deep in the eastern White Mtns. in November

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forestgnome

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just sharing a few scenes from a beautiful day in the forest in mid-November...

I had a bad dream. Although I wasn't there, I was watching two hunters drink cheap beer and laugh at a dead moose in the back of their truck. He had the head of an elephant, but it was still a moose with big antlers. There was an apple in it's mouth. I had guided them to the moose and now I felt terrible for doing so. ( I dream alot...vividly)

So, I've been reluctant to post locations lately when I've seen moose or heavy moose sign. I'll just share a few images FWIW.

I started in shortly after sunrise because I was going about 4 miles deep, into an area that sees few hikers because it's not on the way to any peaks. There's a lot of boggy area in a large sag surrounded by birch-gladed slopes. It's an area I've read about and I finally got in there after gazing at the map for years. About three miles in I saw a beautiful bull moose near the trail...

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I spent some time slowly moving around and talking to him, trying to get a nice look at him.

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He eventualy got used to me. He was sifting through the leaves, something I don't think I've observed before. Truffles?

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With the fall of the leaves, the diet now includes of lots of bark...

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a walk in the woods with a magnificent animal...

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back to the trail, which can be hard to follow just after the fall on a seldom hiked area...the colors of November are special

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As I approached the sag area I heard the mating call of a cow moose. I imagined a scene of a marsh with distant mountains,with a couple bull moose sparing as a cow moose watched and called to them. I crept through the woods and approached a nice marsh and I could hear the action loud and clear. Just one more clump of spruce to slice through, but my boot sunk deep and the sound of pulling it out of the mud sent three moose crashing away. I got out into the open and watched them scurry. :(

The cow dashed into the trees on the other side and the two bulls went in opposite directions. Both were quite young. This guy looks irritated...sorry...

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This one looks like a yearling. I was doing my best estrous cow impression and he stopped and stared at me for a few minutes...

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Here's a larger view of the area...what a beautiful place...

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continued...
 
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From here I picked a slope and started to explore up to about 3,000', which is a special zone for moose...The birch glades here are just beautiful...

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I wish the days were longer now; each moment is to be savored in such a time and place...

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I stopped here and had lunch and wife's brownies.

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I was unaware that there was another bull moose only about 100' away until I heard a snort. He probably caught a wiff of me or my lunch. They snort to clear their nostrils, then take a long deep smell. I went toward the sound and found a nice bull.

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hmmm...hobblebush buds...

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another walk in the birch glades with another beauty...

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Sorry to withhold trails and location :eek:

happy autumn :)
 
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Dreams

I dream, too, of someday getting shots like yours! :)

Sometimes dreams are just manifestations of our worst fears, nothing more. I don't think you have to ever worry about something like this happening. You are very careful.

Please don't apologize for not revealing your whereabouts. As they say in that movie, "Keep it safe. Keep it secret."

And keep doing what you're doing.

KDT
 
Patrick . . . this might be one of your best, although admittedly it would be difficult to choose a "best" from among your many splendid posts.
forestgnome said:
I wish the days were longer now; each moment is to be savored in such a time and place...
So true, and as Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying: "When the well is dry, we know the worth of water"
forestgnome said:
Sorry to withhold trails and location...
Patrick, you are prudent to withhold the trails and location, but speaking purely for myself, I know I couldn't capture photos of the quality you posted even if you plopped me down at the exact same spot where you set up shop!:D
 
Forestgnome, that is a beautiful, moving report. Makes me almost want to hug one of those beasties! :D Thank you so much for sharing your journeys! :)
 
sifting through the leaves

Interesting... are their jaws strong enough to crack beech nuts? You'd probably have heard crunching from a distance...

PS I had a hunch about the location, and the scenery shots confirmed it. I wouldn't worry about that, though: hunters can read maps too, and that's some really obvious moose habitat.
 
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outstanding photographs! you bring a unique combination of bushwhacking, moose-stalking, and photographic skills to this forum.
 
Great photos, Forest Gnome! How special to be so close to these wonderful beasts! :)
 
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