Elk is the largest representative in the Deer family. It is also the tallest ungulate after the giraffe. But if the giraffe reaches such a height due to its long neck, then the moose is a true giant. From time immemorial, moose have been hunted, but the attitude towards this animal was not purely consumerist, but respectful. Among the American Indians, bearing the name Moose was considered an honor.
Elk (Alces alces).
Among other deer, the elk stands out sharply due to its appearance. The first thing that catches your eye is its huge size - the body length can reach 3 m, the height of the elk exceeds 2 m, and its weight is 500-600 kg. The elk's body is relatively short, but its legs are very long. The muzzle of the elk also does not look like its brothers. The moose's head is large and heavy, the muzzle is long, the large upper lip hangs slightly over the lower one. Elk horns have a characteristic shape: the base of the horn (trunk) is short, from it the processes radiate forward, to the sides and back in a semi-fan, the trunk is connected to the processes by a flattened part - a “shovel”. For this shape, the elk received the nickname “elk”.
Some moose have a fold of skin hanging under the throat, the so-called “earring”.
However, the shape of the horns varies among moose from different regions. Their size also depends on the age of the elk: the older the animal, the wider the size of the “shovel” and the more branches it has. Only males wear moose antlers. The color of moose is the same - dark brown with a lighter belly and legs.
An extremely rare white moose.
The hooves of elk, compared to other deer, are very wide. This shape of hooves is necessary for animals to move through the viscous soil of swamps, which is not easy for such a giant. Long legs allow the elk to easily move in dense forests, along muddy river banks and deep snow.
If necessary, elk can easily reach speeds of 30-40 km/h.
Its distribution area is huge. It is found in Europe, Asia and North America from the tundra border in the north to forest-steppe regions in the south. In prehistoric times, moose formed the basis of the diet of primitive people, along with deer, aurochs (primitive bulls) and mammoths. Moose have now been extirpated from many parts of their range. For example, in Western Europe they can only be found in Scandinavian countries.
A huge elk in the forest can be invisible.
Moose are purely forest animals. On the one hand, they gravitate toward dense and impassable forests, on the other, they are often forced to feed on the edges and in thickets along the banks of rivers. In North America, moose often visit populated areas.
A moose wandered into a parking lot (USA). The photo clearly shows the real size of the beast.
Elks lead a solitary lifestyle and even during the rut do not form large concentrations. Moose feed mainly on branches of trees and bushes. In some tree nurseries, moose are pests because they can completely eat a couple of hectares of young pines over the winter.
Moose especially like branches of willow, birch, aspen and pine.
In summer, moose willingly eat grass, mushrooms and even algae. Elks are generally partial to aquatic vegetation; they gladly visit bodies of water, where they not only hide from summer midges, but also graze. An elk can even dive for a portion of algae, although usually it is enough for a long-legged elk to simply bend its neck.
Elk feeds in a pond.
The mating season for moose begins in August-September. The males begin to roar dully. Females come to their call. Elk rarely form large aggregations during the rut, and they also do not engage in exhausting fights between males.
Usually, after several such butts, the weak one gives way to a stronger opponent.
Females give birth to one (less often two) moose calves in April-May. Like all deer, moose calves prefer to lie down under some bush for the first week of life (although they can walk), only then do they begin to accompany their mother.
Female moose with calf.
It is interesting that at first the long-legged elk calves cannot reach the grass and graze on their knees.
A young elk grazes on his knees.
However, babies grow quickly and soon begin to eat on the same basis as their mother. Moose live 20-25 years, but in nature they usually die earlier. Moose have many natural enemies. The large size of the moose does not scare away predators, but rather even attracts them. After all, by killing one such giant you can provide yourself with food for many days to come. The main enemies of moose are wolves and bears. If a large bear can fight an elk on equal terms, then wolves contrast elk with agility and numbers. A wolf alone will not dare to fight an elk, but a pack of wolves poses a serious danger. Wolves often follow the tactic of driving (wearing down) an elk, driving it out into the open and surrounding it.
A pack of wolves caught a moose.
It is difficult for Sokhat to maintain a perimeter defense, especially if the fight takes place on the ice of a reservoir. Here the elk's legs perform a sad service. Long-legged moose are completely helpless on ice and can simply break their limbs (even without the participation of wolves). The picture looks completely different when the elk is in the thicket. Here he often takes a defensive defense: covering his rear with some tree or thickets of bushes, the elk defends itself from attackers with blows from its front legs. With these signature blows, the elk is capable of splitting the skull of a wolf and can easily defend itself against a bear. Therefore, predators avoid meeting elk face to face. Elk calves can be attacked by cougars and lynxes. For moose, winter lack of food poses a great danger; some animals die in winter from exhaustion.
For humans, elk is also a desirable prey. Elk meat tastes like beef, but as always, the main reason for hunting it is human vanity. Moose antlers taken from a live animal are considered an honorable trophy. And often it’s not even the horns, but a simple photograph of the captured trophy that becomes the goal of this hunt. Few people know that the formidable and powerful elk can be easily tamed. By the way, moose are rarely seen in zoos. Moose are difficult to keep because they consume a lot of branch food, which is not easy to provide for the animals. Moose are also sensitive to overheating, so they are not kept in zoos in hot countries. But in the Pechoro-Ilych Nature Reserve in the 50-60s, experiments were conducted on the domestication of elk. Unlike most crazy experiments of the Soviet era, these attempts were very successful. Within a short time, it was possible to create a moose farm, all of whose pets were absolutely tame and controllable. It turned out that to tame a moose, it is enough to simply feed it milk.
Little moose calves become so attached to a person that they simply perceive him as their mother.
The experiment revealed another unusual quality of moose - they have phenomenal memory. An elk fed by a human remembers its teacher all its life! There were cases when moose raised by people went into the forest, but when they met many years later, adult wild animals recognized the person and responded to the name! The question is, why does a person need a domesticated elk? It turned out that there are many discoveries on this issue as well. Not only can elk be a source of meat, it can also be milked. Moose milk has a higher fat content than cow's milk, and males can be used as draft animals. Sounds funny? But don't rush to conclusions. After all, domesticated moose were not intended for the middle zone at all, but for remote taiga regions, where traditional animal husbandry has no place. It turned out to be more profitable to use moose to move across deep off-road terrain than horses. But the experiments did not receive a worthy continuation. As usual, the country's leadership decided that driving all-terrain vehicles and laying railways in permafrost was more correct than messing with living beings. But in the USA, moose farms still exist.
Elk, or elk (lat. Alces alces) is a cloven-hoofed mammal, the largest species of the deer family.
Description
Elk is one of the largest species of modern deer. The body of an adult male can reach up to 3 meters in length, with a height at the withers of up to 240 cm and a weight of up to 600 kg. In its appearance, the elk is noticeably different from its closest relatives, the deer. This animal has very long legs, a powerful wide chest and a massive hook-nosed head. The swollen upper lip hangs noticeably over the lower lip. Moose ears are large and mobile. Under the animal’s throat hangs a leathery growth up to 40 cm, which is called an “earring”. Elk antlers have a short trunk and a wide, slightly concave blade. The shovel, in turn, is surrounded by processes, which can be up to 18. However, the antlers of an elk have a variable design and may not even have a shovel at all, like a regular deer. The body color of moose is black-brown, and the legs range from light gray to almost white. The color of moose serves a protective function and matches the color of the bark of trees in the surrounding forest. Therefore, the color shades of animals depend on their habitat. The winter coloration of moose is noticeably lighter than the summer coloration.
Male moose differ from females by their powerful antlers. In young moose, antlers (spokes) appear only a year and a half after birth. In the third year of life, they begin to branch, and only after that the characteristic moose shovel begins to appear. The animal's horns acquire their final shape only in the fifth year of life. Different subspecies of moose have antlers of different sizes and weights. Moreover, even individuals of the same subspecies can have horns of different designs and sizes. Their span reaches 180 cm, weight - 20-30 kg. The elk sheds its antlers annually in November - December and walks without them until April - May. Females are hornless.
The elk is often called elk because of its horns, which are shaped like a plow.
The East Siberian elk, unlike the European elk, has an elongated head and a narrow, hook-nosed muzzle. The large upper lip hangs heavily over the lower lip. The fur of the East Siberian moose is colored black-brown at the end of the muzzle, the sides are painted in a darker color, which covers the abdominal part of the body. The groin area is lighter. Males have a brown stripe along the spine. The legs are grayish-yellow on the inside, and the coat is dark brown on the outside. The outgrowth, or so-called “earring,” which is located under the throat, reaches a length of about 40 centimeters. Western moose have a shorter "earring".
Spreading
The habitat of moose is very extensive. These animals are very common in the northern forests of Europe, Asia, and North America. In certain periods of past years, the number of moose for various reasons decreased significantly, however, through the efforts of zoologists and some states, their number was restored and increased. Today moose live in European countries: Russia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Finland. In Asia, moose are common in China and Mongolia. On the North American continent, moose live in Canada.
The East Siberian elk is distributed in Siberia, east of the Yenisei River and in the Far East, with the exception of the Amur and Ussuri regions. Before the onset of winter, the fur of elk calves is colored in red-gray shades.
Lifestyle
Elk is a sedentary animal. Elks rise from their beds only to feed, and then lie down again until the next meal. They lead an active lifestyle only during the rut, when males show aggression and can be dangerous even to humans. With the end of the mating season, the animals again become calm to the point of phlegmatism. Despite the apparent monotony, the life of moose has its own characteristic features. At different times of the year, for example, these forest giants behave in different ways. Moose can create temporary herds, wander from place to place, change the composition of the food supply and methods of obtaining food. Winter in the life of moose is divided into two periods: light snow and heavy snow.
