The Bull Moose Encounter

I trekked out to a ranch far into the snowy mountains of Colorado in search of bull moose to photograph. A personal dream of mine that I have wanted to accomplish for quite a while. The Starr Peak Ranch put me up in a beautiful cabin tucked into the pines and snow drifts. The cabin had a rich wood smell, and when you walk outside you can catch whiffs of pine and woodsmoke.

This morning I was up bright and early and one of the women on the ranch sent out the alert that the bulls were out- they had in fact been sparring and rearing up at each other beside her cabin. I hurriedly grabbed my camera and stumbled into my snow pants and boots, hoping to catch some great shots. They chased each other deeper into the woods and we spent a part of the morning hiking in to try and get a shot. We caught a visual, but they were spooked and skittish.

Giving up for a while to go warm up, we went to a local coffee shop for hot beverages and breakfast treats. It was 32 degrees with wind gusts of 30 mph. Once back at the ranch, even walking from the car to the cabin I needed a break to warm up and add more layers. It was time to shoot with some horses. We had to take breaks between our in hand and under saddle to catch a respite from the cold.

Jasmine strode out on her beautiful buckskin barrel horse, while Hans was astride a sorrel reined cow horse. The snow drifts were deep and difficult for me to navigate. I sunk down, fell over, and rolled around on my back trying to get my legs out of the drift- causing my entire body to sink in. After much flailing and toppling, I settled for lying down across the snow to shoot the under saddle action shots.

I asked Hans to take this mare straight at me as fast as he was comfortable going in the deep snow. It was an incredible sight to see. Chick sent massive clouds of snow spray flying and at certain points of her gallop line, the sun broke through the tall pines and illuminated the cloud around her like a golden halo. Action shooting in the snow with these incredible animals is quickly rising to the tip top of my list to be my favorite type of shoot.

After horses were unsaddled and tucked away with promises of hay and a good rest after our exciting shoot, I went straight to editing this very photo. Perhaps an hour ago I would say. I got a phone call from the ranch owner that the bulls were back. Boots went on as quickly as possibly and thank goodness I looked out the window beside the door before I barreled out.

A large bull was trotting directly towards me and when I cracked the wooden door, he was feet away. My camera wasn't even a reality in that moment, I was just standing there taking in this massive animal. He stopped and continued at a slower pace, allowing me to rush for my camera. Before he disappeared into the timber, I whistled to him and called, "Hey, Moose!" He stopped for a moment and swiveled his large paddled head around to catch a glimpse of me, where I was able to take a few shots from the side.

I continued spying out of my window to see if anymore would appear, and Eureka! A smaller, younger bull stepped out and confidently approached the ranch's alfalfa stack. A hot target for the four legged poachers. I ran around the house and farm structures, trying to keep myself hidden and silent so that I could perhaps finally get close enough for a shot. It was my last chance before I hit the road for Utah.

With the farm owner, I got close enough to capture incredible and extremely close shots of him- perhaps 10 or 12 feet. I positioned myself around trucks and horse trailers, even beside the hay flatbed- ready to stop, drop, and roll underneath if I needed to. While it may be less impressive for the folks who see lots of moose, it was an incredible experience for me. I captured a lot of cool images.

I could not thank the Starr Peak Ranch enough for hosting me and positioning me perfectly for the shots. Not only that, but our equine session was a grand success as well, despite the arctic conditions. What a beautiful, perfect equine destination to escape to.