I have a problem.  I admit it.  I’m addicted to moose.  I just can’t help it.  First of all, I was raised in Phoenix.  No moose there.  When I first came to Montana I was in Whitefish, and when I had the first moose in my front yard I was hooked.  Big, gangly, goofy looking thing. And adorable.  I was lucky enough to see them a few times in Glacier National Park – browsing around, tasting trees and shrubs, dipping their noses in the ponds, comfy in their lovely surroundings.  Then after I moved to Washington I saw none.  Withdrawal was hard.  After having to spend almost 10 years in there, I was tickled to come back to Montana, but, for unknown reasons, I never saw a moose in Lake County for the 18 years I was there.  Hmmm. And then I retired and moved to Hamilton.  Wow!

I had no idea that this is moose heaven, for them and for people like me.  The river areas and all the adjoining parks are home to them.  I got here in October and saw my first one in April, posing nicely in an area that, since then, I have probably seen more than 10.   Hard not to get hooked.  I have a new walking buddy, Ralph, and he’s as addicted as I am. 

Here’s Ralph in the trees getting pictures of a bull with his good camera last week –

Here’s samples of what he got that day –

Though I can go months without seeing one, mid-winter through April and maybe none in late summer, they make up for it the rest of the time.  They are big and dark but can be hard to see.  In the spring it’s mamas and babies, sometimes twins!  Often times it’s just cows.  In the fall there are more bulls, but always cows and yearlings to watch.  The males have especially big “bells” or dewlaps hanging off their necks.  Just goofy.

I took pictures of moose 4 times this week. 

Sometimes we see families.  Such a treat.  On Thursday we were surprised when a family came out of the bushes.  They were talking to each other, something I haven’t heard before.  Kind of grunting, whining, nasally sounds.  Probably planning to tease those humans with the cameras.  You gotta watch them – they can be aggressive.  At one point the bull stepped out in front of the cow and calf, right into the trail.  Ralph and I, Coco in tow of course, ran into the alders to clear a path for him.  He watched us closely but moved on.  We giggled and loved it.

It’s a precious gift to be able to go out to the river here, barely out of town, and share the beauty and serenity with the animals that call this home – deer, birds, bears, turtles, etc., etc., etc.  The river plays soft background music and the clouds stay busy painting shadows and highlighting dramatic geology in the canyons of the Bitterroots.

I can’t think of anything to say that is particularly profound or thought provoking about loving moose, but, as is always on my mind, the preservation and protection of such precious and generous creatures needs to be foremost in our minds.  Mining and logging and too many commercial projects can lead to the reduction and desecration of this shared land.  We have to keep it “as is” – for us and for them! 

Thanks to Ralph Bangs for the fun and the pictures!