The smell of pine tar on wooden skis and hot coffee in a kuksa will reach your nose as you read this story of tracking the largest game animal in Finland.
After spending a jolly Christmas together with a Norovirus, it was finally time to head for the final moose hunt of the season. We had made two hunting trips already with no sightings of the animal. After snowfall, the tracks would be easy to find and easier to follow. Solid reasoning! Expectations were high as we started our car in Espoo the morning after Boxing Day. In the evening in Sodankylä, we decided against ever driving to Lapland in one go again: covering over 1,000 km in just one day is far from enjoyable, very numbing. At any rate, we arrived at the cabin at Lake Orajärvi, Sodankylä, before midnight.
The morning consisted of preparing some coffee in Thermos bottles, packing the last things into the sledge, and driving for one more hour. Closer to the hunting area, we took some time figuring out the route, as forest roads are ploughed rather selectively. We got close enough to the shack where we'd spend the following night and pulled the sledge on skis for the final leg into the wilderness.
We had so much equipment with us, so a sledge made much more sense compared to a rucksack. The previous time I had hauled a sledge on slushy Lake Saimaa ice, which was terrible to say the least. The Paljakka fibreglass sledge from Savotta followed me with ease, and even knee-deep snow wasn't a problem.
Already on the way to the shack, we got to witness the beauty of Lapland. The sun colored the sky, and a flock of black grouse fluttered up into the air as we passed too close to them. We inspected some tracks on the ground but quickly determined that they were left by reindeer. Before getting to the shack, we had a small river to cross. Following it upstream led us to a suitable frozen section to get across, as reindeer had done before us.
The shack was in a neat condition with feather sticks whittled, as is customary. The temperature was ten below zero, and the warm stove felt good. At these latitudes and time of the year, it gets dark at three in the afternoon already. We spent the night chopping firewood, cooking, and planning the next day's moose business.
We woke up in the morning before sunrise (well, it comes up pretty late) put on the stove, and made some coffee. The weather forecast promised snowfall and moderate winds. Not exactly the best conditions for following trails, but we didn't let it bother us. Filled up the Thermos bottles, geared up, and hopped on skis!
We floundered for half the day around bogs and bushes. Given the season snow wasn't too plentiful, but the beautiful northern landscapes made skiing pleasant. Finally, we were down to business, tracking on skis. It took us a couple of hours to find the first moose track. A cow and calf had crossed a large open area. We estimated the animals to have been there the day before, so it wasn't exactly steaming fresh, but cause for a slight excitement. This time, we lost the trail in a spot where a herd of reindeer had been digging for food under the snow. As daylight was diminishing, we decided it was time for lunch: camping food and sausages with an open flame.
After the campfire, we made it back to the track, which we had used the previous day to head to the shack. A ready-made ski trail is much faster. We arrived right before dark, and soon a local reindeer herder came to visit on his Summit snowmobile. He had been following a wolverine's trail and actually saw this rare beast. Between some cigarettes and swigs of brandy, we heard wild stories about snowmobiles, wolves, reindeer, helicopters, moose, dogs, and whatnot! This herder was nice enough to write our number down and promised to send us a message should he spot a fresh moose trail on the way home.
The second night at the shack, we spent enjoying a heavy bacon pasta and photographing northern lights. Solar winds lit the sky with amazing visuals. With memory cards full of gold, we crawled into our sleeping bags with light minds.
The next day, we went back to the car on skis. It was almost New Year's Eve, and the third member of our group, Juho, would go on to join another party. Before returning to the base, we drove around the area as much as the snowplough had cleared, but saw nothing. A lonely willow grouse posed for us for a long time, despite the car. Time to press the shutter button again.
On the last day of the year 2018, Saana and I headed to Peurasuvanto, where we rented a cabin for four nights. The site was located in the hunting area, not too expensive, and had a sauna with a wood stove. We got there early enough to make a scouting trip on skis in an area that seemed promising and suitable for moose to graze in winter. A local hunting dog enthusiast we know had also recommended it to us. No signs of moose this time either, but plenty of birds. We ate dried meals and had a kuksa of coffee each, surrounded by silence. After the sauna in the evening, we made plans for the following day and went to bed. It felt like the first days of the year 2019 would be amazing.
We skied along our previous trails as far as we had made the day before and went a similar distance beyond. Again, no moose trails to be found. Except for a couple of birds, it was a day without anything worth a special mention, but skiing and sitting at a campfire in itself is satisfying. While driving to the cabin, we stopped over on a side road, where we did find moose trails, but too old to get excited about. The plan for the next day, however, began to take shape.
The trip began to remind me of the saga of Hiisi's Moose from Kalevala. The largest game animal in Finland just wouldn't reveal itself. The best clue so far was the pine saplings we saw before, where we found discarded moose antlers, scats, and grazed saplings. We had dismissed this location before, as it would mean skiing in deep snow for 10 clicks from the nearest road. As options were dwindling, we decided to point the ski tips in that direction the next day.
