"I went hunting in Siberia. Beauty, great.
I'm not a hunter myself, but I enjoyed watching.
I even tried blowing a horn to beckon a deer.
He did not react to real hunters, and I, apparently,
portrayed such a frivolous opponent that he immediately
responded and decided to come to me for battle.

Arkady Rotenberg October 2014

Moose hunting for wabu, roar, moan with a Professional
Some features of manna hunting for large ungulates

Andrey Shalygin: Continuing the theme of autumn elk hunting for wabu, for groaning, for roaring, for rutting ... In short, we, in principle, have already found out that according to the new hunting rules in Russia, elk hunting is divided into three periods:

• moose hunting (adult males on the roar) allowed from September 1 to September 30;
• elk hunting (all sex and age groups by paddock) is open from October 1 to December 31;
• elk hunting (under 1 year old) is open from 1 January to 15 January.

Wherein moose hunting from ambush (from ambush) is absent in Russia, while it is available in almost all developed countries, as hunting is sufficiently selective and selective when the hunter is able to predict in advance the hunt for a certain animal (using photo recorders on solonetzes, in general, it is possible to predict almost 100% selective selection and hunting time). Before shooting on such a hunt, the shooter has time to determine what he is shooting at and where he is shooting. The safety here is the highest, the harm to nature is minimal. But there is simply no such hunting in Russia. I can vabit, I can chase the beast, but I can’t sit in an ambush (although, a vaba is always practically an ambush + mana).

Hunting for a roar - the most spectacular, the most correct, the most honest. If the moose did not go to the hunter on his own, then at least the moose remained intact, and no one has the right to pursue anyone. If the hunter does not know how to beckon, and the elk is not ready for sparring with the enemy, then the hunt will not take place. At the same time, the hunter, as a rule, first moves, searches, walks, beckons (or sits in a predetermined place and beckons). And the elk, in the end, approaches the hunter himself, and if something goes wrong, everything goes in favor of the elk. The time of such a hunt is limited by the terms of the roar and requires the hunter to have excellent knowledge of the habits of the beast and its location. The chances of the beast are very high, and hunting is truly sporting. This is the right hunt, if you exclude electronic decoys.

Elk hunting on Wabu with a bow - VIDEO - Part 2

At the same time, immediately after the roar, the most stupid, primitive, indiscriminate and wrecking, but the most massive and permitted hunting in Russia opens in Russia - Moose hunting by paddock. Immediately after the elk hunt for a roar (September 1-30), it begins, about which we have already told everything in full detail more than once. This is already a rather stupid hunt, when people and dogs drive all living things from the forest to numbers (clearings, fields, in narrowness ...), where the shooting starts foolishly and in a hurry on everything that is bursting from the beaters, otherwise (and how rule) and by neighbors, beaters and dogs. Nothing more stupid and unprofessional is simply impossible to come up with. The disturbance factor for all living things in the forest is maximum, and the action as a whole resembles the hunting of the Papuans, although it is much more stupid, since among the Papuans the beater and the hunter, as a rule, play an active role. In the Russian pen, hunting is primarily focused on a sucker or a huckster sitting on a chair, no sport except for the race of dogs and rangers (often on snowmobiles and ATVs). At the same time, the elk has no chance except for the accident and stupidity of the beaters, and the habitats of the entire hunting area are disturbed, all animals receive massive stress on the whole area of ​​the hunting grounds, and whether the elk will remain further in this place is a huge question. As a rule, no. But, paradoxically, this hunt is the most common in Russia, and we still wonder why we don’t have enough elk.

So of all types of elk hunting - Roar hunting is the only right one. Therefore, we are talking about it not for the first time and in sufficient detail, as about an honorable and real hunt.

Attention! Let me tell you straight away that every roaring season in every vast hunting area there is a situation when you hunt a elk on a waba, and at this time you are hunted by a roaring wolves or a bear. There are a lot of predators now (up to five times the optimal number), and last year we twice observed a bear hunting a wader, and this year a pack of wolves were directed at us by a pack of wolves at a moose moo. So attentiveness and escort to the roar by a huntsman with a firearm for an archer will definitely not be superfluous.

We have already written a lot about waba hunting, for example. we have already figured it out. Moreover, similar to it, including the bow, we dismantled it quite fully, as well as itself in general.

In principle, in two parts of the VIDEO, I outlined all the main features of elk hunting for wabu, including the features of hunting for a roar with a bow (including deer). So the article describes for the most part what was not included in the VIDEO.

Now a lot of people write about hunting for a roar, and we also put simple manuals for making a waba (although the palms will do), however, in all these materials there is no main thing - "vocabulary" ... Make a waba from birch bark or a can, - a bad deed is not tricky, just like using electronic decoys (well, if there is nothing to do, then you can buy a store-bought Jericho pipe). You don't need much mind. Basically, all normal hunters beckon with their hands, and there is no need to invent anything extra here, unless, of course, this is an elk and not a red deer.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that all store "pipes" are such in timbre that a small elk from such urges will only scatter into the farthest corners of swamps and inconveniences.

The whole secret of manna hunting lies in the "vocabulary" and "ability to speak" in the language of animals, and not at all in what kind of decoy to buy, or where to get the record. But the art of the tracker is an important part of the secret of this hunt. But now, who knows a lot - hardly takes a lot of pictures.

So it turns out that mostly articles about manna hunting- either completely "idle talk", rewritten "based on" by a person who does not understand anything at all, or a solid advertisement of something that, in principle, cannot work by definition, but needs to be sold, or a fleeting idea is accompanied by some random photograph, completely having nothing to do with the text, which completely discredits the very idea. That's how you take everything - and nothing.

No, of course, if you download the elk mana program in the Android Market, then you will even find the sound of a pissing elk there, which is easy to reproduce even without a smartphone by emptying a bottle of water, but hunting wisdom is not limited to this at all.

Elk hunting for Wabu (for a roar, for a groan) with a professional huntsman

Pheromones for moose, flavors for moose, odorous baits for moose are produced by many manufacturers, and even in Russia (ask Miroslav Madejski - he will tell you), or you can buy a branded line at any exhibition, or even a "weapon" line (Remington produces, etc. .)

The first yellow leaf fell off the birch and fell on the green grass. A neighbor who is not a hunter asked a strange question: When do moose have a rut? I will reply in September. And what mushrooms went? I ask a counter question.
No, what mushrooms? The neighbor replies slyly.

Late August, early September, the forest begins to give gifts in the form of mushrooms and berries. People are looking for free time to break into the forest for a quiet hunt. Someone boasts of a successful trip, and someone, like my neighbor, is trying to hide his glue spot, his next trip to the forest, like a good fisherman. But he has already said the key word. GON! So, I heard the moose and it's time for me to pack up, go check my own, and not only mushroom places.

How long has it been since the first time I saw a moose? The son has long outgrown that age. Probably the forest giant fascinated me at that first meeting. That I'm chasing him now from year to year. Starting from the end of August and ending now on December 31st. Likes, paddocks, approaches, how many were there? But waba hunting is in the first place, it is with it that the elk hunting season begins. It is now in the era of the information revolution and the Internet there are no problems, I climbed into the search engine and found the answer to the right question with all the comments, explanations and video frames. It would be a little experience to be able to separate the advertising dust and outright nonsense from the real art of waba hunting. Here I will try to tell about my experience of this hunt in this short article. Maybe he will help young hunters discard most of the unnecessary information, which abounds in the vastness of the worldwide web.

Let's start in order with the neighbor's question. Did the moose start rutting at the end of August. I dare say in the central strip, namely the Moscow region. Not! Yes, there is a complete preparation of moose for weddings, the bulls begin to spin the bushes, but no more. The horns have not yet grown strong for tournament fights, but they are already itching, you can’t imagine the best simulator like a flexible willow bush and there is a goal and no harm to health.

Photo by Alexey Manannikov

Photo by Alexey Manannikov. Note. - Andrey Shalygin -“Many people talk about the indispensable“ twists ”, someone talks about the typical“ chasing ”combing ... In fact, all this is not so. You yourself stand in the place of the animal and feel it. Hormones begin to boil, he wants to butt, the horns itch ,... it's like an ill-mannered teenager - he walks by, kicks the urn, throws it somewhere with a stone. signs, you can establish not only the "anticipation" of this rut, or the rut itself, but also the age of the animal, its experience, the main one is the groom or "passing along", or even just an "observer" who not only cannot be taken to the wabu - but also on the contrary, he will run away with fear ... "

Photo by Alexey Manannikov

Look at the photo these creases on the willow, characteristic of the elk. During the so-called "rehearsal" how not to raise your voice, that's exactly what they hear, quiet hunters, starting from August. This is a stereotype that the voice of the elk gives only during the rut. The elk uses voice signals all year round, accompanying its life activity with certain sound signals that are probably understandable only to him. There are many of them and some cannot even be repeated.

