Calling to Her Calf

August 23, 2018

On my way out of the woods I came across this cow and calf. The calf spotted me immediately but was patient enough for me catch a little video as it moved off. The cow, browsing nonstop behind a single clump of bushes never saw me as I sneaked up to within about 20 feet. My scent didn't alarm her which surprised me since the wind blew past me directly into her big sniffer. As I tried to better my position she began to tug and chew on the on the only cover that separated us. In no time she had worked her way towards me to a rather uncomfortable distance. I know from experience that 10 feet is way too close for this situation. A cow moose is a very protective mother and I expected to see her ears go back at any moment but she eventually worked her way straight away from me. At that moment, about a minute into the video, she rewarded me with a series of calls. She never stopped chewing while she called to her calf and before long it appeared again and worked its way up by her side. It looked like it wanted to nurse so I moved a little to get a better angle. I got the camera back on just in time to catch a different type vocalization. At the two minute mark you will hear her being a little annoyed with the urgings of the calf, prompting the little fellow to back off. A lactating cow eats up to 70 pounds a day. That is literally a ton of food per month!

[nathanrobinsonphotography]

Beautiful love watching cows with there calves and how they interact with each other

[tomdog]

Nice video David! -- I am tagging along on a hunt next week up around Eagle Lake. Had a great time with you last year. -- What kind of camera do you use? Nice video image.