We Went Into The Woods Today

[Donna K & Quincy]

 Quincy and I went into the woods today to take a walk on one of our favorite trails and to see how much damage had been done by the recent visit we had from hurricane Leslie.

 

It was a beautiful day and we were sauntering along lamenting the fact that the wind had toppled so many trees. We were listening to the birds singing, the occassional squirrel telling us off for invading it's space and generally just soaking up the marvelous September day.   It was a very warm day and Quincy doesn't tolerate the heat well so we stopped to take a little break on our way up a long steep run of steps.

 

While we were resting a girl goes jogging by heading up the stairs ahead of us. A few minutes later she comes tearing back down the trail like the hounds of hell were after her. I thought to myself, humph, anyone can run down a hill. As she was flying by she shouted over something over her shoulder that sounded like "watch out for the spruce".  I thought, great, there must be a tree blocking the trail.  I gave Quincy some water and after our little break we continued on up the trail. We hadn't gone far when it suddenly became clear what she had said, it wasn't watch out for the spruce, it was watch out for the MOOSE!!!!!!!!!

There they were, a momma moose and two calves. Now generally, moose will bolt if startled but these beasts weren't going anywhere and were not the least bit concerned about a sweaty, huffing  momma and a panting  doodle.They just looked at us with their big moose eyes and kept right on with their leisurely dining. 

 If there is one thing that you do not want to do, it is to get between the mother moose and her babies, she will charge and can be very aggressive. Now I know with the proper motivation I could climb a tree but if I had to do it with a 65lb doodle on my back all bets are off.  So being very mindful of the position of each moose, I managed to get a couple of pictures before we had to beat a hasty retreat when the moose started to move down the trail towards us because some yoyo had come up the trail behind us and decided to try and scare the moose because they were in his way.

In all of this Quincy did not react to the moose at all, I think he either didn't see them or he was too warm to care. If I expected that Quincy was going to protect me should they decide to charge, I would be sorely disappointed. We often see moose tracks when we are hiking but this is the first time I have actually encountered a moose up close. It really did wonders to elevate my heart rate. :>)

 

[Donna K & Quincy]

Karen, I knew you weren't, I was just reaffirming your info. LOL, I am a giant chicken without feathers so there was no fear of that.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, Donna, I was just answering Sue's question about if moose were dangerous, I didn't mean to imply that you did anything wrong! I know you would never put Quincy in harm's way!

[Donna K & Quincy]

 Normally, I would not have stuck around to take pics but there were so many people on the trail that there was a small crowd gathered by the time I was brave enough to take pics. I have a feeling that these moose were very used to the human presence and that's why they weren't spooked. This is a section of trail that I usually let Quincy off his leash but luckily that day there were more people around so I didn't. @Karen, all true and if I had the slightest inkling of any danger, or if Quincy had made any sound at all, I was out of there. My son and I were walking in the woods near home when he was about twelve, we saw a calf but no momma, so I grabbed his hand and started hauling him back the way we had come with him protesting "but it's only a moose", I didn't stop to explain to him until we were a safe distance away, I still don't think he believed me.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Moose can be extremely dangerous, especially mothers and especially to dogs:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/moose.html

Some highlights:

Moose can be aggressive any   time, but at these times in particular:

• In late spring, early   summer when a cow feels her very young calf is in danger                                    
• In the fall when a breeding   bull is competitive and agitated                                    
• In the winter when they are   hungry and tired from walking in deep snow                                    
• Anytime dogs chase or just   bark at them                                    
• Anytime people approach   them too closely

Since that nearly covers the   calendar year and more, what do you do when you see a moose?

Most importantly, give any   moose in any environment lots of space. If you're hiking in the   woods, yield the trail in whatever way works -- back off, change directions, and   enjoy the animal only from a distance.

Be especially alert around   cow moose in late May and throughout June since there is a good chance a newborn calf is around. If you see a calf and not a cow, be   extremely careful moving out of the area; you may have walked between mother and   baby, which is probably the most dangerous place to be.

Keep all dogs confined in moose country. Moose consider dogs, which are close   relatives of wolves, to be their mortal enemy. Moose have been known to go out   of their way to kick at a dog, even one on a leash or in a fenced yard. If you   see a moose where you live, bring dogs inside. If you're walking with your dog   and see a moose, keep your dog quiet and take an alternate route out of the   area. Never hike or camp with dogs in moose country.

 

 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Are moose dangerous? Do they attack people? Just wondering. I don't think I'd go up to one and pet it or get in its path of it were charging, but I don't now that I ever heard of one being aggressive. I just never loved in an area with moose. When we were in Alaska one summer, they walked through the campground and people basically ignored them and just walked right by them. Now, Murphy, not being the sharpest tack in the box, would growl and think he could show that moose a thing or two. And Bella? Ha, she'd be doing the Doodle play bow in front of it and jumping around like a bunny rabbit hoping it would play with her. Maybe she's not too bright either, but their cuteness makes up for it.

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

I really don't now how Knox would have reacted, but it's very likely that I would need to be changing my pants as soon as I reached my car! Thanks for hanging around and getting pics for us to see!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments, it was quite a thrill for me to get so close and actually have a camera.

Thankfully Quincy stayed calm and quiet and we must have watched them for 5 minutes or more. The moose were kind of around a little bend and I couldn't get them all in one picture. Hurricane Leslie left us personally unscathed except for one tree and a few branches. There was a lot of damage to the city, trucks and trailers were flipped over on the highway, roofs were blown off, houses were stripped of their siding and several houses that were in various stages of construction were flattened but we were lucky no one was injured and the rest is just stuff.

 

 

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Wow! Great photos ... and you're braver than I am! Who needs aerobics when you can just have a moose instead, eh? Glad Quincy was so calm about it! I'm afraid Declan would have tried landing on it to see what happens, his usual approach to life.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

scary! Cooper is just like Quincy - she doesnt notice these thing, but id sure be scared (and awed) by the moose

[Camilla and Darwin]

That is scary and cool at the same time!