Moose inhabit various forests, willow thickets along the banks of steppe rivers and lakes, and in the forest-tundra they stay in birch and aspen forests. In the steppe and tundra in summer they are found far from the forest, sometimes hundreds of kilometers away. Of great importance for moose is the presence of swamps, quiet rivers and lakes, where in the summer they feed on aquatic vegetation and escape from the heat. In winter, moose require mixed and coniferous forests with dense undergrowth. In that part of the range where the snow cover is no more than 30-50 cm high, moose live sedentary; where it reaches 70 cm, they make transitions to less snowy areas for the winter. The transition to wintering areas is gradual and lasts from October to December-January. Females with elk calves go first, adult males and females without elk calves come last. Moose travel 10-15 km a day. Reverse, spring migrations occur during snow melting and in the reverse order: adult males come first, females with elk calves come last.
It is most convenient to begin describing the sequence of seasons in the life of moose in the fall, when young yearlings become independent, and adults gain fat on the eve of winter. The autumn transition period lasts about a month and represents the transition from summer to winter feeds. The features and timing of this transition period are determined by the climatic conditions in the given area of animal habitat.
In winter, moose prefer coniferous and mixed forests. Moose lead a sedentary lifestyle when the snow cover is from 30 to 50 cm high. If the snow is deep - 70 centimeters or more, moose migrate to less snowy areas. December – January is the time when moose leave for their wintering grounds. Females with young animals are the first to leave for the winter, followed by childless females and males. At the same time, within one day, moose travel 10–15 kilometers. When the snow begins to melt, animals leave their wintering grounds. In this case, the males set off first, followed by the females with their offspring.
In summer, due to the heat and blood-sucking insects, moose lead an active life at night, and during the day they lie down in wind-blown meadows and swamps. In winter, on the contrary, animals feed during the day and spend the night lying down. When severe frost sets in, moose can bury themselves in the snow so that only their heads remain outside. In central Russia, moose prefer to winter in thickets of young pine forests, and in Siberia these animals winter in willow forests or young birch groves located near rivers.
Moose run fast, up to 56 km/h; swim well. While looking for aquatic plants, they can keep their heads under water for more than a minute. They defend themselves from predators by striking their front legs. Of the sense organs, the moose has the best developed hearing and smell; his vision is weak - he cannot see a motionless person at a distance of several tens of meters.
Reproduction
Males and single females live alone or in small groups of 3-4 animals. In summer and winter, adult females walk with elk calves, forming groups of 3-4 heads, sometimes males and single females join them, forming a herd of 5-8 heads. In the spring these herds disperse.
The elk's rut occurs in the same season as the deer's - in September-October and is accompanied by the characteristic dull roar of the males ("moaning"). During the rut, males and females are excited and aggressive, and can even attack a person. Males engage in fights, sometimes to the death. Unlike most deer, elk are conditionally monogamous, rarely mating with more than one female.
During mating season, male moose do not collect harems like other deer species. During the rutting period, males are very excited, break branches with their horns, dig holes with their hooves, look for females and follow them, driving away competitors and sometimes getting into a fight with them. At this time, moose, mostly males, lose their inherent caution and cease to be afraid of people, which creates the feeling that in the fall there are noticeably more moose in the forest. The mating season lasts about two months and ends in October or November. Females reach sexual maturity by the second or third autumn, and males a year later.
Pregnancy of females lasts approximately 230 days, after which the moose cow gives birth to one or two cubs. This happens in April or May. It should be noted that in paired litters, one moose calf often dies. The moose calves are born a solid light red color and remain in the place of their birth for about a week, and then begin to walk with their mother. At the same time, they are already beginning to feed on the leaves of aspen and birch trees. But they are not yet able to get grass during this period because of their long legs. Only at the age of one month do moose calves learn to kneel down and eat grass when feeding. The female feeds the moose calves with milk until they are about 4 months old. Moose milk is 3-4 times fatter than cow's milk, and its protein content is 5 times higher. During the day, the elk calf consumes 1 – 2 liters of milk. The young animals grow quickly and by the first autumn the moose calves reach a weight of about 130 kg, and sometimes up to 200 kg.
Moose become sexually mature at 2 years of age. After 12 years, the moose begins to age; In nature, moose older than 10 years are no more than 3%. In captivity they live up to 20-22 years.
Nutrition
Moose feed on trees, shrubs and herbaceous vegetation, as well as mosses, lichens and fungi. In summer they eat leaves, reaching them from a considerable height thanks to their growth; feed on aquatic and semi-aquatic plants (watch, marigold, egg capsules, water lilies, horsetails), as well as tall grasses in burnt areas and cutting areas - fireweed, sorrel. At the end of summer, they look for cap mushrooms, branches of blueberries and lingonberries with berries. From September they begin to bite off shoots and branches of trees and shrubs and by November they almost completely switch to twig food. The main winter food for moose includes willow, pine (in North America - fir), aspen, rowan, birch, raspberry; in the thaw they gnaw the bark. During the day, an adult moose eats: about 35 kg of food in summer, and 12-15 kg in winter; per year - about 7 tons. In large numbers, moose damage forest nurseries and plantings. Elks visit salt licks almost everywhere; In winter they even lick salt off highways.
Economic importance
Elk is a hunting and commercial animal (meat and leather).
In Russia and Scandinavia, attempts have been made to domesticate and use moose as a riding and dairy animal, but the difficulty of keeping them makes this economically impractical. There were 7 moose farms in the USSR, currently there are two - the moose farm of the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve in the village of Yaksha and the Sumarokovskaya moose farm in the Kostroma region. These experiments are reflected in the film by A. Zguridi “The Tale of the Forest Giant.” Both moose farms are state-owned. Tours are available at the farms.
Elks, with their large numbers in a given area, destroy a lot of forest undergrowth and cause damage to forest plantations. Moreover, moose cause damage of different nature and magnitude to forests of different types. However, people often exaggerate the damage these animals cause to forests. Specially conducted studies eloquently demonstrate that the damage caused by moose does not significantly affect the life of forests. This, naturally, applies to those cases when the number of moose in a given area does not exceed certain acceptable values. If the number of moose becomes too high, then it becomes necessary to regulate it.
Elk.
Belongs to the deer family of the ruminant suborder. These are very large, somewhat clumsy animals, with a short and thick neck, a wide and short body, high legs and branched horns, the ends of which are widened in the form of shoulder blades and carved like fingers. They have small lacrimal fossae, hair tufts on the inside of the feet and interhoof glands; no fangs at all. In addition to forest areas, which are under strict supervision, moose are found in more northern latitudes, in all forest-rich countries of Europe and Asia. In Asia, moose are even more common than in Europe. There it lives from 50 degrees north latitude to the Amur and is found wherever there are dense forests.
Elk is a huge animal. The body length is 2.6-2.9 m, the tail length is approximately 10 cm, the height at the shoulders is 1.9 m. The weight of very old moose sometimes reaches 500 kg; the average weight should be considered 350-400 kg. The body is relatively short and thick, the chest is wide; there is something like a hump on the nape, the back is straight, and the sacrum is lowered. The legs are very high, strong, all of equal length and end in narrow, straight, deeply dissected hooves, connected to each other by an extensible membrane. The hind hooves touch the ground easily if the ground is soft. On a short, strong neck sits a large, elongated head, which is narrowed near the eyes and ends in a long, thick, bloated muzzle, as if chopped off in front. This muzzle is severely disfigured by a cartilaginous nose and a thick, strongly elongated upper lip, which is very mobile, wrinkled and covered with hair. Small, dull eyes sit deep in the eye sockets, the lacrimal pits are insignificant. Large, long, wide, but pointed ears are located on the back of the head, but are so mobile that they can be bent towards each other. The antlers of an adult moose are very large. Wide and flat, they have a triangular spade shape. These horns are directed to the sides and are supported by short, thick, rounded pipes. In the first autumn, a young male notices a hairy tubercle in place of the horns; next spring the pipe grows; in the second spring - a second shoot about 30 cm long, which disappears only in the next winter. The horns then branch out more and more.
In the fifth year, a flat blade forms, which expands and divides at the edges into an increasing number of teeth, sometimes reaching up to 20. The main branches also fuse with the blade. These horns weigh up to 20 kg.
Moose fur is long, thick and straight. It consists of wavy, fine and brittle guard hairs, between which there is a short, fine undercoat; along the top of the back of the head runs a large, very thick mane, divided in the middle, which partly continues on the neck and chest and is up to 20 cm long. The color of the coat is uniformly reddish-brown; on the mane and sides of the head it turns into a shiny dark black-brown. From October to March the coat color is lighter. The female is no smaller than the male, but has no horns, her hooves are longer, her hind hooves are shorter and less protruding. In Russia, a male moose is called “elk”.
Wild desert forests, replete with impenetrable swamps and swamps, especially those dominated by willow, birch, aspen and generally deciduous trees, serve as habitat for moose. In calm, clear weather, elk prefer deciduous forests; in rain, snow and fog - conifers. In Russia and the Scandinavian Peninsula it migrates over long distances. The elk never makes a bed for itself, but settles down directly on the ground, not paying attention to whether it chooses a swamp or swamp, dry ground or snow-covered soil for its rest.
Moose unite into herds of various sizes, and only at the time of birth of calves do the old males separate and form new societies. In a safe place, the elk sleeps only in the morning and afternoon, and grazes from 4 pm until early morning. According to Wangenheim, its food consists of leaves and shoots of swamp willow, birch, ash, aspen, rowan, maple, linden, oak, pine and spruce, as well as young reeds and reeds. In the swamps it eats heather, cotton grass, and horsetails. In May and June, horsetails and dandelions constitute its main food.
In Eastern Siberia, elk mainly feed on shoots of dwarf and bush birch. Moose very deftly break off branches with the help of their long trunk-shaped lip. When stripping bark from trees, they use their teeth as a chisel, tear off a piece, grab it with their lips and teeth and tear it upward with a long strip. The moose constantly feels the need for water and must drink a lot to quench its thirst.
