stihlrookie
ArboristSite Guru
So a few weeks back I went up to one of my usual spots to cut for the day. I parked my toyota in a wide spot and was gathering my gear to hike up with and start cutting when I heard something moving in the brush about 50 yards further up the road and just up the cut bank. I pulled my saw out of the bed, keeping an eye up the road, and sure enough a cow and yearling moose wandered across the road and down the hill. I enjoy seeing wildlife such as this when I am out in the woods. Anyway, the two animals continued on their merry way, no real hurry just ambling down and away from me. After they were out of sight I hiked about 75 yards up hill to where I had spotted a nice larch for my taking.
Being fairly steep and me moving somewhat quickly I was a bit winded when I reached my tree, breathing heavy and not really looking to far ahead of me. As I caught my breath and looked up a bit further, approximately 20 yards, I saw a very LARGE bull moose staring me down. I was between him and the other 2 that I had seen just moments before heading down the hill, not a good feeling. I have been charged at by a bull on two other occaisions, once while hiking and once while mountain biking, it is no fun.
Within a second I had flipped the lever to choke on my saw, 2 pulls and burp, flipped to hot start and 1 more pull and It roared to life. Literally took 2 seconds to get my saw going and that wasn't fast enough in my mind. I held the saw aloft and revved it a couple times hoping this would send him running. Well, big bull decided he wanted to keep his rack and turned just a bit from me and slowly wandered in the direction of the female and calf I had just seen, not worried one bit about me standing 60 feet away with chainsaw running. Taking his time with a glance over the shoulder at me he eventually left my cutting area.
I dropped the tree I was after and kept my head up for the rest of the day, thinking maybe that was a carnivorous moose. I didn't do this before but now I start my saw at the truck and warm it up before hiking in, you know, just in case. Now if only the bees would do the same and run from the saw I would be in great shape. I quit counting after "finding" 10 nests this season, luckily only 1 nest was those bald-faced bastys.
So how about it? Anyone else with a chainsawing, wildlife story?
Being fairly steep and me moving somewhat quickly I was a bit winded when I reached my tree, breathing heavy and not really looking to far ahead of me. As I caught my breath and looked up a bit further, approximately 20 yards, I saw a very LARGE bull moose staring me down. I was between him and the other 2 that I had seen just moments before heading down the hill, not a good feeling. I have been charged at by a bull on two other occaisions, once while hiking and once while mountain biking, it is no fun.
Within a second I had flipped the lever to choke on my saw, 2 pulls and burp, flipped to hot start and 1 more pull and It roared to life. Literally took 2 seconds to get my saw going and that wasn't fast enough in my mind. I held the saw aloft and revved it a couple times hoping this would send him running. Well, big bull decided he wanted to keep his rack and turned just a bit from me and slowly wandered in the direction of the female and calf I had just seen, not worried one bit about me standing 60 feet away with chainsaw running. Taking his time with a glance over the shoulder at me he eventually left my cutting area.
I dropped the tree I was after and kept my head up for the rest of the day, thinking maybe that was a carnivorous moose. I didn't do this before but now I start my saw at the truck and warm it up before hiking in, you know, just in case. Now if only the bees would do the same and run from the saw I would be in great shape. I quit counting after "finding" 10 nests this season, luckily only 1 nest was those bald-faced bastys.
So how about it? Anyone else with a chainsawing, wildlife story?
