It has been a while since I have done a Moose Monday so here is a two for one deal. 😉 

Taken last August, these were two of four bulls all grazing in the same area. The rut was more than a month away at that point so everyone was friendly and nice to each other.

Every year I spend a five day stretch in this area of Arapaho National Forest enjoying the great outdoors, camping and of course seeking out the moose every morning. Sadly, about two months after this picture was taken, the East Troublesome Fire began raging.

It would take six weeks to contain the fire and not until it had scorched 193,812 acres. This area, one of my favorite in all of Colorado, was within the fire boundaries. I don’t know what I will find when I return but I do suspect it will look far different.

Well, this wasn’t Gandalf but I wasn’t going to push my luck and try to go around. 😉  One for #MooseMonday, taken in early August of last year and a shot I haven’t shared before.

My daughter and I had ventured out from camp in Arapaho National Forest and were having a fantastic morning viewing moose. We had been focused on a different bull when it suddenly stopped grazing, picked up its head and cast its eyes toward a nearby stand of trees.

We didn’t see anything initially but soon, this big boy emerged. He stopped at the edge of the road and cast a serious glance at the other bull.

I had hoped there might be some sparring on tap but both bulls never took it any further than giving each other dirty looks. Haha. That morning I think we ended up with a tally of 11 moose total – probably our most plentiful count for a single morning.

A handsome fellow enjoying breakfast in the Colorado high country. Taken back in August when three of these big boys were lazily grazing in Arapaho National Forest.

As you can see, the willows in this area are quite tall and as such can make it a challenge to spot the moose, even if the bulls are nearly 7 feet tall. Of course when they have a massive rack like this guy, it does make it a bit easier.

You’ll notice the moose’s bottom teeth in this image. Did you know moose have no upper incisors (front teeth)? Instead, they have a dental pad of sorts on the top front. They do, however, have molars in the back, something that is definitely needed to grind down the plants they eat.

A throwback to the end of August and a nice image for Moose Monday.

Camping in the Colorado high country at one of our favorite spots, I ventured out before sunrise hoping to see these massive denizens of the forest. The walk was quiet and before long, light from the rising sun, filtered heavily by smoke from wildfires, cast an orange glow on the terrain.

Searching with my lens through tall willows, I spotted what I came for and not just one, but three bull moose. For the next two hours I photographed them as they lazily grazed, ignoring the attention of the camera. The soft, side-lighting on this guy makes for a nice portrait.

A throwback to the middle of June and a real cutie for Moose Monday that I haven’t shared before.

This little calf was probably only a couple of weeks old and sticking really close to mom and in the shadows for most of the morning I was watching them. The calf gradually got a bit brave and wandered a short distance, just enough to stand alone and, best of all, stepping right into some sunlight that was streaming through the forest trees. I only managed a few captures before it went dutifully back to its mom’s side and then the two wandered off for some privacy.

This was taken in the Kawuneeche Valley of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. That area was hit pretty hard by the East Troublesome Fire that started on October 14th and exploded to cover 193,812 acres in less than two weeks. The blaze was just declared contained last week and I am concerned about what I will find when I return to the area. Undoubtedly the landscape will look far different than what it looked like when I took this picture.

Generally, in wildlife photography you really want to avoid “butt shots” as the derriere can be quite distracting and take the focus of the image to less desirable parts of the critter. I of course am rarely one to follow rules so here you go. 😀

This big fellow was moving from one area to another, crossing a road. As he did, he stopped halfway and gave a look back, striking quite a pose, kinda like a body builder. It isn’t an ideal pose but it does do a nice job of showing off the size of these massive forest denizens.

A nice close-up of this guy for Moose Monday. A lot of folks don’t fully appreciate how dangerous these big creatures of the forest can be. They may seem like slow and lumbering beasts but they can move extraordinarily fast when they want and are highly unpredictable.

During the rut, the males have hormones raging and are very irritable. Females, like any good mother, will not hesitate to protect their young. You certainly do not want to find yourself in a situation where an 800-pound moose is trying to stomp you!

As for this fellow, he was lazily grazing on willows in the Colorado high country early last month. While it is a close-up, I maintained a respectful distance, have a powerful zoom lens and the image is cropped a good bit.

My favorite high-country flower and one of my favorite forms of wildlife for Moose Monday.

Taken early last month on a photo outing with my daughter. We left camp as the sun was rising and headed to a usual hot spot of moose activity nearby. Much to our disappointment, not one moose was around.

Pressing on along a very rough Forest Service road, we finally had success – two bulls grazing in an area that had been logged due to pine beetle kill. They paid us little attention as they grazed on the grasses and ate some fireweed.

After a while, it was time to start working our way back down the mountain and then we found even more of the forest’s biggest residents. In the end, the morning tally came in at nine moose – five bulls, three cows and one yearling.

Taken in Arapaho National Forest, #Colorado.

Well, this is not a situation that you are taught how to handle in driver’s education. I think if it were me, I would certainly let the big boy cross ahead of me, even if there is no crosswalk. 😀

I spent over an hour and a half with this handsome young fellow and his buddy last month in what was one of the most fun moose encounters I have had this year. I had initially spotted them a few hundred yards off the road so I hiked in to get within photo range (while maintaining a respectful distance). They slowly ate their way back toward the road then headed off into the forest once the morning temperatures started to climb.

Taken in one of Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s awesome state parks.