The movements of a moose are not nearly as graceful and easy as those of a red deer; it cannot run for a long time, but it walks quickly and for a long time. Some observers claim that moose can walk 30 miles in a day.
The elk hears perfectly, but his vision and sense of smell are not very subtle. He is not timid at all and cannot be called cautious. Each individual animal acts on its own, and only the calves follow their mother.
Old moose shed their antlers in November or not earlier than October, young moose a month later. At first, the growth of new horns is extremely slow and only in May it begins to move faster. In the European and Asian parts of Russia, estrus occurs in September or October. At this time, males are very irritable. Generally speaking, moose rarely vocalize, only in exceptional cases do old males scream like deer, and the sound they emit is much stronger, lower and louder; but during sexual arousal their voice sounds almost like that of red deer, only more abrupt and more plaintive. With this cry they challenge their rivals to single combat, with whom they then engage in a fierce struggle. Old males drive away young ones, who rarely find the opportunity to satisfy their natural urge. The female's pregnancy lasts up to 36-38 weeks; at the end of April she gives birth to one cub for the first time, and the next time - two and mostly of different sexes. The calves jump to their feet as soon as the mother licks them, but at first they stagger from side to side like drunk people, and the mother must push them to move them. But already on the third or fourth day they run after their mother; They suck her almost until the next heat, even when they become so big that they have to lie down under her to suck.
Despite its strength, the moose has many enemies besides humans, for example, the wolf, lynx, bear and wolverine. A wolf can overcome it in winter, when snow covers the ground in a thick layer; the bear watches for individual animals, but is careful not to attack the group, while the lynx and wolverine hide behind the trees and jump on the back of an elk passing by, grab the animal’s neck with their claws and bite its carotid arteries. These animals are the most dangerous enemies of a strong elk; whereas wolves and bears themselves must beware of him, because the elk, even at a time when it does not have large horns, knows how to defend itself with strong and sharp hooves of its front legs. One cleverly aimed blow is enough to kill or maim a wolf outright.
Elk are hunted either from ambush, or with beaters, or through strong nets. The benefit that a person derives from a killed animal is significant. Its meat, skin and antlers are used in the same way as deer. The meat is tougher, but the fur is denser and better than that of deer. In the Middle Ages, elk skin (elk) was highly valued and expensive.
Moose hunting.
Summer moose hunting is not of great importance due to the low value of the skin and the poor quality of the meat, which, moreover, soon spoils. In the summer, the skin of the elk, the flesh itself, is covered with a large number of holes or pockmarks (depending on the time) made by the emerging larvae of the gadfly, and is valued much cheaper than that of the autumn and winter. In the summer, moose are killed more often by accident, having found a moose cow with calves; sometimes, however, they guard the moose before the estrus, when they go out into the swamps or to the voice of the males, who at this time begin to roar, that is, to call for a female.
In extreme heat, when moose sit in the water with only their nostrils sticking out, they are hidden by going down the river in a boat covered with tall branches. During intense heat, when the gadfly and the very heat force the moose to seek refuge in the water and when they stand in the river with only their heads and nostrils sticking out, then they are caught in the following way: a small boat is covered with tall or other branches all around and quietly descended down the river to the place where they expect to find elk, who usually go swimming in the same tank, especially love deep bays, the so-called Kurya, where there are always a lot of aquatic plants.
At the end of August or beginning of September until November, industrialists catch them in large numbers in pits. Instead of pits, large bear traps of a pound and a half are used, placed along the trails while walking. More commonly used is catching moose with scoops.
More often, although also very rarely, moose are killed on ice, because after running several fathoms on it, they fall and get up with great difficulty; but the fact is that it is not very easy to drive them out to the lake and such a hunt is possible only with a large number of hunters. Sometimes they beat moose in the midst of the chase, when the female, especially the male, is not nearly as careful and sensitive as at any other time; in this case, they usually try to kill the female first, because very often the male, in his ardor, does not hear the shot and even if he runs away, he soon returns and, in turn, falls under a bullet; you just need to aim as accurately as possible, because during a chase the male is very dangerous and almost always rushes at the hunter who wounded him.
Elks are also killed in the evenings from huts built in the so-called salas (stagnant water with rust in a swamp), where the elk go from spring to July. Let us note, by the way, that from approximately Ilyin’s day until the start of the estrus, moose mostly stay in places where there is always a lot of fireweed and raspberries.
Moose are also hunted with the help of dogs, which catch up with the animal and, running ahead, stop and distract its attention; Meanwhile, the hunter slowly approaches him to shoot. For this hunt, very good, agile and dexterous dogs are needed that could catch up and be able to detain without sticking very close to the beast, which in every possible way intimidates them with its horns and strives to hit them with its front legs; hunters say that good dogs, sometimes alone, hold moose in this way and do not allow them to move, do not let them move not only for several hours, but even for a whole day or more.
Shooting moose from an ambush with the help of several beaters is the most common hunting in central Russia. As you know, elk always walk in logs, and therefore if some hunters sit down in the narrowest part of the log, and others begin to slowly drive the animal in the proper direction, then it will easily come within rifle shot range; To do this, you just need to know for sure where exactly the elk is staying, which needs to be taken care of in advance.
Much more often they shoot in this way, that is, from an ambush, at the end of winter. For this purpose, they notice fat in advance - the place where moose go to feed in the early mornings and in the evening; one hunter or several hide at a short distance from the path leading to the fat, and the rest scare away the herd, which, fearing the crust, certainly follows the beaten path and certainly passes by the hidden hunters. In this hunt, the nearest shooter must wait until the whole herd has passed by him and shoot at those behind; otherwise, they may turn back and avoid the shots of the following hunters. Sometimes they also ambush moose in the fattest areas.
Finally, the moose are hidden in the fall through the first soft snow, of course, also against the wind and without dogs, which will only interfere and delay the outcome of the hunt. With some skill, sneaking up on a moose is not as difficult as it seems, judging by its caution and sensitivity, but still it is much more difficult than stealing a short-sighted roe deer. For the most part, windy weather is chosen for this hunt; having found a fresh trail that is easy to recognize, they carefully follow this trail, often stopping and looking around, especially if they have to go through thickets; however, in the case when the moose stopped in a dense aspen or spruce forest, the success of the hunt is very doubtful, since it is difficult to pass without making noise. If this succeeds, then it is very difficult to look out for them and aim correctly.
The elk rarely speaks; Usually only the male moos, and then during estrus or, more accurately, before estrus. This voice or roar is similar to a short and abrupt moo and can be heard at the beginning of autumn over a very long distance. The moose screams only when she calls her calf or is frightened by something, and her voice is much weaker. A mortally wounded elk always groans.
Moose hunting by drive
Hunting by racing is carried out along the first winter path or in March on the crust, when the elk, breaking through the icy bark, gets stuck in the snow, skins its legs and soon gets tired. In the latter case, you can hunt without dogs, with one gun, on skis, but in the former, you need to have a good dog, or even better, two or more; Often such a hunt is carried out by a whole artel, and, of course, it is then much safer, shorter and much more productive: sometimes it is possible to shoot a whole herd of 5-10 or more heads in this way, depending on the number of hunters, from which each chooses one animal for himself , since often at the first shot the herd is broken into several small parts and the moose scatter in different directions.
The success of the hunt depends a lot on the depth of the snow, and most of all on the skill of the dogs: if the snow is shallow, the race sometimes lasts two or three days in a row or more; From dogs, lightness and perseverance and at the same time composure are necessarily required, otherwise they will not soon catch up and will not soon stop the beast; the bright dog will just fall under his feet or on his horns; a dog that is too hot and at the same time evasive also causes great harm in that the elk, pressed firmly by it, does not stand in one place for a long time and, after resting a little, runs again a mile or more. A good dog, having stopped the elk, should bark at it at a decent distance - ten to fifteen fathoms, and run around it, continuing to bark, but not at all making an attack. The elk usually threatens her with his horns, hits the ground with his hoof, shakes his head and, turning behind the dog, watches her and continues to threaten him with his horns; In this way, his attention is diverted from the hunter, who slowly creeps up to the animal on skis and shoots with a rifle.
If the elk is wounded and runs further, the dogs catch up with him again and stop him again, and this race continues until the elk is completely exhausted from the pursuit and wound or does not allow the hunter to take another shot. However, in most cases, a wounded elk does not allow the hunter to get close until the last exhaustion of strength: then the animal stops, and it is often stabbed to death simply with a knife tied to the end of the handle of the bunk - something like an oar that serves the hunter instead of balance and speeds up his skiing; This bed, however, is used exclusively by Solikamsk hunters, who skillfully throw it at the animal like a spear or arrow, rarely missing and often killing the elk outright. The animal hunter, however, takes some precautions in advance and, before he decides to let go of the bed, wraps his skis, so that in case of failure he can escape from the terrible hooves of the elk, which immediately rushes at the hunter to trample him with his feet or grab him by the horns. During a long race, a knife tied to a bed, and for theological hunters a spear, often just one knife, decides the success of the hunt, since industrialists, chasing an elk for a day or more, throw down their rifles and even take off their warm outer clothing. In deep snow, this hunt can be very productive, and, as already mentioned, it happens that two hunters kill up to two dozen moose in one week. Sometimes, although very rarely, moose are driven on horseback with dogs or even without dogs, but this requires a very strong and tireless horse, and therefore racing without dogs is not so reliable; In addition, the elk often deliberately walks through thickets where it would take you a long time to get through on foot and tear your entire dress; Therefore, he is driven to the top only in open forests.
Finally, occasionally it happens that an elk is driven onto the icy surface of a lake, on which it slips and falls, and where it is not difficult to finish it off with one knife; the whole task is this. to drive him out to the lake, why does this hunt require several hunters and a dog, and in general it requires a lot of skill and a lot of dexterity.
