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The elk has occupied a special position in human culture since ancient times. He was considered the master of the forest, and some nations even worshiped him.

It is currently a commercial mammal. The moose hunting season opens every year, which attracts many hunters.

Habitat

The total population of moose is more than 1.5 million individuals. Most of them live in Russia. Also, a large number of animals live in Eastern and Western Europe.

In the period from the 18th to the 19th century, the population here was completely exterminated, but later it was restored thanks to conservation measures, such as:

Hunting ban;
Forest rejuvenation;
Regulation of the number of natural predators. For moose, the most dangerous are wolves.

Elk also lives in Mongolia and northeastern China. On the American Continent, moose settled in Alaska, as well as the northern and eastern regions of the United States.

Most of all, moose love mixed forests, rarely live in open spaces. They can often be found in birch and pine forests. Often animals choose places near lakes or rivers.

This is especially true in the summer, because you need to escape from the heat. In winter, moose move to coniferous forests, but try to avoid deep snowdrifts. They can stay in one place if the snow depth does not exceed 0.5 meters.

During this period, it is quite difficult to determine where the elk lives, since the herd can start moving from the end of autumn and return back only with the onset of heat. They can walk about 15 km per day.

It is interesting that the females with moose calves are the first to leave the "camp" and only then the males follow them.

Physiological features

Elks are very large view mammals. Their weight reaches 6 hundred kilograms, with a body length of up to 3 meters and growth of up to 2.5 meters. However, males have such parameters, females are much smaller.

Males have very large horns, they can weigh up to 30 kg, and their width can be about 2 meters. Every autumn, the antlers are shed and during the cold season they grow back.

In addition, the number of branches on the horns indicates the age of the animal. In various photos, moose do not look like other deer. This applies in particular to males - they are much larger and more powerful.

Despite the fact that female moose do not look as presentable as males, they are quite popular with the opposite sex. Females have long legs, a hunched back and a large upper lip.

The animal has excellent hearing and sense of smell, due to which the elk feels great in the forest, but they have poor eyesight. So, they may not notice a stationary object from a distance of 25 meters. Animals swim quite well, so they are saved from heat, midges and hunger.

Moose are not in conflict, if there is an opportunity to escape, they will not fight.

However, during a fight, they will wield not with horns, but with their front paws. Despite the fact that the animal has a large mass, its blows are very strong.

What do moose eat?

The main diet of moose is vegetation. These are mainly mosses, fungi and lichens. In pictures with moose, you can never see how the animal eats grass. They simply cannot reach it because of their high stature and short neck. Also, animals are not averse to profiting from leaves with different trees and shrubs.

Moose "gnaw" the foliage from the branches, holding them with their large lips. They can also feed on aquatic plants by dipping their heads into a pond.

In autumn, when the leaves fall, the moose eat the bark of the trees. In summer, they can eat very densely, eating about 30 kg of food per day, in winter this figure drops by half.

For a year they can eat up to 7 tons of vegetation. They also need salt for their food, they can lick it off the roads or come to the salt licks that the rangers make for them.

How long do moose live?

Under favorable conditions, the life span of moose is about 25 years. However, in the harsh conditions of nature, they live no more than 10-12 years.

This is due to the heavy weather and predators that can exterminate sick, old and very young animals. A person also has a hand in the destruction of the elk.

Being a game animal, the hunting season for it opens in October and ends in January. Elk meat is used in cooking, it has unique qualities and is very expensive.

Their skin and horns can also be of great value. However, moose are not farmed as it is too costly.

Moose photo

Elk.

It 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 cut out like fingers. They have small lacrimal pits, hair tufts on the inside of their feet, and interhoof glands; no fangs at all. In addition to forest corners, which are under strict supervision, moose are found in more northern latitudes, in all forest-rich countries in Europe and Asia. In Asia, elk is still much more common than in Europe. There he lives from 50 degrees north latitude to the Amur and is found wherever there are dense forests.

Elk is a huge animal. The length of the body is 2.6-2.9 m, the length of the tail 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 back of the neck, 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, interconnected by an extensible membrane. The hind feet touch the ground easily if the ground is soft. A large, elongated head sits on a short, strong neck, which is narrowed near the eyes and ends in a long, thick, swollen, blunt muzzle, as if chopped off in front. This muzzle is strongly disfigured by a cartilaginous nose and a thick, highly elongated upper lip, which is very mobile, wrinkled and covered with hair. Small dim eyes set deep in the eye sockets, lacrimal pits are insignificant. The large, long, wide but pointed ears are located on the back of the head, but are so mobile that they can be bent to each other. The antlers of an adult moose are very large. Wide and flat, they have a triangular spatulate shape. These horns are directed to the sides and are supported by short, thick, rounded pipes. In the first autumn, a hairy tubercle is noticed in the young male in place of the horns; for the next spring, a pipe grows; in the second spring - the 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 is formed, which expands and divides along the edges into all more teeth, sometimes reaching up to 20. The main branches are also fused with the scapula. These horns weigh up to 20 kg.

Moose hair is long, thick and straight. It consists of wavy, thin and brittle awn hairs, between which there is a short, thin undercoat; a large, very dense, divided in the middle, mane runs along the top of the nape, which partly continues on the neck and chest and is up to 20 cm long. The coat color is uniformly reddish-brown; on the mane and on the sides of the head it turns into a brilliant dark black-brown. From October to March, the color of the coat 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 marshes and marshes, especially those dominated by willows, birch, aspen, and in general deciduous trees, serve as a habitat for moose. In calm, clear weather, elk prefers deciduous forests; in rain, snow and fog - coniferous. In Russia and the Scandinavian Peninsula, it roams over long distances. The elk never arranges a bed for himself, but settles down directly on the ground, not paying attention to whether he has chosen a swamp or swamp, dry land or snow-covered soil for his rest.

Moose unite in herds of various sizes, and only at the time of the birth of calves, the old males separate and form new societies. In a place that is safe for itself, the elk sleeps only in the morning and in the afternoon, and from 4 pm until early morning it grazes. According to Wangenheim, his food consists of leaves and shoots of swamp willow, birch, ash, aspen, mountain ash, maple, linden, oak, pine and spruce, as well as young reeds and reeds. In the marshes, he eats heather, cotton grass, horsetails. In May and June, horsetails and dandelions are its main food.

V Eastern Siberia elk mainly feeds on shoots of dwarf and bush birch. Moose are very clever at breaking off branches with their long, proboscis-shaped lip. When stripping the bark from trees, they use their teeth as a chisel, tear off a piece, grab it with their lips and teeth, and pull it up with a long strip. Moose constantly feel the need for water and must drink a lot to quench their thirst.

Moose movements are far from being as graceful and light as those of a red deer, he cannot run for a long time, but walks quickly and for a long time. Some observers claim that an elk can walk 30 miles a day.

