My sister in law shot this on the west side of Trail Ridge Road.

Moose by Kent Matthew, on Flickr

That is a happy looking moose.

You know it's time to mow the lawn when. . . .

A lot of people do not actually realize how large a full grown bull moose is in real life when up close and personal.. Even a cow moose is not small........................ saw many while in the interior of Alaska...... drill sgt.

Why the long face?

They are dumb as they are majestic.

Trust me the are not as dumb as some people think and can be very aggressive if riled up.. Plus you do not want to get between a momma moose and her calf. When out in the woods I wore a string hanging from belt loop that had several small bells that made noise so as the wildlife (moose/buffalo/ bears/ sheep/ wolves/ fox/lynx/etc would know that humans were out and about and steer clear of the bell tinkling. ........................ drill sgt.

My back property line is a fresh water stream. It meanders a couple of miles through the woods to a small pond. It has (or did have last time I went up it) several beaver dams in various states of repair so much of the land on either side of it is marshy and wet.

In our younger, more fit days, Mrs. PHPaul and I used to canoe (and later kayak) up it off an on in the Summer. Once, in the canoe, we came around a bend and spied a cow moose in the reeds off to our right. I was in front and was paddling hard trying to get a little closer (say 50 yards or so) for a better look and wasn't making any progress.

I looked back and Mrs. PHPaul was paddling backwards for all she was worth, wanting to get the hell out of there! I acceded her wishes, which in retrospect was probably wise.

I have learned as well that Mrs. Goose is usually right. I don't always listen, but she's usually right.

Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretti nasti...

Moose Nugget Jewelry..... Very interesting.... Could be found almost all over Alaska especially where the tourist could be found. ... drill sgt.

I have never seen a moose in RMNP. Cool.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
They are dumb as they are majestic.

I don't know that they are any dumber than any other deer, but that isn't saying much.

Having been chased a couple of times by unhappy meese, I sure hope that pic was taken from farther away than it looks like.

Them critters are nothing to trifle with.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretti nasti...

If you find a dead one on the roadway, don't put it in your back seat.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
They are dumb as they are majestic.

I don't know that they are any dumber than any other deer, but that isn't saying much.

They aren't so much dumb as they are tough, when it comes to dealing with predators. Cows will ferociously defend calves against wolves as well as bear. Bulls can be extremely dangerous during encounters with humans when in the rut and charges aren't infrequent.

One thing I can attest to after harvesting two moose myself, and that's to their value as table fare. They provide not just quantity, but some of the best quality meat among ungulates. Absolutely delicious, with only Axis deer coming close IMHO. I've heard that our Arizona Coues deer are pretty good too, but haven't had the opportunity to take one yet. I was drawn for a buck this year and hope to change that after Thanksgiving.