The day had been socked in from dawn with low lying clouds and a steady down pour. There was not a peep of blue sky and with no sun, I had no solar, so I put a half gallon of gas into the generator and fired it up to do some work on my websites. When the generator ran out of fuel, I headed out with a bit of cabin fever spurring me on, and soon spotted a bull moose, along with a mother cow and her calf. No matter how many times I see moose, I fall in love with them all over again.
It was raining when I captured the images below. The bull moose had just bedded down in some tall, golden willows when I approached. I intentionally made noise to get the bull to stand. He was unconcerned with my presence, but the mom was very cautious and took leave first. The bull reluctantly got up to slowly follow with the baby moose between them.
It was raining when I captured the images below. The bull moose had just bedded down in some tall, golden willows when I approached. I intentionally made noise to get the bull to stand. He was unconcerned with my presence, but the mom was very cautious and took leave first. The bull reluctantly got up to slowly follow with the baby moose between them.
I went back to my car and was going to take off, but decided to track the trio for a chance at some better shots. I found them up river and the bull was grunting and moving slowly while not grazing like the female and the baby. The sounds he was making had me wondering if he wasn't in rut. The timing is perfect for it. I'm assuming that's what was going on. I got close, but always had trees around me for cover should he or the female decide to charge. These moose are regular sightings and I've never seen them attempt to come toward me. Conversely, they will readily flee. During rutting season, however, I've read that males can become very aggressive. I followed and watched them for over a half an hour while shooting a couple hundred photos. It was a very good day.
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