The moose hears perfectly, but his eyesight and instinct are not very subtle. He is not at all timid 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 antlers is extremely slow and only from May begins to move faster. In the European and Asian part of Russia, estrus occurs in September or October. At this time, the males are very irritable. Generally speaking, moose rarely give a voice, only in exceptional cases, old males cry like deer, and the sound emitted by them is much stronger, lower and louder; but during sexual excitement, their voice sounds almost like that of red deer, only more abruptly and plaintively. With this cry, they call their rivals to single combat, with whom they then enter into a fierce struggle. Older males drive away the young, who rarely find an opportunity to satisfy their natural impulse. Pregnancy of the female lasts up to 36-38 weeks, at the end of April she tosses 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 drunks, and the mother has to push them to move them. But already on the third or fourth day they run after their mother; suck it almost to the next estrus, even when they become so big that they have to lie down under it to suck.

Despite the strength, the elk, in addition to humans, still has many enemies, for example, the wolf, lynx, bear and wolverine. A wolf can overpower him in winter, at a time when snow covers the ground in a thick layer; the bear watches for individual animals, but is careful not to attack the group, and the lynx and wolverine hide behind the trees and jump on the back of an elk passing by them, claws into the neck of the animal and bite its carotid arteries. These animals are the most dangerous enemies of a strong elk; while wolves and bears themselves must beware of it, because the elk, even at a time when he does not have large horns, knows how to defend himself with strong and sharp hooves of his front legs. One well-placed blow is enough to kill or maim a wolf.

Elk are hunted either from ambush, or with beaters, or by means of strong nets. The benefit that a person derives from a slaughtered animal is significant. 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, the skin of an elk (elk) was highly valued and expensive.

Moose hunting.

Summer elk hunting is not of great importance due to the low value of the skin and the poor quality of the meat, which, moreover, quickly deteriorates. In the summer, the skin of an elk, actually the mezra, is covered with a large number of holes or pockmarks (depending on time) made by emerging gadfly larvae, and is valued much cheaper than autumn and winter. In the summer, moose are often beaten by accident, having found a moose with calves, sometimes, however, they guard the moose before estrus, when they go out into the swamps or at the voice of males, who at that time begin to roar, that is, call the female.

In extreme heat, when the moose sit in the water with only their nostrils sticking out, they are hidden by going down the river in a boat studded with tall branches. During intense heat, when the gadfly and the heat itself make the moose seek refuge in the water and when they stand in the river, sticking out only their heads and nostrils, then they get them in the following way: they poke a small boat around with tall or other branches and quietly go down the river to that a place where they expect to find elk, who usually go to bathe in the same bocha, especially like deep bays, the so-called kuri, where there are always a lot of water plants.

In late August or early September until November, industrialists catch them in large numbers in pits. Instead of pits, large bear traps are used for a pood and one and a half, placed during the course on the trails. In greater use, catching moose with eyes.

More often, although also very rarely, moose are killed on the ice, because, having run several fathoms on it, they fall and rise with great difficulty; but the fact is that it is not very easy to drive them out onto the lake and such a hunt is possible only with large numbers hunters. Sometimes they beat moose in the midst of the chase, when the female, especially the male, are far from being as careful and sensitive as at any other time; at the same time, they usually try to kill the female first, because very often the male in vehemence does not hear the shot, and if he runs away, he soon returns and, in turn, falls under the bullet; it is only necessary to aim as accurately as possible, because during the chase the male is very dangerous and almost always rushes at the hunter who wounded him.

Moose are also beaten in the evenings from huts arranged on the so-called zasaly (stagnant water with rust in the swamp), where elks go from spring to July. By the way, we note that from about Ilyin's day until the start of estrus, elks stay mostly in places where there is always a lot of fireweed and raspberries.

Moose is also hunted with the help of dogs, which catch up with the beast and, running ahead, stop and divert its attention; meanwhile, the hunter slowly approaches him for a shot. For this hunt, very good, agile and dexterous dogs are needed, which could catch up and managed to delay, without slipping very close to the beast, which in every possible way frightens them with its horns and strives to strike with its front legs; hunters say that good dogs, sometimes alone, keep the moose in this way and do not let them move, do not let go 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, the elk always walks in logs, and therefore if some hunters sit down in the narrowest place of the log, while others begin to slowly drive the beast in the proper direction, then it easily approaches the distance of a rifle shot; to do this, you only need to know for sure exactly where the elk is kept, what you need to take 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, fat is noticed in advance - the place where moose go to feed. early morning and in the evening; one hunter or several hide in a short distance from the path leading to the fat, and the rest frighten off the herd, which, being afraid of the ice, will certainly follow the beaten path and will certainly pass 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 him; otherwise, they may turn back and avoid the shots of the next hunters. Sometimes they also lie in wait for moose on the very fats.

Finally, the moose are hidden in the fall on the first soft snow, of course, also against the wind and without dogs, which will only interfere here and delay the outcome of the hunt. With some skill, sneaking up on an elk is not as difficult as it seems, judging by his caution and sensitivity, but still it is much smarter than stealing a short-sighted roe deer. For the most part, windy weather is chosen for this hunt; having found a fresh track that is easy to recognize, they carefully follow this track, often stopping and looking around, especially if they have to go more often; 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 noise. If this succeeds, then it is very tricky to look out for them and aim correctly.

The elk rarely gives voice; usually only the male bellows, and then during estrus, or rather, before estrus. This voice or roar is similar to a short and abrupt lowing and can be heard at the beginning of autumn at a very long distance. The moose cow screams only when she calls a calf or is frightened of something, and her voice is much weaker. A mortally wounded moose always groans.

Moose hunting

Race fishing is carried out along the first winter path or in March along 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 it is possible to hunt without dogs, with one gun, on skis, but in the former it is necessary to have a good dog, even better two or more; often such a hunt is carried out by a whole artel, and, of course, then it is much safer, shorter and much more lucrative: sometimes it is possible in this way to shoot a whole herd of heads of 5-10 or more, depending on the number of hunters, of which each chooses one animal for himself , since often at the first shot the herd breaks into several small parts and the moose scatter into different sides.

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 goes on for two or three days in a row or more; from dogs, on the other hand, lightness and perseverance are required, and at the same time composure, otherwise they will not soon overtake and not soon stop the beast; a bright dog will just fall under his feet or on his horns; too hot, at the same time evasive dog also brings great harm the fact that the elk, firmly pressed by it, does not stand in one place for a long time and, after resting a little, runs again for a verst or more. A good dog should stop the elk, bark at him at a decent distance - ten to fifteen fathoms, run around him, continuing to bark, but by no means making an attack. The moose usually frightens it with its horns, beats the ground with its hoof, shakes its head and, turning after the dog, watches it and continues to threaten it with its horns; thus distracting his attention from the hunter, who slowly sneaks up to the beast on skis and shoots from a rifle.

