Love Those Moose
What should the couple have done differently? (Assuming they were in a Nat’l Park where carrying a big gun or two is not a legal option)
Moose injure more people than bears and should be taken very seriously, however, at the same time you can really enjoy them and appreciate what odd creature they are.
I've lived and worked around moose most of my life, and have numerous close enounters with cows and calves when I accidently stumbled into them too closely when I wasn't paying attention. I've had a couple of cows do little false charges then stop when got away.
Each cow seems to have a certain distance that is their threat zone. If you stay outside that distance so they don't feel threatened you can stand there and watch them all day. They'll signal you with their body posture and the hair on the top of their neck and hump when you are too close.
I've never personally had an experience with an aggressive bull and human, but one time a big rutting bull moose took a sexual interest in one of our pack horses that was wearing a bell and hobbles. So much for the bell idea. Another time in during the moose rut a bull came into camp in the middle of the night to check out our picketed horses. It took some persistent yelling and throwing stuff at the bull to get him to leave the meadow where the horses were picketed out. So, you might need to take special precautions when camping with horses during the moose rut.
We humans with our limited sense of smell, poor eyesight, and poor hearing need to compensate for our personal safety by using our large brain and opposing thumbs. The first thing we need to do is maintain our situational awareness of potential wildland hazards and keep our brains turned on and functioning. If you stay alert and in "hunting mode" in your mind you can consider it a treat to encounter moose in the wilds. See moose and bears before they see you. That's how our ancestors stayed at the top of the food chain back when they carried stone-pointed spears.
If you can find a copy, read "Moochin Moose and Mumbling Men," by Joe Back. It's a collection of humerous problematic human/moose encounters by people who coexist with moose 12 months a year.
If you maintain your situational awareness your moose encounters will likely all become fond memories.
