JACKSON, Wyo. — While it is recommended to give wildlife ample space, it’s still possible to have a close encounter with some of the valley’s wilder residents.
An encounter with wildlife can remind citizens how closely humans cohabitate with the natural world both in the valley and beyond, so Buckrail decided to ask its readers what their most memorable moments were.
From readers, most submissions pointed to larger mammals. One reader wrote that they encountered a kill site left by wolves on Berry Creek.
“Skiing through a meadow, I came upon a beaten down area where wolves had killed a moose the night before,” they wrote. “Nothing left but tracks and bloody bone shards. I cast around until I found the track line where they’d left. Maybe six or eight wolves. Followed the tracks for about a mile, but it was getting dark and I had to leave and head for the cabin.”
Readers also told Buckrail about wildlife visitors to their homes, including bears.
“This year we were fortunate to … have an elk and large bear visit (from a safe distance),” one resident submitted. “The bear was brown in color but confirmed to be a black bear. He sat up and looked directly at us while we were sitting on our deck. A neighbor’s weed whacker made him skitter away. This was in the hills in Gros Ventre West. Never a time we aren’t enthralled when furry neighbors stop by!”
Another reader wrote about a close call with a charging moose near the Death Canyon Shelf. On an overnight camping trip, they went to bring water to a hiker who chose to watch the sunset from above.
“As I walked out from our camp to meet him with water, I got to within about 30 feet of the wall and some low growth trees,” they submitted. “Out charged a bull moose right at me. My first thought of grabbing my phone to take a picture was quickly interrupted by the fact [that] I was about to die. I dodged behind a large boulder, and the moose trotted by, quite content that the issue had been resolved as far as he was concerned.”
Another story was more whimsical, with reader Kevin Cochary telling a tale of a moose obeying pedestrian walkway signals: “A couple of years ago, I was at the intersection of Broadway and Buffalo Way. I watched a moose approach the junction from Albertsons heading towards Cutty’s. It was early morning, and the traffic was light. The moose stopped and waited for the pedestrian walking sign to change. Once the light changed to allow pedestrian crossing, the moose proceeded safely across to Cutty’s. We have smart moose!”