If the elk is wounded and runs further, the dogs catch up with it again and stop it again, and this race continues until the elk is completely exhausted from the pursuit and the wound, or the hunter is allowed 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 simply with a knife tied to the end of the bunk handle - 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 beast like a spear or arrow, rarely giving a miss and often killing the elk on the spot. The animal-keeper, however, takes some precautions in advance and, before he decides to make beds, wraps his skis in order to escape from the terrible hooves of the elk in case of failure, which immediately rushes at the hunter to trample under his feet or grab him by the horns. During a long race, a knife tied to a bed, and the theological hunters have a stalk, often one knife, decides the success of the hunt, since industrialists, chasing an elk for a day or more, abandon their rifles and even take off their warm outer clothes. In deep snow, this hunt can be very lucrative, and, as already mentioned, it happens that two hunters hunt up to two dozen elks in one week. Sometimes, though very rarely, moose are killed on horseback with dogs or even without dogs, but for this a very strong and tireless horse is needed, and therefore the race without dogs is not so reliable; in addition, the elk often purposely goes through such thickets, where you will not soon make your way on foot and tear your whole dress; therefore, he is driven on the top only in light forests.

Finally, occasionally it happens to drive an elk onto the icy surface of the lake, on which it slips and falls, and where it is not difficult to finish it off with one knife; the whole task is. to drive him to the lake, why this hunt requires several hunters and dogs, and in general it requires great skill and a lot of skill.

If moose are driven down on the crust without dogs, then it is best not to pursue the wounded animal and look for it in a few hours or the next day: then it rarely goes far. A wounded and very tired elk loses its trot and starts galloping; this serves as a sure sign that he will soon stop and finally be exhausted. It should also be noted that the younger the moose, the easier it is to drive him, and also that the females get tired much faster than the male, they stop sooner, and that both young moose and moose cows 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. Following the trail, the hunters keep close if the crust is strong, or they go one after the other, in single file, if the crust does not withstand (since it is easier to go on a skier than in a whole, the front line is replaced 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 moose are close and, moreover, in the parking lot, lying or feeding, the hunters immediately stop. Before laying down, the trail begins to double, triple, if there are several moose: the moose no longer go toe to toe, footprint to footprint, but disperse, go around the bushes, in some places pinch the top of the bush, devour the bark of a young aspen, etc.

If the trail of several moose goes toe to toe, then this is a clear sign that they are in a hurry to a well-known, still distant goal and will not soon stop for feeding or lying down; at the same time, their trace goes in a known, direct direction, without any detours and zigzags. Sometimes you have to follow this trail for 10,15,20 or more kilometers, if the moose are driven or shot, until you get to the hay or feeding. If the moose walked alone (an old male, a lone or strayed from the uterus and wounded by a 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; traces go in different directions and intersect; the willow or aspen forest is gnawed in some places; there are heaps of fresh feces, etc. You can tell from the feces whether it was a male or a female: in the first, the feces are larger, significantly oblong, drier and do not lie in a heap, but are more scattered; the female is rounder, not so dry, but slimy and always lies in a heap. It is also quite easy to distinguish a male from a female by the track, especially at this time of the year: the female's track is smaller than the male's and rounder (her hooves of the front legs are more rounded and not as sharp as the male's). But according to these signs alone, one can still make a mistake and take the trace of a young, two or three-year-old male for the trace of an old female, and vice versa. But at this time of the year (in February and later), the female's step is shorter, the foot 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 inaccessibility occurs: the female goes wider hind legs, for it is stellate (this is not noticed in the barren).

Hunters, noticing the proximity of moose 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 disperse from the track 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 one stays on the path and waits for the result. The size of the circle is different 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 bypass the moose. When the hunters managed to encircle the elks, but the circumvented circle is large (a verst or more in diameter), and the terrain and weather allow it to be cut, then this circle is reduced as much as possible. At the same time, the hunters act very carefully: keeping 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. The herd should be approached more carefully than a single 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 cleaner place, directly on the path or near it, and hides behind a snag or just behind a tree trunk. The remaining two, meanwhile, enter the opposite side of the circle and very quietly and carefully, besides in sight of each other, begin to move towards the center of the circle or to the place where the moose are waiting. They walk very carefully, trying not to make any noise, not even a rustle; they often stop, look around, peer into each bush in front and on the sides, while moving forward, etc. Finally, they stumble upon moose and shoot. If they went straight against the path and, moreover, ran into moose standing and, therefore, not so close, then the moose usually go along the old path, that is, back, and stumble upon a third hunter who has sat in an ambush; if they caught the moose lying, came close and took them by surprise (which under these conditions, that is, in calm weather, is very rare), then the moose rush in different directions, anywhere. If, under the same circumstances, a light wind blows in the direction from the moose (the path under the wind), then they already go to the other side of the circle, that is, to the wind, only this third hunter and sits in an ambush; the other two walk against the wind along the path, or rather, having a path between them, walking sideways, about 30-50 paces from the latter, depending on the nature of the terrain. They follow the path until they find animals; in this case, the elk usually goes against the wind. In both these cases, the third hunter, that is, the one who remains in ambush, actually plays a secondary role, and the first two have a much greater chance of killing the beast.

Under more favorable conditions, i.e., when over the crust lies an inch soft as fluff, but not wet snow, when the weather is windy and the forest is noisy, this approach changes slightly. If the moose went for feeding against the wind, that is, the path is relative to the moose under the wind, then all hunters, no matter how many there are, approach the moose along this very path. 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 goes along the path itself, while his comrades - on the sides, at the same approximate distance from him.

Moose wrapping.

The greater or lesser difficulty of avoiding moose depends on the terrain and the weather. The more extensive the forests and the more places for fattening in them, the colder and clearer the weather, the more they roam 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 still where the bad weather caught them, so that they can be beaten from the approach. They roam reluctantly during morning fogs, during a thaw, and especially when the crust is formed or the snow is very deep.

Moose's favorite camping places are lowlands, swamp near the water. Even in winter, the elk chooses a place near springs, which would not freeze all winter. He is extremely fond of standing in light forests and at the hearing, for which he chooses a place on a small area with trees, mostly conifers, to protect himself from the cold and at the same time to see and hear everything around him. Most often he fattens in aspen or aspen mixed with alder.

If the snow is not deep, it is more convenient to go around the moose in a sleigh specially adapted for this purpose - one horse, very narrow, on high poles and without bends, or go around on horseback. In deep snow, of course, the detour is possible only on skis. Together, things go faster and not so tiring, but you should be careful not to talk loudly. Having found fresh traces of moose, the payer determines how many animals have passed. In deep snow, moose walk trail after trail - the females are in front, the young behind them.

For the most part, moose go 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 apart in winter and are distinguished by great caution. When, judging by the terrain, it can be assumed that the moose have stopped, the payer makes a circle; if the trail left it, then another one is made, and so on, until the elk is bypassed. The circle must be made, considering the terrain, and as far as possible, more, bending around such places where the elk can stop. If there are no traces of the exit circle, then the salary is reduced, as far as possible, for more exact definition parking places. It must always be borne in mind that the elk stands (in winter) from ten o'clock in the morning until about four in the afternoon, and then leaves for fattening, which lasts all night. Therefore, it should not go around before hunting early in the morning, since you can stumble upon an animal and drive it further, ten versts (about 10 km) or more. In general, if the trail shows that the elks have left the circle at a pace and in a straight direction, stopping often, then this is an indication that they have heard something that seems suspicious to them and will go far. An unafraid moose often turns aside to feed and nibble young trees that come across to it.

