So, it's been raining. In January. In Anahim Lake. Truly hard to fathom. On a good note, I'm loving how it has taken our almost 3 feet of snow down to just over a foot. (The boys and I had to shovel snow UP to get it all off the trampoline!) The flip side is that there is a 100% chance that our weather is going to turn back into winter. And that means all this wet wet snow is going to get pretty darn solid. This has some serious repercussions. It's very tough on the moose and caribou populations for example, as they have a hard time travelling at all and the predators just run on top!
A significant portion of our own sustenance is through hunting moose, so it does seem a bit ironic that they find our ranches a safe haven at this time of year. We often put out hay bales for them, both for our own enjoyment and to keep them close and safe. They are happy to help themselves to any hay not in our 'moose proof' stack yards and I've literally seen 10 moose at a time eating out of round bale feeders. Usually momma's and babies are the ones that hang around, which is nice to see. Generally they move in right at dark and start wandering off at daylight.
We've learned to not leave any hay close to the barns at calving as you really don't want to corner a moose by mistake when you stumble out, half asleep, to check the moo cows in the middle of the night. They are actually quite cranky, very protective of their food source and dangerously capable with those front feet. One night Eli had to throw horse shoes at a ornery old cow moose from the barn so he could get back to the house. He hit her in the shoulder with one before she grudgingly moved off. Sure makes you keep you head up, use your flashlight and pay attention to your dog!
The best to you all,
Punky
This picture is hilarious. It is actually two moose. You see the ears of one, and the hind end of the other (who is kneeling down to get the BEST bits of hay, for some reason at the bottom of this particular bale).
A significant portion of our own sustenance is through hunting moose, so it does seem a bit ironic that they find our ranches a safe haven at this time of year. We often put out hay bales for them, both for our own enjoyment and to keep them close and safe. They are happy to help themselves to any hay not in our 'moose proof' stack yards and I've literally seen 10 moose at a time eating out of round bale feeders. Usually momma's and babies are the ones that hang around, which is nice to see. Generally they move in right at dark and start wandering off at daylight.
We've learned to not leave any hay close to the barns at calving as you really don't want to corner a moose by mistake when you stumble out, half asleep, to check the moo cows in the middle of the night. They are actually quite cranky, very protective of their food source and dangerously capable with those front feet. One night Eli had to throw horse shoes at a ornery old cow moose from the barn so he could get back to the house. He hit her in the shoulder with one before she grudgingly moved off. Sure makes you keep you head up, use your flashlight and pay attention to your dog!
The best to you all,
Punky
Cheeky cheeky. Dogs are hiding in their house.
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