Halfmoon woman videos moose in her front yard Monday evening

PHOTOGRAPHER: Judy Dahoda-Taylor

The moose

HALFMOON – When Halfmoon resident Judy Dahoda-Taylor and her husband ran out front of her house Monday evening they expected to see one of their horses free on their lawn, as that’s what their neighbor had relayed over the phone, Dahoda-Taylor recalled Tuesday.

But her neighbor apparently didn’t get the best look at what was actually out there. Because what they found was no horse.

“My husband and I ran outside and I said ‘oh, my god, that’s not a horse. It’s a moose!'” Dahoda-Taylor told The Daily Gazette Tuesday afternoon. “For some reason I had my phone with me and I started videoing her.”

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Soon, the moose made her way to some nearby woods, but not before Dahoda-Taylor captured a few seconds of video of her. She posted the video to Facebook and WRGB later posted it to Facebook.

Dahoda-Taylor lives about a mile from Exit 8 and a mile from the river, said she believes the moose has been around for a few days. The moose didn’t seem scared of them, or really paying them any attention, she said.

According to the state DEC, moose first continuously moved into the state in the 1980s after having been absent since the 1860s. They currently estimate there are about 400 moose in the Adirondacks, and they’re periodically seen in eastern Washington, Rensselaer, and Columbia Counties.

Future moose population growth is uncertain, but DEC will continue to monitor moose health, abundance, and distribution, DEC officials said.

Dahoda-Taylor said she’s seen other animals in the area, like turkeys, deer and foxes. But a moose is new.

“It was kind of a little bit interesting,” she said. “I’ve never seen a moose before.”

See the video: