Moose Defense Calibre????

riden

riden

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Buffalo Head Hills
I live in northern Alberta and we have had a cold winter, we are in the midst of our 1st real chinook, and I wanted to take advatage of it. So about last night about 9:00 I took my dog Irish (Great Pyr female) for a walk, it was a hell of a night—warm and stars were shining and refelecting light off the snow. Great night to be out.

We were about 2/3 mile down the road south of us on our gravel road. The road has bush on each side of it and a cow and calf crossed the road about 100 yards away. Irish starts to growl pretty aggressive at them, and the cow turns and faces us. I start to yell “Hup” to get the cow off the road, I didn’t like that it didn’t run-common sense told me it should run when the dog was growling. It stares and watches about 10 secs, and then the cow starts running at us and left the calf behind.

Now the moose were crossing the road from bush to bush when we saw them, it was protecting it’s calf for sure. There was no good reason to come my way, and with the chinook, the road was icy and slippery. I am sure the moose was not happy running on it.

So, I grab Irish by the collar and start walking backwards, watching the moose the whole time. It gets about 50 yards away and stops. I grab Irish and run about 25 yards. Then turn and face it. It watched us for a bit, and then crossed the road.

I didn't feel really threatened, but I can’t say I enjoyed it either. All along I figured, worst case scenario---when it gets close I let Irish loose and she would protect me, while I run like a scared girl back home.

First one to admit, I had no idea what the best thing to do in that situation was. I often have a gun with me when I go down my hill to the bush, but I have never thought about carrying one on the road.
 
Many years ago my friend and I were returning to the truck in total darkness after an evening goose hunt. Before long a bull moose started following and grunting, probably attracted by the splashing of our boots on the muddy road.
The bull was in the bush and the sound of sticks breaking and the moose grunting was rapidly getting closer and the truck was still 75yds away. We were already moving along quickly, and in the last 50 yards we broke into a full run, jumping into the unlocked truck just as the bull ran by, not ten yards away!
My buddy, out of breath gasped, "Not sure if he wanted to fight or fcuk, but I wasn't stayin' around to find out!"
Sure glad I didn't lock the truck, or park another 100 yards up the road that evening!
 
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Ya, dogs and moose don't mix well. Moose attacks are quite common in the Iditarod Dogsled Race in Alaska and many of the competitors pack a .44 magnum with them for just such encounters. There's a lot of long legs on a moose that can inflict a lot of damage to both human and canine.
 
riden said:
I live in northern Alberta and we have had a cold winter, we are in the midst of our 1st real chinook, and I wanted to take advatage of it. So about last night about 9:00 I took my dog Irish (Great Pyr female) for a walk, it was a hell of a night—warm and stars were shining and refelecting light off the snow. Great night to be out.

We were about 2/3 mile down the road south of us on our gravel road. The road has bush on each side of it and a cow and calf crossed the road about 100 yards away. Irish starts to growl pretty aggressive at them, and the cow turns and faces us. I start to yell “Hup” to get the cow off the road, I didn’t like that it didn’t run-common sense told me it should run when the dog was growling. It stares and watches about 10 secs, and then the cow starts running at us and left the calf behind.

Now the moose were crossing the road from bush to bush when we saw them, it was protecting it’s calf for sure. There was no good reason to come my way, and with the chinook, the road was icy and slippery. I am sure the moose was not happy running on it.

So, I grab Irish by the collar and start walking backwards, watching the moose the whole time. It gets about 50 yards away and stops. I grab Irish and run about 25 yards. Then turn and face it. It watched us for a bit, and then crossed the road.

I didn't feel really threatened, but I can’t say I enjoyed it either. All along I figured, worst case scenario---when it gets close I let Irish loose and she would protect me, while I run like a scared girl back home.

First one to admit, I had no idea what the best thing to do in that situation was. I often have a gun with me when I go down my hill to the bush, but I have never thought about carrying one on the road.
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You should have felt threatened. A few years back a cow Moose with no calf, did a dance on and older fellow outside a recreation center, somewhere in the Yukon or Alaska,which killed him. It was recorded and played on TV. Apparently kids had been throwing snowballs at the cow and she took it out on the fist person she found.
Thats an interesting story. Do you think a can or bear spray would have changed her mind?
 
Moose have the shortest fuse of any animal I know of in Canada. I have several times seen them go into attack mode, and it is from being a happy creature, to "I'm going to beat the hell out of you," in about two seconds.
I have been chased up a tree by a ###y bull in rutting season, as was a game warden I knew.
A young bull, in March, beat a rat-a-tat-tat on the hood of a pickup I was driving, stopped at the time, because it would not leave a deeply snow plowed trail, and decided to show who was boss.
 
oldfart said:
You should have felt threatened. A few years back a cow Moose with no calf, did a dance on and older fellow outside a recreation center, somewhere in the Yukon or Alaska,which killed him. It was recorded and played on TV. Apparently kids had been throwing snowballs at the cow and she took it out on the fist person she found.
Thats an interesting story. Do you think a can or bear spray would have changed her mind?
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See, I always knew the dog would protect me. I had a run in last summer with a big black bear and she stayed between me and the bear the whole time.

