lance and frequent cleaning, even out of season, as
rifles often " sweat" in their cases.
Guns, Ammunition, and Tackle, in the American
Sportsman's Library (Macmillan) contains much
Biblio- information, both of a practical and theo-
graphy retical nature, Mr. Kephart's chapter on
the sporting rifle being especially valuable. Modern
Rifle Shooting, by Dr. W. G. Hudson, treats more of
military shooting. Walter Winans's Practical Rifle
Shooting is excellent, but deals mostly with British
conditions and game.
THE SHOTGUN
The proper shotgun for the north woods is one of
Sporting Firearms 317
medium weight (say 7 pounds), i2-bore, hammerless
ejector, 28-inch barrels, and, as most of the shooting
will be done in cover, moderately bent. c - .
No rule can be given in regard to quality,
except to go to a reputable dealer and pay as much
as you can afford. A cheap shotgun is a miserable
thing indeed, and dangerous to boot. If you cannot
spend over $25.00, then get a Stevens, which at all
events is safe, and quite wonderful for the price.
One must pay three times that sum for anything
recognised by the experts as good, while really fine
shotguns cost from $200 upwards, their barrels and
locks being marvels.
Of course if duck-shooting is to be engaged in
mostly a heavy lo-bore gun may be preferred, though
1 2 -bores can kill ducks nearly as well. There is
really less for the novice to do in the choosing of a
gun than a rifle, and he must trust his dealer more.
All that is necessary is to select one that fits the
shoulder and seems handy. It should be furnished with
a rubber recoil-pad, as one sometimes uses big charges
in the woods, ducks and even geese being possible
acquaintances.
The first thing to learn is not to shoot either your-
self or your companion. Remember that shotguns,
even more than rifles, have a way of going ~ .
1 -11 Caution
off, sometimes with only a jar, and the one
safe rule is to be sure that the gun is absolutely
never pointed towards anyone. Then, if it is dis-
charged, nobody will be hurt. Particular care
should be taken when getting over fences; at
such times it is better to remove the shells. Never
allow the hammers to rest on the plungers, but
3 1 8 The Way of the Woods
carry the gun at half-cock, or with the safety
catch on.
When walking with the gun over the shoulder carry
the trigger guard up, so that the muzzle will not
point level or down.
As all good sportsmen (unless very hungry indeed)
are expected to bring their birds down on the wing,
it is evident that the novice should devote
Practice 1 . . 1 ,
as much time to practice as he can afford.
To join a gun club and shoot at clay pigeons would
be obviously the best thing to do, for, though a target
shot is by no means always a good shot at game,
there are rudiments of the sport that cannot better
be mastered in any other manner. Improvement
must be left to experience and knowledge of the
habits of the quarry in the field itself. In regard to
certain essentials you might better be coached. Most
good wing shots will assure you that they keep both
eyes open when shooting. The head is kept well up.
The right hand takes a firm grip of the stock, to
prevent flinching and help guide the gun. The left
hand is extended naturally. The heel of the stock
must rest against the same place on the shoulder
every shot. This is very important, since one has no
time to squint along the barrel. How far ahead, above
or below a flying bird one should hold depends of
course upon the kind of bird and the rate at which
it is travelling. Judgment of such points also belongs
in the realm of experience.
The single-barrel repeating "pump" shotguns,
represented by the Winchester 1897 take-down model
($21.60), have been taken up to a great extent
Sporting Firearms 319
lately, it being claimed for them that sighting over
the single barrel is easier than down the rib be-
tween two. They are certainly hard shoot- "Pump"
ers, though rather heavy. The magazine Guns
contains six shells. In regard to the sporting morality
of repeating shotguns it may be said that the sen-
timent of most hunters has been against them, but
that they are gaining ground even in this direction.
My own conviction is that the game-hog is not made
by his weapon, but is born. The repeater is not like
the automatic reel, for you may use the former as
your feelings prompt you, while the reel can only
be used in an unsportsmanlike manner, i. e. it does
not give the fish a fair chance. It follows that the
reel is to be condemned, while the "pump" gun is not
essentially unsportsmanlike.
