Moose Tales

 Hunting season ended and I swear that very day the moose came back to our yard. LOL   They've not gotten into the garden or orchard all year....but they are back and they are hungry. 

I went out one dark morning to tend to chickens and found HIM far too close for comfort. 

We've discovered Millie is an excellent moose alarm. She takes her job SERIOUSLY and runs to the nearest window or door to sound the alarm. 

Check out Millie in action. 

This is a post about moose, and not Millie, without further ado...pictures galore.  In September this mama and one baby visited. They discovered the bed outside of the fence. They liked the kale, but left the beans and squash. They did not get inside the garden and we continued to contentedly co-exist. 

 

In October moose began their daily treks to our yard/woods/garden. We now have a mama, two yearlings, a big bull with a collar, and a younger bull. The two bulls have never come at the same time. Moose don't travel in family groups so it's ODD - but the yearlings, mama, and Big Bull ARE often in the yard at the same time and seem to travel together. 

I love our wooded area in fall

Well, Hello!

The Fish and Wildlife are tracking this boy. We've previously had a mama with a collar, Rosey. We haven't seen her this fall. This is obviously NOT the same collared moose. LOL 

Phoenix is less than impressed with all the activity around the coop. I can't tell if he dislikes the moose or Millie's frantic barking more. 

This day they decided the zap of the garden fence was worth the price for the garden produce. I had some colder crops still growing...Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale and carrots.  Mama and babies got zapped and stayed away. Bull showed them it's not such a big deal. The little ones get tangled and tear the fence out. 

Big as day - a yearling in my garden...I had been trying to figure out what to do with the kale (right side). We have been eating it all summer....they ate it all! Just stalks left. They also demolished the sprouts to the left...9 plants gone. 

The younger bull out by the trees! 

Yep, gardening was about done for us at this point...the cabbage we were still nursing along to can. 

All that is left of the sprouts and kale. 

While they DID eat the carrot tops - I was able to harvest carrots. 

Millie stays vigilant in her watch.