The Moose Chronicles – The Rut Begins And The Season Ends

Photograph of a cow moose in Colorado Cow moose crossing a stream in predawn light. (Sept 1st, 2022.)

With only a few days left before hunting season begins, I still have a window of opportunity to look for moose as this year’s rut gets underway.

Lets face it. In the world of moose photographs, it’s the bulls that get the most attention, at least from a commercial standpoint. I don’t mind working against the grain of popularity though. Cows are moose too and when I find a cow with a calf, it’s extra gravy for me.

As I’ve pointed out in previous articles, I’m growing a bit bored with the typical areas I’ve been working moose. Not that I’m having difficulty finding moose in my regular spots, but it is more of a feeling that I need to look for new environments and situations. Moose are present throughout Colorado and it’s time to begin finding the lesser known and traveled paths. A change of scenery so to speak.

I’ve already started exploring and working a new area and will begin the effort to dial in my favorite spots in places where I haven’t spent much time. This will probably get going full steam next summer, but I’ve already hit pay dirt so there is no doubt that I’ll find what I’m looking for. Another pinned location for my Garmin GPS. I enjoy the process of exploring new locations. It’s a great way to kill a day outdoors and it gets me out of house, which hasn’t been a high priority since the pandemic began two years ago. I am at the point where I’m not too worried about the pandemic as I’m fully vaccinated and haven’t contracted COVID yet, so apparently my efforts to stay virus free have been working so far.

For 2022, Labor Day weekend will be the end of my moose season. One more run into the high country. One more search for moose shedding velvet. One more photo for the portfolio.

Shiras bull moose in a stream. Northern Colorado, September 4th, 2022
My last moose of the 2022 photography season. (September 4th, 2022)