If elk are hunted down on the crust without dogs, then it is best not to chase the wounded animal and look for it after a few hours or the next day: then it rarely goes far. A wounded and very tired elk breaks his trot and begins to gallop; this serves as a sure sign that he will soon stop and be completely exhausted. It should also be noted that the younger the elk, the easier it is to drive it, and also that females get tired much faster than males, they stop sooner, and that both young elk and female elk are much safer than an adult bull and rarely rush at the hunter.
Moose tracking.
Hunting is carried out almost exclusively on the crust, and therefore usually at the end of February. Having found a fresh trail, one, but usually two and occasionally three hunters go hunting. Walking behind, the hunters stay close by if the crust is strong, or they go one after another, in single file, if the crust can’t stand it (since it’s easier to walk on a skier than as a whole, the front line changes from time to time). The advanced hunter vigilantly monitors all the features of the trail, and when the latter, by its features, makes one assume that the elk are close and, moreover, in a parking lot, lying down or feeding, the hunters immediately stop. Before laying down, the trail begins to double, triple if there are several moose: the moose no longer walk shoulder to shoulder, track to track, but disperse, go around the bushes, pinch the top of a bush here and there, devour the bark of a young aspen, etc.
If the tracks of several moose go hand in hand, then this is a clear sign that they are rushing to a known, still distant goal and will not soon stop for feeding or lying down; Moreover, their trail goes in a known, straight direction, without any detours or zigzags. Sometimes you have to follow this trail for 10, 15, 20 or more kilometers, if the elk are driven or shot, until you get to the resting place or feeding area. If the elk walked alone (an old male, a single one, or a stray from the uterus and a wounded young one), then, of course, even before feeding, etc., the trail cannot double, but it no longer goes in a straight direction, but in zigzags, the animal walks shorter, slowly, etc.
Near the very beds or beds, the snow is always heavily trampled; the tracks go in different directions and intersect; the willow or aspen tree has been gnawed here and there; there are piles of fresh feces, etc. You can tell by the feces whether it was a male or a female: the first has larger, much elongated, drier feces and does not lie in a heap, but is more scattered; The female's is rounder, not so dry, and the mucous always lies in a heap. It is also quite easy to distinguish a male from a female by the mark, especially at this time of year: the female's mark is smaller than the male's and rounder (her hooves on the front legs are more rounded and not as sharp as the male's). But based on these signs alone, you can still make a mistake and mistake the track of a young, two-three-year-old male for the track of an old female, and vice versa. But at this time of year (in February and later) the female’s step is shorter, her leg no longer steps so faithfully, and it is the hind leg that does not reach a little and becomes somewhat wider than the front, which is why this so-called lack of access occurs: the female walks wider with its hind legs, because it is pregnant (this is not noticeable in barn cows).
The hunters, noticing the proximity of the elk by signs, stop for a minute. They now need to go around the animals, that is, describe a circle to make sure whether the animals are here or have gone further. If there are two hunters, then they diverge from the trail and one describes an arc to the right, the other to the left; Having described this arc, they converge on the opposite side of the circle. If there are three of them, then the third remains on the path and waits for the result. The size of the circle varies and depends on the weather, etc. If the hunters, having described the circle, do not find a way out of it, then the moose are here; if the trail leaves the circle and goes further, then the hunters follow them further until they overtake and go around the moose. When the hunters managed to surround the elk, but the circle they went around is large (a mile or more in diameter), and the terrain and weather allow it to be shortened, then this circle is reduced as much as possible. In this case, the hunters act very carefully: holding their guns at the ready, they slowly move forward and vigilantly look out for the area. In calm, windless, clear and frosty weather it is more difficult to approach an elk than in windy weather. You should approach a herd more carefully than a solitary animal.
If the weather is calm, clear, and the snow rustles a little under the skis and there are three hunters, then one of the hunters, moving along the path a little inside the circle, chooses a clearer place, directly on the path or near it, and hides behind a snag or simply behind a tree trunk. The remaining two, meanwhile, go to the opposite side of the circle and very quietly and carefully, moreover, in sight of each other, begin to move towards the center of the circle or to the place where the moose are expected. They walk very carefully, trying not to make any noise, not even a rustle; they often stop, look around, peer into every bush in front and on the sides as they move forward, etc. Finally, they come across a moose and shoot. If they went directly opposite the path and, moreover, came across elk standing and, therefore, not so close, then the elk usually walk along the old path, that is, back, and stumble upon a third hunter ambushed; if they caught the elk lying down, came close and caught them by surprise (which under these conditions, i.e. in calm weather, happens very rarely), then the elk rush in different directions, wherever they happen to be. If, under the same circumstances, a light wind blows in the direction from the elk (the path is in the wind), then they already go to the other side of the circle, that is, into the wind, only this third hunter sits in ambush; the other two walk against the wind along the path, or rather, having a path between them, walking sideways, 30-50 steps from the last, depending on the nature of the terrain. They walk along the path until they find animals; in this case, the elk usually goes against the wind. In both of these cases, the third hunter, that is, the one who remains in ambush, plays, in fact, a secondary role, and the first two have a much greater chance of killing the animal.
Under more favorable conditions, that is, when there is an inch of soft, like fluff, but not wet snow above the crust, when the weather is windy and the forest is noisy, this approach changes slightly. If the moose went to feed against the wind, that is, the trail is downwind relative to the moose, then all the hunters, no matter how many there are, approach the moose along this very trail. If there are two hunters, then they walk along the sides of the path, at a distance of 80-120 steps from each other, having a path in the middle; if there are three, then the best shooter walks along the path itself, while his comrades go to the sides, at approximately the same distance from him.
Elk wrapping.
The greater or lesser difficulty of getting around moose depends on the terrain and weather. The more extensive the forests and the more places they have for feeding, the frostier and clearer the weather, the more they wander and the less likely it is to find them the next day in the same place. On the contrary, on stormy blizzard and snowy days, moose stand quietly where the weather has caught them, so that they can be beaten from the approach. They are reluctant to wander during morning fogs, during a thaw, and especially when crust forms or the snow is very deep.
Favorite places for moose to stay are lowlands, close to water. Even in winter, elk choose a place near springs that would not freeze all winter. He is extremely fond of standing in open forests and listening, for which he chooses a place in a small area with trees, mostly coniferous, for protection from the cold and at the same time to see and hear everything around him. Most often it fattens in an aspen forest or aspen forest mixed with alder.
If the snow is shallow, then it is more convenient to go around the moose in a sleigh, specially adapted for this purpose - one horse, very narrow, on high hoofs and without bends, or go around on horseback. In deep snow, of course, getting around is only possible on skis. With two people it goes faster and is less tiring, but you should be careful not to talk loudly. Having found fresh tracks of moose, the tracker determines how many animals have passed. In deep snow, moose follow each other, females in front, young ones behind them.
For the most part, moose travel in families, three or four together, usually a female or two and two young ones - a two-year-old and a one-year-old. Old males always live alone in winter and are very cautious. When, judging by the terrain, it can be assumed that the moose have stopped, the handler makes a circle; if the trail comes out of it, then another is made, and so on, until the elk is bypassed. The circle must be made, taking into account the terrain, and, as far as possible, as much as possible, going around such places where the elk can stop. If there are no exit tracks from the circle, then the salary is reduced as much as possible to more accurately determine the parking location. We must always keep in mind that the elk stands (in winter) from ten o'clock in the morning until about four in the afternoon, and then goes off to feed, which lasts all night. Therefore, you should not go around before hunting early in the morning, since you can stumble upon an animal and drive it further, ten miles (about 10 km) or more. In general, if the trail shows that the moose left the circle at a pace and in a straight direction, often stopping, then this serves as an indication that they heard something that seemed suspicious to them and will go far. An unafraid elk often turns to the side to feed and nibble on young trees that it comes across.
A diligent and experienced hunter must certainly walk around the elk on the eve of the hunt and, if they have wandered a lot, notice their exit and entry marks into the frame, certainly counting how many came out and how many entered; for example, if two tracks come out of the circle and one goes in again, it means there is no elk in the frame; if two tracks came out, and two again entered the frame, this means that the elk came out twice and after the fourth track is on the detour. Evening tracks need to be marked, crossed out with a stick, so that in the morning, if there is no snow, you don’t get lost and mistake the evening track for a fresh morning one.
Moose hunting.
The handler or director of the hunt, having arrived at the place where the moose have been hunted, must certainly check in the morning whether they have left; if everything is in order, he will have to decide where to drive the elk. When choosing a direction, you should be guided by the wind and always drive the elk downwind so that they cannot smell a person; in general, you should try to drive the moose in the direction where, one might assume, they would go on their own, for example, drive them in the direction from which they came, or in the direction where the forests stretch. If it happens that the wind blows in exactly the direction where it is impossible to drive the elk, then you should drive them across the wind, but in no case against the wind. The second condition for moose hunting is that upon arrival at the place where you are supposed to camp close, leave the shout as far as possible and prohibit all noise and conversations until the shooters take their places on the line. Hunters, in turn, must maintain dead silence - speak with signs.
The salaryman or manager goes forward. The numbers are pre-assigned in the snow, therefore there is nothing to talk about. Placing shooters close together, especially hot-tempered and inexperienced ones, is very dangerous: it is best if the number from the number is at a distance of about 100 steps and at least 50. The hunter stands behind a bush or some kind of cover; it’s good if he is dressed in a light gray dress; in a completely clean place, he must wear a white robe and a cap cover over his warm clothes. Smoking and leaving the area is strictly prohibited.
