# Are moose stupid?



## north slope (Sep 8, 2007)

I drew a moose tag here in Utah this year. All my experiences with moose have been that you can pretty much walk right up to them. I had my 9 year old son with me a few weeks ago and we had a bull that got within 5 yards of us and then he just fed and racked the bushes around us for twenty minutes. I have ran into them hunting and they just stand there and look at you. Now that I have a tag in my pocket I am sure that they will run like hell! Who has hunted moose in Utah and what did they act like? Do you just find the one you want and walk over a put a arrow in him? Are moose really stupid or am I missing something here?


----------



## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

I am more a afraid of a moose than I am a black bear. I wouldn't say they are stupid. I would just say they know they are bigger than I am. And since I usually don't run at them with my teeth barred trying to bite them, they don't fear me. JMO


----------



## 4x4 Bronco (Sep 7, 2007)

Moose are mostly trophy animals (In my opinion). From my observations they can be found in the same spot day after day and often year after year. I have seen one spooked before, but even then it tooks it's time leaving and didn't run far before it stooped. I agree that you wouldn't want to irritate one though.


----------



## Nibble Nuts (Sep 12, 2007)

I don't think they are stupid, I just think experience has shown them that they do not need to be afraid of much.


----------



## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Nibble Nuts said:


> I don't think they are stupid, I just think experience has shown them that they do not need to be afraid of much.


They are only afraid of big, stupid dogs like the one I got rid of. I didn't know moose could move that fast but when Toby took off through the willows, it looked like somebody drove a train through there after the bull and cow took off. :lol: I think that where we don't have a lot of wolves or big bears (I think thats about their only predators besides man) they really aren't afraid of too much down here. If we had grizzlies and lots of wolves, I think that all our critters might be a little more skittish..... of course, I don't know that for sure, its just a thought.


----------



## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

I'm with JuddCT, moose are big, non-fearing animals that can really get rialed up quite easily. I've had several run-in's with them, both bulls and cows with calfs and they can be very dangerous.
On the hunting side however, you can get really close for your shot. I'd suggest you not be too far from a road however, because that is a lot of meat when it's on the ground.
My hunting group helped an out of state guy with his big moose. We told him to have patience and wait until it was near the road before he shot it..But....It took 6 of us several hours to cut it up and haul it out for him.


----------



## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

there just bigger then us and they know they can run us over with out a proublom. so why be afard of us. but get close to one in teh rut and have his cow on teh other side of you and he will chase you then.


----------



## Nibble Nuts (Sep 12, 2007)

I agree that if we had wolves or grizzlies, the moose would have alot more to fear. Especially with the wolves.


----------



## hunterfisher (Sep 14, 2007)

there so much bigger than you there just not scared of you


----------



## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

get one mad and see what happens. there not like elk and deer that get a bunch ofpeople chasing them for four months and get shot at by eveyr person they see. but they can run when they need to.


----------



## north slope (Sep 8, 2007)

I was reading that a bull at the shoulders is from 5'6 to 5'9 and weighs from 600 to 1000 pounds. I am 5'6 and hunting this thing with a bow, this going to be a trip! :shock: I hope they are really stupid so I can make it home in one piece.


----------



## bloodtrail (Sep 20, 2007)

Way to go on your draw!

Every year I have problems with moose when I bow hunt. Moose simple are not afraid and during the rut will follow and possible chase you. If I ever draw a moose tag it will be as much about revenge as it will be about sport.

Please shoot a big one so I have one less moose to worry about. There are plenty of moose to choose from near the trail head to White Pine in Little Cottonwood Canyon (in the big meadow accross the river and anywhere along the trail) as well as in Lambs Canyon. I would be happy to give you specifics on where to easily find moose since they won't let me shoot them myself.


----------



## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

If you think this is going to be such a slam dunk why don't you hunt them with a real mans bow and shoot a recurve with wood arrows and a self sharpened steel point. 8) 

Or are you a Puuuusssssy! :twisted:


----------



## stick_man (Sep 10, 2007)

I don't think they are stupid and they definitely aren't afraid either. I have a nephew that got treed by one a few years ago in Butterfield canyon while on a muzzy hunt. He was up there for several hours while the moose kept thrashing around at anything and everything within reach. Unfortunately, the smokepole was on the ground and suffered a bit of damage as well as many of the trees around him. 

A friend was out elk hunting on horseback and got chased down the mountain by a young bull moose. They are mean old boys.

I have heard of them tipping pickups over without even breaking a sweat. 

Stupid? No. Fearless? Definitely. And man, can they run.


