A video that was shared to Facebook on Oct. 13 shows a Québécoise man challenging a bull moose with nothing more than a flimsy pieces of wood and a spray bottle. Somehow, the hunter walked away from the fight he picked without being flattened. The more important question isn’t how he did this, but why?
The roughly minute-long video might be best described as the French-Canadian version of a bullfight. Only the matador wears camo and blue jeans instead of an ornate silk suit, and the sole spectator is his buddy holding a smartphone. To spice things up a bit, the challenger approaches the bull with only a wooden cutout shaped like a moose paddle and a spray bottle containing an unknown liquid.
The video begins as the man slowly approaches the large bull moose as it feeds on the needles of a small evergreen. The bull keeps to itself as the man gets closer. He moves his torso while waving the wooden paddle from side to side, mimicking the movements of a rival bull. He keeps his trigger finger on the spray bottle, presumably as his first line of defense in case things turn south.
When the man gets within an arm’s reach of the tree, he hits a branch with his homemade wooden paddle. This causes the moose to step back and look around for a moment. The man then makes his final move as his buddy behind the camera mumbles inaudibly. He lifts his wooden paddle and gives the bull a hearty whack on its antlers.
For a brief second, the moose stands completely still, and it seems like the only logical way for this episode to end is with the man getting stomped. Instead, he swats at the bull moose once more and it turns tail and runs away. The man then jumps for joy as he and the cameraman start laughing.
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Anyone who’s spent anytime around the animals knows that moose are big and unpredictable. Even a fully grown, 2,000-pound bull can run much faster than a human. It’s never wise to mess with wildlife, but the stakes are even higher when you’re dealing with the most dangerous mammal in North America.
The creator of the video, Pierre Paquet, did not immediately respond to requests for comments. But if you’re out there Pierre, boy, do we have some questions for you.
Bob McNally contributed reporting.