When the hunters take their places, the payers quietly start shouting. If the terrain allows, the raid is divided into two equal halves: one enters from one end, the other from the other end of the frame, and both converge in the middle. Beaters and beaters stand no more often than at a distance of 10, and no further than 50 steps, which depends on the terrain and their number. In deep snow, it is better to limit yourself to a small number of screamers who can ski. Usually, those who are especially sharp and knowledgeable are placed on the right and left wings. Their duty is to observe silence until the signal is given, and to ensure that the beaters do not converge together, that is, do not leave their places and do not run towards the shots out of curiosity. The flanks of the raid are slightly bent in a semicircle towards both sides of the line of shooters; in a word, the bypassed animal is surrounded on all sides, as if by snares. The last two or three beaters should not shout at all, otherwise they may interfere with the first and last number of shooters. They are allowed to make noise only when the elk comes at them in order to pierce the wing.
Having placed the scream, the payers enter the pay and follow the tracks to the moose camp. Sometimes the moose are allowed to come close, and sometimes they move away, far from allowing the payers. Making sure that the elk have moved, the handlers fire blank shots, making sure that they are fired from behind the animal and that it rushes out of fear towards the line of hunters. At the signal shots, the raid suddenly begins to shout, bang with mallets, rattle with rattles, shoot with blank charges, not leaving the spot until the end of the hunt. The moose, puzzled by the noise and shots happening behind them, go to the line of shooters all together, as many as there were in the camp, one after another, stepping one after the other, the old ones in front. An unshot elk runs at a steady trot from the cry of a roundup, lays down its ears, raises its head and bends its neck forward with its Adam's apple.
Shooting elk requires, in addition to the ability to shoot a bullet, great endurance and composure. They usually shoot only when the animal or animals appear opposite or almost opposite the number (to avoid accidents) and rarely further than 50 steps. At first, the moose all run out at once towards one particular number, and by shooting properly, you can knock down a couple with a double-barreled rifle. In addition, in well-maintained hunting circles and societies, a more or less significant fine is paid for a killed moose cow, and it is possible to distinguish a female from a young, still hairy male only at a close distance. It is also very important not only to kill the beast, but also to prevent it from breaking through the chain of shooters. When one of the animals is shot, the rest immediately split apart, sometimes running along the line of hunters or returning to the enclosure and running out towards the beaters, trying to break through. Needless to say, the hunter should not leave his place until the signal is given to end the hunt.
You should not approach a dead elk soon after the shot, since in its death throes the animal can kick a person on the spot.
Many people think that elk are very tough to wound, but this opinion is not entirely true; it happened because a wounded elk usually begins to be pursued immediately. You can kill him outright only by hitting him in the chest, under the shoulder blade or in the neck near the withers, but an elk wounded in the stomach or backside, if not disturbed, often goes a mile or two away (about 1-2 km), lies down and bleeds , so that the next day it will not be difficult to find him by following the trail or with the dogs. If you pursue him after the end of the hunt, then in the heat of the moment he can go 5-10 versts (5-10 km). With a broken back or front leg, the elk goes much further, and then without a dog there is no hope of stopping it and finishing it. It should also be borne in mind that a wounded elk often rushes at the hunter and can trample him. An experienced hunter will always be able to determine whether the animal is wounded and where exactly. If a bullet hits an elk in the leg, front or back, then a lot of red blood flows; if the bullet hits the chest and touches the insides, blood comes from the wound in small quantities, clotted and dark in color. Intestinal blood comes almost black, along with feces and also in small quantities. If blood splashes on both sides of the mark, it means the wound is severe and the bullet passed through the animal; but if it drips on one side, it means it has stopped in the beast. More serious wounds are considered to be those when a bullet, having hit the animal on one side, slightly misses the other and stops under the skin. These wounds are much more severe than through ones, because in the latter the blood flows freely, does not get baked inside the animal and, therefore, gives it relief.
The surest sign of a serious wound is when the animal starts bleeding from the throat (blood all over the trail, in chunks, almost black), which depends on damage to the main internal organs.
By the lying position of a wounded animal, it is not difficult to recognize the place where the bullet hit, because the blood coming out of the wounds will indicate on the lying position exactly where it hit - you just have to recognize how the animal was lying, and this is not difficult even for someone with little experience, but smart hunter. But to find out where the bullet hit by the color of the blood is a different matter; it requires a lot of practice and long-term experience. If a bullet passes high across the shoulder blades, there is very little blood, and sometimes no blood at all, and the animal can go very far from such a wound. Then they look at the trail: does the animal throw any leg to the side? isn't he drawing in the snow with it? Does he run smoothly and does he not lose track? Doesn't the hooves widen? - and other signs that will show an experienced hunter how the animal is wounded. In addition, you need to look at the place where the animal was standing at the time of the shot to see if there is any fur on the ground, because the bullet, having hit the animal, cuts off the fur, which falls to the ground. Almost all of these signs can be applied to any other animal.
Moose pits.
The main pit fishing occurs in September, October and then in April and May - during the famous migrations of moose. Pits are always located in ravines, on passes and river valleys, also near well-known crossings and fords, and are located in several rows; the number of holes is always indefinite, and many hunters have several hundred of them. All of them are connected to each other by a high fence, three or four poles, so that the elk must pass through the hole in the fence where the hole is located: the elk, encountering this fence both in front and on the sides, finally decides to step into one of these holes and falls through. Without a fence, an elk will never go into a hole, but even with a fence, he sometimes manages to jump over it or go around the entire chain; This is where the side rows of holes turn out to be useful, which force him to return back and decide to go through one of the holes in the fence.
The pits for moose are made slightly differently than for goats; they are somewhat larger - a little more than two meters long and deep, and four meters wide; in order to prevent the pit from crumbling, except for the frame at the top, made of thin logs, its walls are lined with a standing sheet of smooth poles; the earth from the pit is scattered and covered with brushwood, the wood chips are taken away or burned, the hole of the pit is covered lengthwise with three or four thin poles, on which the rods are placed across the rods, then moss and finally earth are placed; all this is done as carefully as possible, without the slightest through holes, because the elk is much more careful than the roe deer. An animal, having fallen into a hole, often, especially an old one, sits quietly in it and begins to flounder only at the sight of an approaching hunter; It often happens that an elk that comes across is eaten by wolves, a bear, or that it dies and even rots in warm weather. Hunters inspect the pits every two weeks, even more often, and, having caught a living animal, go around it from behind and stab it with a knife or spear under the front shoulder blade; You should never approach an elk from the front, because he can easily grab a person by the dress with his upper, very muscular lip, pull him into a hole and trample with his feet: often an elk gets a person standing two steps from the front edge of the hole. Having slaughtered the animal, the industrialist pulls it out of the pit on a thick rope using a gate specially arranged for this purpose, and two or three people easily lift it using long and thick levers; then they skin the elk, trying, if possible, to skin it away from the pit, chop the meat into pieces and take away the prey, often on horses, rarely dragging it on sleds, and then only when the snow is already very deep.
Ochep.
For this purpose, in the same way as when constructing pits, a fence is blocked in a straight line for 5-15 kilometers or more, and in places convenient for the passage of moose, or on the paths, a gate is left in which a heavy fire is established on a wooden marnyra - a pole cleared of branches, 14–18 cm thick at the root and 4 m to 6.5 m long; a wide 22-35 centimeter knife is attached almost vertically to the thin end of the scoop; the other end of the scoop should be much thicker and, for greater impact force, significantly outweigh the thin half. Very alert in the following way: he bends down, and the thin end is held by a guard, from which a thin string is stretched, the force on which the elk touches, the neck jumps off, and the knife with all its might strikes the belly or side of the animal, which rarely goes far. There are up to fifty or more such gates, and all these traps and fences are set up by a whole artel of industrialists, which hires a special watchman. Sometimes deer, wolves and bears are caught in this way, but wolves and bears, despite careful supervision, often also eat the elk they come across. The latter goes into such passages much more boldly than through gates with pits, and these traps are generally more reliable; moose get into them at any time of the year, but more often at the beginning of winter; however, there are a lot of them in the summer, but in this case the meat often rots and goes to waste; in the summer, these passages are made on the paths along which moose go to water.
Hunting for moose on lakes, salt licks and solyankas.
With the appearance of the gadfly, therefore, from mid-June, the hunt for elk begins again on lakes, salt licks and solyankas. This latter is nothing more than an artificial salt lick, which local industrialists prepare in advance in places where there are elk. It is the industrialists who, since the fall, have been noticing those places where the eagles hang out more, and, choosing from them the cleaner ones, as they say here, “the bad ones” - in the paddocks, under the manes, near springs, springs, floods and other places more familiar to the eagles , - they saturate the ground as much as possible in a certain space, depending on the convenience of the place for shelling, from a specially chosen point. Salting is usually done in this way: salt is diluted in water, which is heated in a cauldron or in a birch bark chamber using hot stones, and the hot brine is poured over the ground, so that it becomes salty by a quarter (about 20 cm) or more. If you simply sprinkle salt on the ground, it can be blown away by the wind, and after rains it can salt only one surface of the chosen place. Near such an artificial salt lick, they choose the most convenient place for shelling the salt lick and make a hidden seat on it of such a size that a person with a gun can easily fit in it. To do this, they line a small hidden place with branches, twigs, even small trees, and on the front side, along with the fence, they stick two bipods and place a crossbar, some uncleaned perch, or a small felled tree on their forks. This is done so that a seated hunter can shoot more comfortably by placing the gun on this crossbar. But such sittings in remote places are not safe from visits from bears, who sometimes also come to the salt fields to lick the salty soil. Therefore, it is better to make not sittings near the hodgepodges, but the so-called storage sheds here, one and a half or two fathoms (3-4 m) high from the ground, attaching them near large trees on strong racks and the very branches of the trees. These storage sheds are made in very different shapes and sizes, depending on whether they are intended for one or two hunters, and are either closed on the sides, like benches, or simply open, having only one wooden platform. The latter are done mainly only when they are placed between the large branches of huge shaggy trees. In addition to safety, storage sheds have the advantage that the animals that come to the hodgepodge do not smell the smell of a person sitting on the storage sheds over sitting places built on the ground. With an even draft of wind or air, the smell of a person sitting on a storage shed pulls in an even stream high from the ground, therefore, through the arriving animal, which does not hear it; whereas from the nest the smell of the hunter is carried by the wind along the very ground, and therefore it sometimes attacks the animal and frightens it. Finally, from the storehouse, sitting quite high from the ground, the approach of the animal to the hodgepodge is much more audible, and it is more convenient and visible to shoot it, even at night, than from a seat. Sittings and storage sheds need to be arranged in advance, and not when it is already necessary to guard the animals, so that the entire structure is thoroughly blown by the wind, wetted by rain, then it will not have any smell, the white cuts of trees, perches, pegs and other accessories will turn yellow, even blacken and will not catch the eye of a distrustful, cautious animal. You will never kill a cunning animal from a new sidba or from a new storage shed, just made on old salt licks or solyankas, for when he comes to the salt lick, he will certainly notice the new sidba or new storage shed, which is why he will immediately rush and run away, because he may , has already visited the salt lick several times, is accustomed to seeing it in one form, and then suddenly he notices new objects, he instinctively develops a suspicion of the secret presence of a person, and he, denying himself a tasty dish, gets scared and runs without looking back into the forest, to a safe place...
