I was walking back from an [unsuccessful] hunt when I came around a corner and saw what I thought was a huge cow elk in the middle of the trail. I couldn't believe there was an elk within a short walk of where I had parked: I had been hiking up hill and down looking for one for several hours.
But a second glance made it clear she wasn't an elk. Her face wasn't the right shape, she wasn't quite the right color, and she was far too tall. I actually exclaimed, "You're a moose!" as I stepped backwards. It's not a good idea to crowd a moose cow, especially if she has a calf with her. I couldn't have been more than 50 yards away, probably less than that.
She stared at me for a couple seconds, then turned to leave. Sure enough, a calf stepped out of the bush to join her as she left.
We don't see a lot of moose around here: maybe a couple every year. This is the second time in two years I've run into a moose while hunting elk. Last year, a bull rushed up the side of a ravine and stopped about 100 yards from my buddy and me. I don't think that bull ever figured out we were there. My buddy and I watched him for a bit, standing on the bank of the trail, long beard swinging side to side as he looked both ways before crossing.
Nothing runs uphill like a moose. They're unbelievably fast.
I generally think of the "interesting" creatures being pretty far up into the hills and much further back from the humans in late summer and early fall. But there was Molly Moose with her calf, hanging out no more than a quarter mile from my truck.