Personally, I use only three, slightly changing the timbre and frequency, but as the basis of only three signals, this is the mooing of a cow, let's call it "groan", "cough" of a bull is the well-known "okane" and something similar to the "grunt of a horse" out of two three short exhalations and one longer one. This is enough for a successful hunt, we will analyze the signals in more detail below. And now let's get back to what we somehow smoothly moved away from, creases in the bushes and other traces of the elk's stay to determine the exact location and time of the rut. Without this, success cannot be achieved, and if it does, it will be of an accidental nature.

"I omitted the photo of the pine tree, it's not important, but it is indicative. I put a comb against the background of the "comber" himself."

The second sign of the upcoming marriage place is combing on young trees., in this version, a young pine served to cleanse the "velvet" of the horns. The traces of combing have not yet weathered, and amber droplets of resin still shine, telling you about the prescription of this elk rite. Examine this place properly, such lighthouses, you will meet not one or two, pay attention to the grass carpet, whether there are places on the ground trampled down by elk hooves. If you didn’t find and smell a sour smell in this place, then it’s still early, check this clearing in two or three days. You can stay until the evening and listen to the autumn forest, you can even successfully hunt during this period. But I’ll tell you, it’s better not to do this, be patient, everything has its time. Excessive presence and the anxiety associated with it is now inopportune.

Photo by Alexey Manannikov. Note - Andrey Shalygin:"Well, now you know what you need to look for first of all in order to successfully get into the race next time ..."

Moose are looking for a place for the center of their mating ritual, chasing pits! It is she who emits that sour smell that can be felt before you see the knocked-out nickel with the pit itself. Next to it, you can find many nickels of earth bare by elk hooves of different diameters from small 30-40 centimeters to five meters in diameter, as a rule, without recesses.

Photo by Alexey Manannikov

If you have found such a place, congratulations. This is, so to speak, moose current. From year to year it will serve you as a waba hunting theater. Even if it happens that, for some reason, in one autumn you will not find the presence of moose, in one of these places do not forget about it, weddings may resume a year or two later, but in the same place.

Photo by Alexey Manannikov

With the advent of racing pits, the rut enters its final part, the formation of pairs and the holding of cages themselves. In order to interfere with the natural process of choosing the successor of the elk family, I did not recommend a little higher in the text to hunt at the stage of formation of pairs. Such a hunt is not businesslike. This is my opinion and as the opinion of one person it is subjective.

Photo by Alexey Manannikov. Note - Andrey Shalygin:“Here is another sign of a rutting pit - a clear constant “entrance-passage” along the path through the thickets to the rutting pit.Not infrequently, such a clearing is surrounded by a dense forest with shrubs in such a way that you just can’t go out on it, you will certainly go around because of the undergrowth. And the elk breaks through precisely into a secluded place. So you can walk around the chasing pit a hundred times, and you won’t even notice it if you didn’t find the entrance.”

Now we will analyze what we need to carry out this hunt from equipment and equipment. Clothing made of cloth or fleece is the best choice for such an event, the fabric is soft and does not rustle. Hands and feet are the most mobile parts of our body, they will first of all have contact with the vegetation surrounding you in the forest. A branch slipping over your boots at the wrong time can cross out all your work for this evening or morning. Tuck the tops of the boots under the trousers, and the legs are dry and the smell in the nutria. The smell is one of your main enemies and traitors on this hunt, I recommend fighting it with scent baits. There was a time when you had to use the land from the chasing pits, now the industry has stepped forward, gels and sprays have appeared in hunting shops. Do not think that these baits will do all the work for you and pull the beast right to your shot. But they will help you dissolve or beat off your spirit in the forest, and this is very important. Gloves, a baseball cap with a large visor are also a must, they camouflage open, light areas of your hands and face. The mask interferes with vaping, learn to use the visor of the headgear, like a shield, covering your face from an unnecessary look. A knife and a nylon rope are an attribute of any animal hunting and explanations, I think it is not necessary here. My weapon of choice for this hunt is a 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun, an additional inventory, and a flashlight. A thermos of several sandwiches with bacon, a headlamp, matches sealed in polyethylene should definitely find a place in your backpack in case of your unforeseen delay in the forest. Hunting is such a thing...

Photo by Alexey Manannikov. Note - Andrey Shalygin: "This is the son of Alexei sitting on a three-stand - a very relevant option for arranging a place to hunt for a wabu if you know the location of the chasing pit and your skill as a wader is high enough. However, it is much preferable for a bear and a wild boar difficult - one cannot do without an approach. And here, as a rule, all the "experts" immediately turn sour and further "no mu-mu" ... ".