REVOLVERS AND PISTOLS
The revolver is an arm hardly ever used in the
north woods, however convenient it may be on the
plains. The only occasion when I care to carry one
is trapping bears and other large game, when a
rifle might be considered in the way if one is burdened
with duffle and perhaps a number of steel traps. A
splendid weapon is the Smith & Wesson .38 calibre
revolver, using the "Special" cartridge; better still
for big game is the Smith & Wesson .45 calibre. The
fame of the Colt revolvers also is of course wide-
spread. The Marble Company makes a very conven-
ient revolver cleaning-rod.
In regard to pistols my readers are referred to the
chapter on Personal Outfit: (3) Sporting Articles.
320 The Way of the Woods
It only remains to mention the automatic pistols,
of which the Colt ($22.00 in .45 calibre, $21.00 in .38)
appears to be the best. All the automatics are some-
what complicated. I remember a whole camp upset
for a week trying to put in order an automatic pistol.
It is certainly not a north woods weapon.
Guns, Ammunition, and Tackle, in the American
Sportsman's Library, is a competent and thorough
Biblio- authority on revolvers and pistols. W.
graphy Winans's Hints on Revolver Shooting is
the special authority. More elaborate is his Art of
Revolver Shooting.
CHAPTER XIV
MOOSE-HUNTING
THE Moose (Alces americanus), or American Elk,
greatest of the deer family, is perhaps the grandest
prize that can fall to the prowess of the hunter in
North America. It grows largest in Alaska, where it
attains such a size (over 7 feet high at the withers)
that some naturalists are inclined to regard it as a
separate species. The largest known Alaskan antlers
(in the Field Columbian Museum, Chicago) have a
widest spread of 78^ inches, and probably measured
more than that at death. The Alaskan moose is a
black, brown, and grey monster, while the moose of
the United States and Canada is black with grey
legs and a brownish-black head. Only the tips of the
body-hairs are black, the rest of the hair being whitish.
The average bull stands 6 feet high at the shoulders
and weighs from 700 to 1,000 pounds; the cow hardly-
less. The antlers of the adult male consist of a
backward sweeping palmation with a separate set
of prongs over each brow. These two parts of the
antlers are called by woodsmen the palms or pads
and the "hookers." The record head for moose shot
south of Alaska measures 67 inches from tip to tip,
and came from New Brunswick. It has ten points
on one palm and thirteen on the other, and weighs,
including a portion of the skull, 67 pounds. These
enormous antlers impede the progress of the bull
21 321
322 The Way of the Woods
through the thick woods in which he lives, but much
less than one would think. By means of laying them
back on his shoulders he manages to penetrate the
thickest jungle at a "slashing trot/' as President
Roosevelt aptly puts it, being greatly assisted by his
abnormally long and powerful legs, which enable him
to stride over windfalls that would stop any other
deer. A spread of over 60 inches would be considered
anywhere but in Alaska to be very large for moose-
antlers, and the hunter need not be disappointed if
his set does not fall below 45 inches, provided it is
symmetrical, a point as important as size. A young
bull moose one and one half years old is a " spike-bull/'
from the appearance of his antlers. Palmation begins
with the third year, but the fully developed antlers,
separated into pads and hookers, hardly appear
before the bull's fourth autumn. A moose grows his
finest antlers between his sixth and his tenth year,
but, as with the wapiti, it is almost impossible to
tell the age of a moose by the horns. The palms grow
broader with age and the points shorter, until they
become mere scallops; the horns also become crabbed
and ugly in old age. After spending the latter part
of the winter totally denuded of his antlers, the
moose's new ones begin to sprout in early spring and
grow steadily until August, when they attain their
full size for that year. The "velvet" in which they
have been enveloped now begins to loosen and crack,
and the bull endeavours to assist nature by rubbing
it off against trees and shrubs, the horn being re-
vealed a rich brown except at the points, which are
whitish and polished. From this time on through the
rutting season, which lasts from about the first week
in September until the last of October, the bull keeps
A NOVA SCOTIA TROPHY
Moose-Hunting 323
his antlers in fighting order by slashing to pieces
shrubs and young trees, a habit called by woodsmen
"hooking," and which is possibly also a challenge to
other bulls. The antlers are dropped in mid- winter.
A peculiarity of the moose is the bell, an elongated
dewlap of skin falling from the throat of the bull for
some eight to fourteen inches, in some instances
even lower. Cow moose also have bells, but in most
cases undeveloped and therefore unseen. The bell
slightly decreases in length after the antlers are
dropped in winter. It is longest in young bulls.
