Be Careful

Moose

There isn’t a lot of traffic on my way to work, but there is a lot of wildlife. Last year, I counted nine moose along the commute, just in one morning. I once had to sit and wait for a herd of elk to pass by me. I counted their shadows as they sped by my windshield -twenty-three in the first batch, twenty-four in the second. Last week, I am sure I narrowly missed a bear. (It could have been a miniature pony with extremely large shoulders…)

This picture was taken off of my front deck in 2014. This young calf (moose) had decided to call our yard her home for about two weeks. I love wildlife, but they can be… unpredictable. Her presence made me fearful to be out in the yard with my daughter. Even my dogs (there are three of them) kept a respectable distance from her; and their barking did not seem to faze her, at all. 

This purposed a little bit of a dilemma. I did not want to phone the conservation officers because I feared they would just shoot her. I also did not want her around. The boys, of course, dreamt of ways of keeping her contained, raising her and riding her around like a horse. They tried to feed her grain out of pails and came within petting distance of her hind end. It was amazing to see, and an amazing experience to be a part of.

One morning, I woke up early to water the garden. As I turned on the hose, the dogs began barking behind me. When I turned around, she was less than five feet away! This was the one time where the dogs did not keep their distance. They became aggressive, barking and nipping at her heels, effectively driving her away from me, and my yard.

For the Weekly Photo Challenge: Careful

*She returned this spring, for a quick visit, but it was still nice to see how much she had grown*

Posted on Posted in A Photo and a Story, Weekly Photo ChallengeTagged , , , , , ,

55 thoughts on “Be Careful”

  1. Pingback: Half-Year Review | honestme363

  2. They are majestic, odd looking, and dangerous animals. My brother called me once from Alaska. He was perturbed because an adult moose was outside his house eating his snowblower. Well…tearing it apart, it was chewing off all the non metal bits. Your dogs were gonna protect you. That’s good to know. 🙂

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  4. This is a wonderful post. I felt the thrill reading it. I really enjoy all your writings and I feel you have grown more confident of yourself as months have passed by but I maybe wrong and that is kind of common for all of us who met in blogging 101 I suppose?

    I didn’t know what a Moose is before! I guess why those officers simply shoot her might be because they have to do more hard work taking them to conservatories?

    I could feel how loyal and caring dogs became that day–you expressed it so well!

    Love and light,

    Anand 🙂

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    1. Thank you Anand for your kind comments. I am feeling more comfortable here, with the help of kind words and support from my fellow bloggers, like you ☺
      As for the moose, the other option would have been a tranquilizer dart, and, once sedated, dragged through the bush to be relocated. I believe the conservation officers would balk at the hassle and would have opt to put her down so she would not pose a risk to our family. That is why I didn’t phone them ☺
      Anyway, I love the emoji’s 😀😊☺ See how cool I am? 😃

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      1. Yes I love them too. You still remember LOL 😀 😀 I didn’t know you were referring to today’s post or to that one in August. I thought so about the officers. Thanks a lot 🙂

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    1. The dogs are usually very good at keeping predators away. Maybe you could tell that to your parents the next time they visit? 😉 Looking forward to your first? issue, had to retrieve it from my spam folder this morning. 😊

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      1. I think I must include that warning in the cover note. I am learning 😀 I hope you enjoy it. About telling my parents anything – they’ve reached that point in their lives where they think that they should speak and others must listen – and so getting anything across to them is a task that even Hercules would have difficulty performing.

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  6. Lovely post. Very informative. I grew up in the City, so this is very fascinating. What an experience. Very impressive how your dogs did a change up. Thanks for the post.

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      1. that’s good, they certainly are powerful creatures….my sister has deer, the matriarch always laid on the front porch door mat like a dog…she wouldn’t let any other deer, even her babies on the deck…LOL I was packing my car getting ready to go, all bent over in my backseat rearrangeing things when I felt something bump my rear end..(you have to understand I have a big foot phobia, bad!!) so the first thought was OMG its big foot, well it was Peaches, one of the deer checking me out…LOL I was so scared for about 15 seconds….my sister lives in the Olympic Mountains in the Northwest….Big Foot territory…I know its sad but since I was young its one of my biggest fear….LOL

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  10. Wow! Being that close to a moose is not something I want to experience. Needless to say, I have been within 8 feet of a black bear but it just went along as if I was not there. What amazed me is how quiet a bear can be in the forest. Deer, rattle snakes, opossum, skunk, coyote, and bobcat are some of the local wildlife I have come upon on hikes. Warnings of mountain lions but thankfully no encounters. Amazing how your dogs responded to protect you.

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    1. I came across a brown bear not too long ago. I am sure we both looked the same – scared shitless! I was amazed at how fast they are, would definitely not want to have that happen again! Thank you for sharing your experience! I have to ask, when you go hiking, do you have some sort of protection (mace, knife etc?)

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      1. Besides water and good planning, which includes a good knife for emergencies (which is buried in the backpack), I hike with a healthy respect for nature. I have learned that most wildlife does not want to encounter a human and they see us long before we see them. Being aware of one’s surroundings and what to expect along any trail is the best way to remain safe (actually I have more fear of other humans than I do wildlife). I have heard that moose are extremely dangerous and to be avoided. Have you found that to be true in your area?

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        1. I have never encountered a crazed or raged moose here, nor have I heard of any stories about them attacking people. I think most people are wise enough to stay out of the bush during mating season. When I have crossed their path, they don’t run in the opposite direction, more of a saunter. And they are not intimidated by honking vehicles either. You raise a very good point about being aware of your surroundings and knowing what to expect. It is something I take for granted and when I am out, I should at least be prepared for something. Good conversation Patrick. Thank you.

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          1. Hahaha! Funny you say that. We used to have a Brittany Spaniel who was fond of locating bunny nests and de-furring the babies. It was awful but that dog was a hunter by nature. I hate the bunnies getting my veggies, but I didn’t want that to happen to them! 🙂

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            2. She was a very sweet dog to humans but dense as a brick and obstinate as all get out. I won’t think I’d recommend that breed unless someone were a serious bird hunter. That’s what they do best.

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    2. Very early June when she showed up so I think the garden was just sprouting up. She kept mostly to the bush and I was happy to see her eating there. I believe it was weaning time for her, her mama just kicked her out. And I am positive it was her last year. She came back to the exact same spot and made eye contact before taking off, like she was saying thanks…

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          1. I do bird hunt, but I’m not fanatical about hunting of any kind. We go up to South Dakota to pheasant hunt once a year, a boys trip. I’ll grouse and dove hunt if invited. I wouldn’t consider myself a die-hard hunter though. I enjoy shooting, especially my shotgun, but I’m content to do skeet.

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  14. Wow so amazing! what a wonderful place to live. I am sure seeing bears would be scary and as you said animals are unpredictable. my parents had lots of deer, rabbits, porcupines etc. where they lived. But wow beautiful to see this in your back yard. Thanks for sharing! i loved how your boys made plans to keep her!

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      1. You never know how people (“people”?) will react when the moment arrives!!! I’m round and a little lazy myself, but I’d bark a massive mammal away from my pack in a hot minute. 🙂

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