I saw my first Moose in Colorado with it's young and my second Moose I saw on Hwy 12 west of Missoula, MT. Definitely impressive creatures big as a Bison but more agile.

I almost got up close and personal with a moose a few years ago when I was elk hunting. Lucky for me, he didn't see me.

I was sitting down in the woods elk hunting. All of a sudden I hear a tremendous amount of noise behind me. I thought it was my hunting partner, and I was pissed at all the noise he was making. All of a sudden this bull moose comes trotting by, about 15 feet from me. He stopped for a minute, looked around, then kept going. It's not the first moose i've seen, but it was the first one I've seen when I was alone in the woods. Of course I had my 30-06 with me, so I wasn't bothered by it.

I talked with my hunting partner about it, he said he had seen a cow moose about a quarter of a mile from where I was. I guess that's what the bull moose was running toward.

I believe I read that she was carrying a .380 of some kind.

So my assumption here is that she was only carrying a .380 with loads for empty beer cans. Its my assumption because the media is below stupid and don't furnish information. Even if we watch/read we don't really get much. So most .380s I'm familiar with only carry what, maybe 6 or 7 rounds? Oh yeah, she was well armed, for maybe coyotes. And it seems she was figuring she was adequately armed before the encounter. I wonder if the Anchorage paper has maybe a different point of view.

Could that be a misprint? She was out and about in Alaska with a .380??

Perhaps she's a transplant from Cali?

I can't remember all the details but read a story in the late '60s about a of couple moose hunters (don't remember where). Apparently they saw a moose beside the road, stopped and shot it. The moose killed both hunters then proceeded to mangle their vehicle.

I see at least a couple every year. Closest was about 3 or 4 feet. I drove a straight truck back in my working days for a little while. It was late evening one of those misty dark inky nights where your headlights would only illuminate about two center lines in front of you. I was going about 55 mph. All of a sudden there's a moose standing in the road. I didn't see him until it was waaaay to late he just appeared out of the blackness. Never touched my brakes. Good news I was in the right lane and he was in the left. Just standing there broadside.

I couldn't have missed him by a couple feet. He never made a move. As I went by I could tell the tops of his legs were just a little above the front of my truck. Had I hit him he would have probably wound up in the cab of my truck and killed us both.

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Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
As I went by I could tell the tops of his legs were just a little above the front of my truck. Had I hit him he would have probably wound up in the cab of my truck and killed us both.

Yep. That's one of the big dangers with striking a moose in a vehicle. They're big and heavy, but also have tall legs. Most of their massive bulk is perched atop those spindly legs.

So what happens in an auto collision is that the front of the vehicle takes out the moose's legs, and the bulk of the moose's weight then crashes into the passenger compartment.

This is exacerbated by the fact that vehicles nosedive when the brakes are applied.

“It’s not that I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t prepared to kill a moose, that’s correct,” Watkins said. “It’s not my intention to go around in February and hunt and kill an animal. This is like worst-case scenario defending my life.”

She did carry a .380 caliber gun because there are few people where she trains, and she keeps it to to deter or scare off animals. She has since upgraded to a larger caliber firearm after it didn’t stop the moose.

“That would be asinine to go back out there on the same trail, the same place, and not have a gun where I can’t truly put down an animal if I have to,” she said.

Complete article but above is everything about her handgun:

https://www.adn.com/outdoors-a...s-injures-four-dogs/

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Originally posted by RogueJSK:...
This is exacerbated by the fact that vehicles nosedive when the brakes are applied.

"PULL UP!!" (whoop-whoop) "PULL UP!!" (whoop-whoop)..."

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
Can you shoot a moose to protect your dogs?

Yes.

What about an eagle or a polar bear?

As I understand Alaska law, you may defend and protect your property if you are/have not provoked the attack/threat by game/wildlife.

Nothing specific to species that are the threat.

So, yeah, polar bears. And Bald Eagles are not on a protected species or endangered list, but may be protected (as well as other species) on indigenous people's lands.

I have a small set of moose antlers on my wall, a gift from my (avid hunter) Father-in-law. He said the guide climbed up a tree before starting the moose call...

