I have had the great privilege of hunting Cappa, Willow Grouse, Black Game and Mouse in Finland. It is very different up there! Beware the traditional "Sauna" at the end of the day - lots of nakedness, beer drinking and jumping in a frozen lake.
We decoyed Black Game to hides on a marsh next to a lake from the forrest at dawn. Cappa and Grouse were walked up. The Moose was a whole day from early to late afternoon from high stands.
There were 12 of us shooting moose. Stands were around a forestry block about a mile square, spaced at about 250 to 300 yds and about 3 meters high. Guns had the two windward sides of the forestry block and the dog man went in the downwind corner. Dogs are interesting, Norwegian Elk Hounds. Dog unleashed, charges off into the forrest, finds moose and brings it to bay, barking when he has it trapped. Usually a Male, Cow and Calf, Male legs it, hopefully through the line of guns for one of them to get a running shot. Cow is left with the dog. Dog man calls down one of the guns to stalk into the Cow.
Etiquette here is very important. When you are in range of the Cow (often inside 50 yds due to the density of the forestry), a long time is spent looking for the calf. If a calf is present it has to be shot in preference to the cow. The Cow then often takes to it's toes, hotly pursued by the dog which is not trained to the stop whistle. If the gun's don't shoot the cow as it runs through the line (and shooting the dog in hot pursuit is a real no no) the pair often cover several km before the dog gives up. On one drive the dog finally stopped an hour and 7km later, was tracked by GPS and picked up by the dog mans mate while a second dog was used for the next drive.
If you are a gun in the line there is often a lot of standing about and not a great deal of action. And it's bloody cold. For the guy who is chosen to stalk in is a bit more interesting. But when 500kg of live bull moose comes charging through the line pursued by the dog the adrenaline does start to pump.
Extraction by big quads and sledges can take a long time. Fires are lit, sausages and coffee are cooked, it's all very social.
The really dedicated hunters disappear into the woods with their dog on their own for a whole weekend. Finding and shooting a moose and then calving it up into portable quarters and carrying it our on their own piece by piece over several hours. One of the Males we shot lardered with all red and green offal removed, head and legs off and skinned at 255kg, so they are big. I had to almost climb inside the chest cavity of the big one to remove the diaphragm!
They are really great people, the whole experience was wonderful. The drinking can get quite serious after the shoot and I have already mentioned the Sauna.
Go and enjoy it. A great insight into a very different culture of shooting.
Just got back this evening. Thanks everyone for all the advice on Finland but particular thank you to Nigel M. Spot on in all accounts, especially the warning on traditional festivities. Having been picked up by the Finnish guy and driving to the lodge through dense forest tracks at midnight, he turns to me and says 'we have dinner with hunters and then we all have sauna. You know sauna yes?'. At that precise moment your comments came flashing back to me, without which I was in two minds to jump from his truck and take my chances in the woods, rather than avoid appearing in some Scandinavian snuff movie. There's no quicker way of bonding with your 8 fellow shooters than sitting stark naked in a sauna!
Anyway, traditions aside it really was a fantastic experience. The local hunters were extremely welcoming and very hospitable, despite the language barrier. The area is broken down by clubs with each owning @ 7-10k hectares and a quota of 12 moose(elk) for the season. There clearly is an element of luck of being in the right spot for the moose to be chased into. They had 2 dogs with GPS who are sent into the woods @ 2k away and then everyone lines up over 1-2k area, in a variety of different pitches. On one we were stretched across this long main road, each standing by the roadside with our rifles, like soldiers at a checkpoint ! We shot 3 calfs and 1 cow but I did not not get the opportunity to take a shot. The cow was huge, I can't describe the size of these things, much, much bigger in the real (especially when you see them in woodland), they must surpass many an animal in Africa. The Finnish woodland is very uneven, damp, with small and colossal holders and numerous waterholes. It took 9 of us to drag the cow out of the wood and I can tell you it was a real struggle (they cut a slit in the nose and slip the rope through)
Cooked sausages at regular intervals at wherever we had stopped off (the Fins, masters of wood, can make a roaring fire in a couple of minutes) and lots of laughter and **** taking as to who was a good and lousy shot, it was a real privilege to spend some time into their world. They invited me to the Lapua factory the next time I am over as well.
i have been given a hunting license until 2018 so intend to go again but be warned it can be the luck of the draw if you are to get a shot at one of these beasts. Have to admit I was apprehensive of having to consider a standing running shot , in that respect it's not my type of shooting (I will need to get some more practise in).
The experience also makes you appreciate how fantastic the shooting in the UK actually is, the variety of deer and the stalking opportunities. Big is not always better.
Nevertheless, I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone thinking of heading out there. Definitely give it a try
The only downside? Well,my suitcase is still sitting in Helsinki airport as we speak. Courtesy of Finair.