Available: 3 days Traditional Hunting for Moose with Dogs in Lapland

[greenhillstairs]

Any of the lads that was on the hunt if you fancy a weekend Deep Sea Fishing out of Poole send me a PM

Bit of a drive for some but well swamp the boat with beers and have a rite crack, plus I can put a few up at mine as ive got a massive loft

Atb

Terry

Generous offer thanks Terry, unfortuantly for me rarely get a free weekend, my lad plays rugby most and when hes not playing he's training. I've shelved a few past times/interests, when i get a spare weekend I useually head out to my ground for a day or two stalking, that and a few pints of a evening, jesus i'm busy but not that busy i cant make the pub but once again, the offer gratefully received with thanks.

 

[beer can]

john
many thanks for your comments I will sleep a little better tonight( just finished work)
always good to hear something positive
regards steve

 

[jthyttin]

Pegs.. what a joke, I felt only at one peg did I have any chance of taking a moose.

Not a single Moose pushed to the line by the dogs.

I wrote a longish reply about the way moose is hunted, but got burned because of "expired token". So here's a short version:

Dogs are not supposed to push the moose anywhere, they're supposed to stop the moose and distract it so dog handler (or guns like in you hunt, who were walking with handler) can work his way to the moose and shoot it. If the moose moves, dog will follow without barking and try to stop the moose in suitable location.

Pegs are placed in case the moose moves a lot. Solitary bull moose can move more than 10km at once. Often the moose moves along peg line (depending on wind) and tries to break the line in suitable position. That's why it's important to have pegs evenly distributed and all pegs are not equal. I've hold pegs when I was too young to have a gun, I just made some low noise to make sure moose won't try to break at my peg.

Moose don't care about things they know are there, like clearfells and traffic on roads. Of course they may have an effect in the way moose moves, like it waits before crossing if it hears there's car coming. But when the dog is following and constantly trying to stop the moose, it moves a lot differently (more carelessly). There's a huge peak in traffic accidents coinciding with the start of moose hunting.

 

[PointBlank]

I wrote a longish reply about the way moose is hunted, but got burned because of "expired token". So here's a short version:

Dogs are not supposed to push the moose anywhere, they're supposed to stop the moose and distract it so dog handler (or guns like in you hunt, who were walking with handler) can work his way to the moose and shoot it. If the moose moves, dog will follow without barking and try to stop the moose in suitable location.

Pegs are placed in case the moose moves a lot. Solitary bull moose can move more than 10km at once. Often the moose moves along peg line (depending on wind) and tries to break the line in suitable position. That's why it's important to have pegs evenly distributed and all pegs are not equal. I've hold pegs when I was too young to have a gun, I just made some low noise to make sure moose won't try to break at my peg.

Moose don't care about things they know are there, like clearfells and traffic on roads. Of course they may have an effect in the way moose moves, like it waits before crossing if it hears there's car coming. But when the dog is following and constantly trying to stop the moose, it moves a lot differently (more carelessly). There's a huge peak in traffic accidents coinciding with the start of moose hunting.

This I understand and I can see how the idea of stalking into the moose the dog has located would be far more of a hunt than we were offered, if it wasn't for the fact that Rickie expressly asked to go with the dogmen then there would have been none of our party doing anything other than standing on pegs.

The hunt you're describing sounds far more interesting and correct than what we experienced. We paid a fair amount of money to be stops on the off-chance a moose was stupid enough to push through the line

 

[jthyttin]

We paid a fair amount of money to be stops on the off-chance a moose was stupid enough to push through the line

What I described was the perfect moose hunt and it often takes place in land called Utopia

In reality the moose will break the line much more often for e.g.

- the drive is so small that the usual movement of moose will push it through the peg line (this is usual in southern Finland where farmland breaks the forests into smaller pieces)
- the dog isn't good at stopping the moose
- the moose won't stop despite of the dog (it's an old one, scared of wolves or some similar reason)

I presume that in your hunt, the dog handler would have disturbed the stopped moose to get it moving again. This is usual practice in Estonian wild boar hunts when there's guests. When local hunters are by themselves, the dog handler shoots most boars. With guests, he fires shotgun into air so boar start moving again and break the peg line. Of course the handler can disturb the boar into moving also if they're in thick cover long way from accessible roads since nobody's too keen to drag the boar for half a mile...

I don't regard standing in peg line being "stop on the off-chance" be it moose hunt or boar hunt. Then again, I regard the hunt as team effort, but I agree paying £1k I'd be expecting higher individual chance of having a shot at beasts.

