I'm headed to AK in September on a moose hunt and I'm wondering what to use for a call/megaphone. Any suggestions?
Milk jug, birch bark cone anything to amplify your calling
I carried one around for years but decided it was a waste of time. I have watched bulls through spotting scopes that were an honest 1.5 miles away (with a clear line of sight) turn their heads and look directly at me when I cow-called using only my cupped hands. They can hear phenomenally well from a very long distance away.
The only other argument for carrying a megaphone is to use it as a fake antler and rake the brush with it. Bypass that step and carry a dried scapula from a moose (or very large cow if you can't get a moose scapula) and use that instead. It sounds just like the real thing and is easier to pack than the round megaphone.
Finally, remember that Alaskan moose don't respond to cow calls like Canadian moose. The A/Y bull moose is similar to Rocky Mountain Elk in that the dominant bulls assemble harems and guard them. If a bull responds to a cow call in Alaska it's normally a dink/sub-legal bull that you wouldn't want to shoot. A/Y dominant bulls expect cows to come to them. Think about using the same procedures that you'd use on a dominant herd (elk) bull and apply those to moose and you'll increase your odds dramatically.
I was going to say what John said, A/Y moose is different than the eastern moose that I call in Maine. They will come charging to my call free mouth doing grunts and whines. Alaska Yukon hold their ground more often. More interest smashing brush being a mock challenger if you can get somewhat close to his harem.
You may want to check out the Gouthro's Moose Madness DVD series - he has lots of good information not only about calling, but also moose behavior, anatomy, etc.
I grew up in the interior of Alaska. We use a moose shoulder blade (scapula), and a funnel shaped megaphone out of birch bark for calling, and/or a large tin coffee can with a hole punched in the bottom and a 2 ft. piece of parachute cord hanging out the end by a knot. Wet the string, hold the open end of the can pointing out the direction you want the sound to travel, then pinch the string between your thumb and finger and slide them down the string to the end. Works well, and all of the above are cheap.
Most, if not all, of the sporting goods stores wherever you are in Alaska will undoubtedly sell a fibreglass megaphone caller that is durable enough to use for moderately raking the brush, mouth calling, and for scooping up water and pouring to sound like a urinating moose.
We bagged a moose in 09' by walking down a trail breaking branches, crunching brush lightly, and raking the brush with a small single antler from an old kill. A 46 inch bull was nearby, thought we were a small, younger bull, he came in to challenge. Some guys make the mistake of sounding like 'too big' of a bull, thus intimidating other bulls in the area.
Others have unintentionally called them in while trying to start a stubborn chainsaw....others by splitting firewood. That's a lot of work though, and don't know if it would qualify for 'traditional'. :thumbsup:
a short canoe paddle is easier to pack around than a moose antler, good for raking and posturing.
Terry
A lot of moose in my part of the country, and I've found a cow elk call will get a response quicker than anything.
I have called in moose early in Sept in Alaska using cow calls, but John is correct about the big guys building harems. Using soft bull grunts and bones to simulate scraping, thrashing, fighting and flashing is a must as far as I'm conserned. But like anything else, we are free to shoot what ever we like, and the first young bull to come may be great table fare where legal. Good luck, Mike
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/moose1.jpg)
A lot of good advice!
Thank-you very much for the information. I was almost going to buy one of the "$38" megaphones, but think i'll hold off and take note from the experts.
Thanks again.
Bosco- I have one of the fiberglass megaphones and have used it alot. It works goood for all your scraping, thrashing, and water pouring needs, its just that on my solo hunts where I need to bring video camera equipment and survival gear, the megaphone gets left behind in leu of other natural items I can find. In Alaska or Canada, most drop off spots are on lakes or tundra landing strips where other hunters have gone before you. There is usually plenty of bones laying around these human portals into the wilderness. Mike
If I could come up w/ a scapula in Fairbanks, would you reccomend that rather than the fiberglass megaphone?
an empty plastic gatorade bottle, duct taped to a stick works very well.
Gilbert
Mike M., since when do you know anything about moose hunting? :bigsmyl:
Obviously just kiddin'.
I'd hate lugging that megaphone around myself...have you tried carrying it around with you in your local woods for a half day hike? That will at least get you used to it....
A lot of things will work. You will have to decide what works best for your conditions. Like John said, moose can hear a long way off, but a wide blade or megaphone (be it a plastic jug or what ever) may help you throw your voice in another direction as the bull gets close. You want him to come in , but not pin-point you. Ha! Bone agains bone grinding and thrashing is hard to beat to send one into the rut craze! Good luck.
My moose hunting partner is a really good caller. I mean it. That said...
We were mucking around in the hangar waiting to fly a few years ago. Bryan mentioned he should have brought a 1 qt plastic motor oil bottle, as he'd seen them used as a megaphone/scraper. I promptly plucked one out of the trash barrel and cut the bottom out of it. A little cleanup and he had his moose call. Did it work? He hammered a 58" bull just a couple days later.
Cut to a couple years later. I was so impressed that I now carry one. Last September I heard a bull whack his antlers out in the valley somewhere. I grabbed my oil can and raked a spruce sapling softly. A couple moans through the can and the bull came on a string. I killed him at 18 yards. His twin buddy watched him run off and die.
I've seen it and I believe in it. For 3 ounces of weight, one heck of a moose call. Free.
The fiberglass megaphone would probably do just as well, but would not work as a scapula does for flashing it in sight of a moose to appear as an antler of another bull.
On a 10 day hunt a couple years ago I had a dried scapula (several years old) for calling. We encountered lots of rain and by the end of the trip it had absorbed moisture and cracked into pieces. Obviously fiberglass is more durable in that respect.
Mike is correct. A lot of things will work. Good luck on your hunt.
Bosco, sent you a pm.