Moose

In addition to being a nic-name for my sister's husband the word "moose" can bring a variety of pictures to mind. Below you'll find a couple of images that people sometimes thing of when they hear the word.

Moose can stand from 5 1/2 to 6 feet at the shoulder and weigh upwards of 1,800 pounds according to National Geographic. This makes them the largest of the variants of deer, and a real big problem if you hit them with a car.

Why do I mention moose this week? Because I saw one this weekend. 

This is not the fist moose I'm seen, nor even the biggest, but it was the only one that appeared to take an interest in my family and me. This was a little disturbing as moose can be as dangerous as bears, or indeed even more so. In fact the detailed moose attack in the book Hatchet is based on an actual attack the author was on the receiving end of. It doesn't help me that the first time I was ever in the same area as a moose, this event occurred the next day.

It is important to note that unlike bear attacks (which you play dead for), or mountain lion attacks (which you fight back against), if you see a moose start to act aggressive you should run, full speed, away from it. This is because unlike predators which have hard-wired coding that makes them chase prey, moose will generally only attack when provoked or when defending young. So if you remove yourself from the area the moose should not feel the need to remove you from the living. Run as there is very little you could do against an 1500 pound charging behemoth.