Ambushing would be the key to raise the chance for shot but it's rarely effective for moose. Most moose hunting grounds don't have any facilities for ambushing. This would be for wild boar hunting in very good Estonian places, hunting in traditional way (drive hunts being much like Finnish moose hunting). Based on my experience, I could take a guess that there's 1:10 chance to have an opportunity for shot in a drive, and 1:2 to 2:3 chance to have boars visiting an ambush site. So you'd have to stand in peg line in 7-11 drives to equal one night in ambush, if you just calculate the odds for a shot. Even then most of the opportunities in drives won't result in shots being fired (or at least boar being hit...). I just fancy the drives much more since it's a real test for your abilities. Ambushing is a nice compliment, especially for new hunters.

 

[pheasant sniper 1]

I wrote a longish reply about the way moose is hunted, but got burned because of "expired token". So here's a short version:

Dogs are not supposed to push the moose anywhere, they're supposed to stop the moose and distract it so dog handler (or guns like in you hunt, who were walking with handler) can work his way to the moose and shoot it. If the moose moves, dog will follow without barking and try to stop the moose in suitable location.

Pegs are placed in case the moose moves a lot. Solitary bull moose can move more than 10km at once. Often the moose moves along peg line (depending on wind) and tries to break the line in suitable position. That's why it's important to have pegs evenly distributed and all pegs are not equal. I've hold pegs when I was too young to have a gun, I just made some low noise to make sure moose won't try to break at my peg.

Moose don't care about things they know are there, like clearfells and traffic on roads. Of course they may have an effect in the way moose moves, like it waits before crossing if it hears there's car coming. But when the dog is following and constantly trying to stop the moose, it moves a lot differently (more carelessly). There's a huge peak in traffic accidents coinciding with the start of moose hunting.

Thankyou for your reply

What you have explained differs hugely from what we were told.. it was explained to us that the dogs would drive the moose breaking the line.

This just adds to the miserable experience as infact on a lot of pegs guys were winding the area.

If the above is correct you would have expected each drive that Christian woud change the man going with the dogs to give most people a fair chance.

This did not happen and as Kev says if after the first day Rickie hadnt asked none of us would have had the experience you describe.

Terry

 

[jthyttin]

it was explained to us that the dogs would drive the moose breaking the line.

In all fairness, I presume that the handler would have disturbed the moose to get it moving and break the peg line (that is, before guns joined the handler after the first day). It would be quite effective, especially because the location of the moose would be known before it would be disturbed, and thus the peg line could have been moved to a more favourable position.

I read that you had two experienced dogs, this is usual practice in large hunting areas. At first the peg line is placed with "an educated guess" (based on moose sightings or slots) and when the dog locate the moose the peg line (or part of) is moved if necessary.

 

[MJ75]

What I described was the perfect moose hunt and it often takes place in land called Utopia

In reality the moose will break the line much more often for e.g.

- the drive is so small that the usual movement of moose will push it through the peg line (this is usual in southern Finland where farmland breaks the forests into smaller pieces)
- the dog isn't good at stopping the moose
- the moose won't stop despite of the dog (it's an old one, scared of wolves or some similar reason)

I presume that in your hunt, the dog handler would have disturbed the stopped moose to get it moving again. This is usual practice in Estonian wild boar hunts when there's guests. When local hunters are by themselves, the dog handler shoots most boars. With guests, he fires shotgun into air so boar start moving again and break the peg line. Of course the handler can disturb the boar into moving also if they're in thick cover long way from accessible roads since nobody's too keen to drag the boar for half a mile...

I don't regard standing in peg line being "stop on the off-chance" be it moose hunt or boar hunt. Then again, I regard the hunt as team effort, but I agree paying £1k I'd be expecting higher individual chance of having a shot at beasts.

Ambushing would be the key to raise the chance for shot but it's rarely effective for moose. Most moose hunting grounds don't have any facilities for ambushing. This would be for wild boar hunting in very good Estonian places, hunting in traditional way (drive hunts being much like Finnish moose hunting). Based on my experience, I could take a guess that there's 1:10 chance to have an opportunity for shot in a drive, and 1:2 to 2:3 chance to have boars visiting an ambush site. So you'd have to stand in peg line in 7-11 drives to equal one night in ambush, if you just calculate the odds for a shot. Even then most of the opportunities in drives won't result in shots being fired (or at least boar being hit...). I just fancy the drives much more since it's a real test for your abilities. Ambushing is a nice compliment, especially for new hunters.

A very informative reply.

On a serious note, my friend and I are looking for a moose hunt in Scandanavia. Are you aware of any reputable outfits who cater for foreign guests in Finland? Someone who can offer a hunt as you described and can deal with the basics such as catering and accomodation etc.