At the beginning of the task, we were greeted by a rather beautiful sunrise. It was cold as hell, and the crust wouldn't carry us, so advancing was closer to floundering rather than proper skiing, but the landscapes raised spirits through the roof. After a few breaks to take pictures, it was noon, and we arrived at a small river. Hidden under the snow was a layer of slush, which stuck to the bottoms and sides of skis and froze over almost immediately. Crossing the river was followed by a lunch break.
As the dried meals were being hydrated, we used sporks to scrape ice off the skis. While chipping the ice, I damaged one of the strap attachments, and it no longer worked. To add insult to injury, I had put my meal into the pocket of my loft jacket, where the bag had opened and spilled part of its contents into the pocket. Oh well, food is food even if you eat it from a pocket, and the strap attachment was soon fixed with a utility strap. Fortunately, we weren't too close to the target area at this point, because the scraping sounds would have scared the moose away for sure, and some traditional, mighty words might have been uttered here as well.
We skied almost until it was dark and made it to about one kilometer from the objective. It was certainly not in vain, as the trail we had made would serve us well on the next day. We hurried back to the car, lighting the way with headlamps, and went to heat the sauna.
On January 3, 2019, the morning temperature was -27 degrees Celsius. Fingers were freezing cold within minutes of getting out of the car. Gliding fast along the ready-made ski trail warmed us up soon, and the sun came up to warm the day. The trail of the previous day came to an end, and we were getting close. The silence was only slightly broken by the creaking of the snow and the squeaking of the boot straps. We were barely in the bush when a deer walked towards us. Unfortunately, it was of the wrong species. A herd of rendeer made their way along until they spotted us and turned away. This wasn't promising, but we continued until we reached a familiar intersection, where we stashed our skis and extra gear. The bush was easier to penetrate by wading in the snow rather than trying to make way with long forest skis.
We combed the saplings with stealth, but this winter there had only been reindeer. The sun came above the horizon for the first time in a while. Looking at the colorful sky and campfire eased our disappointment, and the call of the sauna put some speed to our skis.
The final day would feature driving along the last ploughed road and beginning the way home. Willow grouses and reindeer were plentiful, just no moose. We skied a bit and sat at a campfire. The last moose hunts of this season were now behind us. Seeing a moose or even a fresh trail would have been swell, but you can always dream.
During wintertime, moose have a habit of gathering in small areas, where they find food more easily and are generally left in peace. Finding these spots requires local knowledge. Tracking moose on skis is most successful when the snow crust is strong enough to support a hunter on skis, but not the moose. The deep snow and crusty edges of footholes make it difficult for animals to move. This time, the conditions were favorable to the game, not us.
Despite receiving good tips and conducting previous reconnaissance, we were unable to find what we were looking for. However, a large portion of the Lappish nature helped reset our brains. Overall it was a neat journey and we did all that we set out to do: try to find moose on skis.
| Date | Happenings |
| 27.12.2018 | Roadtrip from Espoo to the cabin at Lake Orajärvi in Sodankylä |
| 28.12.2018 | Final packing checks, to Pomokaira by car, and skiing to the hunting shack |
| 29.12.2018 | Skiing east towards Pulterinkummut hills |
| 30.12.2018 | Skiing back to the car, driving around looking for tracks, and skiing back to the shack in the evening |
| 31.12.2018 | To Peurasuvanto in the morning, rent a cabin and ski towards Pulterinkummut hills |
| 01.01.2019 | Finish the route at Pulterinkummut and drive around looking for tracks |
| 02.01.2019 | Making a ski trail to Härjänpaskantama |
| 03.01.2019 | Skiing to Härjänpaskantama and sneaking around |
| 04.01.2019 | Looking for the last tracks, a small skiing trip, and a roadtrip to Oulu |
| 05.01.2019 | From Oulu to Espoo |
| 06.01.2019 | Deer hunting |
Clothes worth a special mention
Särmä TST Woolshell
On this trip, Saana and I were wearing Särmä TST Woolshell jackets and pants virtually all the time. The outfit is warm, breathes when you move, repels some wind, and doesn't mind a bit of moisture. The pockets are outstanding, and reinforcements are in their correct places.
The jacket features a functional and upstanding cut, with a size range suitable for smaller users as well. The pants are especially ducky thanks to the high waist and adjustment. You don't need a belt, which could be uncomfortable under the hip belt of a rucksack or backpack. You can squat in these without making the seams creak. This will likely be our go-to outfit for the entire hunting season from now on. Can we get this in white?
Särmä TST L3 Loft trousers
Winning bottom for breaks and static hunting! Being able to don and doff these without touching your boots is extremely handy. Any extra hassle is especially annoying up in a tree, for example. Lightweight and packable, it also serves as a passable outer layer. No pockets, though.