deep in the silent forest, where oft I've chanced to roam,
The monarch moose inhabits, it is his woodland home;
By silent lake at morning, by logan, calm at night,
Majestic stands his lordship, stands motionless in sight.
The north wind to him is music, the tall pines are his friends,
The rivers madly rushing, o'er the rocks and round the bends,
Seems to him a heavenly blessing, seems to him the work above
Of a kind and thoughtful Father, and His beings He doth love."
[Illustration: BULL MOOSE IN BLACK POND.
(West Branch Waters.)
Photographed from Life.]
CHAPTER I.
HABITS AND HAUNTS. SECTIONS WHERE FOUND. STILL HUNTING.
CALLING. POSSIBLE EXTERMINATION.
Throughout the vast depths of the northern forests, bordered by the virgin
growth of a trackless wilderness, often with an imperial fringe of
timber-crowned hills, lives the moose. He is the largest, as well as the
most highly prized, live game animal extant to-day on the American
continent. Formerly, this species was very abundant throughout the region
of country extending from the wilds of Northern Maine westward through the
wilderness bordering on the Great Lakes and far beyond; but great havoc has
been wrought, especially during the past twenty-five years, in the supply
of this variety of game.
Comparatively few are killed annually in the United States, and those
mostly within the limits of Northern Maine and the States of the far
Northwest, where the pernicious activity of the professional hunters and
self-styled sportsmen, who kill the large beasts during the prevalance of
deep snows, will, if not checked, bring the moose into the list of extinct
species of American game before the close of another decade.
No animal is so persistently hunted, and when killed, none considered so
grand a trophy as his lordship. Owing to the comparatively small section of
this country that he inhabits they are few in number, the Maine and
Canadian wildernesses sheltering by far more moose than any other section.
What few specimens found in far-off Alaska are world beaters in regard to
size of body and spread of antlers, one having been shot in that territory
whose horns measured over eight feet from tip to tip.
The best breeding and feeding grounds are along the Canadian border, while
favorite localities for the sportsmen are in the vicinity of lakes, ponds,
and dead waters throughout the aforementioned sections.
In appearance the moose is large and awkward; its huge head and broad
nose, combined with its short, thick neck, giving it a rather grotesque
appearance. In color, he is brown, while his legs and belly are grayish.
His mane is almost black, and at any approaching danger rises upward,
making him a most formidable foe to look upon.
The moose travels over the ground in a swinging trot, exhibiting remarkable
speed. This style of locomotion is adopted only when the animal is suddenly
started. If the presence of man is detected, while the hunter is yet some
distance away, the moose moves off with considerable caution, often
selecting a course which the follower can pursue only with the greatest
difficulty.
[Illustration: COW MOOSE ON BLACK POND.
(West Branch Waters.)
Photographed from Life.]
The endurance of the animal is such that only the hardiest of hunters can
hope to overtake him in a stern chase when he has once become alarmed. The
broad, palmate antlers are a distinguishing feature, and happy is the
hunter who can boast the possession of a head as a trophy taken from an
animal killed by himself. While few are successful in this respect the
greater majority must be content with perhaps a view of his lordship at a
distance.
Still hunting, or stalking the moose in his native wilds, is a branch of
sport successfully followed by none except the skilled woodsmen and hardy
hunter. The fatigue and countless obstacles to be met with are such that
comparatively few amateur sportsmen attempt it. More frequently the animal
is driven to the water by the guides and woodsmen, or attracted to such
localities by calling.
In Northern Maine and in the Canadian Provinces, the moose is often hunted
during early winter by pursuing him on snow-shoes. Jacking is often
effectively followed in mid-summer, along the lakes and rivers. This method
is considered unsportsmanlike by those who possess the requisite skill and
endurance to adopt the style of still hunting.
In size and weight he exceeds that of the horse, specimens having been shot
that weighed over twelve hundred pounds and stood seven and one-half feet
to the shoulder.
[Illustration: COW MOOSE IN HARRINGTON LAKE.
(West Branch Waters.)
Photographed from Life.]