The main condition when setting up a seat or storage shed on a salt lick or solyanka is to choose a place where the air does not stop, does not spin in one place, or, even worse, does not rush in all directions, but constantly pulls one way, one way or the other. If this condition is not met, it is difficult to kill any animal from such an ambush, because the “spirit” will frighten it and it will run away before reaching the hodgepodge.
The same artificial solyankas are prepared for red deer and wild goats; similar storage sheds and shelters are built on natural salt licks near lakes and even whirlpools. In general, it must be said that the elk rarely goes to artificial salt licks, but constantly visits natural salt licks, mineral iron springs, and especially lakes where ir grows.
In such places to guard animals you need to sit down before sunset and, hiding, be ready to wait for the arrival of the beast. It is clear that two or even three hunters can sit on such seats or storage sheds (the best is for one), but not talk at all, not even whisper, not smoke, but, with alert eyes and ears, wait for the arrival of the beast. You should never come to a salt lick, salt lick or lake from the place where you expect an animal, especially during dew, and you should never trample the salt lick, salt lick or lake shore where the animals come. They usually approach sits or storage sheds before the dew, barefoot, on wooden or birch bark soles, but not in tar boots, from the side from which the animal should not come - this is so as not to smell with their footprints near the salt lick and thus not frighten beast. Industrialists who do not fulfill these conditions rarely catch animals like the elk in hunts of this kind. It is enough to scare the elk just once so that he does not come to this place again for at least a whole year!..
If “God helps to kill” some animal on a hodgepodge, salt lick or lake, then you should not cut it up right away, but must drag it away, otherwise the blood of the animal will ruin the whole thing for the future. In order to get rid of midges and mosquitoes, which in the summer at night haunt the hunter on guard, local industrialists do this: they place lighted dry horsehair or a dry birch sponge in front of them. These substances never catch fire, but only slowly smolder and produce a lot of smoke, which they use to drive away the obnoxious midges. The beast is not afraid of smoke: he has become accustomed to it from his youth on the occasion of forest fires and spring fires.
Artificial hodgepodges with seats or storage sheds built on them here play an important role in the world of fur traders, constituting their property, as it were, for which they stand firmly among themselves. And indeed, the hunter who has made a hodgepodge with all the amenities and fed the animals to it has the right to use it only alone. No one else, without the knowledge and permission of the owner, has the right to keep watch even for one night on someone else’s hodgepodge. If the owner, having arrived at his hodgepodge, finds another hunter there who, without his knowledge, has decided to guard animals on it, then the legal owner has the right not only to drive out the uninvited guest, but even to take away his rifle and prey. At least, this is how it goes between local industrialists, who all know well where, what kind of hodgepodge and who exactly owns the hodgepodge. Many industrialists make public hodgepodges and guard animals on them either one by one or indiscriminately, dividing among themselves the prey killed in the hodgepodge. Many fur hunters, constantly engaged in animal hunting and thereby supporting their own and their families’ existence, sometimes have several dozen different hodgepodges, and yet, without their knowledge, no one else can use them. Many hodgepodges, having existed for several years in a row, on which, perhaps, more than one hundred animals have already been killed, have such a price among industrialists that after the death of the owners they pass into the possession of the heirs or are bought from them by other fur-hunters, often at an expensive price; sometimes they refuse, according to a spiritual will, to one of the relatives or friends of the owners. Public such rich hodgepodges, if necessary, are divided among the owners very differently, according to conditions or sentences.
The rule for using artificial hodgepodge, it must be said to the credit of local industrialists, is quite religiously observed by fur-hunters. This is good, because sometimes the owner, through bloody labor, will make himself a hodgepodge in a good place, introduce animals to it, spend several pounds of salt (about 1 kg), and another will come to the finished work, and kill expensive prey with it, is this reasonable? ? No. That is why the right to use hodgepodges is so respected among fur trappers, especially in the spring, when antlers are caught on hodgepodges. Of course, there are no rules without exceptions - there are also some kinds of abuses here, which sooner or later will certainly open up among industrialists, come to the attention of the owners, and then it will be bad for those who violate the rules of other people's property. As for natural salt licks, lakes, whirlpools, mineral springs and other things, where animals are also guarded, the above rules are not followed; Here the master is nature: whoever came to the place first is right.
It should be noted that the elk usually runs to a salt lick, lake or solyanka at a trot, so that you can hear him long before he arrives at the expected place by his knocking and crackling sound if he is running through the forest. In very rare cases, this animal, quietly sneaking up, will approach the hodgepodge and, before coming out to a clear place, will begin to listen to every rustle, look closely at every object that is suspicious to it. This only happens in the case when hunters often sit in places chosen for guard duty and scare the animals with shots. That is why good industrialists do not sit on the same hodgepodge more than ten times during the year. Usually, an elk, having come running to a salt lick or solyanka, immediately begins to eat the salty soil, makes noise, rattles its teeth like a young horse chewing food, and rushes headlong to escape if it just hears the smell of a hunter. Therefore, having chosen a convenient moment, you need to shoot immediately, especially if you are sitting on the floor and not in a storage shed, especially with a bad, uneven wind draft, “just look, it will just turn you on and scare the beast,” a local industrialist would say .
If an elk comes to the lake, it usually swims first, and then begins to get out and eat the mud. While the elk dives into the water, pressing its huge ears, it does not hear anything, not even a gun shot, if there was a miss. The best thing is to aim at the animal when it takes its head out of the water, with a mouth full of bitter oil, because at this time the water runs from its head in streams and gurgles, like from a small cascade. At the same time, I think it is not superfluous to note that the elk chews and swallows food extremely quickly, which is why the hunter should not hesitate, but rather shoot. If you don’t scare the elk that comes to the lake, he will probably stay there all night and wait for the morning dawn. This beast is simple-minded and does not like to be cunning unless forced; He came and is thoroughly enjoying himself. That’s why many local industrialists don’t shoot elk on very dark nights, but wait until dawn and then send the right bullet to the busy animal. In exactly the same way, they watch for elk in the pools of mountain rivers and shoot them with rifles.
Since shooting at elk on solyankas, salt licks, lakes and whirlpools from sits or from storage sheds is carried out mostly late in the evening, and even more often at night, local industrialists tie thin white thawing sticks to the ends of the rifles, along the upper edge of the barrel, which are called beacons . Without them, it is difficult to shoot on dark autumn nights. The lighthouse is distinguished by its whiteness, it brightens it from the general darkness and serves as a good target for the hunter. Some industrialists, instead of little white sticks, tie rotten sticks onto the ends of their trunks, which serve as beacons for them; Although they are more visible than the first, there is a lot of fuss with them, and animals often get scared if they notice them by chance, so they are less used.
Hunting on salt licks, solyankas, whirlpools and lakes usually begins in early summer and ends in late autumn, when severe frosts have already begun.
Moose hunting on "wabu".
In mid-September, in some places a little earlier, and in the northern regions of Siberia, from the twentieth of September, the moose race begins. The places of their “leoking grounds” are the same from year to year. While it is still dark, the bulls begin to emit muffled groans, turning into a restrained roar. It is very difficult to hear the moan of an elk even on a quiet morning at a distance of more than a kilometer. At night the moose calm down, but just before sunrise they begin their mating calls again. During the rut, moose in anger break young trees with their antlers and, without being careful, walk through the dead wood with a loud crash. However, it is not easy to approach an elk during the rut. Their hearing is well developed, and they can easily hear an inexperienced hunter approaching them. And if you disturb the moose, you won’t be able to get close to them that morning.
For a successful hunt, you need to be an hour before dawn in those places where signs of elk rutting have been found in advance: broken bushes, full “leks” and fresh tracks. Alone or together with a jacker, the hunter moves through the land, listening carefully and vigilantly peering into the forest thicket. The hunter's gait should not be creeping. You need to walk like an animal, planting your foot firmly. It doesn’t matter if a dry branch crunches under your foot; sometimes such a sound attracts a bull, enraged by the presence of a rival in the place of his current, and he may suddenly appear in front of the hunter.
If a hunter or his companion knows how to jack - imitate the voice of a bull - then occasionally you should make sounds that a middle-aged bull could make. To the groan of such a young opponent, without fear of him, the old bulls go more boldly.
This hunt, captivating the hunter in an unusual setting, promising an unexpected meeting with an angry bull, which is formidable and dangerous, undoubtedly represents exceptional sporting interest.
When the bull, judging by the sounds, has set off on the wad and suddenly stands up somewhere behind a thicket, you need to hide for a while, as if in a capercaillie current, and then break a dry branch or, bending down to the ground, raise your voice again. And here every second you need to be ready for a quick, sure shot.