Now about the hunt itself. We let the moose figure out who is who, who is the groom, who is not a bride, and who is just a "party". The couple is on their honeymoon, and our goal is, frankly, the groom. At five o'clock in the evening you have to be at a distance of a kilometer from the intended place of hunting. More races to check your equipment, recharge, and advance to the obviously known clearing. Move slowly with frequent and long stops from time to time at the willow bushes, snort two, three short signals, one last one is longer, something similar is said by a horse. This is the sound masking of your movement. You are not a holy spirit and you are not alone in the forest, they hear you and try to recognize you. Mislead the onlookers, don't scare them. When stopping, listen to the forest, with its sounds it will tell you what is happening and how the situation is changing.

Having reached the predetermined place, directly not far from those very knocked-out nickels, take a position and say the lowing of a cow, not very loudly, so not intrusive and not for a long time.

Pause for 20-30 minutes, wait and listen. You have two scenarios to interest the bull in a new bride for a start is the best option in my opinion. At least he won't scare away the bull on his honeymoon and the second scenario is a new rival. Here you have to be very careful not to scare. You will have to change the scenarios of your hunt according to the situation, analyzing the response of your target to you.

Remember that under no circumstances will a bull leave his bride more than 50 meters or visual control. The undergrowth most often has not yet become bare at this time, and all hunting takes place "shortly". Therefore, I consider it sufficient to use smooth-bore weapons on this hunt. If you didn’t manage to fire a shot before dark, stay until the morning and resume “negotiations” and search for each other in the tall grass and undergrowth that has not fallen down ...

Your patience and endurance will bring you a well-deserved reward. A delicious dinner on the table, with family and friends, and on the wall an elk crown with a parietal bone will always remind you of the heartbeat at the moment when you met with the forest giant in that golden autumn.

Good luck on your hunting trail, see you in the field!

Alexey Manannikov

Andrei Shalygin: Well, I will add two more points on my own, just in case. Do not forget that you are not really alone on the hunt. And if you are lucky, and in the forest in your immediate vicinity there are no modern idiots (either young or already out of their minds in old age) who shoot at the noise (periodically shooting not only fools like themselves, but also random mushroom pickers, and there are especially gifted unique cases when a "hunter" shoots at an underwater hunter, mistaking him for a diving nutria, or a duck (last month there was such a 75-year-old) ...), and also there are no such senile people who, instead of elks are knocked down by a cow, and thus, at times, they completely destroy this chasing pit as a place for future rendezvous ... But this does not mean that you are in the forest and in this case alone ...

Even if you have adjusted the tristand and gone out of need, it is not a fact that upon your return it will not be occupied by the one you were looking for. This is about the safety of the tristand and the superiority of the hunter over the object of hunting.

Adult bulls are active and ready to mate during the entire rut period., and in young males, the development of the gonads is delayed by 15-20 days. The dynamics of the activity of bulls during the breeding season did not coincide in everything with the nature of the development of the gonads. Separate periods of rise, stabilization, and decline in the sexual activity of males were noted. Probably, in addition to factors of an individual nature (physiological state, age), their activity was influenced by external environmental factors, in addition, such population indicators as population density and population structure. We managed to find out some aspects of this issue in the process of studying the rut in the Kirov region.

One of the significant factors in the dynamics of bull activity is the weather. Precipitation, air temperature and wind influenced. Probably, it is not entirely accurate to state, as A. S. Rykovsky (1965) does, that under the influence of weather factors, the activity of the rut decreases. We have seen in practice that the moose rut that has begun, like a running clock mechanism, does not stop and does not stop until it is covered, and this should be emphasized, the last female in the hunt. This is confirmed by the facts of covering moose cows in November and even in de-cabra. Another thing is that the external manifestations of the rut, for example, vocalization, change when weather conditions change. Often the weather changes, the onset of the rainy season coincides with the movement of the elk rut from open areas to adjacent dark coniferous plantations. Animals can be harder to spot. The wind and the noise of the rain drown out the waba and the voices of the moose. However, if by chance it is possible to get close to the moose so that the answering voice of the bull is heard, you can get the beast to approach and get it. Observations have shown that in cloudy windy weather the responses of bulls to waba are 5-7 times less than in dry, calm weather. Our assumption about the reason for the passive behavior of bulls in rainy and windy weather was confirmed in the experiment, when the waler gradually approached the rutting area, voicing every 30-50 meters, and the second person visually observed the cow and the bull in the rut. spruce undercut. By the behavior of the bull, it was noticed when exactly he heard the waba. 40 seconds after that, he “grunted” and took several steps towards the wader, who at that time was about 150 m away.

