As someone who has been charged by so many moose that I have genuinely lost count (I cannot stress enough that I am very safe around them and take proper precautions, but I walk in nature a bunch and I’m just a moose magnet I guess), here is my ranking of seasons and genders of moose from the worst to get charged by to the best (personal opinions)
8.) Cow moose in spring: 0/10 it’s just the worst. She’s either pregnant or has just calved, which means those hormones and a mother’s rage are pointed all at you. They WILL chase you for a mile or more and dgaf and they are fast. 95% of the time you don’t even see the baby, but according to her you are too close. All of my worst moose encounters have been cow moose in spring. Would not recommend. They’re mean >:(
7.) Bull moose in fall. 1/10 The rut, so they just wanna look cool and are super territorial/aggressive. Testosterone and all that. Jerks. Generally they’re pointed at other bulls but you’re fair game too. If they do want to hurt you, have fun running fast. They would kill you to impress a girl. Jerks.
6.) Cow moose in summer. 1/10 Just a cow moose in spring but slightly more chill. Their babies have gotten better at walking so they know if they chase you too far their calves will wander so they’re less motivated but still terrifying. Still extremely aggressive and mean, not a great experience.
5.) Cow moose in winter. 3/10ish Honestly 4 and 5 are about equal, I put this one higher specifically if they have kids and because she’s already hungry and upset about it. Also as a good rule, winter is scary because snow blocks your escape path. Not the best, not the worst, but not good.
4.) Bull moose in summer. 3/10 Again, pretty tied with last. Average moose. Wouldn’t mind this, not fun obviously but I’m not panicking too hard, lots of tree cover to hide behind and it’s not too bad despite being, y’know, a moose charging you.
3.) Bull moose in spring. 5/10. Still recovering from winter, loosing their antlers, all that. Also not interested in seeming scary because it’s far from rut. Pretty chill dudes so any charging is because you’re in their personal space and I respect that.
2.) Cow moose in fall. 6/10. They are typically too distracted with mating to be too mean. Might chase you a little bit but unless you look paticularly like a male moose you’ll be fine.
1.) Bull moose in winter. HA. WIMPS. I’ve CHARGED one of them and he backed away (theres context I promise, I’m very respectful of wildlife). They’re beat up from a season of fighting and hungry so not in the mood to be territorial. Granted, with snow it can block your escape path which is not fun but they really don’t want to deal with you unless you’re within 10 feet of them in my experience. Obviously stressed out moose act different but these guys are easy to get away from generally 8/10
Now just for clarification, it is never “fun” to be charged and you should not seek out moose encounters. They are both beautiful and dangerous animals that deserve respect and plenty of space. I just happen to be extremely unlucky while I walk in nature, and I have gotten better through the years at spotting them. Respect wild animals and hopefully none of you ever need this. I just wanted to be funny goofy and rank them for reasons :)