Calling the buck

Not many hunters come to the Windigo Game Preserve, in Upper Mauricie, to meet face to face with the impressive moose. Most of them would rather fish. Nevertheless, one often hears moose calls echoing through the preserve's hilly surroundings. In fact you'll often hear proprietor Michel Lamarre calling the elusive beasts.

In the fall, all the moose in Quebec go in heat, thus garanteeing that their bloodline will go on. Until mid-October, all those antlered Don Juans flirt with their attentive belles, so much so that they almost don't eat for the next 30 days.

It's not that these moose are feeling blue or that they've gone on a diet to please the Mrs. No, they're simply too busy flirting, rubbing their antlers on trees in order to soak them with their pungent odour.

Thanks to a hybrid sixth sense,a mixture of smell and taste, moose can actually smell when their lady friends are ready for mating. The female also does her part in this courtship; her job is to call her loved one with all the vocal charms she can muster. With great success too: The male will follow her around for up to 12 days before they satisfy their urges.

So how do you get a buck moose in heat to parade around for you at the edge of the forest or by a picturesque lake? By imitating the sounds of the female moose in heat. There's no prescribed hour to do this, however dawn and sundown seem to be their favourite time. Above all else, the caller must be extremely quiet. No clearing of throats, coughing or sneezing allowed. Your plastic raincoat, that rustles at every move, should be left home. The smallest sound or tiniest whisper could spook the animal in question and make him flee. Only the enticing wails of his sweetheart will make him come around.

Despite what you might think, imitating the sounds of the male moose will also make our young buck come running. It's not that moose have same-sex fantasies; when the female tires of her suitor's affections, she will hide in the bush. If the male hears a rival nearby while waiting for his lovely to get rid of her "headache," he will certainly want to check out this new threat and protect his territory.

Hunting is now so popular that moose have become suspicious; the pressure they've been facing for several generations is impossible to forget. "To attract this king of the forest, you must first make conversation with him," says Michel. Smart beast.

So as not to be bothered by other hunters, Michel has set up a small camp near a secluded lake. Five kilometres and an hour and a half of hiking through branches, fallen trees and muddy swamps guarantee him that the moose that come this way are exclusively his.

Once you make it here though, one look at your surroundings is enough to make you forget your aching muscles. Michel's lake gleams against the backdrop of the majestic forest. No sound, no water rippling, complete, fascinating stillness, it's in this fairy-tale setting that Michel will put on his little show.

Standing in front of the lake, Michel starts by lighting a match to check wind direction. The moose might be near sighted, but he still has an impressive sense of smell and incomparable hearing. If he hears a noise or smells a hunter, he will just disappear into the woods. Then, like a clarinetist standing in an empty concert hall, Michel walks to the bank and picks up a horn made from bark. Like a maestro, he brings the horn to his lips and starts courting the moose. Suspense.

"If he heard me, he knows exactly where the call came from and I have to stop calling him and wait." Despite our repeated overtures, long heavy silences will fill the better part of an hour and a half. No moose will come courting today. No matter, the afternoon was invigorating; the hike, stimulating; and the calling demonstration, very educational. And one has to remain optimistic. We'll be luckier next time.