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
Can you shoot a moose to protect your dogs?

Yes.

What about an eagle or a polar bear?

Still yes as far as the State of Alaska is concerned, but with "endangered" or Federally protected animals are involved, you're going to be explaining to Federal law enforcement instead of a level headed and professional Alaska State Trooper.

Which is why...you don't call anyone, and just bury the animal.

That said...there aren't a lot of people living in polar bear country.

As for eagles...a lot of tourists' pets disappear every year. lol. Also...they're like pigeons in big cities, they're dumpster rats, they're everywhere.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
As I understand Alaska law, you may defend and protect your property if you are/have not provoked the attack/threat by game/wildlife.

Nothing specific to species that are the threat.

So, yeah, polar bears. And Bald Eagles are not on a protected species or endangered list, but may be protected (as well as other species) on indigenous people's lands.

Alaska Native Lands.... it's a weird thing up here. It isn't the same as the lower states, but in some ways it is. Long story, the short of it is that Alaska Native people do what they want for the most part and pick and choose which laws and rules they want to follow. It's political and religious.

I see moose when I am hiking and backpacking on a fairly regular basis. Dumber than a bag of rocks but very dangerous when encroached upon or threatened. I have seen many surprised tourists on trails who thought it would be a good idea to try and get close to a moose and take pictures.

Years back I had a couple of huge bulls block my passing on the Cascade Canyon trail in the Tetons. I spent 30 minutes sitting atop a rock waiting for them to finish feeding and move on.

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:...
Alaska Native Lands.... it's a weird thing up here. It isn't the same as the lower states, but in some ways it is. Long story, the short of it is that Alaska Native people do what they want for the most part and pick and choose which laws and rules they want to follow. It's political and religious.

Yeah. Been since '91, USAF, but we got the briefing on that and other things. Most of which I forgot, but one thing I learned back in the early '70s, was that when in "other people's land" if you screw up, you might be on your own.

(or as one old brown shoe said: "Just don't fuck up.")

quote:

I spent 30 minutes sitting atop a rock waiting for them to finish feeding and move on.

Good call.

If there isn't a way around, waiting is a good idea.

I have moose in my yard 3-5 days a week, probably more if I was paying attention.

We have a cow that raises twins on our property every year. Nothing is more dangerous than a mother moose with babies.

You learn how to get along with them, and 99% of the time it's no big deal. I typically try to train the young ones not to eat my plants, and not to lick my vehicle, and which side of the yard I want them on and where I don't want them.

It works fine, until it doesn't. You never turn your back on a moose, and you never get far from cover around them. They are very unpredictable, but yet predictable in their unpredictability if that makes any sense.

A guy I went to college with was from Canada and hit a moose with his car one night. The car “ankle tackled” the moose flipped it up in the air and it came down on it’s back on the back of the roof and the trunk. It collapsed the roof. Apparently not seriously injured, it flailed around back there and managed to roll off the car and got back on it’s feet then continued on it’s way into the brush. Jim got rescued by Mounties after another motorist called in the accident.

In the OP this moose hung around for an hour? I’d be surprised if there was anything left but “dog paste”.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:...
Alaska Native Lands.... it's a weird thing up here. It isn't the same as the lower states, but in some ways it is. Long story, the short of it is that Alaska Native people do what they want for the most part and pick and choose which laws and rules they want to follow. It's political and religious.

Yeah. Been since '91, USAF, but we got the briefing on that and other things. Most of which I forgot, but one thing I learned back in the early '70s, was that when in "other people's land" if you screw up, you might be on your own.

(or as one old brown shoe said: "Just don't fuck up.")

A lot changed in 1991.

Here's some interesting reading if anyone is curious about this topic:

(Keep in mind most of these sites and publications are VERY filtered and written with an agenda in mind, so consider the source, always.)

https://ancsaregional.com/abou...llage%20corporations.

https://www.commerce.alaska.go...ntActLandClaims.aspx

https://www.fws.gov/r7/externa...s_desk_guide_fws.pdf

https://www.culturalsurvival.o...ibal-movement-alaska