If so, please PM me their details.

All the best
MJ

 

[PointBlank]

What I described was the perfect moose hunt and it often takes place in land called Utopia

In reality the moose will break the line much more often for e.g.

- the drive is so small that the usual movement of moose will push it through the peg line (this is usual in southern Finland where farmland breaks the forests into smaller pieces)
- the dog isn't good at stopping the moose
- the moose won't stop despite of the dog (it's an old one, scared of wolves or some similar reason)

I presume that in your hunt, the dog handler would have disturbed the stopped moose to get it moving again. This is usual practice in Estonian wild boar hunts when there's guests. When local hunters are by themselves, the dog handler shoots most boars. With guests, he fires shotgun into air so boar start moving again and break the peg line. Of course the handler can disturb the boar into moving also if they're in thick cover long way from accessible roads since nobody's too keen to drag the boar for half a mile...

I don't regard standing in peg line being "stop on the off-chance" be it moose hunt or boar hunt. Then again, I regard the hunt as team effort, but I agree paying £1k I'd be expecting higher individual chance of having a shot at beasts.

Ambushing would be the key to raise the chance for shot but it's rarely effective for moose. Most moose hunting grounds don't have any facilities for ambushing. This would be for wild boar hunting in very good Estonian places, hunting in traditional way (drive hunts being much like Finnish moose hunting). Based on my experience, I could take a guess that there's 1:10 chance to have an opportunity for shot in a drive, and 1:2 to 2:3 chance to have boars visiting an ambush site. So you'd have to stand in peg line in 7-11 drives to equal one night in ambush, if you just calculate the odds for a shot. Even then most of the opportunities in drives won't result in shots being fired (or at least boar being hit...). I just fancy the drives much more since it's a real test for your abilities. Ambushing is a nice compliment, especially for new hunters.

Very interesting, I never ever thought I would get a guaranteed shot or even a sight of a moose but in my opinion if there was 18hunters x 6hours a day x 3 days = 324 hours for not a single "target" Bull moose shot or seen by any of the team then there really isn't a hunting opportunity that is marketable IMHO

 

[Paul at Fechan]

Important Refund Information Please Read

Right guys, to make sure this goes smoothly I will be sending the money direct to you guys from my account out of the money I owe Christian for the hunts I have booked. I have been sent the details of the guys that have already emailed Christian and will start doing those transfers now.

Please make sure you give me your Name, Sort Code, Account Number and what Bank you are with, thanks

p

 

[jthyttin]

On a serious note, my friend and I are looking for a moose hunt in Scandanavia. Are you aware of any reputable outfits who cater for foreign guests in Finland? Someone who can offer a hunt as you described and can deal with the basics such as catering and accomodation etc.

You looking for next year?

I would seriously look at Estonia. The hunting culture there has more central European elements, that is there's more places which cater for paying guests. That said, moose hunting can be a bit challenging if you want to do it with dogs. The dogs must be kept on leash until start of October, so the first few weeks they are not at their best. Also moose tend to be shot early in the season. During September you can shoot bull moose by ambush or stalking (female and calfs start in October). The Estonian legislation changed this year and I don't remember all the details. Maybe they can now train the dogs during September.

You can also combine wild boar with moose in Estonia. If flights to Tallinn are hard to get or expensive, you can usually fly to Helsinki, meet the (Finnish) organizer and then take a ferry to Estonia.

I'm not very comfortable recommending since I don't know both parties. It would be impossible to know what the hunters expect from the hunt etc. A recommendation as I see it works both ways, I would be also recommending the guests to the organizers. That's amplified because the best places I know, at least for "price/performance", are strictly speaking not commercial (nobody's making living, the monies paid go to cover the yearly expenses). Even when we go, they always ask that there's maximum 1-2 hunters who haven't previously been there. This way the hunt goes smoothly and good relationships are formed and maintained. The Estonians also visit Finland (mainly for whitetail deer).

 

[MJ75]

You looking for next year?

I would seriously look at Estonia. The hunting culture there has more central European elements, that is there's more places which cater for paying guests. That said, moose hunting can be a bit challenging if you want to do it with dogs. The dogs must be kept on leash until start of October, so the first few weeks they are not at their best. Also moose tend to be shot early in the season. During September you can shoot bull moose by ambush or stalking (female and calfs start in October). The Estonian legislation changed this year and I don't remember all the details. Maybe they can now train the dogs during September.

You can also combine wild boar with moose in Estonia. If flights to Tallinn are hard to get or expensive, you can usually fly to Helsinki, meet the (Finnish) organizer and then take a ferry to Estonia.