After losing its antlers the bull, like the cow, defends
itself with its fore feet, extremely formidable weapons.
Wolves and bears (sometimes cougars) are prone to
attack calves and even cows, but unless the snow
is deep, impeding the movements of their intended
victims, they are usually beaten off, though many in-
stances are on record of calves and even cows being
killed. In Nova Scotia it is a common thing for
bears to answer the call of the cow moose, hoping to
make a breakfast of the yearling, or perhaps the
mother as well. In the autumn of 1906 a man with
whom I am acquainted shot two bears that came
(on different occasions) to his moose-call.
In May the cow gives her yearling calf the slip
and betakes herself to some swamp or other secluded
spot (often an island, where she is safer from her
enemies), where towards the end of the month she
gives birth to one calf if it is her first, otherwise
generally to two, awkward reddish-brown, long-
legged little beasts, that remain with their mother
until the next spring. In spite of their apparent
awkwardness they can run and even swim strongly
before they are a week old, as I can testify from
324 The Way of the Woods
repeated personal experience in catching them.
(Compare the picture The Madonna of the Moose.)
During the hot season moose frequent the swampy
grounds about lakes and streams, spending much of
their time in the water itself, in order to avoid the
insects that torture them and to feed upon the leaves,
stems and roots of aquatic plants. They generally
remain in low country until the mating season is over,
when they repair to the ridges for the winter. Here,
when the snow comes, the bull and cow, with one or
more tolerated calves of that spring, and perhaps
even another moose family, form a "yard"; in other
words they make a stay of longer or shorter duration
in some one district where feed is abundant, the snow
being gradually trampled down by the constant
walking of the great beasts about the yard, which
may be few or many acres in extent.
At the end of winter cows and bulls, which, so far
as we know, mate but for a single season, separate
and are seen no more together. Monogamy is the
rule, but bulls have been known to desert one cow
for another.
Moose feed chiefly upon browse, twigs and leaves of
several varieties of hard wood, their favourite being
the moose-wood (striped maple), as well as shrubs,
sweet-fern, and, to a very limited extent, even grass.
They gnaw off the bark of trees and strip the tender
leaves with their great prehensile upper lip and the
teeth of the lower jaw. If the young trees are too
high to reach the moose will ride them down with its
breast. In eating grass or snow they often kneel, but
generally adopt a kind of awkward straddle.
In regard to Western moose President Roosevelt
says:
THE MADONNA OF THE MOOSE
Moose-Hunting 325
In the summer it occasionally climbs to the very summit
of the wooded ranges, to escape the flies; and it is said that
in certain places where wolves are plenty the cows retire to
the top of the mountains to calve. . . . Their ways of life
of course vary with the nature of the country they frequent.
In the towering chains of the Rockies, clad in sombre and
unbroken evergreen forests, their habits, in regard to winter
and summer homes, and choice of places of seclusion for cows
with young calves and bulls growing their antlers, differ from
those of their kind which haunt the comparatively low, hilly,
lake-studded country of Maine and Nova Scotia, where the
forests are of birch, beech, and maple, mixed with the pine,
spruce, and hemlock."
General Remarks: The moose is gifted with the
largest and most efficient nose among American
fauna, as well as keen eyes and sharp ears. Its
smelling powers necessitate that it must be hunted
either up-wind (blowing from the game to the hunter)
or in a dead calm. Its hide is very tough and, unless
hit in a vital spot, it will carry off a lot of lead. Its
flesh, which resembles beef more than does venison,
is of good flavour, especially after the month of
October.
The moose, except in the rutting season, is as
gentle as a deer, in fact more so. It will always run
from man, the cow not even stopping to defend her
young. In the mating season, however, the bulls are
of uncertain temper. Four fifths of them will run,
even if wounded and cornered, but the other fifth
will charge, and a charging moose is a terrible oppo-
nent. It is easy enough to dodge them if the nature
of the country allows, but when the underbrush is
thick, and strewn with rocks and tough vines, a
stumble and fail might mean being hooked and tram-
pled to death.
326 The Way of the Woods
Moose have a way of falling, apparently shot to
death, and then of recovering unexpectedly and
either running long distances or escaping entirely.
