As I was coming down to a tight spot on the trail with lots of brush on each side and deep snow and several big trees on each side of the trail , I noticed very fresh moose tracks. In fact the trail was pounded with moose tracks and I thought "Oh Shit" and started to slow down.
When I got to the bottom and started to make the corner I was face to face with a cow/calf moose pair approximately 35 feet away. The instant she seen me, she came straight at me, ears back, hair layed down, squeenty eyed, and I don't know how but she only looked 4 feet tall. Instinct told me to sacrifice the skidoo....I gunned it and bailed!!!! This must have confused her ...maybe because there was suddenly two of us because she veered off enough on the narrow trail and thankfully on the other side I bailed off of. Stomping one of the skis as she went by the skidoo as I heard a loud clack.
In the beginning of the 3 rd second....I'm trying to climb back on the skidoo and the calf is trying to decide if he will follow his mother, but I couldn't wait for his decision because she's now behind me and he's in front of me ... so I chase him up the trail 50 yards to the next marten set while looking over my shoulder and thankfully she never chased me and he left the trail.
NOW THIS IS THE ROUTE I HAVE TO RETURN ON....after finishing checking the trapline trail.
They were again on the trail on the way home so there was alot of hollering and reviving up the skidoo, putting the reverse beeper on. Eventually they left the trail. We've often talked about having a gun on the skidoo encase of seeing Wolves, but in my opinion not even the Lone Ranger or Roy Roger would have got a shot off.
This all happened in less than 3 seconds.... maybe 7 seconds since I saw tracks til calf left trail.
Was there ever any time to be scared?....no. I've been around range cows lots and it's much the same.
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Thats alot of exitement Bryan .I have read that a lot of animals use the trails in the winter, as it keeps them out of the deep snow.Do you have these meetings every winter?
ReplyDeleteThese pedestrians they want all the trail!!! take care :)Brian(:
Years ago I had an encounter with a moose and my 1966 VW Bug. I was seriously outsized. It sounds like you had the 'right stuff' and made the right call. They are not pleasant on a face-to-face basis.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember Canada is a 'no handgun' world. Is that true?
I've noted sort of a 'shoot the wolf' theme. Are there excessive numbers? In MN the numbers are increasing and decimating the deer in some areas.
Hi Art...Wolves have never been an animal we were after....We loved hearing their haunting calls. But that changed last year. It was a big snow year and we had 15 stranded moose here living on the lake for the late winter months. they couldn't leave....because the snow was 12' deep up on the hills. In March the wolves came and stayed for 6 weeks. As I have mentioned before the wolves are king here...they have no preditor. the moose and goats have a hard enough time surviving the long winters without being taken out as spring approaches. Did you know that wolves are one of the few animals that do not kill their prey...they like to eat fresh meat each day. A moose can be standing their with their ham strings cut and their intestines hanging out of their ass- hole...and the wolves just come back and take a little bit more each time. A moose can live for 4 or more days like this. We haven't seen this but have been told by a wilderness fellow out here that the wolves just eat the bloodie snow until the moose has no blood left....again this can take days and days....of all that terror before the prey finally doesn't care anymore. We made the decision last year if we see a wolf we will kill it. They travel in the winter in packs of up to 40. this last summer they would come and taunt our old dog to come out and play...well no thanks.
ReplyDeleteRe handgun ....We are long gun people.
Hi Brian.....Vikki meet a bull moose a month ago on the trail but he just strowled off into the brush. This is the first close encounter with moose up here. And hopefully the last. If they get you down on the ground it is probably likely that they would stomp you into the ground.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that you are ok Bryan. Hope the plane gets in before you two run too low. Take care.
ReplyDeleteWow! Once I was on my mountain bike and had a close call (and subsequent standoff) with a white-tail deer, but that barely rates compared to a moose!
ReplyDeleteHi evan....we have enough food for 2 years here....just need the new gen and saw parts and skidoo parts. hopefully this week
ReplyDeleteMichael ....a deer can make a mess of you also. We''ll be making lots of noise and yelling the next time we see fresh tracks.
ReplyDeletehello out there. hope all is well. ken
ReplyDelete