The number of bulls' responses to waba increased significantly in frosty, calm weather. In such weather during the day, as a rule, it is sunny and warm, and at dawn the temperature drops to minus 2° - minus 5°C. At the same time, the number of bulls' responses increased by 7 times at morning dawns, and by 3 times at evening dawns. Experiments have shown that the bull's response voice is heard in such weather at a distance of up to 1500-1700 m. even greater distance. Only this can explain the “great activity” of bulls in frosty, calm weather. In fact, the activity remained constant. It just increased the range of sound signals.

In addition to the influence of weather conditions, some general periodicity in the activity of bulls during the breeding season was revealed. We have summed up all the results of moose waba for 7 seasons of observations. The influence of weather factors with this approach was smoothed out, since the weather was not the same on the same days in different seasons. The activity of the bulls gradually increased from August 25 to September 15-17, after which it slightly decreased until September 24, and from September 25 to October 5-10 it increased again, but did not reach the value of the first peak (September 17). Based on the materials of S.V. Buslaev, the average date of production of 20 bulls in 1993-2003. falls on September 18th. Characteristically, both in the Kirov and Ivanovo regions, from October 10, the activity of animals gradually decreased until October 25-30. These dates are the last cases of bulls approaching the waba. We believe that the identified periodicity in the activity of bulls is natural and is explained by the different terms of puberty of young and adult females and the existence of repeated cycles in females that did not fertilize in the first sexual cycle. It is possible that the peaks of bulls' motor activity did not coincide with the peak of female coverage. In the work of R. Clavo and R. Courtue (Claveou, Courtois, 1992), when determining the mating period of moose by the presence of sperm in smears taken from the genital tracts of females, it was found that the first sperm registrations occur on September 15, the peak occurrences - on October 5-15, and the last meetings - at the end of October. In young females (1.5-2.5 years), all dates of occurrence of sperm in smears are shifted a week later. The conclusions of these authors point to somewhat later than in our observations and in studies of the rut in North America (Altmann, 1959), the timing of the rut in Canadian elk, but do not contradict the inverse relationship between the date of the start of the rut and the severity of the climate. Perhaps, the differences to some extent were the result of different methods for assessing the activity of the rut. In addition, not all facts and observations can be "deciphered" and evaluated objectively. S.V. Buslaev says: “October 31, 1993. The temperature is about zero. Clear day, but strong wind. By evening it was quiet. Full moon. Sitting on the tower, waiting for the boars to go to the feeding area at 17:10, I heard the voice of a bull in the edge of the forest, 100 meters from the tower. Then he saw a large bull with spade horns. He slowly began to cross the field. I beckoned with a "croak". The bull did not respond, but, stopping, began to look at the tower, then began to approach. Having reached my track on a snow-covered field and sniffed, he abruptly jumped over it and quickly disappeared into the far corner of the field. After 10 minutes, 5 more moose, all males, entered the field one after another. A very large bull with branched horns walked ahead. The rest of the horns were smaller and barely visible through binoculars because of the onset of twilight. Two moose actively gave voice and periodically closed their horns. I beckoned, and the first moose silently took a few steps towards me. The rest froze in place. The big bull reached my track, calmly stepped over it, and after walking 3 m, stood and stared at the tower. The rest of the moose sniffed the trail for a long time, not daring to cross it, then abruptly jumped over and began to catch up with the first. At 250 m, the whole group stopped, and the voices of bulls and the sound of horns were heard again. Soon the moose disappeared into the forest. The next morning, having trailed “at the heel” of these elks, 1 km from the evening meeting with them, I found three sites trampled down by elks with “torn apart” undergrowth and mixed earth with snow. With the exception of the snow, everything looked like a classic manifestation of the rut. In September, there were no signs of rutting in this area. In the winter period (November-December) I had to observe similar behavior in half-adult males, which I interpreted as a way of establishing subordinate relationships (hierarchies) in unfamiliar migrant animals.

Since the success of reproduction primarily depends on the likelihood of meeting sexual partners during the sexual cycle of the female, their physiological and sexual maturity (i.e., from the age of the partners), naturally, the question arises whether the population density and sex ratio in the population affect the dynamics of the rut activity. In general terms, such a connection is visible both according to my data and according to the materials of the SV. Buslaev. Long-term stationary studies have shown that not only the density itself affected the activity of the rut, but the sex and age composition of the population, which in turn is determined by the intensity of fishing. The population density of elk at the station from 1964 to 1971 ranged from 2 to 4.8 individuals per 1000 ha of forest land. Production for the winter season was 8-10% of the livestock recorded in March. The average age of harvested moose was 3.8-5.5 years. In the subsequent period, the density of the elk population increased, reaching 7-15 individuals per 1000 ha, and the harvest rate was increased from 1981 to 12-14%. The average age of elk caught during the season was 4.3-4.5 years in 1972-1981, and 4.3-2.6 years in 1982-1989.

