Bullwinkle, Not
This moose got within about forty feet of the camper as he walked by.
Yesterday morning, I was up not long after sunrise and was working on my writing and a cup of coffee in the office when my peripheral vision signaled something moving out the side window. A full-grown moose slowly ambled by, stopping now and then to look around. Never saw one before! I discreetly scrambled for the Pentax on the dining table, and took the above shot through a side window. I would have liked to sneak outside, around one end of the trailer to stick my head out, but the door sticks and drags on the bottom of the doorframe, so that opening it makes plenty of noise from the door flex and drag. All I’d get then is a distant butt-shot. I can tell you, that critter is taller at the shoulder than he appears in the photo. My guess: my height at 6′. I doubt I could look over him. It’s too bad I could not get a shot of his approach, because that was impressive too, with the antlers and all. He wandered across the nearby trail and up the hill – notable because that trail gets quite a bit of traffic all day. I’ve even seen a FedEx truck go past on it! (No shot of that, though. Sorry.)
Strolling Amok 
Cool!
It was certainly an unexpected surprise.
Doug……moose are exciting to see.
one thing people should be aware of is just how dangerous they are……..more people are killed in Alaska by moose than bears.
I ran into one one night just outside my trailer in the dark……weak blatter…I walked outside and around the trailer just as a mothe moose was walking by…..later just as the sun came up I watched her swim across Lake Roosevelt.
I learned they swim across the lake to ween themselves from 2 year old calves.
If I stumbled upon a moose in the dark, Papa, I’d lose the necessity for finding the outhouse! I am aware of their eagerness to stomp people, particularly when there is a dog involved in the encounter, to help pull their trigger.
As big as he is he doesn’t look full gown to me. More like a teenager with those colt looking legs and not as much body mass as I would expect. Could just be the angle of your view, though. Or my lack of real knowledge. 🙂
I suspect you’re right Linda, he impressed me as young because he was not filled out, but he was the Wilt the Stilt of young moose. It’s an unfortunate photo, as the Pentax was unhappy with the window and had auto-focus problems before finally getting it right. By then he was leaving. Couldn’t possibly be the dirty window, could it? Nah.
Love the wildlife, glad you got the shot, even though you wanted a better one. I had a similar situation when I saw a black bear from my balcony at home. It was ambling slowly up the street towards my place, so I had plenty of time to grab my phone camera. My mistake was in thinking it was “plenty of time.” The moment I stepped outside again the bear was about twenty feet from me, facing my way. I glanced back at the camera to grab the shot and saw nothing but glare on the little damned screen. As I tried to hurry–time was suddenly getting very short–I fumbled and almost dropped it. Meanwhile, the bear’s rear end slowly disappeared around the corner of the garage. Cursing, I ran through the house to the back deck, still hoping for the shot that I had had plenty of time for…and he was gone, almost invisible in the forest. Aw hell.
Ohhh, don’t get me started, Dawn. Many screen-view camera screens, phone or otherwise, just whiteout to oblivion in strong sunlight. It usually takes me longer to get a shot with that type even in good conditions. I did have an early Nikon digital pocket camera. That had a real viewfinder, but if the camera didn’t like something about the conditions, it would simply refuse to take the shot. Couldn’t say how many moments I lost, or how many times I had my arm up, actively fighting the urge to heave it into the nearest trash bin.
Lol, well, it’s good to know I’m not alone. Hope to see more wildlife pics from you soon. Happy travels! Can’t wait till I can hit the road too.
Well, that hope may be long-suffering, Dawn. I never go out hoping to see some critter, or adjust time and location to make it more likely. I just stumble on out for a normal walk or ride, usually with a camera. Considering the size and diet of some of them, an encounter might not always be the best thing – for me, anyway.
My only close encounter with a moose was in Alaska in 1976, in Denali park. My friend and I had to pee, so we pulled over and stepped into a dense little copse of skinny pines. Lots of undergrowth. Intent on our errand, we rapidly walked deeper into the grove, and came face to face with a moose, who was there with at least five of his buddies. We froze in our tracks and backed slowly away. Luck was with us: the meece were intent on their lunch and ignored us. It was a PHEW moment.
I think you’ll forget your phone number before you forget that little moment!