• Wednesday-What'sUP January 25 - 06:03 pm

E. Neil Harri has the eyes of an eagle when he's up there in his plane flying around the U.P. He spotted these moose somewhere in Baraga County and circled back to zoom in for some excellent photos. The first one is a mother and her calf, checking out the area, probably wondering what the buzzing noise above them can be.

In the other two shots Neil found a bull moose just lying around and then, after making another pass, he's up and browsing the pine trees for something to snack on. You can see the indent where he was lying just moments ago. These guys may not look all that big from the air, but when you meet up with one on foot, you realize how big they really are.

The 2nd picture looked like he was buried in snow up to his body. I know they're big. We saw one on the way home from Grand Forks one day, just hanging out in the field. That was cool! You have to be careful though cuz they can be mean.

We had them walking through the streets in downtow Anchorage, AK, many years ago - quite a sight!

Holy cow? What a shot. I'd have to make a few rounds myself to make sure I knew what I was seeing.

Those are great shots, Neil! I love moose. In fact, when we were out in Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks a couple of years ago, we searched high & low, in the known moose haunts, for a bull moose to take pictures of. We never found one. It looks like we might have been looking in the wrong place! They may be more plentiful in the UP? :-)

Cool shots. Do moose travel in families? I know the first shot is mom and calf, but would the bull moose be her mate/calf's father?

I have been flying over moose for years doing the state annual population survey . I know where they live. They seem pretty social at this time of year. I saw one group of six bulls together last week and another with five. They seem to group up with old and young bulls mixed together. The cows seem to be with their calfs mostly, but do sit around with the bulls or a couple other cows.You often see the young bulls learning how to spar.The bulls split up around greenup.

Thank you Neil for sharing your awesome pictures with us. I love to look at your album.

Really great pictures thank you for sharing.

Joanie must not be up yet, so I'll say it. Maybe they sit around and just "shoot the bull"

I had a moose cross the road in front of me in Nestoria just before the Cozy Inn while heading north 2 years ago--- That was a rush!! Fortunately, I noticed and was traveling at a rate of speed that allowed me to slow down and enjoy veiw. I'm not sure of the behavior of all of them, but this one did not try to "sprint" across the highway, but rather lumbered. It was amazing to see so near my car, and if my calculations were correct it appeared as if I could have maneuvered my car right between the front and back legs, but I'm glad I didn't have to try! :) It was mammoth in size and majestic to see up close! I'll never forget the image in my brain. The cow didn't seem to give a hoot about me.

Judy, bulls eye, you hit the target! We're just full of the bull today, eh?

Nice pictures!

I like the way Neil gets "high"! Great pics!

AWESOME PICTURES! I have always wanted to see a real moose but never seem to be in the right place. I did not even see one when on Isle Royale!Wonderful pictures!

COOL, MOOSES IN UP...DIDN'T KNOW. DID YOU KNOW BULL MOOSE CAN ACTUALLY SLEEP COMPLETELY BURIED UNDER SNOW, WITH JUST TIPS OF HORNS SHOWING, AS THEY ARE HOLLOW AND THE MOOSES CAN BREATH THRU THEM????GOT YOUR BOOTS ON?? ACTUALLY WOKE UP THIS MORNING TELLING MY WIFE I WISHED WE WERE IN COPPER HARBOR, NO BULL!! WE HAVE SNOW IN HOOSIERVILLE TODAY, GUESS I'LL HAVE TO MAKE DO. THANKS FOR PICS NEIL

Awesome pictures Neil! I have always wanted to see a moose up close, but have not been lucky yet!

A moose that breathes through it's horns?? sounds like a load of bull to me ;-)

I know that moose hair is hollow and provides excellent insulation against the cold; this being the reason they can sleep in the snow and stay warm. I remember seeing a moose just west of Three Lakes as well about 10 years ago, and a bull to boot!!

We often go moose-looking when we are UP. No luck ever! People tell us where to look, because they ALWAYS see moose there. I guess I need to find out when "always" is. But we are in Baraga County, and I know they're out there!

Directions to ALWAYS: Head towards half MOON bay and at the second STAR rd. turn right. Or was it left?

Does anyone know how many moose are in the U.P. now? Great pictures, Neil.

No one is really sure Deb. Some estimates place the population at between 100 and 300 animals, but again no one is quite sure; any input/estimates in your fly-overs Neil??