For the first ten years, the catch was less than 10% of the recorded population, and there was a relatively low level of poaching. During this period, there was an accumulation of old animals in the population (from 0.3 to 2.7%) and an intensive increase in numbers. With the rate of removal of animals equal to 12%, the proportion of old animals stabilized at a high level (2.0-2.5%), but with an increase in the rate of production to 14% (1983-1990), the proportion of old animals began to sharply decline. The mean age of the animals in the sample also almost halved (Fig. "Density..."). Population density also began to decline. Taking into account the fact that the age composition of elk, hunted at the station by the salary method, did not have significant differences with the composition of the population, we can assume that the composition of the population changed in a similar way. How these changes affected the timing of mating can be judged from the analysis of the genital tracts of females aged 4.5-9.5 years, taken from November 10 to 25. Females of these age groups are the most fertile. The results of their reproduction are less affected by environmental factors, so the size and weight of embryos in females of these age groups almost completely depended on the timing of fertilization. In the period from 1966 to 1972, the average weight of the embryo was 5.4 g. In the period from 1974 to 1986, it increased to 14.5 g, and in 1987-1989. decreased to 8.6 g (Fig. "Dynamics..."). According to K. M. Kurnosov (1973), who studied the dynamics of the development of elk fetuses, the age of the embryos, corresponding to the obtained values ​​​​of their mass, was approximately 40–45.60 and 50 days, respectively. Comparing the graph of changes in the mass of embryos over the years with the proportion of old animals in prey, it can be seen that both periods with a reduced mass of embryos coincided with periods of low specific content of old males in prey and in the population. If we take into account that it is the old males who are the first to start the rut, create a kind of biological signal fields in the lands, and, in fact, determine the entire course of reproduction, it becomes clear why, with a decrease in their number, there is a delay in the start of mating of animals.

Moreover, a decrease in the proportion of old males in the population actually led to a change in the sex ratio among breeding moose. Even in moose populations with an undisturbed age structure, there were 2-3 sexually mature females per dominant male. With a sharp reduction in the proportion of old males, there was no rapid restructuring of marital relations, and in this connection, apparently, along with a delay in the start of the rut, some females were covered by less productive males. This is evidenced by a decrease in the fertility of moose cows (since 1985) with a decrease in the proportion of old bulls in the population. The conclusion about the influence of the sex ratio of adults and old animals on the activity of bulls and the course of reproduction is supported by literary data. In Alaska, at a ratio of 28 males to 100 females, conception in females was extended over 48 days, but after three years of permitted female hunting, as a result of which the sex ratio in the population evened out, the females studied were mated in 17 days (Lent, 1974). It can be concluded that the activity of bulls during the periods of rut depends on the structure of the population. In stable and growing populations with a high content of old animals, the rut passes earlier, and the activity of the bulls is higher. In rejuvenated populations of moose declining due to excessively high hunting intensity with a low content of old animals, the rut is late due to the low activity of bulls. It would be useful to conduct an annual assessment of the activity of the rut throughout Russia. We discussed this topic with S.V. Buslaev, and he proposed to assess the activity of the rut in points, conducting daily observations for 10 days during the period of peak activity (from September 10 to 25). On a distance-standardized section of routes (3 km) laid in different parts of the farm or region and passing through the elk rut, the observer must register 3 parameters characterizing the rut activity: sound activity, visual encounters, damage to trees and shrubs (destructive activity), and then make a final assessment of the activity of the rut by the sum of points. Such a methodological approach seems to be successful and should be kept in mind when drawing up a monitoring program - tracking the state of elk populations in Russia.

Moose rut takes place a little earlier than that of deer - in late August - September, occasionally in early October, and is not so noisy and bright. Their roar is a relatively quiet hoarse sound, similar to lowing, which can only be heard close up. If marals are well-defined polygamists (polygamists), then moose are monogamous.

With a more or less equal sex ratio, the male spends the entire rutting period with one female. If there are more females in the population, which is usually observed in our lands as a result of disproportionate shooting, the male can successively change several moose cows during the rut. In all cases, the male looks after the female attentively, politely, patiently and unobtrusively, waiting for her to show favor, disposition and allow him to approach. Ussuri elk. Rice. SOUTH. Makarova

If there are fewer females than males in the grounds, fights can take place between them. They are more cruel than between deer, there are known cases of death for one of the rivals. During the rut, males are excited, aggressive, the feeling of fear of a person is dulled.

