Moose hunting

Hunting procedure

The traditional moose hunt with specially trained hounds in the fantastic areas north and south of the Arctic Circle in the typical terrain of Northern Scandinavia with birch and pine forests and areas with open heather and blueberry bushes and moss is something very special.

A special highlight is the untouched, wild and beautiful landscape of Lapland.

Early in the morning, before sunrise, the hunting group meets for a joint exchange and drawing of the "passes" as well as a warm drink at the campfire. A "pass" is the place where the individual hunter is supposed to establish himself and from which he should possibly shoot the moose.

The rules are briefly discussed again, the area examined on the map, before some hunters go out with their own dogs, all of which have GPS.

The individual hunters then make their way to “their” pass. This can often be very difficult to reach as the terrain can be steep and difficult to access. The hike to the "pass" can take 1-2 hours if it is further away.

During the rutting season, the moose is also "called". If the hunter is good at “calling”, the moose will approach him surprisingly closely.

During the hunt, the individual hunters can use an app on their mobile phone to track the hounds and even see if they are barking and following a moose.

Communication is also done via various apps in which the hunters exchange their messages.

If the hunt is considered to be “interrupted” or “finished”, shooting is generally no longer allowed.

The salvage of the moose or moose that has been shot is then usually carried out in groups of several, as this is hardly possible alone. A quad with a sled is usually used for this purpose. Reaching the moose that has been shot is often very difficult, as crossing the terrain by quads over rocks, stones and small trees, through swamps and arctic vegetation is extremely tedious and complicated.

After the salvage, the moose is loaded onto a trailer and driven to a barn owned by the hunting party which has already been built and prepared for the gutting of the elk.

The innards are gutted, the elk skin is completely removed and the elk is dismembered appropriately, the meat trimmed and packed into smaller portions for freezing.

The hounds are able to hunt intensively for several hours, but then they need a corresponding rest.