THUNDER BAY — A curious moose turned an otherwise routine fishing trip into one of the most memorable experiences two Thunder Bay anglers have ever had.
It happened Sunday afternoon on a lake off the Boreal Road west of Kakabeka Falls.
"We didn't have much action. A few pike, a few bites. It was kind of a boring fishing day," Doug Steele told TBNewswatch.
Things quickly changed, however.
Steele and his son Owen were relaxing in their chairs by the shore enjoying the sunshine when they heard a moose crashing through the bush toward them.
Not knowing what kind of a mood the animal might be in, they relocated farther onto the lake to see what they were dealing with.
A younger cow moose then came out of the woods, and very quickly got herself into a predicament.
As a video that Steele posted to YouTube shows, she fell through the ice near the shore.
"We thought it was going for a drink there, because there's open water near the creek," Steele said.The animal was able to pull herself back onto the ice but the men were worried she might have injured herself, as she initially appeared to favour one of her rear legs.
She shook it off, however, and immediately began showing an intense interest in the two men.
Steele said "We thought it was going to take off, but it never left after that. It really paid attention to us. It went over to our Cabella chairs first, and sniffed those for about five minutes. It got more and more curious and came out toward me first, then it went over and followed Owen for awhile."
The pair even tried talking to the moose a few times, but that only seemed to make it more persistent.
'What's going on here? What are you after? I'm not a moose" Steele recalled saying to the animal
He said the pair has seen lots of moose along the Boreal Road over the years, "but never anything that's approached us like that...It was a pretty curious animal, to say the least."
In the midst of all the excitement, however, Steele said his son kept his mind on the main task at hand.
"He's an avid fisherman, so he wouldn't even leave his line. We were watching the moose and he said 'Oh, I got a bite' so he ran across to get to it."
The moose stayed in the vicinity for a total of about two hours before wandering back into the bush.
Steele said despite the fact the animal fell through the ice near the creek, the lake they were on was still safe for fishing.
The two men are experienced anglers and were careful to test the ice before venturing onto the lake.
"We're always safe. We tested the holes all the way out. We've been at it for a long time," Steele said.
– TBNewsWatch
