Bullfights in Canada

The unmistakable sound of clashing antlers echoed through the dense woods on Newfoundland's wild northern peninsula. My guide and I took off at a dead run to find two large bull moose in full combat. It was the epic battle I'd only dreamed of seeing. Now my dream was coming true.

While brief skirmishes between younger, non-breeding bulls are common, genuine battles are fairly rare. I know people who have spent a lifetime afield in prime moose country and never seen two mature bulls fighting. Such fights only occur when two bulls of roughly equal size and stature encounter each other in the presence of a cow that’s nearly ready to breed.

My adventure began at Tuckamore Lodge. Guide Brendon Fitzpatrick and I were in search of wildlife to watch and photograph in this part of Canada that's alive with moose, woodland caribou, black bears, coyotes, foxes, eagles and waterfowl. We left the lodge in the dark, tripped over roots and mudholes on a trail through thick woods, and crossed a long, fog-shrouded lake in a small boat. By the time the sun rose, we were far beyond the sights and sounds of civilization. 

Almost immediately, we encountered a huge bull moose and a cow together. Unfortunately they were 200 yards away and had us dead to rights. Without high-powered telephoto lenses, there was no hope of getting close enough for a great photo. We watched them fade away into the trees.

A couple of miles farther on, another slightly smaller bull and cow materialized from woods across a pond. Mimicking the sounds of a cow in heat, Brandon was able to call the bull to within 100 yards. But the big guy wasn’t about to leave his consort to check out a cow who wouldn’t show herself. They, too, faded away.

Another mile or so out in our long loop, we followed the sound of clashing antlers to find the two large bulls (neither as big as the first two we'd seen) fighting over a cow.

I don’t know how long they'd been at it before we entered the arena. For the next 45 minutes, we watched the bulls clash antlers, and push and shove each other, tearing up an acre of bog, bushes and stunted trees.

They’d back off to face each other, ears pinned back, tongues lolling, eyes rolling back to show only whites. Then suddenly the bulls would slam forward with a great crash to begin shoving, with every muscle bulging and straining. The energy expended seemed enough to topple great trees. Both bulls were bleeding from numerous small wounds, but neither would give an inch.

At one point they broke off, and one bull turned as if to run. The second bull raked his antlers across the other’s flank, dislodging a cloud of hair. The retreating bull soon turned and the fight resumed.

It only ended when one of the larger bulls we’d seen earlier, attracted by the clash of antlers or the scent, came along to steal the girl they were fighting over.

In moose society, size brings privilege.

Those two bulls fighting is something I will never forget.

Where the Wild Things Are

If you want to get a closer look at a moose, northern Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are all prime moose territory. There are even moose in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but not in sufficient numbers to make them easy to find.

A number of places offer “moose tours” throughout the spring, summer and fall, usually by van or bus. In New Hampshire, Pemi Valley Excursions offers tours from late May through October. In Maine, the New England Outdoor Center will give you a second tour if you don't see a moose on your first. North Country Rivers in Bingham, Maine arranges guided tours in the evening when moose are most likely to be seen.

But Newfoundland is moose central with some of the highest moose densities in the world. Gros Morne National Park and the entire northern peninsula is beautiful country loaded with moose and caribou. I saw over 30 moose and at least that many caribou in just two days.

Best of all, you can drive there. Take the car ferry from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques.

Moose Sense

Whenever you see a moose along a highway and traffic has stopped, you can just bet some idiot is going to march up as close as he or she can and take a picture.

Don’t!

Roadside moose are generally remarkably tolerant. But the fact remains that if a moose perceives you as a threat, or just gets annoyed, it can stomp you into oblivion in a fraction of a second. Moose can move incredibly quickly -- faster than a horse over rough ground. With moose or any other large wild animal, it just makes sense to keep a safe distance.

When Brendon and I were watching the fighting bulls, we got no closer than 50 yards. We only got that close because we had a rifle and were ready to use it if we had to. When we saw the bigger bull moving into the action, we retreated to 200 yards -- just in case one of the displaced bulls was annoyed enough to take it out on anything handy.

Moose are nothing to fool with. Enjoy watching them from a safe distance.