A diligent and experienced payer must certainly go around the moose on the eve of the hunt and, if they have wandered a lot, notice their output and entry marks in the salary, without fail counting how much came out and how much went in; for example, if two tracks left the circle and one entered again, then there is no moose in the salary; if two tracks left, and two again entered the salary, this means that the elk left twice and after the fourth track is on the bypass. Evening traces must be crossed over with a stick, so that in the morning, if there was no snow, not to go astray and not take the evening trace for a fresh morning one.

Moose hunting.

The payer or manager of the hunt, having arrived at the place where the moose are bypassed, must certainly check in the morning if they have come out; if everything is in order, he will have to decide where to drive the moose. You should be guided in choosing the direction by the wind and always drive the moose into the wind so that they cannot smell a person; in general, one should try to drive the moose in the direction where, one might assume, they would go on their own, for example, drive in the direction from which they came, or in the direction where the forests stretch. If it happens that the wind blows exactly in the direction where it is impossible to drive the moose, then you should drive them across the wind, but in no case against the wind. The second condition for hunting elk is, upon arrival at the place where parking is supposed to be close, leave the scream as far as possible and forbid all noise and conversation until the shooters take their places on the line. Hunters, in turn, must observe dead silence - speak in signs.

The payer or manager goes forward. The rooms are pre-assigned on the snow, so there is nothing to talk about. It is very dangerous to place shooters close, especially hot and inexperienced ones: it is best if the number is at a distance of about 100 steps from the number and at least 50. The hunter stands behind a bush or some kind of cover; well, if he is dressed in a light gray dress; in a completely clean place, he must definitely put on a white hoodie and a cover for his hat on top of warm clothes. Smoking and leaving the place is strictly prohibited.

When the hunters take their places, the salaries quietly start shouting. If the terrain allows, the raid is divided into two equal halves: one comes from one, the other from the other end of the salary, and both converge in the middle. Beater from beater become no more often, as in a distance of 10, and no further, as in 50 steps, depending on the terrain and their number. In deep snow, it is better to limit yourself to a small number of screamers, but who can ski. Usually, especially sharp-witted 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 to the shots out of curiosity. The flanks of the round-up are somewhat bent in a semicircle to both sides of the line of shooters; in a word, the bypassed beast is surrounded on all sides, as it were by nets. The last two or three beaters should not shout at all, otherwise they may interfere with the first and last numbers of shooters. They are allowed to make noise only when the elk comes at them in order to break through the wing.

Having placed the cry, the payers enter the salary and follow the tracks to the moose camp. Sometimes moose are allowed close, and sometimes they move away, far from allowing payers. Making sure that the moose have set off, the payers make blank shots, observing that they are fired from behind the beast and that he rushes with fright to the line of hunters. At signal shots, the roundup suddenly begins to scream, knock with mallets, crackle with rattles, shoot with blank charges, by no means leaving the place until the end of the hunt. Moose, puzzled by the din and shots that are happening behind them, go to the line of shooters all together, how many of them were in salary, one after another, stepping footsteps, the old ones in front. An unshot elk, from the cry of a roundup, runs at an even trot, lays its ears, raises its head and arches its neck forward with its Adam's apple.

Shooting moose requires, in addition to the ability to shoot a bullet, great endurance and composure. They usually shoot only when the animal or animals appear against or almost against the number (to avoid accidents) and rarely beyond 50 paces. Moose at first all at once run out to one number, and, shooting properly, you can knock down a couple from a double-barreled fitting. In addition, in well-organized 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 lumpy 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. From a shot at any of the animals, the rest immediately break apart, sometimes run along the line of hunters or return to salary and run out to the beaters, trying to break through. Needless to say, the hunter should not leave his place until the signal for the end of the hunt is given.

You should not approach the killed elk shortly after the shot, since in death convulsions the animal can kill a person on the spot with its foot.

Many people think that the elk is very strong on the wound, but this opinion is not entirely true; it happened because a wounded elk is usually immediately pursued. You can kill him on the spot 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 butt, if left undisturbed, often goes a mile or two (about 1-2 km), lies down and bleeds , so that the next day it will not be difficult to find him on the trail or with dogs. If, however, he is pursued at the end of the hunt, then in the heat of the moment he can go 5-10 versts (5-10 km). With a broken hind or front leg, the elk goes much further, and then without a dog one cannot hope to stop him and shoot him. It must 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 injured and where exactly. If a bullet hits the elk in the leg, front or back, then there is a lot of red blood; if the bullet hits the chest and touches the insides, the blood comes from the wound in an insignificant amount, caked and dark in color. Intestinal blood is almost black, along with feces and also in small quantities. If blood splatters on both sides of the track, then the wound is severe and the bullet went right through the beast; but, if the caplet is on one side, it means that it has stopped in the beast. More serious wounds are those when the bullet, hitting the beast in one side, does not go out a little on the other and stops under the skin. These wounds are much harder than through ones, because the blood flows freely into the latter, does not bake inside the beast and, therefore, relieves it.

The surest sign of a serious wound is when the animal bleeds in the throat (blood all over the trail, in pieces, almost black), which depends on the damage to the main internal organs.

From the bed of a wounded animal, it is not difficult to recognize the place where the bullet hit, because the blood that came out of the wounds will indicate on the bed the place where it hit - one has only to recognize how the animal lay, and this is not difficult even for the inexperienced, but smart hunter. But in order to find out where the bullet hit by the color of the blood is a different matter, it takes a lot of practice and long-term experience. If the bullet passes high on the shoulder blades, there is very little blood, and sometimes not at all, and the animal can go very far from such a wound. Then they already look at the trail: does the beast throw any leg to the side? does it draw in the snow? does it run smoothly and does it stumble? does it expand the hooves? - and other signs that will show an experienced hunter how the beast is wounded. In addition, you need to look at the place where the animal was standing during the shot, whether there is wool on the ground, because the bullet, hitting the animal, cuts off the wool, which falls to the ground. Almost all of these signs can be applied to any other animal.

Pits for moose.

The main pit fishing takes place in September, October and then in April and May - during the well-known elk migrations. Pits are always arranged in logs, on passes and river valleys, also near well-known crossings and fords, and are arranged in several rows; the number of holes is always uncertain, and many hunters have several hundred of them. All of them are interconnected by a high fence, poles of three or four, so that the elk must necessarily pass into the hole in the hedge where the pit is located: the elk, meeting this fence both in front and from the sides, finally decides to step into one of these holes and falls through. Without a fence, an elk will never go into a pit, but even with a fence, he sometimes manages to jump over it or bypass the entire chain; and this is where the side rows of holes turn out to be useful, which make him turn back and decide to go through one of the holes in the hedge.

