A bull moose has taken up residence in the circular driveway of the Henderson place on Bridger Canyon Road. He arrived Tuesday afternoon, bedded down in the ornamental grasses, and has not left. The Hendersons are in Florida until October.

Neighbors report the moose seems comfortable. He eats the hostas. He drinks from the birdbath. He watches the cars go by with the same mild disinterest as a local at a city commission meeting. Someone left a salt block near the mailbox. The moose licked it once and walked away.

“He’s got better taste than the tourists,” said Dale Pruitt, who lives three doors down and walks his dog past the property each morning. “Yesterday a rental SUV stopped and a woman got out to take a selfie with him. He just looked at her. Like, lady, I’m eating breakfast. He didn’t even flatten his ears.”

The dog, a blue heeler named Biscuit, has developed a complicated relationship with the moose. They stare at each other through the fence. Sometimes the moose lowers his head. Biscuit barks. The moose goes back to eating. It is a standoff with no stakes.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks stopped by Wednesday. The warden drank coffee in the driveway for twenty minutes. He took a photo for the regional newsletter. He said the moose is healthy, uncollared, and legally allowed to be there. He also said the hostas were a total loss.

By Thursday the moose had attracted a small following. A woman from Bozeman brought binoculars. A man from Livingston brought a camp chair. Someone’s teenager set up a lawn chair and did homework while the moose slept ten feet away. No one honked. No one approached closer than fifteen feet. It was the most civilized gathering in Bridger Canyon this year.

The moose will leave when he leaves. Probably when the aspens turn. Or when the first real snow pushes him higher. Until then the driveway is his. The Hendersons’ landscaper texted them a photo. They replied with a thumbs up emoji.

Biscuit still barks at the fence line each morning.