Never a dull moment today.

At around 0400 , I was rudely awakened by "all this howling" from coyotes . Thinking of Aretha, my semi wild rabbit, I grumbled to the living room window, unlatched it and waited for one to trigger the motion light. My new Ruger 22 mag bolt rifle ready. No one had the marbles to come that close to trigger the light. Wasted sleep .

A little later, Aretha was waiting for her morning snack , on her hind legs, looking for me through the glass in my door . I was relieved.

I no sooner was enjoying my first cup of mojo , enjoying the fog lifting from the mountain peaks , when I looked out my side window and was startled to see a young bull moose , about 20 feet from me . I had just looked out that same window not two minutes earlier . His sudden appearance startled me . He had climbed up the slope from the woods to the level ground of my place. When anything comes up from that way, they appear so suddenly that it is always a startling surprise, so close , with no sound at all. Especially bears.

The decent sized cinnamon black bear that appeared the same way a few months ago was also a surprise. Only a few feet from the same window . Staring in the window at me. This happens more often than not. Everything big and small travels the thick wooded trench parallel to the estate . A perfect trail travel system. I've seen wuff , griz, black, coyote, cats, and everything in between , tracks, in the moist sand spots along that trail. People tracks too. All completely out of sight unless they climb the slope to access the next topo layer to the level ground of my place. I never work outside without being armed.

Aretha didn't like seeing the young moose at all. She disappeared to the back side of the place and I found her sitting sentry on a mound of small conifers , next to her holes dug deep among the roots if she needed them. I couldn't convince her to come on up to the cabin for treats at all. She pays no mind to deer and elk that routinely come to visit . It must be what to her is the towering, immense blackness of a moose.

Shaking my head, I sit even right now, with more mojo, keeping an eye on this boy , in case he wants to mess with my aspen, maples, and other stuff I've planted for my grouse and other birds.

I have a slingshot and bag of marbles to influence the conversation if he thinks he owns the place.

It's neat to see moose . I have a block for the horses not far from my door, and he is presently laying down relaxing , enjoying that for who knows how long. He's been here over an hour. Who lays down to eat, anyway ?? Now he's just chillin still lounging like a dog on a sofa. Maybe he knows he's safe here , hunt season and all. Just leave my maples and aspen alone...

It's a gorgeous day in my mountains , Mr Blackstone is icing on the cake .

When he first appeared, I was concerned he may tangle his bling in my clothesline, but he didn't.


A nice shot of Mr Blackstone wandering very near the cabin. My cedars in the backdrop.

Chillin . Hes not allowed in the house. Not even if he asks.

It began to clear, and the sun highlighted his antlers , the gold tamaracks, hemlock, firs, cedar, and jagged peaks of the nearest mountain in the backdrop. It struck me as a wonderful appreciation of life and colour . The epitome of fall and mountain woodland. I just wish the small burn piles of clean up branches covered with a tarp wasn't there, oh well.


He is still here. Aretha finally has traversed to the porch but keeps a wary eye on this black behemoth. Maybe because he is still laying down makes him a little less intimidating. After all, everything is huge and looming to a wee rabbit...enjoy the day , peeps.

It might just become friends with Aretha and call it home also lol. Big critter and I’ve heard they can get ornery.

Pretty cool...

You're living in my kind of neighborhood! I'm Jealous!

Living in a zoo. lol

Amazing!!!!. Can't think of anything else to say.......jk

Great photos!!! Too bad you didn’t have clothes hanging. He might run off with your undies and that would be funny!

Moose season there?

That is the size of bull moose that I prefer for the table.

Nice pics, Sharon.

MartenT, One has to draw a tag to qualify. I haven't kept track of the exact dates for the season.

Mike, I thought of that too.

Corky, it does feel like a zoo today....I can do without those coyotes, though.

Ashley...that would make a fun cartoon .

I like the colour of the antlers in the northwest here. Deer, elk, moose, they all get that rich deep cedar reddish tone. It's the brush and trees they polish on. They are not white and bleached looking at all. White tips, however, make for a nice touch in colours.

Aretha is getting used to Mr Blackstone. I'm waiting to catch a shot of her on the porch with him in the background.

He left for a while but now is back again, laying down in the sun.

I think I may have another pet. I may treat him like the horses and get him used to saddle and gear.

That is awesome!!! I really like to see them around but I haven't seen one this fall yet on my place. Thanks for sharing your story.

How I envision Ms. Sharon doing that moose….

I can almost hear that Weatherby scratching at the gun safe door!

Snowy, Mr Blackstone will be fine here as long as he respects my maples and aspens.... my slingshot remains at ease.

Mike, I've seen that bottom pic before. I've heard in Russia people have had them in harness, like reindeer.

Killbuck, so THAT'S what that scratching noise has been

I finally caught some shots of Aretha giving the squint eye to the new pet...

Are you down to just the one bunny now, Sharon? I thought there used to be several?

Yes, Angela, there used to be several. I suspect owl problems as the little ones all were taken at night. Somewhere, Aretha keeps finding a buck and having new litters once in a while. Sometime I'm going to drive down the road and see if the distant neighbors are the folks that have rabbits. I have no one living close by but there has to be a buck somewhere, obviously. She never stays where the buck is, and I've never seen a new adult here , so far. They must communicate with their new iPhones, is all I can figure

Thank you for asking, Angela. You have a good memory .

That's interesting Sharon! I wonder, is it genetically possible for her to be mating with a wild rabbit? Sucks all the others were eaten. I know you enjoyed watching them.

Some thongs hanging off his Rack...would definitely make the

Front covah of Field & Steam.

Great story and pics Sharon !!

I have had some others mention wild rabbits . The only ones I’ve seen here are snowshoe hares . So far they look like her , no telltale traits of wild ones . Maybe that doesn’t mean anything , I’ll keep looking to solve my mystery . I do enjoy them very much , and do my best to protect them from predators. It’s a dilemma for me, I don’t want to build cages and keep them that way , and it bothers me that things can still befall them if they are free . I gave up my chooks long ago for some reasons ( which Patrice wishes I didn’t to this day ) , so to install housing and protected wire run space for rabbits would put me back to the same situation as when I had my chooks . I don’t have the heart to go through all that right now . Maybe someday . Meanwhile, when the semi wild ones show up at my door , asking me to care for them , I just have to I love picking up the babies and petting them .

Nessy, the cartoon thought seems to be taking on detail ! The moose of the month !

Nice pictures and stories to go with them ! While on a back country elk hunt down by west Yellowstone we hobbled the horses and turned them out in the clearing in front of the tents .

During supper we heard a racket outside it was a cow moose with twin sub adult calves raising neck with the horses ! Some choice words and a few rocks thrown was all it took to send them on there way back into the timber where they belonged .

The horses were brought closer to the tents that night .

When Mr Blackstone sheds his antlers they would make some interesting craft projects !