Dear editor:
This is in regards to the "Angler Shoots, Kills Charging Cow Moose" story.
In the interest of saving a moose or two, here's an alternate way to deal with a charging moose.
Early in the 1970s, during the month of June, I camped out a few days at Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park.
One warm spring morning, I headed for the trail next to Jenny Lake. What could go wrong? Foliage was turning green, a few snow patches were melting, it was an ideal day.
After hiking through a slight bend in the trail, I heard the sounds of snorting and pounding hooves behind me. From about 50 feet away, a cow moose came at me full bore.
Face to face with a charging moose, I had to act pretty fast. Taking a non-threatening posture, I stood quietly, my hands down at my sides. My legs turned to "jelly."
The moose ran until it was less than an arm's length away, then it turned on a dime and headed back to the lake.
Another decision was in order. Walking slo-mo, I proceeded on the trail in my original direction, again trying to appear non-threatening.
The sounds of snorting and pounding hooves repeated behind me. This time, the moose charged only half the distance between me and the lake before returning to the brushy shore.
I continued in my original direction, keeping a slo-mo pace, hoping to appear unafraid and non-threatening.
That's when I looked back over my shoulder toward the lake and the moose. In a cove, next to the cow, stood the tiniest calf moose I have ever seen. It could not have had more than two or three days on its clock.
No firearms, cell phone or bear spray were available at the time and none were needed. This was not a bear, mountain lion or rattlesnake, only a moose.
In my mid-twenties when this happened I had already been blessed with experiences encountering all kinds of wildlife while roaming outdoors.
Some advice from an old woman: Never, ever panic - that only makes the situation worse.
You may have top of the line gear for your activity and all kinds of equipment and gadgets. Maybe you even watched some YouTube videos about the outdoors.
All that may not help if you don't understand the actual outdoor world where creatures only know survival and don't live by human rules.
Learn first. Prepare yourself for outdoor surroundings, your own well-being and the well-being of wildlife. Anyone not willing to do so may be better off by opting to stay home.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Barbara Lucas, Casper