I'm not very comfortable recommending since I don't know both parties. It would be impossible to know what the hunters expect from the hunt etc. A recommendation as I see it works both ways, I would be also recommending the guests to the organizers. That's amplified because the best places I know, at least for "price/performance", are strictly speaking not commercial (nobody's making living, the monies paid go to cover the yearly expenses). Even when we go, they always ask that there's maximum 1-2 hunters who haven't previously been there. This way the hunt goes smoothly and good relationships are formed and maintained. The Estonians also visit Finland (mainly for whitetail deer).

Thanks for the reply. You raise some very interesting points. I'll drop you a PM.

 

[Fat Bastard]

Hi Paul,

Thanks the money has appeared in my account. Hopefully everything will settle down now.

 

[PointBlank]

Hi Paul,

Thanks the money has appeared in my account. Hopefully everything will settle down now.

+1 money has been received thanks

 

[pheasant sniper 1]

Moneys in.... Thankyou

Many thanks Andy your kind donation will be added tomorror peter walker is fundraising for British Heart Foundation


Just in from nite diving a wreck ill keep in touch lads for the Deep Sea Fishing Trip, the skips well looking forward to it cause he loves a beer

Atb lads

Terry

 

[lambsey]

+1 money has been received thanks

+2 money has been received thanks

 

[mindemo]

PM Sent

 

[willie_gunn]

Thanks for the reply. You raise some very interesting points. I'll drop you a PM.

MJ

For what it's worth, here's a few pointers I picked up from my inaugural moose hunting trip to Sweden last year. As you'll see, most of them relate to keeping warm when you're sitting waiting. My experience of moose hunting was a bit like war - long periods of nothing interspersed with occasional frenzied activity. When I was there it was -6 the first day with low humidity, which was fine, but then it went to -2 with high humidity and I was bloomin' cold:

1. take one of those inflatable high seat cushions to sit on. It makes a huge difference to your comfort, particularly as the air inside heats up and prevents too much heat loss through your seat. If you want to be really smart, buy an old mink or beaver fur muff off of eBay and sew some of that closed cell foam (like a sit mat) inside it. That's what I've done for my next trip as most of the other Swedish hunters had something similar.

2. think of buying an old loden cloak, again off eBay. I was amazed what a difference it made being able to sit in the low seat and wrap the loden cloak around me. You sit in the low seats (or on separate shooting seats) for a long time and you will get cold.

3. buy enough of those chemical glove warmers. I didn't take any, but after the first day my colleagues kindly gave me some. Put one in each glove and one in each boot first thing in the morning. Change them at lunchtime and stick the old ones in your shirt or trouser pockets. Buy enough (so eight per day) to have new ones for each day.

4. take a thermos flask - a hot drink really helps

5. buy chocolate at the airport on the way out, one bar per day. I took Yorkie bars . We had porridge, bread and cheese for breakfast and then made our lunch of cheese and sliced meat in pitta bread. Dinner was hot and plentiful, the aquavit likewise. Even after all this I had lost several pounds by the end of the trip. Sitting out in the cold uses a lot of energy.

6. take a pair of thin liner gloves and a pair of thick overgloves. If a moose is coming you will hear it and have time to whip off the overglove.

7. take a pair of slippers or loose shoes for inside the accommodation at the end of the day. Your feet are wrapped up in big boots for most of the day so it's nice to have a comfy pair to slip into. But if Estonia is anything like Sweden you need slippers with rubber soles so you can step outside for a pee!

8. take a fleece - nice to have when you're out hunting but also if you need to go out to the dunny overnight.

9. take a torch, in fact take several - see point 8 for why

10. I took my binos. I didn't need them for moose (they are big, you will not miss seeing one if it's moving - the trees will shake like Michael Bentine's Pottytime!) but they were great for looking at other stuff when sitting in the high seat.

11. Take a warm hat

12. Buy some duty free whisky for your host on the way out. Buy another bottle to share during the evening.

13. Take a knife - I took a small Fallkniven WM1 and we did use it on the moose. Most of the butchering is done back in the larder so you really don't need that 18" bowie knife out in the field.

14. Take one of those fleece neck warmer/snood things.

15. Take a sense of humour

16. Take realistic expectations - I didn't expect to see a moose, let alone shoot one. As it was I saw two and shot one of them, but I was Mr super lucky ba5tard who had obviously spent hours rubbing the rabbit's foot, picking four-leafed clover and ending up with the big part of the wishbone. In our party of 14 or 15 most people didn't even see a moose. We shot four for the week based on four full day's hunting. Go expecting something similar and you won't be disappointed - go expecting to see 6 or 8 a day and you will.

