Roaming Ruminants

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Most of my days are pretty full of things, and during harvest season, one of the first things that I do every morning is wander out to the garden and pluck whatever needs plucking for preserving.

This morning's item that needed harvesting was calendula, I have it EVERYWHERE! So, it was with thoughts of Christmas salve making in mind and a colander in hand, that I found myself trekking out toward the garden on this fine, gloomy first day of fall morning.

As I rounded the corner of the travel trailer, a sudden movement seized my attention. Right in front of me stood a cow moose! Now, out of all of the wildlife that inhabit our region, I have super extra large respect and leeriness of the leggy beasts that are moose. They can stomp you into a meat pancake in two seconds flat. Everyone should have respect for an animal that looks like it was put together by a toddler and yet still functions.

Mama though, she just stared at me. There was no menace in her gaze, her ears were perked forward and a a bit droopy. I then noticed her offspring, a very small grey tinged calf was right next to my greenhouse.

Hmm..., I mused out loud, "You are awfully smoll for fall my little friend."

Upon closer inspection I noticed Mama's flanks were sucked in, as were Jr.'s. That combined with her almost pleading demeanor and that they were next to my water hydrant led me to believe that my two ungulate friends were thirsty.

It's been dangerously dry for a very long time, and little moose had a bit of a limp which I think may have explained things a bit too. The lake and a creek are about a mile down the hill as the crow flies, but there are two roads, a highway, and a ton of degens in the path to the water.

So, I did what any other mother facing a mother in need would most likely do, I got them water.

Even though I am on sabbatical from large livestock, I still have an assortment of large animal care wares about the farm, so, while staying a respectable distance from Mama, I began to walk slowly to the barn, calling her as I went.

The barn and water trough is about 350 or 400 feet from where I was standing, but I figured Mama would understand what I was up too. Plus, I was wearing super flashy red fleece pajama pants, you know, to get her attention with.

The matron and her offspring followed me. Both of them were super polite and respected the fifty foot distance that I wished to keep between us both. Life preservation distancing is a thing.

Once I got to the barn I turned on the hose and filled the trough. Then I stuck my hand in the trough and splashed it a bit while calling Mama to come get a drink. Moose love to splash in things, I should know, they have squished a lot of our sprinklers over the years.

Slowly but surely Mama and Jr. wandered closer. I backed off as the moved in, and my face broke into smile formation as they both reached the trough and drank. And drank. And drank.

They drank so much that I came back out a bit later and decided to refill the trough for them. When I turned the hose on they both moved away from the trough, and while I filled it I discovered my next moose manuevering challenge.

Mama jumped the barnyard fence with ease, but Little Limpy turned and looked at me in dismay as he approached the fence.

So, I did what most likely any mom would do for another mom, I herded that errant, injured toddler through the gate opening about one hundred feet to the south.

I had to be careful about that operation though. I didn't want to agitate mama or baby, you know, so that none of us would get injured.

With just the right amount of pressure, I herded the little guy down the fence, but then, like all herd animals, he went too far the wrong way, so I had to swing way around and push him through the gate.

Thankfully he went in and limp trotted up to Mama in a very excited manner.

Right now the two of them are laying on the edge of my gravel pit, which is on the edge of the forest that borders my yard. I can look down the gravel pit road and see them resting there and it makes me feel pretty great that they are hydrated and comfortable. I am pretty concerned that the little guy isn't going to make it through the winter, he's so little and with that injury, well, Nature is metal and all.

But for now they have at least attained a bit of existential comfort and the encounter made my day! Who knew that I was a but of a moose whisperer!

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And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's full of mama and baby moose footage iPhone.

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