Moose-a-chusetts...again!!!

Canoeing Wickett Pond again, quite early, I arrived at the far end of that lofty upland puddle and heard a racket in the swampy woods. The thunderous cracking of branches and thrashing of mountain laurel could be only one animal, the grand and silent moose, so I anchored and waited patiently, hoping for a mere glimpse. A broad shadow crossed a narrow clearing within sight and the creature was confirmed - high grizzled dark brown hump and a tawny brown rack of antlers. More noise, more waiting, and then another comes out of the trees nearby! This one younger but still impressively stout-bodied, healthy. It cautiously peered out, paused, scented and stared at me, then stepped to the water's edge. Hesitantly it waded into the swath of pond lilies and began its sumptuous feast. Slurping, smacking, and grunting ensued with an occasional glance in my direction or pointing its fleshy muzzle into the wind. My canoe drifted on the gentlest of breezes, gliding by at a steady 25 yards off from the hulking beast as I snapped many blurry photos, some clean ones (e.g. above), and some grainy video (see video here!!!!). I watched this bull for a good 20-30 minutes as he added a liquidy snack to his leafy diet, and then, as if called back by the comforting shelter of the dense woods, he returned to shore and disappeared. I heard every step of his retreat as his antlers smacked off branches at every pass. The other, bigger bull was very near at hand, thrashing and cracking loudly, but he didn't succumb to the temptation of succulent pond lilies, rather preferring a more spartan diet in the safety of a laurel thicket. Then all wildness evaporated with the morning mist as some ignorant fool started his gas-motored boat on this tiny motorless pond. The magnificent cracking and thrashing ceased, or more likely was overwhelmed by the discord, and my fanciful vision of the great beast lurking behind an aspen was blurred to an unpeopled and featureless wood. Need there be further proof of the virtue of silence, solitude, and early-rising.