Sightings in Utah
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I live in Pleasant Grove and spend a great deal of my free time in the mountains near my home. The majestic moose is one of the favorite subjects for my over-used camera.
In late October, I found three bull moose scuffling about in the aspen grove near where I was shooting a landscape. I quickly attached my long telephoto and took around 80 shots as they took turns pushing each other around. One of the bulls would rest as the other two would scrimmage, with the smaller bull, shown here, being the most aggressive.
This shot was taken at a safe distance. I did not want to disturb or disrupt the scene. It is also very dangerous to pursue any moose at a close distance, a lesson I learned a few years ago. It was the first bull moose I had ever seen, I had a small digital camera and tried to approach for a closer shot. The bull charged, I dropped my camera and dove off over a small rock outcropping. Three hours later, I was at the emergeny room getting stitches. Since that experience, all moose photos that I print, or post to the internet, or otherwise show people all come with a stern warning to stay back, use a good camera and telephoto, and do not harass or disturb a moose.
I now have hundreds of photos of moose, all taken locally in Utah's Wasatch mountains. These have been aquired without disturbing the subjects in their natural enviornment, using zoom lenses which allow me to stay at a safe distance and enjoy nature as it really is.
I would hope those reading this will learn from my experience. Thank you. Brent."
"I have had quite a few encounters with moose in the past few years. I live in Utah and many people don't realize that Utah has quite a few places that are excellent moose habitat. Upper left: This is the only moose we saw while we were in Yellowstone. And we didn't even see him in the Park, he was at a campground we stopped at on the way there! The campground host said that he really liked licking the grills in the campground. Everybody has different tastes! Upper right (Utah): This big fella was losing his velvet, he didn't seem to be to alarmed about us, so we got some great photos. Lower left (Utah): This moose was clearly enjoying himself. I really loved how the greens stood out in this picture. Lower right (Utah): I fell in love with the soft look in this guy's eyes. I decided to call him Samson. Letha."