In places where moose often meet people and therefore are little afraid of them, individual animals during the rut can be dangerous. The literature describes cases when they rushed at people, pursued them. Elk is a typical forest animal. However, in recent years, on the outskirts of the range, it began to penetrate into the tundra and steppe. In the region under consideration, it inhabits Gorny Altai and all forest lands of the Altai Territory. On the plain, it often lives far from large forests, but in such cases it keeps near small pegs or bushes. In completely treeless areas, it can be found only during transitions.

It is believed that the elk, unlike the maral, dislikes rugged terrain and avoids it. In the mountain forests it is less than in the lowlands, and in the mountains it is more common in more leveled areas, usually near lakes and swamps. Our observations show that moose often live in very stony places ... sometimes in stony tracts so difficult for moose that they had to run away from a person ... at a walk.

You can’t run: you can break your legs - after all, the elk is not a mountain goat. In a calm environment, when hunters or predators do not disturb it, the elk leads a sedentary, measured lifestyle. It will feed for 2-3 hours, lie down for about the same amount, graze again and lie down again. If there is enough food and no one frightens the beast, it can live on a plot of 2-3 hectares for half a month, and on 1-2 square meters. km - up to 1.5-2 months. In such an environment, the length of its daily transition in summer is no more than one, in winter - 2-4 km.

Naturally, during the period of rut, migrations, when pursued by hunters or predators, the activity of animals increases significantly and the daytime transition can reach 20-30 km.

September is the most wonderful and beautiful autumn month, filled with a gentle, not scorching sun, clear air and a luxurious autumn palette. It is at this time that the mating season for moose (gon) begins, and their roar is heard far across the district. In September, you can watch real tournaments between forest giants, and for hunters, this is a kind of command to start hunting for a roar.

The behavior of moose during the rut.

As with any other hunt, in order for it to be successful, the hunter should study the habits and behavior of animals during the rut in great detail. The fact that the rut has begun in moose can be determined by the same signs as in all representatives of the deer family.

The moose starts digging holes, then urinates in them, then rubs his back in this mud. It is known that moose have a kind of skin growth on their neck, it is also called an “earring”, and the older the male, the larger the “earring” he has. There is an explanation for the presence of this outgrowth in the elk: thanks to the “earring”, it sprays its scent as high and as far as possible. Hunters, for sure, met these characteristic depressions in the ground, made by elks at the beginning of the rut. This period is also characterized by the fact that the males have a very pungent smell, so strong that not all dogs can work on the moose at this time. Why are there dogs, even a person can feel it, being near moose urinary pits.

Already in the first days of September, roaring moose can be heard in the forest. Adults are the first to open the season, and the most active elk rut begins around the twentieth of September. When the rut is in full swing, one female can be harassed at the same time by three or four males. It also happens that the rut drags on for the whole of October, but by the end of it, young males enter the mating rut. But few people know that the preparation for this important event of the moose life is quite long. Moose actively feed, trying to gain maximum body weight, and by the end of summer, males become very well-fed.

By the time the hunt begins, moose have ten centimeters of subcutaneous fat on their backs, and all the fat on the body of a moose can be up to seventy kilograms. Approximately, by the fifteenth of September, the horns of males lose their "velvet" completely. In autumn, trees damaged by elk antlers can be observed in the forest. During the rut, the males rub their heads against the trees, leaving a secret on them, secreted from the glands that are on the head.

An elk is a solitary animal, in this state it spends most of its life. Therefore, the male attracts several females at once, but does not start constant companions. Only for the period of the rut, moose unite in pairs that coexist for up to six days. The male uses the female several times a day. After that, the female no longer needs him, and the male begins to look for a new partner. There are situations when stronger and older males try to recapture a moose cow from an opponent, but the female herself chooses with whom to stay. However, during the rut, calves born last year are close to their mothers and their adult males do not touch them.

If compared with deer, then moose, of course, are inferior to them in the beauty of mating behavior. The noble deer trumpets so that it can be heard far away, but the moose are not so loud. However, in moose, not only males, but also females make calling sounds, so they communicate with each other. These sounds are similar to jerky, short lowing. They are well heard only in calm weather or at night, sometimes at dawn. During these periods, sounds are carried along the river valleys for several kilometers. The roar of females and males can be distinguished by timbre. Moose cows scream long, calling for males. And the male is short, like a grunt. By the end of the season, the sounds made by males become plaintive with a whistle. At sunset and sunrise, as well as at night, males give a voice, and females snort in response.

Male Tournaments.