Pits for moose are made a little differently than for goats, they are somewhat larger - in length and depth a little more than two meters, and four meters wide; so that the pit does not crumble, except for the log cabin at the top, made of thin logs, its walls are laid out with a standing tyn of smooth poles; the earth from the pit is scattered and covered with brushwood, the chips are taken away or burned, the opening of the pit is covered along with three or four thin poles, on which bars are superimposed across, then moss is placed and, finally, earth; all this is done as neatly as possible, without the slightest through holes, because the elk is much more careful than the roe deer. An animal, having fallen into a pit, 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 a elk that has fallen is eaten by wolves, a bear, or that he dies and in warm weather even rots. Hunters inspect the pits every two weeks, even more often, and, having caught a live animal, go around it from behind and stab it with a knife or horn under the front shoulder blade; you should never get close to the elk from the front, because he can easily grab a person by the dress with his upper, very muscular lip, pull him into a pit and trample with his feet: often an elk gets a person standing two steps from the front edge of the pit. Having stabbed the beast, the industrialist pulls it out of the pit on a thick rope with the help of a collar, specially arranged for that, and two or three of them easily lifts it with long and thick levers; then they remove the skin from the elk, trying, if possible, to skin it at a distance from the pit, cut the meat into pieces and take away the prey more often on horseback, rarely dragging it on sleds, and then when the snow is already very deep.

Ochep.

To this end, in the same way as when arranging pits, they block the fence in a straight line of 5-15 kilometers or more, and in places convenient for the passage of elks, or on the paths they leave gates in which a heavy eye is fixed on a wooden marnyr - a pole cleared of branches with a thickness at the root of 14-18 cm and a length of 4 m to 6.5 m; a wide 22-35 cm knife is attached almost vertically to the thin end of the eyelet; the other end of the eyelet should be much thicker and, for greater impact force, significantly outweigh the thin half. Ochen is alert in the following way: he bends down, and the thin end is held by the gatehouse, from which a thin twine is stretched, the force that the elk touches, the eye jumps off, and the knife strikes with all its might into the belly or side of the beast, which rarely goes far. Such gates are made up to fifty or more, and all these traps and fences are arranged by a whole artel of industrialists, who hire 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. The latter goes into such passages much more boldly than through gates with pits, and these traps are generally more reliable; moose fall into them at any time of the year, but more often at the beginning of winter; however, there are many 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 that the moose use to go to the watering place.

Elk hunting on lakes, salt licks and hodgepodges.

With the appearance of the gadfly, therefore, from the middle of June, the hunt for elk on the lakes, salt licks and saltworts begins again. This latter is nothing but an artificial salt lick, which the local industrialists prepare in advance in places where there are elk. It is the industrialists who, since autumn, have noticed those places where the elk hold on more, and, choosing from them the cleaner ones, as they say here, “loose”, on the pads, under the manes, near springs, springs, streams and other places more familiar to the elk - they salt the earth as much as possible in a certain space, depending on the convenience of the place for shelling, from a point specially chosen for that. Salting is usually done in this way: salt is diluted in water, which is heated in a cauldron or in a birch bark chuman with the help of hot stones, and the ground is poured with hot brine, so that it becomes brackish by a quarter (about 20 cm) or more. If the earth is simply sprinkled with salt, then it can be blown away by the wind, and after the rains it is able to brine only one surface of the chosen place. Near such an artificial hodgepodge, 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 freely fit in it. To do this, they poke a small hidden place with branches, twigs, even small trees, and on the front side, along with a fence, they stick two bipods and put a crossbar, some uncleaned perch or a small felled tree on their bifurcations. This is done so that the sitting hunter in the seat can shoot more conveniently by placing the gun on this crossbar. But such sittings in remote places are not safe from visits by bears, who sometimes also come to hodgepodges to lick the saline soil. Therefore, it is better to make not sitting places near the saltworts, but the so-called storehouses here, sazhens one and a half or two (3-4 m) high from the ground, attach them near big trees on strong racks and the very branches of trees. These storehouses are made very various shapes and sizes, depending on whether they are intended for one or two hunters, and they are either closed from the sides, like seats, or simply open, having only one wooden platform. The latter are done mainly only when they are placed between the large branches of huge hairy trees. In addition to safety, the storehouses in front of the sitting places arranged on the ground have another advantage, that the animals that have come to the hodgepodge do not hear the smell of a person sitting on the storerooms. 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 beast that has come and does not hear it; while from the seat the smell of the hunter is carried by the wind along the very earth, and therefore he sometimes attacks the beast and frightens him. Finally, from a storehouse, sitting quite high from the ground, the approach of the beast to the hodgepodge is much more audible, and it is more convenient and visible to shoot it, even at night, than from sitting. Sit-downs and sheds should be arranged in advance, and not when it is already necessary to guard the animals, so that the whole building is thoroughly blown by the wind, wetted by rain, then it will not have any smell, white cuts of trees, perches, pegs and other accessories will turn yellow, even blacken and will not catch the eye of an incredulous, cautious beast. From a new seat or from a new storehouse, just made on old salt licks or hodgepodges, you will never kill a cunning beast, because, having come to the salt lick, he will certainly notice a new seat or a new storehouse, which is why he immediately rushes and runs away, because he, perhaps , has already visited the salt lick several times, is used to seeing him in one form, and then suddenly he notices new objects, he instinctively has 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 for arranging a seat or a storehouse on a salt lick or hodgepodge is to choose a place where the air would not stop, would not spin in one place or, even worse, would not rush in all directions, but would constantly pull 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 him and he will run away before reaching the hodgepodge.

The same exact artificial hodgepodges are prepared for red deer and for wild goats; similar storehouses and sitting places are built on natural salt licks near lakes and even whirlpools. In general, it must be said that the elk rarely goes to artificial hodgepodges, and he constantly visits natural salt licks, mineral iron springs, and especially lakes where mud grows.

In such places for the guard of animals, you need to sit down before sunset and, hiding, 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 one), but do not talk at all, do not even whisper, do not smoke, but, pricking up your 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 the beast, especially during dew, and you should never trample on the salt lick, salt lick or lake shore where the animals come. They usually approach sittings or shacks even before the dew, barefoot, on wooden or birch-bark soles, only not in tar boots, on the side from which the beast should not come - this is in order not to perfume with their footprint near the salt lick and thereby not frighten beast. Industrialists who do not fulfill these conditions rarely get animals like the elk in hunting of this kind. It is enough to frighten the Pronged One once, so that he does not come to this place again for at least a whole year! ..

If “God will help to kill” some animal on a salt-dock, salt lick or a lake, then it should not be butchered right away, but must be dragged away, otherwise the blood of the beast will ruin the whole thing for the future. In order to get rid of midges and mosquitoes, which in the summer at night do not give rest to the guarding hunter, the local industrialists act in this way: they put in front of them lighted dry horse wool or a dry birch sponge. These substances never catch fire, but only slowly smolder and produce a lot of smoke, which drives away the unbearable midges. The beast is not afraid of smoke: he got used to it from a young age on the occasion of forest fires and spring fires.

