[JMitchell]

I have been an avid waterfowl hunter for 48 years. This year, I had the scariest experience in my life. Ninety nine percent of the time I have my dog with me. He had a sore back so he wasn’t with me. I don’t know how it would have played out if he was with me. This was kind of a scouting mission to walk some new ditches I have gotten permission to hunt. I almost didn’t take my shotgun as the first ditch was frozen. 😳

I was walking down the ditch, and a cow with 2 calves moose jumped up and ran towards me. I am trying to get out of their way waving my arms saying it’s okay. I wasn’t that concerned as I have been around many moose. The calves go by me, and the cow veers towards me but misses me. The calves keep going so I don’t know why but she quickly turned around and came after me. She turns around and comes at me with her front feet stomping. It was crazy how high her feet were getting the closer she got to me. I kept yelling go with your calves, they had a whole field ahead of them. I turned sideways and held my shotgun like a pistol to get some distance. But she keeps coming and her feet were getting higher to kick me. I thought when her head hits my gun I have to shoot and that’s what happened. I was scared she was going to use that big nose to clear my gun and trample me. Scary crazy deal.

I called 911, and sheriffs were there real quick. Then a game warden came and investigated and said OMG you are lucky to be alive. He found my spent shell and looked at the hole in her head. It was ruled self defense. They took her to the butcher and donated the meat to the food bank.You can see the calves in the background of the picture. They will be fine without her. They just ran off and ate alfalfa.

This was 3 miles away from the river where we see most of the moose, wasn’t considered moose country. My point always be prepared and watch out for weird things that can happen while hunting or training.
Merry Christmas.

 

[Kenneth Niles Bora]

Wow!
Glad you are alright. Moose get a brain disease around here. I wonder if that one was infected? Will your local F&G test?

 

[Tobias]

Glad you are okay - I know that will be a situation you don't want to repeat.....Moose are huge and cows with calves are notoriously ornery..... I have been in a similar position as you have, with a cow defending her calf (who decided to keep coming toward me - withing 'touching distance'). In my case, it was my dog that drew the cow moose away from me and she also evaded a swift kick. Once the calf had distanced itself, the cow left. Damn calves. LOL

 

[JMitchell]

Wow!
Glad you are alright. Moose get a brain disease around here. I wonder if that one was infected? Will your local F&G test?

I don’t think so, the warden said a lot of moose have been acting weird this fall. This happened in western Montana. I am sure nobody had been harassing them.

 

[drunkenpoacher]

Moose get a brain disease around here. I wonder if that one was infected?

Did you miss the part about it being female?

 

[Kenneth Niles Bora]

Did you miss the part about it being female?

The brain infection is a real thing.
As to the other brain issue you hint. In this politically correct time. How could any of us know the pronouns that moose preferred?

 

[drunkenpoacher]

In this politically correct time. How could any of us know the pronouns that moose preferred?

Maybe that is what pissed it off?

 

[John Montenieri]

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) does affect Moose.

(Kenneth Niles Bora said:
Moose get a brain disease around here. I wonder if that one was infected?)

Diseases of Moose | U.S. Geological Survey

Although chronic wasting disease (CWD) is often thought of as primarily affecting deer, CWD also affects moose and other cervids (elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer) throughout the U.S. CWD affects the nervous system in these animals and creates distinctive brain lesions. At this time, we...

www.usgs.gov

When it comes to a mom protecting young ones, all bets are off.

 

[swampcollielover]

Glad this turned out as well as it did. Have a blessed Christmas and great New Years!

 

[drunkenpoacher]

I'm actually very jealous. Any personal story I tell over the holidays will be lame in comparison.
Think I'll have to tell my wife I'm not worthy of attending Christmas with the in-laws.

 

[Marvin S]

Back in the mid 60's I took a little side road North of Butte & about 2 Miles NW of the trial grounds
to do a little grouse hunting. Had our sheepdog with me & a model 42 .410 shotgun. Wandered
around & must have come off of one of the knobs on the wrong side. Found us next to a willowy
swamp that showed evidence of moose. No trees of any size to climb. knew the dog would head
to me if they encountered one. Distanced myself from there as fast as I could & very happy to get
back to the jeep without seeing one. If you've worked with cattle you know how big & dangerous a
moose can be.

 

[drunkenpoacher]

a model 42 .410 shotgun

Sweeeeeeeeeet

 

[saltgrass]

Wow ..Crazy for sure>> Glad you walked a way with no incident other than a racing heart

 

[JMitchell]

Did you miss the part about it being female?
[/QUOTE

I'm actually very jealous. Any personal story I tell over the holidays will be lame in comparison.
Think I'll have to tell my wife I'm not worthy of attending Christmas with the in-laws.

Are you a Seinfeld watcher? Why I am thinking of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer sells his life stories to Mr. Peterman.😀 Good luck with the in-laws, no way is your wife letting you off that easy.

 

[drunkenpoacher]

Are you a Seinfeld watcher? Why I am thinking of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer sells his life stories to Mr. Peterman.

So how much for the moose story?

Good luck with the in-laws, no way is your wife letting you off that easy.

Unfortunately true.

 

[DavidC]

This reminds me of the Outdoor Life classics "This Happened to Me."

Glad you're OK.

 

[lennie]

As Marvin said If you've worked with cattle, you know how dangerous moose or cattle can be, they can be completely unpredictable. I also have a 'This happened to me"...two weeks ago I took my 14 year old lab out for his evening "airing" around 10:30PM. I always accompany him, because he has cataracts and can't see only about 4 ft in front of him, he usually stays in the yard and knows his way around. Our yard has an overgrown field around it but on one side there is an access road to a pump station. So Dog is wandering around near the access road and I look up and there is a BIG black bear coming down the road toward us. I start shouting for my dog to come and the bear just keeps coming! Yikes! I grab the dog and we run back to the house. Bear was not deterred. A week later, same situation only now I have dog on leash for airing, we have a large truck parked to the side of the driveway, I come around the side of truck and here is the Bear AGAIN, this time only about 20 yards away. I yell loudly and run the dog back to the house, my SO comes out with flashlight as I yell, bear, bear, bear and run past, this time though bear veers off driveway and into field. Not in a hurry but not interested in coming any further.
I always wanted to see a Live Moose and a live Bear but rethinking that now!

 

[PalouseDogs]

Here in eastern Washington, moose have become much more common in the past 10 or 20 years. We live in the middle of open farm fields, which you wouldn't think would be good moose habitat, but they show up on a fairly regular basis. The dogs were going nuts a couple months ago and George looked out to see a moose standing just outside the yard. I used to walk the dogs off leash through the farm fields in the dark before work in the mornings in winter. Not anymore. Last thing I want is to have a JMitchell moose experience in the dark.

 

[labsforme]

JMitchell where in Mt are you?

In St Ignatius regards
Jeff

 

[JMitchell]

JMitchell where in Mt are you?

In St Ignatius regards
Jeff

I live in Hamilton, and this happened outside of Corvallis. I retired this year so I thought I want to go to a new area to bird hunt. I spent some time bird hunting this fall up by you. I haven’t hunted up there since the 70s. I really enjoyed it and didn’t have any grizzly encounters. 😀