The Moose!

[thistlebloom]

They're making the hay rounds, looking for unguarded alfalfa.
Mine is well secured, but one of the kids found a tiny triangular spot where the tarps criss cross and was able to kneel down and get his head in.
As soon as they moved on I went out and unfolded the tarp and stood three pallets up against the stack then refolded and secured the tarp over them. I also leaned some pallets against the outside to further frustrate them.
I did such a thorough job I'm going to hate myself when it's time to pull a couple bales off the stack. It will probably be raining and blowing and dark when I do that, haha.

I have a little pickup bed trailer that I have been loading a few bales of alfalfa in so I don't have to unwrap the alfalfa end of the big stack . That's working well. I arched two re-wire panels over the hay and tarped it, securing the tarps with clamps. It looks like a little covered wagon. The moose aren't even a little interested in the other end of the stack which is easier to access, because it's grass, and barley bales.

I hear they are spending a lot of time at a neighbors stack which is easy to get in.

 

[Nyboy]

What do your dogs do when they visit ?

 

[Carol Dee]

They are persistent. Good that you have found a way to keep them out of the hay.

 

[digitS']

I think that I would be using a pellet rifle on them.

Anything to keep them at bay.

@baymule 's even! Anywhere! Just not in my garden ...

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

I think that I would be using a pellet rifle on them.

Anything to keep them at bay.

@baymule 's even! Anywhere! Just not in my garden ...

Steve

One of our neighbors used a pellet rifle on them one winter when they were eating her hay. At the first sting they move off, then are back the same day or sooner. After that the pellets bounce off and they don't even flinch. They do find it annoying though.

Another neighbor whose new horse went out of his mind with fear (show horse, previously stabled) were given rubber bullets by F&G. They didn't make them leave. But that and the barking dogs the neighbors encouraged to harass the moose made them angry. The young bull chased my neighbor and he had to dive into a corral to get away.

I prefer to leave them alone. I can go outside and feed (not alfalfa) and if I'm careful and quiet they ignore me. I of course don't do this if they are very close.
I also don't allow the dogs to bark or chase.
There's no point in aggravating an animal that makes my horse look like a pony.

The real way to keep them from becoming a permanent yard ornament is to secure the alfalfa. I don't mind them moving through and browsing as they go, but they don't set up headquarters if you don't have what they want.

My neighbors all have the means to keep their hay from becoming an attractive nuisance, and I have no sympathy when they whine about the moose hanging around constantly.

 

[thistlebloom]

What do your dogs do when they visit ?

My dogs are smart. When they are in their dog run at night and the moose amble in, they alert with a bark or two then lay quiet in their doghouses.
If they happen to be in the yard during the day when the moose visit they ignore them completely. Wren will come and sit at the back door, but I think Larka regards them as horses and doesn't get interested.

I usually bring them in the house if the moose are around. Just in case they have recently been harassed by somebody elses's dogs, I don't want them to take it out on mine.

 

[flowerbug]

*heart common sense* cheers...

 

[baymule]

I guess there is no fencing them out. They look tall enough to just step over a fence.

 

[thistlebloom]

I guess there is no fencing them out. They look tall enough to just step over a fence.

We joke about one of our neighbors property, 10 acres, completely fenced with 7' tall wire and peeled log posts. It was erected by the neighbor who lived there before they bought it who was terrified of all wild animals.
We joke because it doesn't keep anything out. The moose pop over it with ease. They have to open the front gate to let the moose back out. Their dogs are always finding a way out also.

Fish and game told the folks with the wacked out horse that they should put extensions on their fence with a hot wire on top. They have recently fenced their 10 acres in, but they only made the fence 5' tall. It was intended to contain their dogs though, not to exclude moose.

I can see a hot wire working if it's tight enough and hot enough, but I see it requiring a lot of repair as the moose do some self training in the meantime.

 

[seedcorn]

A slug about 6” behind their front quarter would also solve the issue.