Naturally, on such a hunt you need to be collected, disciplined, cold-blooded, and precise. After all, there were cases when another hunter approached the bull’s voice and the bullet sent by the too hot hunter went to him, and not to the bull. Compliance with safety precautions is the first and most important rule on this hunt...
Calendar.
January . Young males shed their antlers. In deep snow, it leads an almost sedentary life. It sticks more to aspen trees near swamps and rivers, garnishes; in the Urals there are also pine forests and marks of large mountains. Hunting by round-up (with shouters), with beast dogs (laikas), sometimes with hounds, on horseback; hunting by stealth.
February . The young shed their antlers; the old ones show the new ones at the end. The hunt is the same.
March . During the crust it stays in the thickets (two weeks). The horns begin to show and the sides begin to shed.
April . She begins to shed and her short red fur appears. The horns reach a real size and begin to harden. In the Baltics and Southern Siberia, moose cows begin to calve at the end of the month (1-2).
May . The horns harden. Most of the females calve (in meadows or swampy areas). The bulls stay in garnishes with fireweed and near rivers and swamps. Young, last year's elk calves walk (in small forests) separately from the queens, sometimes with two-year-olds.
June . Finally fades. In the north (sometimes in the middle zone) it calves in the first half. It stays near the water, in the most remote and swampy places. Shedding. The skin on the horns dries out and the horns become ossified.
July . It lives in swampy thickets and in clearings, near rivers. Elk calves go everywhere with their mother.
August . The horns finally harden and the skin falls off. In the southwestern regions (in Volyn) and in Lithuania, a chase sometimes begins at the end of the month. In the Urals they hunt with dogs and shoot on rivers from the entrance of a boat.
September . In the first half, the males begin to roar. The chase (along the edges) near the water often begins in the middle of the month and lasts about two weeks. The young ones race first. At the end of the chase, the males go into the thickets. Elk calves walk separately from the queens, sometimes together with young ones, last year's or two-year-old ones. In the early days, hunting on salt licks and (in the Urals) shooting from the entrance on a boat ends (in Siberia). Hunting by stealth (when snow falls) and decoy.
October . In more southern areas, the chase ends in the first half. It begins to wander widely, mostly in aspen and willow forests, and in the north it gathers in small herds. Hunting by roundup and hiding (in the first snow) in windy weather.
November . It roams everywhere, mainly in deciduous small forests. At the end of the month in the Northern Urals, old males begin to shed their antlers. The best time for hunting with a roundup in the snow.
December . In the second half, it begins to shed its horns (first the old ones). In deep snow it usually stands in aspen and willow forests and walks more on severe frosts and clear days. The roundup hunt continues until the end of the month, generally until the horns are shed.
Moose meat
Elk meat has a very high consumption. It is very nutritious and healthy, but it smells of sulfur and is tasty only (except for calf meat) when it is fresh and soon expires and becomes dry and flabby; The tastiest thing is the upper lip of the elk, from which jelly is made; Elk brain fried in a frying pan seasoned with eggs and wheat flour is also considered a very tasty dish. Usually the meat is cut into ten parts: 1. head, 2. neck, 3. rump, 4. hind withers, 5. back between the stags, 6. middle of the dorsal bone, 7. anterior stag, 8. legs, 9. front shoulder blades and 10. sternum; the entrails, except the liver, are thrown away, and, of course, the animal is skinned in the forest.
Elk often produces about 250 kg of meat, sometimes up to 400 and in very rare cases - up to 480 kg. The fattest meat occurs before estrus, in early August; then up to 32 kg of fat is removed from the large elk, which is used for food.
Moose antlers, reaching up to forty and in exceptional cases up to fifty pounds (about 20 kg) in weight, are sometimes thrown by hunters, but for the most part they are used for various household crafts, for example, handles for knives, etc.
Hunting terminology about elk.
There is special terminology to identify individual parts of the body of moose:
The front of the head - the lips of the moose - “snoring”.
Young horn sprouts are “knots.”
The first anterior processes on the horns are “tusks.”
The bases remaining after the horns fall off are called “plaques.”
Young shoots of a growing horn are “knots in velvet.”
An elk’s hoof is a “stand,” and the horny growths above the hooves are “supports.”
The voice - “moan”, erroneously called a roar in literature, does not at all resemble a roar, but is like a deep sigh. Moose make other sounds as well. When a moose is detained by huskies, in anger and irritation it emits deep muttering and strong farting, very similar to the sounds made by an angry bear and wild boar.
Elk droppings, which have an oval shape, are usually called “nuts” by hunters.
The main material is taken from open sources of information.
Prepared by Evgeniy Svitov.
The moose is easily recognized by its long legs and hook-nosed muzzle. He is the largest representative of the deer family. The weight of an adult male can reach 900 kg, and the height at the withers is 2.5 m. The upper lip of an elk is longer than the lower and hangs down, giving the elk a characteristic appearance. The body is relatively short, with the front part being much higher than the back.
Only males have spatulate horns. The elk got its nickname - elk - precisely because of the shape of its horns.
Moose live in forests. In previous centuries it was widespread throughout Europe and North America, but today the moose population has decreased sharply.
It feeds on both grass and tree branches, in winter it eats pine needles and gnaws tree bark. Elk is unpretentious in food. But he needs quite a lot of food. He eats 15–20 kg of green mass per day. Moose don't eat hay. In winter it eats pine and spruce branches. Winter is a difficult period in the life of a moose. During this period, he is severely lacking in food; it is difficult for the animal to move in search of food in the snow. He wanders along the beaten paths, saving energy, spending most of his time lying down. In severe frosts, moose burrow into loose snow.
Elks have well-developed hearing and a sensitive sense of smell, but their vision is poorly developed; for example, he does not see a motionless person at a distance of several tens of meters.
Moose, as a rule, live in small groups of 3–6 animals. In the spring, sometimes at the beginning of summer, moose cows give birth to one or two cubs. For about a week, the little elk calves remain in place, hiding in the grass or bushes, then begin to follow their mother. Babies feed on milk. Small elk calves cannot graze grass because of their long legs. Babies do not learn to bend right away.
The first horns grow on males after a year - in April-May; at the end of July-August they harden. Adult males shed their antlers in November-December. New antlers begin to grow in April-May.
Moose flee from wolves and other predators. Wolves attack adult moose only in packs. More often, their prey is newborn elk calves or sick animals.
Touching the grass with hooves,
A handsome man walks through the forest,
Walks boldly and easily
Horns spread wide.
PATTER
The elk walked through the forest, came to a reach,
The reach was nice and loved by salmon.
The moose pushed the moose into the reach,
I muddied the salmon's reach.
Elk/Alces
From the shovel forward, outward and backward, processes extend, more or less evenly framing the shovel (there can be up to 18 processes on the horn). However, elk antlers are very variable in structure, and usually the flat part of the shovel is small and the tines are long. Sometimes a powerful process extends forward from the shovel, forked at the end. There are deer-type antlers, that is, without a shovel, a short trunk produces shoots in a horizontal plane, directed forward, to the sides and backwards, and slightly curved upward. The color of the moose is brownish-black. The legs from the middle of the shin and forearm down are light gray, almost white. There is no mirror. Elk are very widespread, inhabiting the northern forest belts of Eurasia and North America. In the middle of the last century and, again, at the beginning of this century, there was a sharp reduction in the range of moose in Europe. As a result of the protection of elk, the rejuvenation of forests and the reduction in the number of wolves, starting in the 20s and especially quickly in the late 40s, the restoration of the elk range and its rapid spread to the south and southwest began. As a result, the elk settled in Russia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden and Finland. In Asia it is found in Northern Mongolia and Northeast China. In North America, moose inhabit the forests of Canada, where about 500 thousand moose live. The range in the United States has been greatly reduced, and the number of moose here is now negligible. Elk forms 6 - 7 subspecies. The largest moose with the most powerful horns belong to the American subspecies A. a. gigas and East Siberian A. a. pfizenmayeri; the smallest elk with deer-like antlers belongs to the Ussuri subspecies A. a. cameloides. Moose inhabit a wide variety of forests, willow thickets along the banks of steppe rivers and lakes, and in the forest-tundra they stay in birch and aspen forests. Both in the steppe and in the tundra they are found in the summer and far from the forest, sometimes hundreds of kilometers away. In mountain forests they stick to wide valleys, gentle slopes and plateaus, avoiding sharply rugged terrain. In summer, moose prefer burnt areas and cutting areas, where there is a rich growth of deciduous trees and tall grass grows wildly, including the moose’s favorite food - fireweed (fireweed). Forests with swamps, quiet rivers, streams and lakes, where they feed on aquatic vegetation, are of great importance for elk. In winter, moose need mixed and coniferous forests with dense undergrowth or good growth of young growth, especially pine, aspen or birch, rowan, etc. Moose avoid monotonous high-trunk forests. In a significant part of the range, where the snow cover is no more than 30-50 cm high, moose live sedentary, making only short transitions from one area to another. However, where the snow cover is 70 cm or more, moose migrate, going to less snowy areas. Thus, from the western slopes of the Northern Urals, moose move to the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve and further to the southwest, covering a path of several hundred kilometers. Similar migrations occur in Western Siberia, the Far East and other areas. The transition of moose to wintering areas usually occurs gradually and lasts from October to December or January, i.e., for two or more months. More often, females with elk calves go first, adult males and females without elk calves come last. Reverse, spring migrations occur faster, usually during snow melting, and the animals move in the reverse order: adult males are first, females with elk calves are last. Winter is a difficult period in the life of a moose. High snow makes it difficult for this huge deer to move. The elk tends to walk along the beaten paths, feeds near the roads it has trodden, so that in case of danger, jumping out onto the path to escape from the wolves. The more snow, the less the elk walk, and in March, when the snow depth is greatest, the elk travels only 700-900 m per day; a herd of elk often remains for several days on an area of only a few hectares. In favorable places where there is a lot of food, a lot of moose gather. Russian hunters figuratively call such an area a “camp” for moose, and Canadian trappers call it a “yard” for moose. For example, in the pine