A Moose Story

Last week I headed north with my son Owen for an art show in Sudbury, Ontario. Of course, I packed my photography gear and exacted an agreement that we would be making stops in Magnetawan, Killarney and Burwash en route.

I have had luck photographing large mammals in these areas – wolves and bears in particular. 

A black bear cub in Killarney October 2020

After stopping in Parry Sound for gasoline – and to stretch our legs after three hours sitting in the car – I prepared my camera for any wildlife encounters. A few minutes further along the trans Canada highway we saw a road crew preparing to load a dead moose onto a truck. Wildlife -auto collisions, sadly, are not uncommon in northern Ontario.

I kept the camera on my lap  as we turned up a quiet road running parallel to the trans Canada highway but on which there is almost no traffic. Owen and I both scoured the areas we might expect to see animals:  marshes, forest openings, that sort of thing. Visibility was poor due to heavy rain.

On a previous drive here I had found a bear carcass. There were wolf prints in the snow everywhere and when I returned a couple of days later the remains had been dragged further into the woods. This time, however, we saw nothing.  So, we joined the trans Canada highway again and continued the journey to Burwash.  

Back in October, as I blogged at the time, I encountered a huge wolf dining on the remains of an elk. That was in Burwash. Over the winter I visited that area a couple of times and saw wolf tracks and wolf scat but no wolf. But it’s clear that at least one wolf frequents that area.  I had my fingers crossed we would have some luck this time.

A Great Lakes Wolf in Burwash October 2024

 

However, apart from a rough-legged hawk hunting in a field, we saw nothing. And so we drove up to Sudbury and spent a couple of wonderful days with friends temporarily forgetting about photography.

Owen remained up north while I made my way home Saturday morning. I still had hopes of seeing a bear or wolf as I left Sudbury bound for Burwash and Killarney. Truly, I wished that the sight of that dead moose was not going to be the sum total of wildlife sightings for this trip. 

It was pouring with rain again. For some reason I chose to visit Killarney first before my return to Burwash. And I am so glad I did. Driving slowly – I always pull over for other drivers who are in more of a hurry – I came to a marsh where I had seen two moose in past years.  That’s when I spotted this moose standing on a bend in the road.  

With my camera in hand I exited the car to snap a few images. The moose continued to stand there for an eternity – checking my camera metadata it was actually three minutes!  It watched me as I moved away from my car over to a better position though I always kept my distance. At some point I reckon she decided it was safe to cross the road and off she went up the side of the road.

The size of this animal was stunning. I have learned (thanks to noted wildlife biologist Dr. Brent Patterson) that this is a yearling female that has probably been left to her own devices as her mother looks after her newborn. The loss of fur on her shoulder can likely be attributed to ticks that cause itchiness so that the moose will rub against trees for relief. Fur is rubbed off in the process.

I filled up with gas at the Point Grondine Trading Post as is my custom, had a brief chat with Ace the cashier, and then drove further in the direction of the village of Killarney. There was a fellow driving an ATV along the roadside so I stopped to chat. He advised me to drive a few kilometres up a nearby logging road where he said all manner of wildlife might be spotted.

I took him up on this.

As one might expect the road is rough. There’s gravel and many potholes. I have driven it before but had never had any success finding wildlife. When I got to the point where he had told me to turn I discovered the road was blocked with a pile of rocks. I took another road which bypassed this and from there the gravel was replaced by pebbles and rocks.

I drive a Mazda 3 hatchback which doesn’t have a lot of clearance so I was a bit nervous. Don’t tell my mechanic but I continued along it hoping it might improve. Then came a fallen tree which blocked more than half the road. I took that as a sign to turn back. My mind was turning over thinking about returning with a rental pickup truck or ATV. You don’t get useful intel every day.

Before joining the trans Canada highway again I stopped to look at the images of this moose and counted myself lucky for another wonderful encounter with a species I don’t get to see as often as I would like.

Indeed, few of my northern trips result in meaningful wildlife sightings. But I always learn something useful for future journeys.

                                                                                                -30-