The long, guttural whine she produced was enough to earn the otherwise shy girl first place in a calling contest held by the North American Moose Foundation. The group held its fourth annual convention this weekend, celebrating all things moose.

Chyanne's father, Greg, was last year's adult male calling champion. Their British Columbia family operates a guide and outfitting company, and Greg Spenner says the trick to luring in a moose is "knowing which call to use at what time."

Vince Crichton, a Canadian biologist who has devoted the past 32 years to studying the animals, judged Saturday's contest. He said moose vocalize most during the mating season, but mothers and calves also make distinctive calls to communicate.

Crichton has appeared in documentaries airing on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, including one entitled "The Man Who Would Be Moose." Giving a slide show Saturday, the biologist spoke about modern-day threats to the moose population and showed photos gathered with the help of a fake moose head he affectionately calls "Duffy."

The fake head, fitted with real antlers, straps onto Crichton's chest and allows him to get up close to the creatures.

"It's a great way to communicate with moose, to learn about their behavior and follow them," he said.

Crichton, a foundation member, works with wildlife officials and native tribes in Canada to ensure logging and hunting are done in a way to preserve moose habitat.

"If we want the resource to be there in the future, I think we've got to agree we have to have a habitat for them," he said.

A nonprofit organization founded in 2001, the foundation's stated mission is to "promote the species, educate the public, conserve habitat, and promote hunting and viewing moose."

Marty Orwig, executive director, said the group has more than 2,100 members that range from hunters to preservationists and people just interested in moose. Booths and educational displays were free to the public at the hotel this weekend, and the group held a banquet and live auction Saturday night.

Some attending the conference were animal enthusiasts like Diana Maxwell, who lives just outside of Francis. Known for helping foster animals back to health, she helped nurture a moose calf abandoned by his mother as the smallest of triplets.

Maxwell said the moose was struggling until Crichton gave her the correct formula to nurse him with - a rich mixture including fresh goat milk, evaporated milk, egg yolks and syrup.

Utah is home to a large herd of Shiras moose, the southernmost species in North America.

Moose caller Troy Justensen, 36, of Kaysville, said he thinks the secret to a good moose call is shutting off nasal passage air to create a hollow sound, and changing the pitch with your hands.

"Moose are fun to hunt because you can call them and they are responsive," said Justensen, a guide and outfitter. "But you have to have an escape route nearby."