BINGSJO, Sweden (Reuters) -- Barking breaks the silence and as word gets round that Taiga, the hunting dog, has sighted an elk on the snow-covered Swedish hunting grounds of Bingsjo, the adrenalin of 12 women starts to pump.

Called "King of the Forest" by Swedes -- and moose by Americans -- an elk can weigh up to 500kg (1,100 lb) and measure two meters (6 feet 6 inches) from its hooves to its shoulder.

Elk hunting, a long-held tradition in Sweden's countryside, is still very much a man's game with around 100,000 animals shot during the season which runs from late September to January.

But participants on a women-only hunting weekend 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of Stockholm fully intend to contribute to that tally.

Several kilometers from Taiga, her owner Lisa Johansson brings out a device to locate the dog's position via signals from a chip on her collar. She checks compass and map, adjusts the 6.5 caliber rifle on her shoulder and sets off northbound through the pine forest.