Bull Moose in a “Tizzy”

Posted June23, 2023

Erratic Behavior on Display

Occasionally, something trips a big bull’s “trigger” and they become wild and unpredictable. I’ve witnessed an otherwise calm bull start thrashing a bush. As the intensity builds, they work themself into what I’ve always called “tizzy” mode. Tents, people, and about any nearby object could be fair game for a moose in this mode.

This bull in Rocky Mountain National Park was moving from one small lake to another when I first saw it. He grazed on aquatic vegetation for about 15 minutes, then headed back into the willows. When the bull reappeared, he was already irritated.  He headed to a seasonal pond to put on a tizzy show, as seen in the gallery below!

For What It’s Worth: Two of the three bulls I saw today had collars and ear tags. I personally hate seeing them on wildlife in a National Park, but I don’t have any say in the matter. When processing my images, I ralmost always remove man-made distractions like collars and tags.