A good place to start your search for ol' Bullwinkle is the Lake Michigamme area where they were released. Another good place is Craig Lake north of Michigamme. I've seen 4 or 5 in the 20 years since they were transplanted; all within about 10 miles of the drop site. Don't be disappointed if you don't see one right away. For as big as they are, they can also be quite elusive if they don't want to be seen.......

MOOSE!!! What great pictures! In areas where they are common, they are a dreadful hazard on the road at night. But I love them and looked for one for years. Finally saw several in WY and one in New Brunswick but still haven't seen a bull. One of these days.........

Great pics Neil, how come everyone spots moose in my area except me? (Three Lakes).

I have never seen a wild Moose in the U.P., but have in northern Minnesota between Two Harbors and Ely. Do you remember the hoopla when they were re-introduced back 1984 or so? I used to have a T-shirt for the Upper Peninsula Moose Airborne Batallion. Great pictures.

Great Pics, Nice to see them in da U.P.

Funny, I was just looking through your aerial pics last night Neil Harri! I loved the EAGLES EATING DEER aerial pic and the wolves. Amazing shots. Those eagles sure did a number on that deer. wow.

A good place to spot moose is between Covington and Amassa. If you go offroad, you can head East off the highway in Tracy creek area.There is a lot of private property and gates on most of the roads so watch for signs.
There are a bunch South of Three Lakes and that general area.
Tracks are easy to spot and I have noticed they are always standing in the 4 freshest tracks.
The herd looks OK to me but I am only da pilot. I won't hazard a guess on numbers. Other people crunch the numbers from our data from surveys.

We ran into one on the way to Marquette this past fall. We thought there was an accident due to all the cars along side of the road. There was a big moose. We were able to take a few pictures.The kids were so excited!!!

Spectacular shots! Man, you folks have everything up there!!!!! I would love to see a moose! Thanks for sharing!

I have not yet seen a moose up close, I always try to look for them with no luck. Love the pictures and will enjoy them instead.

Beautiful picture of the Moose you took Neil! I love looking at moose in real life too. They are an awesome animal!

Marsha,
"Always" is either yesterday or tomorrow........always.
Mr. Deb

Just remember that ALWAYS and NEVER are always never always or never.

What do you call a sleeping moose? A bull dozer!

Neil - WHAT GREAT SHOTS!! Thank you for sharing them with us. Those moose sure are magnificant creatures. I have seen many in my day but it is still AWESOME to see great photos of them. Being a mooseaholic - it is like a fix.

I would assume the annual fly over to check on the moose population always occurs in the winter. Is that correct? Much easier to spot.

This past Spring I was delighted to see a moose over near Paradise, MI - eastern U.P. I did get about 20 photos of it. Most of my sightings have been in Alaska,Canada and Montana. However it is a great pleasure to see them in the U.P.

Hi
I just checked out the link for this week in 2006; there was also a moose picture.

https://pasty.com/discus/messages/1853/1884.html#PN

Thanks, Neil. What a thrill your surveys must be. Winter flying is so revealing. How is the population holding up? Does your survey shed any light on their health? Great photographs. Did you have a co-pilot? :-)

Very, Very Cool............I hope the big guy isn't stuck!!!!

God created great stuff for us to see eh...????

three years ago my friend and i were fishing deer lake over by lac la belle and three moose came out of the woods into the water to eat some lilly pads. first time seeing moose in the wild for me and it was great to see them sorta close. hugh animals

Some one mentioned Neil's eagle photos and I've read where others have shown interest in the eagle cam at the Blackwater refuge in Maryland. I thought you might like to know that an egg was laid last night and the eagle pair are dutifully attending the nest. Check out this link.

http://www.friendsofblackwater.org/camhtm2.html

Several years ago on a Canada fishing trip I had two experiences with moose. Going west on Hyw 17 on a rainy day, we came around a curve in the road and standing on top of a huge rock outcroping was a bull moose. Naturally he was wet and on his back were several leaves. It was early September. We actually were able to stop and take a picture out of the back window. A very impressive sight. On the same trip my buddy and I were fishing from a boat wth a small motor, when we saw a small bull moose swimming across the lake. Nothing to do but try to catch up to him. As we got about 30 yards from him he turned and started swimming towards us! After a quick right turn, we followed at a respectable distance. When he got to where his feet touched bottom he looked like a bulldozer coming out of the water. We had to portage about 75 yards through a narrow trail to get to our home lake. There were moose tracks all across that portage. We traversed that area with the boat over our heads. If somebody had made a noise like a moose, I think we would have set a world record for that portage!! They are big animals up close and personal!

