Clothing and equipment made for moose hunting?

Kjell Lennartsson, who founded Härkila in 1985, is one of the most dedicated moose hunters in Scandinavia. He has been deeply involved in developing the new Moose Hunter 2.0 range. Here are his thoughts about the new range.

What is unique about the Härkila Moose Hunter 2.0 range?

The most unique thing about Moose Hunter 2.0 is that we take advantage of the fact that moose cannot see the difference between red and green. By using the red colour in the new you, you get a bright signal colour that is clearly visible to other hunters but camouflaged to the moose.

In addition, these clothes are very quiet and at the same time offer excellent weather protection. That’s extremely important when you’re out hunting for a whole day in what can sometimes be extremely hard weather.

You must be able to sneak up on the moose and that requires absolutely silent clothing.

What were your input in the development of the Moose Hunter 2.0 range?

My input to this range were that we should take advantage of the fact that deer have difficulty distinguishing between red and green. Therefore we added large red sections to the clothing so that hunters can easily see each other, while keeping the hunter camouflaged to the moose.

I also asked that we use materials that are quiet enough for a moose hunter. You must be able to sneak up on the moose and that requires absolutely silent clothing. Good comfort was also a major concern: When you hunt moose, you’re out for hours on end, walking many kilometres and often in very harsh weather conditions. That requires something extraordinary from the clothing you wear: They must keep you warm and dry, but at the same time you should not overheat in them.

We’ve solved this by adding extra ventilation openings, and the clothes have mesh lining that carries moisture away from the skin and improve comfort during high exertion. In addition, the clothing has excellent radio pockets, behind-the-knee adjustments that allows for more space around the knees and gives you more freedom of movement, and lots of other practical details.

What problems were you focused on solving for the hunter?

That the moose hunter should be able to sneak very close to the moose without being discovered. That he should be able to be out for a whole day without getting wet and cold. That his clothes feature a bright signal colour which greatly improves hunting safety. And that he has all the necessary details for moose hunting on his equipment.

What's your favourite aspect about the range?

All the products in this collection are super good. I have tested the backpack all Autumn and I am very happy with it. The jacket and trousers are quiet and provide great protection from rain and they breathe well. And the quiet gaiters really make a difference when you try to sneak close to the moose.

What does moose hunting mean to you personally?

My life revolves a lot around moose hunting with a dog. Today we have eleven moose dogs (Jämthund) on the Härkila farm for moose hunting. In the Spring and Summer we breed puppies. We train the older dogs to improve their fitness by allowing them to run 30-50 km a week. Then they can cope with hard hunting days all Autumn.

I hunt moose many days from September to January with my dogs. To succeed as a moose hunter, it is necessary to spend a lot of time with your dogs. The interaction with the dog and the training of them is one

of the best aspects of this type of hunting.

The moose hunt is also very special as you often get very close to the animals. If you have quiet good camouflage clothes, good moose dogs, and you’re good at sneaking, you often get very exciting hunts where you get unbelievably close to these large, fascinating animals.

There is a very long tradition for moose hunting in Scandinavia?

Yes. Hunting with moose dogs is one of the oldest cultural heritages we have in Scandinavia. There are rock carvings that show hunters who cooperate with large wolf-like dogs when hunting. This may indicate that hunting with the Jämthund may be thousands of years old.

Moose hunting is also the largest form of hunting in Scandinavia. We now shoot about 80,000 moose a year in Sweden. The Jämthund that we have in Härkila's logo and that we breed at Härkila's kennel is Scandinavia's most popular hunting dog. And it is Sweden's national race.