We pushed off under a warm sun that beat off the water. I cruised along the left shore in shade looking for wildlife as Eric paddled more to the center. I tend to straggle a little behind because of the need to pull out and then re-secure the camera gear every time I photograph, making Eric who’s usually paddling ahead, the “advance man” looking and spotting things of interest; so he was the first to see the big guy. There was a moose foraging on water plants close to the stream. It was a bull sporting a crown of half-developed felt-covered antlers, chomping away on aquatic greens. I was surprised to see him considering all the canoe and kayak traffic running up and down the stream. I guess he was hiding in the bushes, waiting for boats to go past before jumping back in to eat.