The Moose is Loose!

[Clint]

I had to pass a moose closer than I'd have liked to today. I've been closer (not by choice, just noticed one within arms length one time), and I've always had more people around me than this time. Tonight I went hiking alone -- I thought I'd see more people but just one solitary trail-running female with a big smile who was coming down while I was going up. I threw a couple high point beers in the freezer for a couple hours for the trip down.......... I'm so out of shape I decided against having them at the top and wait until I got back down 1/3 of the way (~3000' climb, the top 1000' was the steepest). So I crack a beer & see this:

I started trying to make popping sounds with my half-empty beer can & coughed when I first saw it, hoping the lil feller would scamper but no such luck.

(both moose pics taken right when I saw it - I could've got better pics but thought I'd just move along quietly)

So there I am just walking down a trail with a beer in one hand and some 3 year expired bear spray

Worth it? Yes.

I made it back down to my truck about 30 minutes after sunset, I didn't have to break out a headlamp but it was dark as I made the last few switchbacks.

 

[Clint]

I found this artist on Pandora last Saturday night, they sing in Spanish, French (I study Spanish daily and French in high school so it's "somewhat" familiar) along with a few other languages.

 

[Cliff Bartlett]

Tonight I went hiking alone -- I thought I'd see more people but just one solitary trail-running female with a big smile who was coming down while I was going up. I threw a couple high point beers in the freezer for a couple hours for the trip down..

Man, I thought this was going to have a happy ending!

 

[Pat G]

Bear spray? You are braver than I Clint. I'll stick with my Kimber.

 

[Clint]

Man, I thought this was going to have a happy ending!

lol

Bear spray? You are braver than I Clint. I'll stick with my Kimber.

I'll carry a 40 every now & then, looked into an ultralight 44 mag but ?decided against? that because by the time the barrel length is reduced etc the bullet has the same power as my 357 mag (which weighs nearly 2# last I checked).

Against bears, bear spray beats most any gun from what I've seen - I have a new can, this was just what I saw. Most people are oblivious to dangers of moose and I'm probably a bit paranoid (laughed at myself thinking I had a bloodthirsty moose behind me as I looked back a couple times). I saw one another time with a young-un, that was easy, I just backtracked & took a different trail.

I'm hoping bear spray is effective against mtn lions too.

 

[Rusty James]

Great view, Clint!

I saw damage to an 18 wheeler after it collided with a moose on an episode of American Loggers (based in Maine). The front of that truck had some serious cosmetic damage. Moose get in no hurry from what I saw.

 

[Pat G]

Against bears, bear spray beats most any gun from what I've seen.

OK, my Kimber AND a fresh can of bear spray.