A bull moose made it a little challenging for Tom Austin to play while he was out with his regular golfing buddies in Smithstown, Maine. “On a deep valley-cut hole, we were. Anything you said echoed off the walls of the small canyon”, said Austin. He continued, “A large moose suddenly emerged from the woods and made its way onto the edge of the fairway as we were approaching our second shots on the short par 4.”
The moose apparently stopped and turned to look at the group of four. From their balls, it was about 30 yards away. Except for its audible breathing, it made no sound at all. The men were at ease enough to walk up to their balls and get ready for their shots to the green. Austin stood over his ball while he was absent. The moose bellowed loudly as he began his backswing, though. Austin said, “Similar to a cow’s “moo,” but about ten times louder. Just once, then he resumed his silence.” Austin abruptly halted his swing and moved away from his ball. Although they tried to keep Austin’s attention on his shot, his friends made a few giggles. He addressed his ball again, pulled his club back, and the moose let out a loud “moo” again. “My buddies lost it. They fell to the ground with uncontrollable laughter,” Austin said. He continued, “Again, I had to stop my swing because it was so absurdly amusing.”
Austin addressed his ball again and began his back swing after the foursome learned to control their laughter. The moose bellowed once more with great volume. Despite his attempts to laugh, Austin nevertheless carried out the shot this time. The ball was covered in chili before being dipped and rolling into the creek 50 yards in front of him. After the hapless shot, the moose began to “moo” again, but this time it repeated its “moo” rapidly. “It appeared as though he was making fun of me. I think the thing was trying to interrupt my swing and screw with my game”, Austin said.
After the others players made their shots, with no “moo” interruptions, the moose quietly strolled back into the woods.