My Pet Moose

Well, not a pet exactly, but he is a frequent visitor. I named him Billy. Billy and his mother, a rather large but lean cow, spent much of the late winter and spring browsing and resting in the yard. They eat a lot. An adult will fill its belly with 30, 40, or even 50 pounds of vegetation each day. In the colder months, they ruminate on twigs from aspen and poplars. I have also observed them snack on tree bark. They seem to like the lilacs in the yard, but so far the lilacs have survived many moose attacks.

I see a lot of moose, but Billy seemed special. Just before Memorial Day, I watched him browsing on the new leaves on some recently felled trees. Easy pickings! After a little while, I saw his mother appear from the woods, and he slowly approached her. She was looking towards me, and I saw her ears go down, a good indicator she would charge. I was puzzled, because I was silent, and I knew I was too far from her to see me well. When Billy got within about 20 feet of her, she snorted loudly and bolted towards him! He backed up a safe distance and turned away, but soon he drew closer once more. Again, Momma Moose made it abudantly clear he was not welcome. He was a yearling, and it was time to leave her side.

Billy's little antler nubs were the size of golf balls. I estimated he weighed 400-500 pounds. Even so, he looked a little vulnerable and...well...cute. For the better part of a week he lingered in the yard munching on the spring greenery and bedding down among the spruce. Finally, he wandered off to presumably greener pastures, but he returns every week or two to see what's new on the menu. Billy has grown a lot over the past couple of months. Aside from the sores on his hind hocks from moose flies, he looks well. His velveted antlers are respectable for a young bull. His coat is thick and toasted-nut brown.

I think the dog is jealous.

http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/biggame/moose.php