In the summer he is to be seen feeding in and near the streams on the lily
roots, of which he is exceedingly fond. This is the time of year that he is
easily approached from a canoe as he stands, with head submerged, eating
that dainty morsel. The black flies, at this season, are also to a great
extent responsible for his taking to the water, as any of my readers who
have had a few of these insects on them at one time usually feel disposed
to follow his example in their endeavor to rid themselves of this pest.
As winter approaches he leaves the lakes and streams, forming a yard or
runway by passing to and fro, beating a track, and keeping the snow packed
down hard. These runways are always located where there is good feed to be
had from young hardwood trees, such as the moosewood (a species of ash),
also poplar, birch, and mosses near at hand. He does not feed from the
ground, and, owing to the great height of his forelegs, he can reach from
eight to ten feet to secure his food. Nor are all these twigs tender, for
his lordship makes short work of biting off a sapling an inch through if it
is to his liking.
Moose bring forth their young in May. Two calves are born, as a rule,
though sometimes not more than one. The calf stays with the mother at least
a year, and often two. While the cow moose is a timid animal, she is brave
in defending her young. A story told by a trustworthy Indian guide
illustrates this point.
While paddling on Chesuncook Lake, one day, the guide saw a cow moose and
a calf come down the bank and enter the water. He watched them until they
had waded some distance from shore, when his attention was arrested by
another animal coming out of the woods near them. It was a black bear. The
bear was not seen by the cow. He slipped easily into the water and waded
towards the cow and calf. Presently he got beyond his depth, his legs being
much shorter than even a calf moose's, and therefore had to swim. He swam
directly for the calf, and was rapidly nearing it when the cow saw him. The
ungainly beast turned with remarkable quickness towards the bear, whom she
attacked with her fore feet. Three or four sharp jabs with her pointed
hoofs was enough to insure the protection of her offspring, with whom she
soon left the water. The bear appeared to be _hors de combat_, and the
guide paddled up to him, to find that his back had been broken by the
powerful blows of the cow. The Indian dispatched the bear with his knife
and saved the pelt.
In size and strength the bull moose is probably the equal of any antlered
animal that ever lived, one having been shot in Maine with a spread of over
six feet. He sheds these splendid antlers every winter, generally in
January. They are found sometimes by woodsmen, but usually are gnawed and
eaten up by small animals as soon as dropped, as they have a salty flavor
that makes them palatable to squirrels, sable, and the like.
Owing to the color of his coat, it is hard to detect a moose sometimes in
"black growth," that is, spruce or hemlock, for his upper part is brownish
black, and his legs tone off into gray or yellowish white. The shanks are
esteemed by residents of the woods country for making boots or "shoepacks,"
the hair being left on and turned outward. Such foot covering lasts
indefinitely and sheds water perfectly. The hoof is peculiarly flexible,
and divided farther, for example, than in the case of the ox. This enables
him to walk easily on slippery surfaces, and through bogs, by spreading the
hoofs. It is said that he can pass through a swamp where a man would become
foundered, while the speed with which he passes over moss-grown boulders,
or masses of blown-down trees, is remarkable.
It is most discouraging, after tracking your game for hours at a time, to
finally have to give it up on account of darkness setting in. Lighting your
pipe, you retrace your steps to camp and await the coming of the morrow,
when the routine of the previous day is gone over. It is the quiet, careful
man who succeeds in tracking, as the breaking of a twig or the brushing of
one's coat against a tree will jump your game, and in his fright he travels
many miles before stopping.
He is an exceptionally keen-scented animal, and mark you well as to the
general direction of the wind before leaving camp, as to work along with it
is fatal. Miles before you have seen him he smells you and immediately
increases the distance from his would-be foe.
[Illustration: TWIN MOOSE CALVES, THREE DAYS OLD.
(Taken at the Headwaters of the Liverpool River, Nova Scotia.)
Photographed from Life.]