----------



## north slope (Sep 8, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> If you think this is going to be such a slam dunk why don't you hunt them with a real mans bow and shoot a recurve with wood arrows and a self sharpened steel point. 8)
> 
> Or are you a Puuuusssssy! :twisted:


Look stick flipper keep your traditional ideas to your self. We all know that recurves and these high tec computer made bows are not that much different then a compound. If you were a real man you make your own bow and chip out your own flint arrowheads like my hero Mike. He built his set-up from scratch, everything hand made, arrows, bow the whole set-up (buckskin underware too). You are just a tech head like the rest of us! When do you what to put some sights on that high tec computer made bow of yours? And also, real men use a long bow! *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* *()* :twisted:


----------



## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Ya know, if you were a REAL man, you'd just go into the forest, find the biggest bull you could, drench yourself in "agressive bull whizz", and when he charged you just sidestep and stab him in the heart with an 10 inch Bowie knife. 8) :shock:


----------



## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Oh, great....one more thing to add to my list of things Tex says I need to do before I can consider myself a real bowhunter..... :lol: Just kidding Tex. :wink:


----------



## north slope (Sep 8, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> Ya know, if you were a REAL man, you'd just go into the forest, find the biggest bull you could, drench yourself in "agressive bull whizz", and when he charged you just sidestep and stab him in the heart with an 10 inch Bowie knife. 8) :shock:[/quote
> You have been watching to much Tred on T.V. and now you have lost your mind! :roll:


----------



## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

How many points did you have? I have 10 now....and probably still a long way from having a tag in hand


----------



## north slope (Sep 8, 2007)

This tag is on a CWMU but you really don't want to know how many points I had.


----------



## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

north slope said:


> [quote="TEX-O-BOB":e9648]Ya know, if you were a REAL man, you'd just go into the forest, find the biggest bull you could, drench yourself in "agressive bull whizz", and when he charged you just sidestep and stab him in the heart with an 10 inch Bowie knife. 8) :shock:[/quote
> You have been watching to much Tred on T.V. and now you have lost your mind! :roll:


[/quote:e9648]

TEX is Tred, you didn't know that?

Reminds me of a story. I have a friend that had Tred come out and hunt deer with him. After 3 or 4 days, Tred gave up on deer and was trying his damndest to shoot rabbits for the camera. He finally got one after about 50 attempts. That's a **** waste of a 2B archery tag.


----------



## Muskokaphotog (Oct 12, 2021)

4x4 Bronco said:


> Moose are mostly trophy animals (In my opinion). From my observations they can be found in the same spot day after day and often year after year. I have seen one spooked before, but even then it tooks it's time leaving and didn't run far before it stooped. I agree that you wouldn't want to irritate one though.


There isn't much in the wild that that a moose has to fear. Wolves in a pack for sure, so why should they run from a puny solitary human?


----------



## rtockstein (Mar 17, 2019)

Not stupid. Crazy and don't give a darn is how I characterize them. Even hearing one nearby while I'm trying to sleep in my tent worries me that he'll not like the color and decide to stomp it with me inside. 

And I think they're hunted so infrequently they've just not learned to avoid humans and human scent quite as much as other game.


----------



## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

I love it when 14 year old threads get resurrected!


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

No stupider than deer apparently...



Biologists removed tangled hammock from mule deer in Southern Utah











Or elk for that matter:









Elk roaming Colorado with tire around neck for 2 years freed


Wildlife officials in Colorado say an elusive elk that has been wandering the hills with a car tire around its neck for at least two years has finally been freed of the obstruction.




www.ksl.com













-DallanC


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I saw that picture of the buck with the hammock but they also posted this picture making you think that it was the same deer.










Then they posted this picture of another buck that is totally different than the first









I guess that your picture was to show how he looked. 

My first picture to show that it happens to other deer

And my last picture to show that they radio collar deer.


----------



## ns450f (Aug 28, 2018)

Muskokaphotog said:


> There isn't much in the wild that that a moose has to fear. Wolves in a pack for sure, so why should they run from a puny solitary human?


Holy thread resurrection batman!


----------



## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I had a moose tag in 2007- this is like reliving the past. Lots of names on this thread that have moved on. 



Critter said:


> I saw that picture of the buck with the hammock but they also posted this picture making you think that it was the same deer.


Looks like it could be the same buck to me.


----------



## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

It is interesting to see some of the names of members from those days. Too bad so many move on.


----------



## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

north slope said:


> I drew a moose tag here in Utah this year. All my experiences with moose have been that you can pretty much walk right up to them. I had my 9 year old son with me a few weeks ago and we had a bull that got within 5 yards of us and then he just fed and racked the bushes around us for twenty minutes. I have ran into them hunting and they just stand there and look at you. Now that I have a tag in my pocket I am sure that they will run like hell! Who has hunted moose in Utah and what did they act like? Do you just find the one you want and walk over a put a arrow in him? Are moose really stupid or am I missing something here?


Any animal that knows it is being hunted by Humans adapts to the threat of human predation.

Any animal that is unaware of human's hunting it will act in accordance of the best way to survive.

If you are a moose in Utah, you have no threat from 99.9% of humans that you encounter. 

The biggest threat to Moose in Utah is surviving the winter and if you burn energy every time you encounter a human, then you will end up not surviving the winter.

Animals have more of an emphasis on energy conservation than predation.


----------



## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Having now hunted moose in high pressure areas with lots of folks trying to hunt moose, I finally feel qualified to answer this question.

Yes. Moose are stupid. Dumbest big game animals I've ever hunted. But they are also the orneriest critters I've ever come across too.


----------



## TheOtherJeff (Oct 7, 2021)

johnnycake said:


> But they are also the orneriest critters I've ever come across too.


As a friend of mine once put it, "Picture a half-ton goose armed like medieval Swiss infantry."


----------



## jlofthouse16 (Oct 18, 2021)

A bird in hand beats two in the bush.


----------



## jlofthouse16 (Oct 18, 2021)

Lotta BS going on here.


----------



## MrShane (Jul 21, 2019)

Yes.


----------

