Next another bull showed up, but it only had one antler as the other one appeared to be broken off.
The two of them head toward the cow and calf.
The third bull was a small one that stayed away from the larger bulls.
A fourth showed up with very long eye-guards with smaller palms than the first bull that I saw.
The three large bulls were walking down the ridge when the one with long eye-guards poked the one in front of it in the butt with it antlers.
The fight was on as the one with one antler acting as a referee - until it located me climbing the opposite ridge to get better pictures of the battle.
The rattling of antlers for about 20 minutes as the two big bulls battled each other.
I finally noticed that the one antlered bull was headed down the ridge toward me - with his tongue hanging out. I quickly headed back to the truck, keeping it between me and the bull. I must have been less threatening as I did not have any antlers.
I missed the most of the rest of the fight as I was too low to see them clearly.
To get rid of the one-antlered bull, I banged on the hood of the truck and all the bulls headed over the ridge.
I don't know if any hooked up with the cow, but it was one of the most exciting times I have had in the Wilds of Idaho even with the poor light conditions.
8 comments:
Very exciting! What is the significance of the tongue hanging out, if any?
Wilma,
Probably nothing at all - unless he thought I would be tasty.
Great story and photos, Bill. I can imagine your excitement. We have a growing population of moose in our county, and I often see them on my property. Lately, a cow and calf have been coming by, and I'm very wary of meeting her when I go into the forest. Today, I crossed their tracks on my skis, but I never saw them. I keep alert because I don't want to get too close and have her defend the calf by stomping me!
Hello BIll, I just love the moose, this is a fantastic sight to see. Seeing the bull moose fighting is just amazing. Awesome photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy week ahead!
Great set if images Bill, That must have been very exciting to see, looks like those guy really went for it.
Bet you were glad you were not wearing a Deer stalker Hat,
Yep all fine over here and hopes its the same with you over there.
Hi Bill! Came to visit your blog, and how awesome that we both share a love for the wilds of Idaho! I have to say that I have never been privileged to watch bull moose duke it out - that is pretty awesome! Even your early morning pictures turned out well, and I am glad your truck was there to help you get away! Were you out hunting, or just out to see the wildlife? Either way, a pretty awesome experience!!!!
we have lots of moose in Sweden but I rarely see them. And I have never seen a bullfight. Great images :)
What an amazing experience. Thanks for sharing. Here in Minnesota our Moose population has been declining drastically and the DNR isn't sure why....
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