Bringing down a moose is an impressive feat of arms, and few hunters would turn their noses up at a young bull responding to a call, provided that he comes within range. It’s important to note that this is not because we are dealing with a young moose who is easily fooled. To the contrary, I’d say that it’s easier to scare him off after bringing him in with a call, because he’ll be easily frightened. That being said, this is what I would do given the chance to talk to a young bull.

Step 1: Identify your target

When hunting moose using a call, it is critical to quickly identify your target. Young bulls around 1 ½ years old are the easiest to identify. It isn’t complicated: young bulls will emit several barks in rapid succession, making it easy to confuse his call with the sound of a distant dog barking. The young bull’s excitement is at its peak, and in his mind, his only chance to try to charm a female is to reach her first. He’s putting his heart and all his energy into achieving this.

Step 2: Don’t call without a good reason

Once you have confirmed that you’re dealing with a young bull, don’t rush or you’ll make mistakes. Once the bull has started to approach you and is responding, there is no need to keep calling. On the other hand, if he stops responding, then he’s probably waiting for a sign from you to continue approaching. In this situation, repeat the call that got him to respond in the first place. Although this type of bull will usually come into range very quickly, you still need to take the animal’s past experiences into account. If the young bull responding to your call has previously been chased off by a larger bull, he may be reluctant to come within range. This can also happen when you’re hunting in an overly cleared area. In both cases, if the male falls silent, start using your cow calls as relentlessly and plaintively as possible, and he should decide to approach.

Step 3: Do not use the bull call

If you are talking to a young bull that is reluctant to come forward, do not make the mistake of changing your calls from female to male. You will scare the animal and do major damage to your chances of getting a clean shot. Several years ago, I made this exact mistake and was able to see the young bull’s reaction. While he responded to my bull calls, it only took me a couple of burping noises to make him bolt. Keep doing your cow calls, and again, try to make it sound like she’s really pining. Even a young bull will sometimes hesitate for a while before coming into range, so if you think he’s still in the area, you should keep calling non-stop. Just to be clear, I’m defining non-stop as one call every 30 seconds, not one call every ten minutes. It can get exhausting after a while, but in my opinion it’s well worth it. The young bull must get the feeling that you have something for him, and there have been times where I had to wait more than 45 minutes from a bull’s first answer to the final kill shot. Don’t give up too quickly.

Conclusion

Moose hunting with calls has its own set of emotions, and battling a young bull can be very exciting. It’s always impressive to see a 500-pound animal respond to your calls in such a convincing fashion. When you get an opportunity, remember to stay calm and play your cards right. If you follow my advice, I’m sure you’ll increase your chances of success.

Text: Louis Turbide
Photos: Serge Sévigny