This is one of those "you aren't gonna believe it" tales; I tried to resist posting it, but here 'tis - a true story - only the names are omitted to protect the er... um... "tourists":

While visiting Yellowstone National Park, at a point just a short way west of Yellowstone Lake on Grand Loop Road/US20/US89/US191/US287 I think it was, a couple got out of the car to take some pictures. They saw a very large primordial old log, from a long ago fallen tree along the south side of the road. They were just about to sit upon, or perhaps more accurately to lean upon said log when they realized ...

Hey,
I saw one last Snipe season near Republic. It was a big bull, and he was with a little squirrel that was wearing a leather aviator helmet and goggles. As Borris says, "moose and squirrel"

I love these pictures. Does anyone else remember the great "Moose
Lift?" This would have been sometime in the mid-80s. Michigan
and Ontario made a swap. Michigan sent wild turkeys to Ontario
and Ontario air-lifted moose from Algonquin Park to the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan. I was beside myself excited because at the
time I worked for the Ontario Legislative Library and had a chance
to see all of the press releases on this project. In case my Ontario
friends hadn't figured out where the UP was from my frequent
descriptions (using both hands like a true Michigander, but
explaining the Superiority of the UP like an even truer Yooper), they
were enlightened by numerous maps that appeared in the papers.

HELLO COPPER COUNTRY
MAKEWAY FOR THE MOOSE
THE COPPER'S GONE
JUST SING A SONG
MAKEWAY FOR THE MOOSE

I CAN SMELL MOOSEBURGERS FRYING
I THINK THEY'LL HAVE A STEW
FOR ALL OF THE TOURIST
AND SOME FOR ME & YOU

Haven't seen one in the UP yet, but we did see one a few miles south of Grand Forks, ND last year.
Mr. Deb

Don't know about Mooseburgers but Moose steaks
are great!

Great pic of the Moose Tania, nice and sharp.
Where was it taken?

WOW Thanks so much for the beautiful pictures.... made my day. Saw my first Michigan moose just before the drive to the upper falls at Tequamenon-- no time check spelling. It was GREAT!!!! THANKS again Sandra in Ohio

WoW... Mooses in da Yoop! We've seen them many times in Canada, but never had the thrill right here in Michigan! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the great pics, Neil. I am also one of those people who have tried to get a good shot of a moose in the U.P. I have spent many hours at Craig Lake State Park, various places in the Covington area, and even a two hour drive through a two-track road from Big Bay to Baraga through the deep forest looking for them more than once. I have dragged my husband out of motel rooms at dawn to get in the right spot before the sun comes up to get that great picture. Oh well, I'm glad to see that they really do exist in other people's pictures. I'll just enjoy your pics until I can have my own.

Frederic~ I'd say about 15 miles or so past the Covington Junction turn off.....Going towards Marquette. I am not possitive though.There was a swampy area where it was eating at.

Thanks for your kind comments!!!

What great pictures. I have always wanted to see a moose. Up close and personal. Also a bear. When we were in the UP a few years ago, our last stop was in Siver City. We had seen no loons, moose, or bear. They told us where to go see a loon, which we did, but from real far away. They couldn't tell us where to go see a moose, but they said if we went to the Rainbow restaurant at dusk we would see a bear. There wasn't just one, but several...could only get one at a time with the sign...
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I'll try that again..

Hey Mary- Ta da! It worked, thanks. Just had to look real close. (actually, had to get out my glasses.) Then, of course, it was too big, and I had to copy it and paste it into the only program that resizes, etc., etc....

OK so it wasn't like seeing a bear in the wild, except they were wild bears. And you wouldn't have believed the people that got out of their cars and walked practically right up to them. Stupid, stupid people. Some even offered food from hands. Good way to lose one!

I'm done now.

E.Neil your pictures are truely beautiful. I enjoy them so much!

Thanks Tania
Probably Michigamme area.
Michigamme-"where the moose run loose"

One more moose story. This came from another friend today, someone who doesn't read PastyCam, so it was just coincidence.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/poormoose.asp

Love your photo, Kathiscc.

Kathiscc, I have been to the restaurant in Silver City also. We spent quite a while watching the bears, too. The hugest black bear I have ever seen came right up to the back door of the building and a lady who worked there came out and fed it a big ice cream cone by hand. She also continued to feed it cookies, cake, and other treats. No wonder that bear was so fat! I wondered what the DNR would think about that.

I have a few friends who sent me that,but they were spotted around Marenisco MI! But I looked it up and knew it wasn't true. I had seen it once before. So you never know where those kind of stories can generate from!