 Bunch of Bull |
December 8, 2008Arcticulates ®Focusing on Alaska's BeautyAuthor: K. FieldsBunch of Bullhave often heard it said that Moose are loners! Meaning... that they usually travel alone, or at the most we would see a female moose with her calve or calves traveling together. Rarely do we get to see a bunch of Bull Moose together. The past few years, we have been seeing many gatherings of Moose, and I wasn't sure why... So I decided to do a little investigating... to see what could cause supposedly loner Moose to gather together, of which we have proof of... right here in these photos! Bunch of Bull Moose!
Most of the experts that I grilled on Moose and thier habits, have said that it is usually during mating season when you see a bunch of moose gathered. Usually a mixture of Bulls, Cows, and Calve (yearling). Because the Bull Moose is gathering his harem of Cows in order to mate. The whole month of September, till the near end of October is the official rutting season of Moose in Alaska. Fully Grown and Antlered Bull Moose
During what is called the rutting (mating) season, this is when you'll have a better chance of seeing the Bull Moose lock horns over who is the biggest and baddest of the bunch. An interesting thing to note is during rutting season, the bull moose' neck muscles expand to twice their normal size. I am amazed that even the normal size neck of a Moose is able to lift those antlers, let alone hit something with them, they are extremely heavy. The Bull Moose uses their antler's palm shapes as shields, and the long sharp point that grow off the palms are used for puncturing, and bruising their opponents. It is during the rutting season when the serious clashes begin, not just sparring or practicing, it is also when there can be serious injuries and there have been a time or two where the Moose get their antlers tangled and they end up dying stuck together because they can't eat. Thank-goodness this rarely happens. During non-rutting season the young Bull Moose are often seen sparring. They will clash their huge antlers together for hours. They hit each other so hard you can hear the antlers make a clacking sound. They rarely get seriously hurt. Stiff-legged Young Bulls Sparring (practicing)
Funny thing about Moose fighting; you will never see them gang up on each other. In a genuine rut fight it is always one on one, with the Bull Moose involved being older and real close to equal in size. But during a sparring session with the younger Bull Moose you will see three sometimes, but rarely. These Bull Moose are pretty smart in how they fight too. For instance: they will try and get an uphill advantage if they can, and they will try and fake the other Bull out, by acting aggressive; like smacking the nearby brush with their antlers, or pawing and stomping the ground. Full Antlered Bull Moose Standing Alert in The Snow
The whole point they are trying to make is who is bigger and better and should get the cows that are in season, in that area. They can get quite violent with each other, they will try to push each other down with their antlers, so they can gore and injure their opponent and be the winner. The losers will leave the area as soon as the fight is done, rather then being an instigator of the winning Bull Moose's anger again. A Harem of Cow Moose Gathered in The Blowing Snow
This fighting is a must in moose courtship, so that the bigger dominant males can make and continue the moose legacy of strong genes that they have. I have been witness to the sparring before and it is done half heartedly, and looks more like the young Bull moose are enjoying themselves while practicing to be big and tough. Bull Moose With His Winnings!
<I have also seen one genuine fight during rutting season, and it was very frightening to watch, it was very violent and painful for both Bull Moose involved. They literally jumped high into the air and hit head on...er... I should say antler on... with a loud crack and grunts. They both would shake their heads and do it again, and again. They are oblivious to what is going on around them, because they are focused on beating the other down. It was an amazing thing to watch, but to me seemed like an awful lot of painful work just for the few cow moose standing around the area grazing during the fight! Later... K Fields See Also: The Cat's Meow!
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