Had an adrenaline rush during my mule deer hunt in Colorado. My bud and I saw many signs driving in saying “moose in area”— we laughed it off... there’s no way moose are out here, we told ourselves. Day 1, we are hiking along a trail when I hear a broken branch and I look to my left and see darkness. That darkness turns out to have eyes and antlers— oh cool, it’s an elk 10 yards from us... wait no... definitely not an elk... run! We book it, have a good chuckle and go about our day. Fast forward two days and we are back hunting in the same area where we saw the moose. My bud and I are split up on opposite sides of a mini canyon and a creek bed between us. The creek bed had thick 10 foot high vegetation, so when I saw the brushes moving 200 yards out, I waited to see what was moving towards me. Like something out of Jurassic Park, the brushes moved closer and closer until out of the opening 20 yards in front of me emerges a calf and cow moose. “Cute photo op”, I think to myself as I grab my phone to take a pic. Before I can get it unlocked, out comes a third moose... the big bull from the first day. I hold still for a solid 10 second before he charges at me. I manage to grab my bear mace and rifle, leaving behind my bag, and sprint into the woods behind me. I’m jumping over and ducking under fallen timber until I’m in it so thick, the bull stops and goes back to his cow. I wait until they leave before making my way back to my bag and calling it quits for the day.
Lesson learned— those warning signs are for real. Is there a better way to handle moose encounters than running? Anyone else have a scary moose encounter?
Lesson learned— those warning signs are for real. Is there a better way to handle moose encounters than running? Anyone else have a scary moose encounter?
Last edited: