Safe to say that the moose has the right of way in basically every situation.
I’ve said it once (actually many times) and I’ll say it again: I don’t think people understand just how big moose are. The monstrous animals are the largest of all deer in the deer family, and their height and weight often surprise those unfamiliar with the creature.
Males are typically bigger than females, with bull moose usually standing at 6 feet tall at their shoulders and weighing up to 1,400 pounds. Female moose tend to be slightly shortly at their shoulders, and can weigh anywhere from 800 to 1,300 pounds.
In other words, they aren’t exactly the type of animals you want to cross paths with. And believe it or not, towering moose somehow, inexplicably sneak up on hikers that are out and about in nature more than you would think. They might be massive… but they apparently sure know to tiptoe.
Which bring me to the question… hiking is great and all, but is it worth it? I’ve been on my fair share of hikes, and I’m starting to think twice about it. Don’t get me wrong, I love being in the great outdoors, getting exercise and taking in the grand views. However, I’ve never found myself in a tense, potential standoff where my life could be in danger.
And might I add that I’ve never been face to face with a moose while… laying on my couch and watching football. There’s a reason why I call the piece of furniture my safe space.
Hiking trails and roads are commonly used by animals as well as people for no other reason than… it’s easy to move. Would a moose rather weave its way through the thick forest, or just mosey on down an open road? Animals often times opt to take the carved out path, which means run-ins with people are inevitably – and dangerously – going to happen. The good news? As long as you get out of the way early enough, the wild animals tend to leave you alone.
That’s fortunately how things played out for this hiker up in Maine. They were walking along on the path when they spotted a big ol’ moose come out of nowhere. The one in this clip was definitely up there in size, which is why the hiker intelligently decided to stop right where they were on the path and stayed still as they watched the wild animal traverse the path in and around the water.
I can’t even imagine how many beats per minute this person’s heart was running at as they had a front-row seat to the moose walking on by. Fortunately, the moose didn’t mess with the hiker, and in a way, ended up granting this person their wish. What do I mean by that? The woman who posted this video, Christi H. Elliott, says that she was hiking to the rock right in front of her in the video to look for moose… so I guess you could say mission accomplished?
Check it out:
“Maine hiking rules: Yield to moose.”