When the rutting season is at its height, along about the first of October,
and the days warm, another method of moose-hunting is brought into
play,--that of imitating the call of the cow with a birch horn about
eighteen inches in length. There are many expert moose-callers in Maine and
the Canadian Provinces, though they have by no means a monopoly of this
accomplishment. The sound is most peculiar, and can only be acquired by
long practice. The most expert callers are those who have taken lessons
from nature,--that is, have been close to a female moose when she was
calling the male. At least one in three of the Maine guides can call
moose. With his birch horn, and seated beside some lake on a quiet evening,
he sends back into the forest or across some shallow logan the weird
"woo-oo-oo, woo-woo-oo" of the cow moose calling the bull. If there be a
bull within hearing he will respond with a deep grunt. He will then tear
along through the woods in the direction of the call, and perhaps splash
out with a great noise into the shallow water where he expects to find a
mate answering his amorous advances.
Ordinarily the moose is a silent animal, being very careful not to make a
noise. Old guides have said that in spite of his great spread of horns he
will pass quietly through a thick growth. Generally, if seen in summer at
the edge of a lake or stream, he slips noiselessly into the woods, but when
the rutting season begins he casts his discretion to the winds and responds
to the call of the cow with noisy disregard of consequences. He is also
quarrelsome at such times, and should another bull happen to trespass on
what he considers his territory there may be trouble. The rutting season is
generally over by the first week in October, and the bulls will not answer
the calls after that, unless the weather should hold very warm. Most guides
claim that during the rutting season the bulls have a wide range, but that
the cows remain in one neighborhood.
While yarded moose are very methodical in their habits: they have,
however, a single eye to one object, the detection of any intruder,
therefore it is only by a knowledge of their habits that they can be
approached by the hunter. It is their keen sense of hearing and smell that
are to be guarded against, for as a rule, when the animal can see the
hunter, he can also see the moose, and his capture becomes simply a
question of marksmanship. It is certainly a unique sport and has few
successful aspirants.
Of the two, still hunting is usually the more successful and the greater
number of moose are secured in that way. In the late fall, the coming of
the first snow doubles one's chances of success as every step of the animal
is shown. In tracking he usually goes through the worst places possible for
him to find, which adds to one's discomfort and lessens one's chances of a
shot.
[Illustration: BULL MOOSE SWIMMING MUSQUOCOOK LAKE.
(St. John Waters.)
Photographed from Life.]
Nature has bestowed upon him methods of passing through underbrush or
blowdowns silently where a man in following makes a noise ten times as
loud. The very silence of the forest is noisy. The wind whistling through
the tree-tops, the bushes grating against one another, both contribute to
make noise.
Those of my readers who have heard the low, weird grunt of the bull moose,
and have listened to the music of the crashing of the underbrush as he
forces his way through in answer to the melancholy and drawn-out bellow of
the cow, will understand full well when I say that it cannot be described,
but must be heard to be appreciated, and is certainly worth all the
hardships it entails to be listened to only once.
I remember well of a time that my guide called from the edge of a lake at
sunset, and received an answer from a large bull on a mountain a mile or
two away, where we could hear him coming nearer and nearer as the moments
wore on. After a half hour had elapsed he had reached the other side of the
lake, and was so close that we did not dare to repeat the call for fear he
would detect the artificial from the natural. He did not venture nearer,
and as it was too dark to see him across the lake, we returned to camp, but
that fifteen minutes will live long in my memory.
To hunt moose successfully one must "rough it," and sleep without a fire,
as the best time to hunt is at sunset and daylight, and with their keen
sight and scent a fire means no moose.
In his visits to the Maine woods half a century ago, Thoreau made copious
notes about the moose, which was then slaughtered indiscriminately, by
Indians and others, for their hides. This slaughter, which could not be
called hunting, shocked the gentle naturalist from Concord, who made the
prediction that "the moose will, perhaps, some day become extinct, and
exist only as a fossil relic." This may be true, but the animal has
judicial friends, and so long as they protect him, it does not appear as if
the moose could become extinct from slaughter. Indeed, it is claimed that
as many if not more moose are to be found now than fifty years ago.
[Illustration: LARGE BULL MOOSE ON MUD POND BROOK.
(West Branch Waters.)
Photographed from Life. Time exposure.]