17. I took my collapsible stalking sticks. I didn't need them for shooting but they were very handy for walking to my high seat over the semi-frozen marshland.

18. Have a hat, or some piece of outerwear, that is blaze orange. In many countries it's the law. Even where it isn't, in most instances it makes sense anyway.

Above all, enjoy the trip!

willie_gunn

 

[User00001]

MJ

For what it's worth, here's a few pointers I picked up from my inaugural moose hunting trip to Sweden last year. As you'll see, most of them relate to keeping warm when you're sitting waiting. My experience of moose hunting was a bit like war - long periods of nothing interspersed with occasional frenzied activity. When I was there it was -6 the first day with low humidity, which was fine, but then it went to -2 with high humidity and I was bloomin' cold:

1. take one of those inflatable high seat cushions to sit on. It makes a huge difference to your comfort, particularly as the air inside heats up and prevents too much heat loss through your seat. If you want to be really smart, buy an old mink or beaver fur muff off of eBay and sew some of that closed cell foam (like a sit mat) inside it. That's what I've done for my next trip as most of the other Swedish hunters had something similar.

2. think of buying an old loden cloak, again off eBay. I was amazed what a difference it made being able to sit in the low seat and wrap the loden cloak around me. You sit in the low seats (or on separate shooting seats) for a long time and you will get cold.

3. buy enough of those chemical glove warmers. I didn't take any, but after the first day my colleagues kindly gave me some. Put one in each glove and one in each boot first thing in the morning. Change them at lunchtime and stick the old ones in your shirt or trouser pockets. Buy enough (so eight per day) to have new ones for each day.

4. take a thermos flask - a hot drink really helps

5. buy chocolate at the airport on the way out, one bar per day. I took Yorkie bars . We had porridge, bread and cheese for breakfast and then made our lunch of cheese and sliced meat in pitta bread. Dinner was hot and plentiful, the aquavit likewise. Even after all this I had lost several pounds by the end of the trip. Sitting out in the cold uses a lot of energy.

6. take a pair of thin liner gloves and a pair of thick overgloves. If a moose is coming you will hear it and have time to whip off the overglove.

7. take a pair of slippers or loose shoes for inside the accommodation at the end of the day. Your feet are wrapped up in big boots for most of the day so it's nice to have a comfy pair to slip into. But if Estonia is anything like Sweden you need slippers with rubber soles so you can step outside for a pee!

8. take a fleece - nice to have when you're out hunting but also if you need to go out to the dunny overnight.

9. take a torch, in fact take several - see point 8 for why

10. I took my binos. I didn't need them for moose (they are big, you will not miss seeing one if it's moving - the trees will shake like Michael Bentine's Pottytime!) but they were great for looking at other stuff when sitting in the high seat.

11. Take a warm hat

12. Buy some duty free whisky for your host on the way out. Buy another bottle to share during the evening.

13. Take a knife - I took a small Fallkniven WM1 and we did use it on the moose. Most of the butchering is done back in the larder so you really don't need that 18" bowie knife out in the field.

14. Take one of those fleece neck warmer/snood things.

15. Take a sense of humour

16. Take realistic expectations - I didn't expect to see a moose, let alone shoot one. As it was I saw two and shot one of them, but I was Mr super lucky ba5tard who had obviously spent hours rubbing the rabbit's foot, picking four-leafed clover and ending up with the big part of the wishbone. In our party of 14 or 15 most people didn't even see a moose. We shot four for the week based on four full day's hunting. Go expecting something similar and you won't be disappointed - go expecting to see 6 or 8 a day and you will.

17. I took my collapsible stalking sticks. I didn't need them for shooting but they were very handy for walking to my high seat over the semi-frozen marshland.

18. Have a hat, or some piece of outerwear, that is blaze orange. In many countries it's the law. Even where it isn't, in most instances it makes sense anyway.

Above all, enjoy the trip!

willie_gunn

Mate, you didn't need to type that mahoosive long post just to justify your purchase of a beaver fur muff! I'm sorry that your missus looked at your ebay account but please don't involve us.

 

[willie_gunn]

I'VE KEPT OFF THIS TREAD FOR A LONG TIME BUT AFTER READING WILLIE GUNS TIPS I THOUGHT I MIGHT SAY SOMETHING AND ITS THIS


​WILLIE THANKS FOR STATING THE FREAKIN OBVIOUS

PS HI TO ALL WHO WERE ON THE SEPT MOOSE TRIP

​CHEERS RICK

Rick

Think what you like mate.

I'd pay more attention to your observations if you'd bothered to register on the site and ask for advice before you went on the trip, not after.

willie_gunn