Brothers Moose

Here's another "tip" for wildlife photographers. Check the "hunting" calendar before planning your trip. Case in point: It was my first trip into Jackson County, Colorado to look for moose. It was the week after labor day. My thinking was, everybody would be back in school or back to work, summer is over etc. I arrived late at night, and to my surprise there was only one room available in all of Walden. I didn't think much of it at the time, so, bright (well, actually it was dark) and early the next morning I went out looking for my moose. As I was headed up over Cameron Pass I would stop every so often to look down into the creek by the side of the road. Eventually, I found what I was looking for: two young bulls. I watched them for quite a while taking photos more discriminately than I do now (because I was still using 35 mm slide film).  After a while, a hunter came along. We talked for a bit. It was his first "hunt." I soon realized that if I left one of these two moose would be dead. So, I stayed for about an hour and a half until the hunter left, and the moose started climbing back up the mountain. Everywhere I went that day I saw hunters (with guns of course). This wasn't exactly what I had in mind. First, I don't understand the killing of wildlife. Be that as it may, I must respect the rights of hunters to hunt legally. But, moose? Where's the sport in hunting moose? Moose are docile creatures. They don't run away when they see you. They are as big as a school bus (not really) so it would be close to impossible to shoot and miss one. Then what are you going to do? These moose probably weigh close to 1000 pounds. So, the next day, bright and early I headed out to Yellowstone National Park where it was illegal to carry guns into the park. Now, I always check the state's hunting schedule before planning a trip.