I wondered if she would survive a run-in though? That was my biggest fear.
 
in the end, i think the dog would of been your saving grace on that one; Should the moose of kept coming.

In southern Ontario, we don't have that problem. infact we only have crazy racoons. I must kill at least 5 a year from them just running right out infront of the car. Blood... EVERYYYYWHERE.....
 
never had a run-in with big game...came across 2 yotes on a path while walking the dog...the yotes were eating something dead and bloody...I figured they would take off (my dog is 80lbs), but they snarled up and ran at us. My good ol dog never backed down...he dropped his head and went into full charge mode...the yotes took off running
 
Had a run in with a bull moose North of Chitek Lake, Saskatchewan.
He came crashing into the campsite, and straight at us. My buddy goes to climb into the camper, but I got him turned around in time. I didn't want to be without a camper if the bull decided to continue his pursuit.;) Ended up having to dive under the truck while the big prick thrashed the camp site. Amazing how fast they can move when they are owley.
 
We have had a cow moose charge at the jet boat while going up a small river.
The water was pretty shallow and she was at full speed, luckily jet boats are faster than moose. :D
 
I was hunting immature bull moose in PG one year when I got a big surprise. I was sitting beside a big stump waiting for the fork to give me a good broadside shot. I watched a big bull came out of the bush and put the run on him and I didn't get a shot off,I decided to go around the other side of the stump to see if I could get a shot at the retreating moose. In the move to the other side of the stump,I didn't notice that the big guy had resumed his chase on the immature moose. Just as I got to the other side I had both moose run by me so close that I could have tripped one with the barrel of my gun.:eek: I sat there hoping that big pissed off brute didn't catch my scent and turn on me,I didn't want to have to find out so I stayed still till he left. Anyone who has smelled a pissed off rutting moose up close will not ever forget it.
 
riden said:
I live in northern Alberta and we have had a cold winter, we are in the midst of our 1st real chinook, and I wanted to take advatage of it. So about last night about 9:00 I took my dog Irish (Great Pyr female) for a walk, it was a hell of a night—warm and stars were shining and refelecting light off the snow. Great night to be out.

We were about 2/3 mile down the road south of us on our gravel road. The road has bush on each side of it and a cow and calf crossed the road about 100 yards away. Irish starts to growl pretty aggressive at them, and the cow turns and faces us. I start to yell “Hup” to get the cow off the road, I didn’t like that it didn’t run-common sense told me it should run when the dog was growling. It stares and watches about 10 secs, and then the cow starts running at us and left the calf behind.

Now the moose were crossing the road from bush to bush when we saw them, it was protecting it’s calf for sure. There was no good reason to come my way, and with the chinook, the road was icy and slippery. I am sure the moose was not happy running on it.

So, I grab Irish by the collar and start walking backwards, watching the moose the whole time. It gets about 50 yards away and stops. I grab Irish and run about 25 yards. Then turn and face it. It watched us for a bit, and then crossed the road.

I didn't feel really threatened, but I can’t say I enjoyed it either. All along I figured, worst case scenario---when it gets close I let Irish loose and she would protect me, while I run like a scared girl back home.

First one to admit, I had no idea what the best thing to do in that situation was. I often have a gun with me when I go down my hill to the bush, but I have never thought about carrying one on the road.
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Dude, you need to get yourself The New King!!

;)
 
Gatehouse said:
Dude, you need to get yourself The New King!!

;)
Click to expand...


I as thinking more along the lines of

ruger_12752.jpg
 
303 carbine, I know what you mean about the stink of of an over-###ed bull moose, well into rutting season! I was once under thirty feet from one, across a grass patch on an alder infested mountain avalanche slide. Because of wind direction, he couldn't smell me and had trouble seeing me, on the edge of the alders. The look of them is terrible. Gaunt, close to foaming at the mouth and constantly licking his lips. I was quite some time in getting away from him and at times thought seriously about shooting him, for my protection.
Another time I couldn't get away from an over-###ed bull, so at thirty yards I put a 30-06 bullet through one of the palms on an antler. He never so much as blinked, from the noise, or the bullet hitting his antler.
 
H4831 said:
303 carbine, I know what you mean about the stink of of an over-###ed bull moose, well into rutting season! I was once under thirty feet from one, across a grass patch on an alder infested mountain avalanche slide. Because of wind direction, he couldn't smell me and had trouble seeing me, on the edge of the alders. The look of them is terrible. Gaunt, close to foaming at the mouth and constantly licking his lips. I was quite some time in getting away from him and at times thought seriously about shooting him, for my protection.
Another time I couldn't get away from an over-###ed bull, so at thirty yards I put a 30-06 bullet through one of the palms on an antler. He never so much as blinked, from the noise, or the bullet hitting his antler.
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The only time that I have been "concerned" about a critter in the bush was with that big ornery stinky bull. Bears usually take to makin' tracks, pissed off moose will tend to make tracks on you. I would have had to shoot him for sure if he turned and made moves in my direction. Luckily he was more concerned about running off the youngster and didn't notice me.
 
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