Shortly after photographing this couple for ~2 hours, I heard a single rifle shot ring out... and with Oct 2 being opening day for moose rifle hunting season- I'm relatively sure that the mother or the yearling is now gone.

This pair was casually walking through the forest when I first spotted them. They weren't alarmed by my presence, and the little one even seemed a bit curious. They both laid down and took a nap while I took a bunch of unremarkable photos. My hope was that they would drift towards an aspen grove that was in full yellow fall colors, but they were inclined to stay deep in the pines. After a long wait, I decided to part ways when they began drifting north. I went south back to my car about a half mile away. About fifteen minutes after walking away, that's when I heard the gun. A single shot is a good sign that the animal didn't suffer and run off.

Moose populations are healthy, and legal hunting is something that I support -- even if it's difficult to know that one of these creatures was taken. Hopefully the hunter makes the most of their bounty. I sometimes wonder what impact I may have had, but it's impossible to know. The hunter may have been watching and waiting for me to leave, or it all may have been a random coincidence of timing.