forests near the Kka in the 50s, in the winter in some areas up to 100 or more moose per 1000 hectares gathered, and in the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve the concentration of moose reached incredible levels: up to 1000 animals per 1000 hectares. In summer, moose roam much more widely, and their daily movements are 5-6 km, and sometimes much more. Moose do not have specific periods of feeding and rest during the day; these are very typical polyphasic animals. In summer, 5-6 periods of feeding alternate with periods of rest. However, during the day, in the heat, they rest more often, and they like to go into cool places, where there are fewer midges, in the thicket of young coniferous trees, dense bushes, in swamps, on the banks of rivers and lakes. They like to lie on the shallows or in shallow water, sometimes going into the water up to their necks. On the contrary, at night they feed most of the time. In winter, moose have 8-10 feeding periods followed by periods of rest, and they are equally active both during the day and at night. In severe frosts, animals like to lie down in loose snow so that only the withers and head stick out above its surface, which reduces heat transfer. During snowstorms and strong winds, they lie down in the thicket of coniferous undergrowth. Before lying down, moose turn into the wind, usually making a semicircle, and lie down towards the track. The huge ears of the lying animal turn from time to time, like echolocators. The moose relies on hearing most of all. His sense of smell is also well developed, but his vision is poorly developed; for example, he does not see a motionless person at a distance of several tens of meters. Moose live alone or in small groups. In the summer, adult females walk with elk calves, sometimes they are joined by last year's calves. Males and single females live alone or in small groups of 3-4 animals. In winter, females with young ones can be joined by males, one and a half year olds, single females and herds of up to 8-10 animals can form. In the spring these herds disperse. Moose feed on a wide variety of herbaceous plants, trees and shrubs, mosses, lichens and fungi. Moose food is most varied in summer; the poorest set of feeds in winter. Leaves of trees and bushes are the main food of moose in the summer. Having grabbed the branch with his lips, the elk tears off all the leaves from it. Moose eat best the leaves of aspen, rowan, willow, birch, buckthorn, bird cherry, maple, and ash. Animals willingly feed in the fall even on fallen leaves. Moose love to feed on aquatic and peri-water herbaceous plants, such as watch grass, marigold, egg capsules, water lilies, horsetails, as well as tall grasses in burnt areas and cutting areas - umbrella grass, fireweed, sorrel, etc. At the end of summer, moose look for cap mushrooms and twigs blueberries and lingonberries with berries. In the fall, usually in September, moose begin to bite shoots and branches of trees and shrubs and by November they switch almost entirely to feeding on twig food. The main winter foods include willow, pine (fir in North America), aspen, rowan, birch, raspberry, and buckthorn. At the same time, moose eat shoots of both deciduous trees and pine to the same extent: the latter do not constitute forced food for moose. In trees and shrubs, moose bite off shoots usually up to 10 mm thick. The bark, mainly of young aspen and pine trees, is gnawed throughout the winter, but only during the thaw. Elk are very flexible in their diet and use an extremely diverse range of food in different parts of their range. Often, some food that is readily eaten by elk, for example, pine in the European part of the range, is almost not used at all by elk in Eastern Siberia. Uneven consumption of the same plants may depend both on their chemistry, the amount of nutrients, such as carbohydrates, and on the degree of availability and abundance of other foods. An adult moose eats about 35 kg of food per day in summer, and 12-15 kg in winter. In total, about 7 tons are eaten per year, of which about 4 tons are shoots of deciduous and coniferous trees, about 1.5 tons are leaves of trees and shrubs, about 700 kg are bark, and the same amount are herbaceous plants and shrubs. Since moose consume a lot of tree and shrub food, their large numbers spoil a lot of undergrowth and damage forest nurseries. In different types of forest, depending on the composition of tree species, their age and density, the damage caused by moose will vary. However, the damage caused by moose to forestry is usually exaggerated. As special studies in recent years have shown, the damage caused by moose does not have a noticeable effect on the final formation of the forest, of course, if the moose population density is not excessively high. When there are large concentrations of moose, the only rational measure to protect valuable plantings is to regulate the number of animals. Almost everywhere, moose visit salt licks, where they drink brackish water and nibble on salt-rich soil or lick stones. During the rutting season, there is very rarely more than one female near a male; The male moose does not collect harems like most other deer. True, there are cases when male moose walked with 2-3 females, jealously guarding them from other males nearby. On moose farms and hunting farms, where females predominate, there have also been cases where one male fertilizes up to 7 females, but all these cases cannot be considered normal. In August or September, usually at dawn and evening, males begin to moan, as hunters call the roar of moose. The quiet voice of the elk resembles a dull moo. At this time, the males are excited, break branches and tops of small trees with their horns, knock out holes with their hooves, look for females, follow them, driving away young elk. Two or more males often follow one female, and fights sometimes occur between males. During the rutting period, females and especially males lose their usual caution, wander along the roads, and are not afraid of people, so in the fall it always seems that there are more moose in the forest than in the summer. The entire rutting period, from the beginning of mating to the last instances of mating, lasts up to two months and ends in October, sometimes in November. Females take part in breeding in the second or third autumn. Males are a year later. Pregnancy in moose cows lasts 225-240 days. Calving occurs in April - May, sometimes, in the northern regions, in early June. A moose mother brings one or two moose calves, depending on the location and conditions of the year. The second calf in paired litters often dies. Elk calves will be born light red, uniform in color, without spots. Usually they stay in one place for about a week, hiding in the grass or bushes when there is danger. From the age of one week they follow their mother. From this time on, moose calves are already eating leaves from birch and aspen trees, but they learn to bend and twist young trees only in the fall. Due to their long legs, they cannot get grass at first. Only at one month of age or later do moose calves acquire the skill of crawling on their “knees” during feeding. Milk feeding usually lasts 3.5-4 months, but females that do not take part in the rut feed until November - December. Moose milk in May - June has a fat content of 8-13%, i.e. it is 3-4 times fatter than cow's milk and contains 5 times more protein (12-16%). A calf drinks up to 1-2 liters of milk per day. At the moose farm of the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve, moose cows produced from 150 to 430 liters of milk during the entire lactation period. Newborn moose calves weigh from 6 to 16 kg, grow quickly and by autumn reach 120-130 kg, sometimes 200 kg. The first horns grow in males a year later - in April - May; at the end of July - August they harden. These horns usually do not have any shoots yet. Horns with a well-defined spade appear only in the fifth year of life. Adult males shed their antlers in November - December, rarely later. New antlers begin to grow in April - May. While the horns are soft, they are sensitive to blows and insect bites. They harden in July, and in August-September the males clear their skin. Moose live up to 20-25 years, but most animals in nature die much earlier. So, in the north, in snowy areas, in early spring, when bears emerge from their dens, they often attack moose. They sometimes chase pregnant moose for many kilometers. Even more often, newborn elk calves become prey for bears; True, the moose cow protects her offspring, and not always unsuccessfully. There are cases when moose were killed or seriously injured by the blow of the front hooves of bears attacking them. Therefore, bears tend to stalk or drive an elk into dense thickets, where the elk cannot freely fight back with its front legs. Wolves can be very dangerous for moose. But wolves attack adult moose only in a pack, and even then they avoid attacking from the front. But a lot of young people and teenagers die from wolves. Unlike bears, wolves attack moose during periods of little snow, since in loose and high snow it is difficult for wolves to keep up not only with an adult moose, but also with a teenager. Many small moose calves die in long springs with the return of cold weather and snow. Quite a few of them break their fragile legs on windbreaks in the taiga or drown while crossing rivers during ice drift. Elk is the most important hunting and commercial animal both in Russia and in Sweden, Finland, and Canada. It produces good meat and valuable leather. Experiments with the domestication of moose were carried out a long time ago in Yakutia, the Baikal region, Scandinavia and the Baltic states. To resolve the issue of methods for domesticating moose, an experimental moose farm was created in 1949 in the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve, which was led for many years by moose husbandry enthusiast E.P. Knorre. Many years of experience as a moose farmer have shown that the process of taming any wild newborn calf is extremely simple. It begins and ends with the first feeding of milk from a bottle with a nipple. The calf becomes attached to the person who feeds it for life. There was a case when a one-year-old female moose disappeared while grazing freely in the taiga. Two years later, she met her “breadwinner” in the taiga and, hearing his voice, immediately ran up to him, began sniffing his face, hands and poking her muzzle into the pocket from which she had once taken out treats. The moose followed the man about 10 km to the moose farm and stayed there to live. In two years of living in the taiga with wild moose, she did not become wild at all. There have been cases where moose that left the moose farm returned on their own. On a moose farm, moose cows live for 15 years or more and produce offspring for 8-10 years in a row. About 100 moose calves were born on the moose farm and there are moose of the fourth or fifth generation. Moose quickly get used to milking, and at the same time they transfer their maternal instinct to the milkmaids, to whom they are unusually attached. An elk can carry 80-120 kg in a saddle, and up to 400 kg when harnessed to a sleigh. True, in the summer moose can only be used at night, because they suffer greatly and even die during the day during work from overheating. In winter, moose can be used at work and during the day. They are truly indispensable in taiga off-road conditions, in swampy, cluttered forests, as well as in spring thaw. Thus, the moose farm showed the full possibility of taming and raising this animal. However, breeding moose on a large scale encounters difficulties, since in small areas it is impossible to feed a large number of animals that require a lot of tree and shrub food. No less important successes of the moose farm are that on moose kept on the farm with free grazing, it was possible to study in detail many issues of biology, physiology and animal diseases, which could not be done on wild moose in nature.
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