Artificial hodgepodges with seats or sheds arranged on them play an important role in the world of animal traders, as if they constitute their property, for which they stand firmly among themselves. Indeed, a hunter who has made a hodgepodge with all the conveniences and fed 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 guard at least one night on someone else's hodgepodge. If the owner, having arrived at his hodgepodge, finds another hunter on it, who, without his knowledge, decided to guard animals on it, then the rightful owner has the right not only to drive out the intruder, but even take away his rifle and prey. At least, this is how it is conducted between the local industrialists, who all know very well where, what and to whom exactly the hodgepodge belongs. 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-breeders, constantly engaged in animal trade and thus supporting their existence and their families, sometimes have several dozen different hodgepodges, and yet, without their knowledge, no one else can use them. Many hodgepodges, existing 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 become the property of their heirs or are often bought from them by other fur hunters at a high price; sometimes they refuse, according to a spiritual testament, to one of the relatives or friends of the owners. Public such rich hodgepodges, if necessary, are divided among the owners in a very different way, according to conditions or sentences.

The rule of using artificial hodgepodges, it must be said, to the credit of the local industrialists, is quite sacredly observed by the fur-breeders. This is good, because the owner sometimes makes himself a hodgepodge with bloody labors. good location, will bring animals to it, spend a few pounds of salt (about 1 kg), and another will come to the finished work, and kill expensive prey on them, is this reasonable? No. That is why the right to use hodgepodge is in such respect among the fur-breeders, especially in spring, when antlers are mined on the hodgepodge. Of course, there are no rules without exception - there are also some kind of abuses here, which sooner or later will certainly be revealed between industrialists, reach the attention of the owners, and then it is bad for violators of the order of someone else's property. As for natural salt licks, lakes, whirlpools, mineral springs and other things, on which animals are also guarded, the above rules are not followed there; here the master is nature: whoever came to the place earlier is right.

It should be noted that the elk usually runs to the salt lick, lake or saltwort at a trot, so that you will hear him long before arriving at the expected place by knocking and cod if he runs through the forest. In very rare cases, this beast, quietly stalking, will approach the hodgepodge and, before it leaves for a clean place, will begin to listen to every rustle, to get accustomed to every object that is suspicious for it. This happens only in such a case, when hunters often sit on the places chosen for the guard and frighten the animals with shots. That is why good industrialists do not sit on the same hodgepodge more than ten times during the year. Usually, the elk, having run to the solonetz or saltwort, immediately begins to eat the saline earth, makes noise, rattles its teeth like a young horse chewing food, and rushes headlong to escape if it just smells the scent of a hunter. Therefore, having chosen a convenient moment, you need to shoot immediately, especially if you are sitting on the floor, and not on the storage shed, especially with poor, uneven wind draft, “just look, it will just turn in spirit and frighten the beast,” the local industrialist would say .

If the elk comes to the lake, then at first he usually bathes, and then he already begins to get out and eat ir. At a time when the elk dives into the water, pressing his huge ears, he hears nothing, even a gunshot if there was a miss. The best thing is to aim at the beast when he takes his head out of the water, with a mouthful of bitter mucus, because at that time water runs from his head in streams and murmurs, as from a small cascade. At the same time, I consider it not superfluous to note that the elk chews and swallows food extremely quickly, which is why the hunter should not linger, but rather shoot. If you don’t frighten the elk that came to the lake, he will probably stay on it all night and wait for the morning dawn. This beast is simple, does not like to cheat, if he is not forced; came, and enjoys it quite. Therefore, many local industrialists are too dark nights they don’t shoot elk, but wait until dawn, and then they send a sure bullet to the beast that has been overwhelmed. In exactly the same way, they lie in wait for the elk in the whirlpools of mountain rivers and beat them with rifles.

Since shooting in elk on saltworts, salt licks, lakes and whirlpools from sidebars or from storehouses is carried out mostly late in the evening, even more often at night, the local industrialists impose on the ends of the rifles, along the upper edge of the barrel, white thin talovye sticks, which are called lighthouses . Without them, it is difficult to shoot on dark autumn nights. The lighthouse, on the other hand, differs in whiteness, whitens from the general darkness and serves as a good target for the hunter. Some industrialists instead of little white sticks impose rotten things on the ends of the 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 are often frightened of them if they notice them by chance, therefore they are less usable.

Hunting on salt licks, saltworts, whirlpools and lakes usually begins in early summer and ends in late autumn, when severe frosts have already begun.

Moose hunting for "wabu".

In mid-September, in some places a little earlier, and in the northern regions of Siberia, on the twentieth of September, the moose race begins. The places of their “currents” are the same from year to year. It is still dark, the bulls begin to emit muffled groans, turning into a restrained roar. The moan of an elk, even on a quiet morning, is very difficult to hear at a distance of more than a kilometer. At night, moose calm down, but just before sunrise, they begin their mating roll again. During the rut, moose in anger break young trees with their horns and, not being careful, walk along the deadwood with a loud crack. However, it is not easy to approach a moose during the rut. Their hearing is well developed, and they can easily hear an inexperienced hunter approaching them. And if you disturb the moose, then this morning you won’t get close to them.

For a successful hunt, you need to be an hour before dawn in those places where signs of elk rut were found in advance: broken bushes, stuffed "leks" and fresh tracks. Alone or together with the wagner, the hunter moves through the lands, listening attentively and vigilantly peering into the forest thicket. The hunter's gait should not be crouching. You need to walk as if in an animal way - firmly placing your foot. It does not matter if a dry bough crunches under 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 friend knows how to lure - 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 rival, without being afraid of him, the old bulls go bolder.

This hunt, captivating the hunter with an unusual setting, promising an unexpected meeting with an angry bull, which is formidable and dangerous, is undoubtedly of exceptional sporting interest.

When the bull, judging by the sounds, set off on a waba and suddenly stood up somewhere behind a thicket, you need to lie low for a while, as if on a capercaillie current, and then break a dry bough or, bending down to the ground, give another voice. And here every second you need to be ready for a quick, sure shot.

Naturally, on such a hunt one must be collected, disciplined, cold-blooded, accurate. After all, there were cases when another hunter approached the voice of the vabelytsik and the bullet sent by the too hot hunter went to him, and not to the bull. Precautions are the first and the most important rule on this hunt...

The calendar.

January . Young males shed their antlers. With deep snows, it leads an almost sedentary life. Adheres to more aspen forests near swamps and rivers, garniki; in the Urals - also hogs and marks of large mountains. Hunting in a round-up (with screamers), with animal dogs (huskies), sometimes with hounds, on horseback; stealth hunting.

February . The young shed their horns; the old ones show the new ones at the end. The hunt is the same.

March . During the crust, it stands in the thickets (two weeks). Horns begin to show and flanks shed.

April . Begins to shed and shows red short hair. The horns reach their present size and begin to harden. In the Baltic states and in 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 thickets). Bulls keep on garniks with fireweed and near rivers and swamps. Young, last year's, moose go (in the low forests) separately from the queens, sometimes with two-year-olds.

June . Finally fades out. In the north (sometimes in the middle lane) calves in the first half. Keeps near the water, in the most deaf and swampy places. Molt. The skin on the horns dries up and the horns ossify.

July . Keeps in marshy thickets and in sections, near rivers. Moose go everywhere with the uterus.

August . The horns finally harden, and the skin falls off on them. In the southwestern regions (in Volhynia) and in Lithuania, a chase sometimes begins at the end of the month. In the Urals, they hunt with dogs and shoot in the rivers from the entrance to the boat.

September . In the first half, the males begin to roar. Chasing (along the edges) near the water often begins in the middle of the month and lasts about two weeks. Young people race first. At the end of the chase, the males go into the thickets. Moose calves walk separately from the queens, sometimes together with young, last year or two-year-olds. In the early days, hunting on salt licks ends (in Siberia) and (in the Urals) shooting from the entrance to the boat. Hunting stealth (when the snow falls) and decoy.

October . In more southerly areas, the chase ends in the first half. It begins to walk widely, mostly in aspen and willow forests, and in the north it gathers in small herds. Hunting round up and hiding (on the first snow) in windy weather.

November . It roams everywhere, mainly in deciduous undergrowth. At the end of the month in the Northern Urals, old males begin to shed their antlers. The best time for hunting with a round-up in the snow.

December . In the second half, the horns begin to shed (old ones first). In deep snow it usually stands in aspen and willow forests and walks more on severe frosts and clear days. Hunting with a raid continues until the end of the month, generally until the horns are shed.

Moose meat

Elk meat has a very large consumption. It is very nutritious and healthy, but it responds with sulfur and is tasty only (except for calf meat) when it is fresh and soon expires and becomes dry and flabby; the upper lip of the elk, from which jelly is made, is most delicious; Elk brain, fried in a frying pan with seasoning of eggs and wheat flour, is also considered a very tasty food. The meat is usually cut into ten parts: 1. head, 2. neck, 3. rump, 4. hind withers, 5. behind between the stegs, 6. middle of the dorsal bone, 7. front stego, 8. legs, 9. front shoulder blades and 10. sternum; the entrails, except for the liver, are thrown away, and, of course, the beast is freshened in the forest.

Elk often gives about 250 kg of meat, sometimes up to 400 and in very rare cases up to 480 kg. The fattest meat is before estrus, in early August; then up to 32 kg of fat is removed from the large elk, which goes into 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 go to various household crafts, for example, petioles for knives, etc.

Hunting terminology about moose.

To determine the individual parts of the body of moose, there is a special terminology:

The front part of the head - the lips of the elk - "snoring".

Young shoots of horns are "knots".

The first anterior processes on the horns are "tusks".

Their bases remaining after the fall of the horns are “plaques”.

The young shoots of the growing horn are "knots in velvet".

The hoof of an elk is a “setup”, and the horny growths above the hooves are “supports”.

The voice - “groan”, mistakenly called a roar in literature, does not at all look like a roar, but represents, as it were, a deep sigh. Moose also make other sounds. When the elk is stopped by likes, in anger and irritation, he emits a deep mutter and strong fukan, 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.

This powerful beautiful animal is admirable with all its appearance. In ancient times, people worshiped him. His image can be seen on the sarcophagi of ancient tombs and the walls of caves of primitive people. As a heraldic symbol, this animal has always denoted strength and endurance. Among the people, he was nicknamed respectfully - "moose" - by the similarity of the shape of the horns with the agricultural tool plow.

The official name is “moose”, from the Old Slavonic “ols”, given to the animal by the red color of the coat of its cubs. In the old days, the peoples of Siberia called the elk simply - "the beast." The North American Apache Indians have a legend about the insidious moose, and the Canadian Indians have a noble one. In Vyborg, a monument to an elk is erected, which, at the cost of his life, saved lost hunters from a pack of wolves.

Moose description

Elk is an animal mammal, belongs to the order of artiodactyls, the suborder of ruminants, the deer family and the elk genus. The exact number of elk subspecies has not yet been established. It varies from 4 to 8. The largest of them are the Alaskan and Eastern European subspecies, the smallest is the Ussuri subspecies, which has antlers that are not characteristic of an elk, without "blades".

Appearance

In the deer family, the elk is the largest animal. The height at the withers can reach 2.35 m, the body length can reach up to three meters, and the weight can reach 600 kg or more. Male moose are always much larger than females.

In addition to size, a number of other factors distinguish an elk from other representatives of the deer family:

physique: the torso is shorter, and the legs are longer;
the shape of the horns: horizontal, not vertical like a deer;
has withers resembling a hump;
the head is very large with a characteristic "humped nose" and a fleshy upper lip;
under the throat of the male elk there is a soft leathery outgrowth, up to 40 cm long, called the "earring".

Because of the long legs, the moose has to either go deep into the water or kneel to get drunk. The elk's coat is hard to the touch, but has a soft thick undercoat that warms the animal in cold weather. By winter, the wool grows 10 cm in length. The longest coat of the elk is on the withers and neck, which outwardly makes it look like a mane and creates a feeling of the presence of a hump on the body of the animal. Coat color - with a transition from black (in the upper part of the body) to brown (in the lower part) and whitish - to the legs. Moose are darker in summer than in winter.

Elk - the owner of the largest horns among mammals. The weight of the horns can reach 30 kg and have a span of 1.8 m. Only males can boast of this decoration on their heads. Moose females are always hornless.

Every year - at the end of autumn - the elk sheds its antlers, walks without them until spring, and then grows new ones. The older the moose, the more powerful its horns, the wider their "shovel" and the shorter the processes.

It is interesting! The horns fall off due to a decrease in the amount of sex hormones in the blood of the elk after the end of mating season. Hormonal changes lead to softening of the bone substance at the point of attachment of the horns to the skull. The discarded antlers contain a lot of protein and are food for rodents and birds.

Moose calves acquire small horns by the year. Initially, they are soft, covered with thin skin and velvety fur, which makes them vulnerable to injuries and insect bites, causing significant discomfort to the animal. Such torment lasts for two months, after which the calf's horns become hard, and the blood supply to them stops.

The process of shedding the horns does not cause pain to the animal, but rather a relief. In winter, at the end of the mating season, the moose do not need them, they only complicate movement in the snow with extra weight on their heads.

Lifestyle

Moose lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, preferring to stay in one place if the conditions are comfortable and there is enough food. Winter with a thick layer of snow and lack of food make them set off.

Moose do not like deep snow, they are looking for wintering places where the snow cover does not exceed half a meter. First, females with moose calves go on the road, males follow them. They return from the winter hut in the spring, when the snow begins to melt, in the reverse order - the procession is led by males and childless females.

Moose can travel up to 15 km per day. By the way, they run well, reaching speeds up to 55 km per hour.

Moose are not herd animals. They live separately, one by one or 3-4 individuals. They gather in small groups only for the winter quarters and, with the onset of spring, disperse again in different directions. Moose gathering places for the winter quarters are called “camps” in Russia, and “yards” in Canada. Sometimes up to 100 moose gather in one camp.

