Da Moose 9
Another Close Encounter with Moose in Idaho
Now I am getting slowly closer, taking pictures. The two moose converse, and the mommy moose talks the calf into the bushes. Cool. But now her ears go back. This is a sign that she is irritated with my presence, and she isn't planning on leaving. Hmmmm. I check my HK USP 45. It is loaded with a round chambered, and on Safe. It is in easy reach. I move forward, and retreat. I cannot get her to change her overall disposition, or move. I do not want to go back - as there is a hot yellowjacket nest the way I came. I make noise, dance about, hoping she will think I'm an idiot, and not a predator. Nor do I want to back down, really. Whose forest is this, anyway?
I un-holster the 45. I am not afraid, but it would be sad to die stupid. Depending on the speed of advance I will fire a round in the ground - the boom hopefully enough to change her demeanor. If not, or if the advance too fast - for the first time in my life my firearm will be a weapon - the remainder of the clip, if necessary, in close-in fast shooting - a skill I have been practicing - but hope I never have to use in self-defense. Slowly, carefully, calculated, I get around her, taking some more photographs.
On the other side I see a few deer, and put the 45 back in my holster. I check my stuff. Good; all there. Wait - my binos! DANG. In my flight of yellowjackets and shirt - I also shed my binos. These are not the brand binos you just go back to Wal*Mart and pick up another pair of - these are high end ones (and one of the most important items in my hunting setup). And, I have to go back past the moose to get to them.
So, I head back, and near the place of encounter I re-unholster the 45. I have no intention of shooting a moose, and if I discharge at all - it will probably be only a warning blast. I cannot find the binos in the clearing. Ugh. Now I must go toward the nest. There are three trails through the tall grass - two probably from the moose - and one no-doubt my own. My 45 is still unholstered - but it will do no good against mad yellow-jackets, so I holster it, hoping.
I choose one of the trails, and, bueno, there are my binos, before getting too close to the yellowjackets.
Later on in the hike, in very tall grass, I smelled the presence of another big game animal ... a deer, or an elk, or a moose ... I do not know. I never saw the creature. My hand was on my gun. The grass was tall enough to conceal anything.
I hope I never have to use my firearm as a weapon.
Published by Jeff Filler
Consulting Engineer, Educator, Aspiring Writer and Photographer, Husband, Father, and Serious Hunter. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentThanks Kevin. Yeah, I already have a can of Alaska Brown Bear spray. I will take it when I go into wolf country. I want to avoid spending the rest of my life in jail for shooting a wolf.
Great story Jeff. I had to have a laugh at your expense. I wonder what mama moose was telling her calf? Probably something like "will you look at that deranged beast over there. They say they're at the top of the food chain, but based on that ones behavior I don't see how that would be possible". LOL Glad you found your high end Binos. I lost a GPS unit once only to find it a week later by sheer luck. It was probably a sixth of the cost of your binos but still made me feel pretty sick about loosing it and then estatic when I recovered it. I saw a program where a yellowstone park ranger sprayed a charging male bison with bear spray. It stopped the bison dead in it's tracks and then sent him running. You might want to get a can if you don't want to lethally defend yourself against wildlife on your many hikes. Great story.