In terms of spectacular performance, the fights of elks are not inferior to the fights of deer, only the former get it more powerful and ferocious, since they surpass deer in body weight. The battle begins with a kind of prelude. Opponents scare each other: they dig the ground with their hooves, wave their horns, make lowing sounds. If the enemy did not retreat, then the males rush towards each other with rage. The blows of their horns are so powerful that it can be heard within a radius of a kilometer. If the strength of the fighters is not equal, then everything ends very soon with the escape of the one who is weaker. If the forces are equal, then the duel can last several hours. In the battlefield, the grass is completely trampled down to the ground. It is a rare case if the outcome of the battle is lethal, although the fights of males are very cruel.

In a duel, moose can cause significant damage to each other: lacerations, broken ribs, damaged horns. Elk horns have a shovel-like structure, therefore rivals are not entangled with horns, but with sharp processes on them, they can inflict a serious and even mortal wound on each other. Even if the rut is long enough, most moose cows are covered in a short time. And the less uncovered females remain, the fights between males become less frequent.

When hunting moose, one should not forget that these animals represent almost the greatest danger of all living on our territory. The aggression of males during the rut increases not only in relation to the opponent, but also to predatory animals and people. When defending and attacking, the elk beats with all limbs and horns, it may well mutilate to death. Of course, an elk tries to avoid meeting a person, but a wounded animal is always dangerous. Therefore, the hunter needs, before going to the elk, to outline the path of retreat. An elk is not a shy animal, if he went on the attack, raising his hair at the withers, it is unlikely that a shot will scare him.

As mentioned above, it is best to start hunting for a roar at the very beginning of autumn. The duration of this type of hunting depends on the period of the rut, which in turn depends on the area where it all happens. If September is hot in summer, then moose postpone their mating games for some time, which means that hunting for a roar is also postponed in time. However, not only this can interfere with hunting, but, for example, gusty wind, rain, slush, since in such weather the elk is almost inaudible. Moose rarely make their sounds during the day, most often, this happens early in the morning or late in the evening, sometimes all night. When the male is in search of a female, he is quite dangerous, and his roar is similar to that of a bear. These sounds, if you hear them close, in silence, are very creepy, especially if the moose itself is not visible.

Moose hunting for a roar during the rut takes place in places where elk weddings take place. You can find these places by certain signs, imperceptible to an ordinary person, but understandable to every hunter. One of the main signs is damaged trees and shrubs, on which traces of horns are visible. The second sign (we also wrote about it above) is the pits in the place of the rut, which the male knocks out with his hooves. These pits can reach up to one and a half meters in diameter at the top, and up to twenty centimeters in depth. And from them come the characteristic smell of urine.

So, you have found the place of the rut, you can start preparing for the hunt. You should come to the hunting place even before the sun has risen or at dusk, since at this time of the day the elk is most active. If you are going to hunt at night, then you should have a special hunting lantern with you. While, when hunting other animals, one must be quiet, in moose hunting one must be as noisy as possible. Go to the place of hunting ahead, breaking bushes and branches. Thus, the moose must understand and hear the approach of the enemy, then, perhaps, he will come out to meet you. Since this animal is aggressive during the rut, it can appear abruptly and unexpectedly, which means that you have your gun ready. With this type of hunting you are guaranteed thrills.

Most often, they hunt moose in pairs. You should approach the rut from the leeward side. One of the hunters "wabit" - imitates the roar of an elk or moose cow, thus luring the male. However, it should be remembered that in this case one must be ready to shoot at any time, so the place where the hunter is located must be with good visibility. “Vabit” must first be done slowly, as the moose may be nearby. It is necessary to add volume only if the animal does not manifest itself in any way. If the male responded, then it is necessary to continue the “vabing” only at the moment of his movement. For greater credibility, you can break the branch. And get ready to wait for his appearance, keep your gun at the ready. Aim at the skull or between the shoulder blades. They shoot a wounded elk close to just below the ear, approaching him from the side.

If you hunt moose, then safety precautions must be observed especially carefully and do not forget about the rules of hunting. It happens that the hunter makes a mistake and instead of the animal shoots at the second hunter, mistaking him for an elk. Therefore, until you see the elk, in no case do not shoot. At night or at dusk, the roar of an elk causes fear, but despite this, it is necessary to maintain composure and maintain restraint.

This hunt is one of the most interesting, however, be careful, as the animal during the rut is aggressive and dangerous. Despite the fact that the moose walks quite calmly, not being afraid of anything, it is almost impossible to approach him. They have an excellent sense of smell and keen hearing, so he will quickly detect a hunter who tries to get close to him. If you scare away the animal, then there will definitely be no hunting that day.

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