Moose activity depends on the time of year, more specifically, the ambient temperature. In the summer heat, moose are inactive during the day, hiding from the heat and midges in the water, in ventilated forest glades, in the shade of dense thickets. They come out to feed when the heat subsides - at night.

In winter, on the contrary, moose feed during the day, and at night, to keep warm, they lie down in the snow, like a bear in a den, plunging into it almost completely. Only ears and withers stick out. If the body temperature of an elk drops to 30 degrees, the animal will die from hypothermia.

Only during the rutting season, moose are active, regardless of the time of day and temperature.

It is interesting! An elk's body temperature from running fast in the heat can rise to 40 degrees and lead to heatstroke. The reason for this is a special natural repellent that is produced by a moose instead of ordinary sweat - the so-called "fat".

It protects the animal from the bites of blood-sucking insects, saves in the cold, but also plays a cruel joke when it is very hot. Zhiropot, clogging the pores of the skin, preventing the body from cooling quickly.

Moose have excellent hearing and poor vision.. How well developed the moose's hearing and sense of smell are, so weak is their vision. An elk is not able to distinguish a motionless figure of a person from a distance of 20 meters

Moose are excellent swimmers. These animals love water. They need it both as a rescue from midges and as a source of food. An elk is able to swim up to 20 km and can stay under water for more than a minute.

Moose are non-conflict animals. The level of their aggression rises only during the rut. Only then does the moose use its horns for its intended purpose, fighting with a rival for a female. In other cases, when attacked by a wolf or a bear, the elk defends itself with its front legs. The first moose does not attack and, if there is an opportunity to escape, runs away.

Lifespan

Nature has prepared a solid life span for the elk - 25 years. But under natural conditions, this peaceful giant rarely lives up to 12 years. This is due to predators - wolves and bears, diseases and a person who uses an elk for his fishing purposes. Elk hunting is allowed from October to January.

Range, habitats

The total number of elk in the world is close to one and a half million. More than half of them live in Russia. The rest live in Eastern and Northern Europe - in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway.

It is interesting! Europe exterminated its moose in the 18th and 19th centuries. It caught on only in the last century, starting to carry out active protective measures for the surviving single specimens, exterminating wolves, rejuvenating forest plantations. The moose population has been restored.

There are moose in the north of Mongolia, northeast China, the USA, Alaska and Canada. For habitats, the elk chooses birch and pine forests, willow and aspen forests along the banks of rivers and lakes, although it can live both in the tundra and in the steppe. However, preference is given mixed forests with thick undergrowth.

Moose diet

Moose menu is seasonal. In summer, these are the leaves of shrubs and trees, aquatic plants and grasses. Preference is given to mountain ash, aspen, maple, birch, willow, bird cherry, water capsules, water lilies, horsetail, sedge, willow-herb, sorrel, tall umbrella grasses. Moose cannot nibble on small grass. Do not allow a short neck and long legs. By the end of summer, mushrooms, blueberry and lingonberry bushes, along with berries, enter the diet of the elk. In autumn it comes down to bark, moss, lichens and leaf litter. By winter, the elk moves to branches and shoots - wild raspberries, mountain ash, fir, pine, willow.

It is interesting! The summer daily diet of an elk is 30 kg of plant food, the winter one is 15 kg. In winter, moose drink little and do not eat snow, keeping their body heat.

Different scientists distinguish from 4 to 8 subspecies of moose, which differ in the structure of the horns and size. But among them, only one variety is particularly impressive in size. So where does the biggest moose live?

Main characteristics

The largest moose in the world live in the northern and central regions of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The population of these animals in Kamchatka is unique phenomenon because people brought them here on purpose in the early 80s of the 19th century. from the Anadyr basin. The new habitat turned out to be very favorable, thanks to:

abundance and variety of food, including winter time, which contributes to faster saturation and, possibly, as a result, "gigantism";
more favorable mild climate, which is good for animals in terms of maintaining energy potential.

Some scientists associate the impressive size of the Kamchatka elk with eating giant umbrella plants growing in Kamchatka, which contain substances that provoke increased production of growth hormone.

By appearance the Kamchatka elk is similar to its relative from Alaska, and scientists have also managed to confirm their family ties at the genetic level (they have 7 dozen pairs of identical chromosomes). But according to the latest data, it is the Kamchatka representative that is the largest elk in the world. The weight of males reaches 800 kg, body length - 346 cm, and height at the withers - 239 cm. Females are much smaller - their weight does not exceed 400 kg.

In addition to Kamchatka, this species also inhabits the basins of Anadyr, Upper and Middle Kolyma, Penzhina and Indigirka. In this regard, it is sometimes called Kolyma, Penzhin, Chukchi.

The main pride of the elk

Males have the largest horns of any mammal. They are also the fastest growing tissues among mammals, with a daily growth rate of 30 cm. Moreover, each male has a unique shape of the horn bone, and it is almost impossible to meet two individuals with the same horns. They are presented in the form of wide shovels with numerous processes (up to 18 processes), the average weight of the antlers of Kamchatka moose ranges from 29-33 kg, but in some individuals they reach 40 kg. The shape of the horns, which resembles a plow, animals owe another name - elk.

It is this pride that is the main prey for hunters, a symbol of their luck and dexterity. Foreign hunters often pay attention not so much to weight as to the size of the span. In Kamchatka elk, these values range from 153-165 cm, and in the largest males, the range is up to 180 cm.

For a long time, the trophy of Kenneth Bering, caught in Kamchatka in 1993, was considered the largest antlers of an elk that was caught by a man. The following indicators are recorded in the book of records of the International Safari Club:

the length of one horn is 127.6 cm;
rise width: 43.8 cm left horn and 44.9 cm right;
swing - 171.5 cm;
13 processes on the left and 18 on the right shovel.

But in 2015, the Lithuanian hunter Arunas Aishparas managed to get a moose, whose horns weighed about 50 kg and had a span of 178 cm. It is this trophy that claims the title of the largest of its kind.

According to experts, the number of moose for last years only grows. Therefore, on the pages of the Red Book, it is placed next to those species that are threatened by the least danger, and hunting for them is not prohibited.

Moose are unique animals. Indeed, in addition to their gigantic size, they have a number of other unusual features:

In water, they can swim at speeds up to 10 km / h, dive to a depth of 5 meters and hold their breath for up to 1 minute.
Thanks to strong, long legs, animals can run at speeds up to 56 km/h.
The special structure of the eyes allows them to notice the movement of objects behind them without turning their heads.
They are not able to see a motionless person if he is at a distance of several tens of meters.
They can rotate their ears in all directions and hear the sounds made by relatives even from 3 km away.
Very long legs give them considerable inconvenience when drinking. To quench their thirst, the animal has to go deep into the pond or kneel.
The main weapon of the animal is not the horns, but the front legs, the blow of which can be fatal even for a bear.
They love to eat rotten apples, as the fermentation process makes them feel euphoric.