Never go too near a moose until you are sure it is
not only down, but "out." Rather give it an extra
bullet in a vital spot. An old guide told me that,
after knocking down a big bull, he had drawn his
knife, and, stooping over the moose, was about to
begin skinning it when it suddenly came to life with
a mighty sweep of its antlers, which the hunter just
managed to avoid, and then, getting on its feet, dis-
appeared in the brush, before the hunter could se-
cure his rifle for another shot. Bulls fight each other
savagely in the rutting season and often inflict
severe wounds, but it is generally a clash, followed
by a pushing-match, the defeated animal retiring
from the field before great harm is done.
Rifles: In connection with no other branch of
sport does the evergreen controversy between the
advocates of large and small calibres rage as with
moose-hunting. This book is not the proper place to
do more than add my personal testimony and advice,
but a short statement of the conditions will serve
to freshen our minds on the prime requisites of a big-
game rifle, and I will preface this resume with the
statement that I am an advocate of the large calibre,
for any game bigger than deer. It is admitted that
the best rifle (or perhaps we really ought to say
cartridge, since the better manufacturers all make
good rifles) is that one which kills quickest and most
surely. Penetration alone, though essential, is not
enough; indeed too much is a detriment, since a bul-
let should expend all its energy on the game, whereas,
if a bullet passes completely through a body, it is
Moose- Hunting 327
evident that some of its energy is wasted. Thus of
two bullets of equal size and weight that one that
goes, say, two thirds of the way through a deer will
have a greater shocking (and therefore disabling)
effect than the other that passes quite through, if
both strike the same place. The ideal bullet would
just drop out on the opposite side, thus expending
all its energy while giving two bleeding orifices. In
the next place it is evident, first that the heavier
the bullet, and secondly the greater the striking
surface, the greater will be the shock to the animal.
The small calibre lovers assert that their rifles (say
from .25 to .33) shoot with a flatter trajectory (i. e.
without having to raise the sights so much), are
easier to handle, have less recoil, and finally that,
on account of the expansive qualities of the modern
soft-point bullet, the striking surface is to all purposes
as great. The answer (correct, it seems to me) is that
a bullet weighing 170 or 200 grains cannot exert
such a shock as one weighing from 250 to 400 grains.
Moose are shot in four cases out of five at a distance
not over TOO yards, so that a long-range rifle is not
usually necessary, the .45-. 70-. 405 being a better moose
gun than the .30-.30, in spite of the fact that the
latter ranges three times the distance. Inventors
are constantly striving to offset the advantages of
the big bore while still cleaving to the small, most of
their experiments having to do with the upset, or
mushrooming, of the bullet. The latest cartridge
that I have seen is the Hoxie, which has a hollow
bullet with a small steel pellet at the point. Upon
hitting a body, this pellet is driven down the narrower
hollow channel, splitting it and causing it to flatten
out immediately and effectively. On the whole it may
328 The Way of the Woods
be said that the chapter is not yet closed, and it would
be an immodest man who should assert, this or that
is the only right rifle or cartridge. While many
moose are killed, and sometimes killed quickly, by
small-bore bullets, the result of my observations
and investigations has been to the effect that, taken
all in all, the large calibre rifles have undoubtedly
done surer and quicker work. My advice is, therefore,
to choose one of the following rifles:
.405 Winchester
35
.45-90 H. V.
.45-.7o-.4oS
If the country to be hunted is thick the last-named
rifle may be low-power, as that carries a bullet weigh-
ing 105 grains more than the H. V. cartridge, though
the latter will carry farther. The two first -mentioned
rifles are terribly effective. If you prefer a small-
calibre choose one of these:
.30 Springfield (1903)
.303 Savage
33 Winchester
There are other good rifles of course, and I make no
mention of foreign wares, as I can see no use in going
abroad unless we can better ourselves, which, in this
case, we cannot. Foreign rifles are also three and
four times as expensive as our own.
