Male moose, or bulls, naturally shed their antlers during the months of January and February.
I have bumped into them many times and I always respect them by keeping my distance and moving on.
I decided to go to a thick patch of woods that was adjacent to a popular winter hiking trail.
I began hiking and made it about a half mile.
It was about 25 degrees out and cloudy with deep snow around me on the trail.
To the north of the trail is a beautiful creek that houses wild brown trout and beautiful views.
The trail follows this creek and I was enjoying the beautiful sounds that went along with hiking near it.
Right near the place I wanted to cut into the woods, I noticed a large moose lying down.
By his facial structure I could tell right away that it was a shed bull.
Facing Off
The moose was blocking the area that I needed to walk alongside the creek.
I stopped as soon as I saw him and kept my distance of about 50 yards.
I observed his behavior, and he seemed to be very relaxed, just lying in the snow.
As I walked forward about 10 yards, the moose got up out of his bed.
He stood up and started walking away from me in the direction that I was planning on hiking.
As he started walking away, I noticed that the poor bull had a slight limp.
My mind started guessing… Did he stumble onto the road and get hit by a car?
Did he get caught in a fence?
Had a mountain lion tried to attack him?
Hard to say, but I felt very bad for him.
I kept my distance of about 50 yards and moved very slow behind him.
All of a sudden, the moose stopped.
The limp that was once there was gone as he was in a full sprint straight at me.
The look in his eyes is a look that I will never forget.
I turned around and ran for my life.
I probably ran faster than Ive ever run before!
With each step I looked behind me to see if the moose was closing in on me.
We both ran for about 25 yards, but it felt like a mile.
After that distance the moose stopped, and I kept going to get more distance.
He then went into the woods and I never saw him again.
Lesson Learned
I continued on with my hike with a whole new respect for the giant moose.
Changing your plan can be frustrating in the moment, but certain animals are just not worth the risk.
Now, when I see a moose I get as far away as I can right away.
A wild animals aggression is very unpredictable, and you never know what will set them off.
It was securely holstered to my hip right below my backpack straps.
I was wearing heavy winter gear because of the below-freezing temps.
And I definitely wont forget the lesson I learned that day.
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