When about to buy a rifle, if you are not sure
what you want, there are three good plans to follow :
First send for the catalogues of the prominent mak-
ers, Winchester, Savage, Stevens, Remington, Marlin,
Moose-Hunting 329
etc. , and read them carefully, as they are full of instruc-
tion ; secondly, inquire of some hunter in whom you
have confidence who has hunted over the district you
intend to visit, what kind of weapon is used most
there; or, thirdly, get some friend to buy your arm
for you, informing him in regard to your quarry and
the locality of your hunt. (The addresses of the
best makers can always be found in the advertising
sheets of the sporting periodicals.) If you follow
the advice given above in regard to calibres you
will not go wrong, but when it comes to choosing
sights it is a different question, as that is very much
a personal matter, eyes varying greatly. As a general
rule open sights are best for hunting, but many pre-
fer some kind of peep sight. Ivory front sights are
generally used. In any case do not choose a com-
plicated rear sight for hunting, but rather one that
can be instantly changed, like the "Sporting" and
others similar. For those preferring peep sights
the Lyman " receiver" sight may be recommended,
except for the 1895 Winchester rifles, with which the
Marble flexible peep sight should be used. In this
connection read the chapter on Sporting Firearms.
A cartridge-belt holding at least a dozen cartridges
is a convenient article to wear, as the extra shells
are prevented from jingling in the pocket. It is a
good idea also to carry one loose cartridge in the most
available pocket and not to have any in the barrel
unless shooting seems imminent. When this moment
arrives open the breach slowly and quietly so that a
cartridge is not thrown into the barrel, and slip the
extra one in. This can be done with less noise than
when working the lever hard enough to throw in a
cartridge. Of course when game seems sure to appear
330 The Way of the Woods
any moment the barrel should contain a cartridge,
but the hammer should be at half-cock, or, in a ham-
merless, the safety-catch should be on. The movement
of cocking is made almost automatically as the rifle
goes to the shoulder. When alone there is less danger
in keeping a shell in the barrel.
When in a good game country a rifle should not
be kept in the case. Many a deer and moose has been
lost by the neglect of this rule.
METHODS OF HUNTING
There are two recognised methods of hunting the
moose, Calling and Still-hunting. .
CALLING MOOSE
This is practised during the rutting season, when
both bulls and cows are wandering about (called
travelling) seeking a mate, and consists in imitating
the low or call of the cow, and sometimes the chal-
lenge of the bull, for the purpose of luring the bull
within shooting distance. It has been rather the
fashion with writers to question the entire sporting
morality of this method, but, it seems to me, without
reason; for, carried out logically, the same line of
argument (unfair advantage of the game, etc.)
would condemn all shooting for sport, with which
ultra standpoint, which in itself is quite consistent,
we can have no quarrel. Successful moose-calling
can be practised only under weather conditions which
obtain only rarely, and requires a great deal of skill on
the part of the caller, as well as coolness and nerve on
that of the sportsman, who, after waiting a long time
in the bitter cold without stirring, and probably sub-
By courtesy of " Forest and Stream "
SALMON POOL; GRAND CODROY RIVER, NEWFOUNDLAND
CALLING MOOSE
Moose -Hunting 331
jected to a good deal of suppressed excitement, must
pull himself together at the proper moment and shoot
straight. As a matter of sporting morality all our
cervidae should be protected during the rutting
season, but, since it is allowed by law, it is just as
well to remark that many years of moose-hunting,
both still-hunting and calling, have convinced me
that the one method is every bit as sportsmanlike
as the other; in fact that, if anything, calling gives
the moose the fairer chance. I believe that most
of those writers whose authority obtains in the land,
and who oppose calling as distinctly inferior to " fair
and square still-hunting," are gentlemen whose
experience in moose-hunting has been very restricted ;
for no man is really an experienced moose-hunter
who has not lived years in the moose country, long
enough to have hunted the big deer dozens of times
and to have absorbed an intimate knowledge of its
habits and nature. Most authorities aver that in
calling, the beast, absolutely blinded by passion and
taken completely off its guard, is lured to a sure
death, while the sportsman sits comfortably on a
log and leaves all the scientific part of the work to his
guide, merely shooting the unsuspecting quarry down
when it appears. Now what is the actual truth?
I quote from my own letter to Forest and Stream:
The bull moose, far from being so blinded by passion as
to be unsuspicious, is never in the whole course of his existence
so absolutely suspicious and on his guard as when he ap-
proaches either a cow or a caller in the mating season. Un-
questionably he is eager for the tryst, but his every sense is
alert, for his instinct, and often his experience, tells him that
many a danger lurks. His eyes, his ears, and most of all his