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The Moose Chronicles

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It Has Been Waaaay Too Long Since Our Last
Report on Noteworthy Moose Activity.
So Let's Get Started to Catch Up:

Brain Worm Blamed for Manic Moose

A CRAZY MOOSE INVADED A WESTFORD, Vermont, man's home this past Sunday and drove him back inside his house.  WCAX-TV reported:

It was not what Brent Olsen expected to see when he woke up at his home in Westford Sunday morning — a bull moose with a hoof on his car. "I had run out in my shorts from the morning and I started hollering at it. 'Do not jump on my car Mr. Moose.,'" Olsen recalled.

After chasing it away from his vehicle, Olsen was intrigued by the up-close encounter with the moose. He grabbed his camcorder as it walked around his yard. "A moose with ivy in its horns. I thought it was kind of cute," he said.

But the moose's behavior quickly became anything but cute. "It scared the crap out of me," Olsen said.

Mr. Moose charges Mr. Olsen

Things went south in a hurry after that with the moose continually charging the door to the house and doing crazy pirouettes around the yard.  When the game warden arrived, he watched it for a while and then decided that the moose was probably suffering from a brain worm and shot it dead.

WCAX-TV filed this video report that includes Mr. Olsen's home video and an interview with the game warden:

 WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Note:  If the video player doesn't load, click on this link:  Read the full story on WCAX webpage HERE.

Motorcyclist Strikes Moose – Both Dead

A CONNECTICUT MAN TRAVELING ALONE on a cross-country motorcycle trip struck a moose in July near Fairbanks, Alaska.  The unwitnessed accident occurred sometime during the night and he was discovered early in the morning by an off-duty Army medic from Fort Greely.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported:

According to Alaska State Troopers, Philip J. Dubourg, 57, was driving a red 2001 Kawasaki motorcycle north on the Richardson Highway when a moose ran in front of him. An off-duty medic from Fort Greely came upon the scene and unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate him. Troopers arrived at 4:38 a.m. and Dubourg was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dubourg was on a weeks-long motorcycle trip across the country and appeared to be riding alone, according to trooper spokesperson Megan Peters. He had a helmet with him but was not wearing it at the time of the accident.

Troopers believe Dubourg was traveling at least 65 miles per hour when he hit the moose. Neither alcohol or drugs are considered to be a factor in the accident.

The moose died from the collision also.

Too Big For the Playground, Moose Gets Tangled In The Swing

A MOOSE WANDERED INTO A WEBER COUNTY, UTAH, BACK YARD one day last month and got his antlers hopelessly entangled in a child's swing set.  Sheriff's Sgt. Lane Findlay got the call to investigate the complaint and found the beast already in distress from struggling unsuccessfully to get freed from the chains used to support the swings.

ABC News reported:

"He was obviously fatigued and very tired. He had some injuries to his antlers, he was breathing heavily, froth at the mouth… he was pretty exhausted," said Sgt. Lane Findlay of the Weber County Sheriff’s Department. "My thought was if we don’t get this moose out of here as quickly as we can, he’s not going to make it."

Findlay contacted wildlife officials, but once they said it was be at least an hour before they could arrive, the cop took matters into his own hands.

The officer approached the moose cautiously to see if it would allow him to get close. The moose showed no signs of aggression. He then clipped the metal chains one-by-one with bolt cutters until the moose could pull free. Every time he cut a chain, the moose seemed to feel some tension release. At one point, the sergeant was patting the moose on the head.

The video was taken with Sgt. Findlay's cellphone camera:

 

After the moose was freed it ran to a nearby bucket of water and drank heavily before collapsing.  Sgt. Findlay kept a hose playing on it to keep cool and hydrated until an hour later when the creature got back up.  By then the game wardens were there and inspected it for injuries and decided that they didn't need any human treatment so it was allowed to wander off.  Apparently the stress was too much for the animal because it was found dead three days later.

Driver Swerves To Miss Moose – Hits Bear Instead

A BAD-LUCK DRIVER IN NORWAY SWERVED his car to avoid hitting a moose last month and struck a bear instead.  Reuters posted the story that tells:

The driver spotted the moose on a country road near Hanestad, 225 kilometres north of Oslo, around midnight and tried to go around the animal, not realizing that a bear was also nearby.

"The driver had lost a bit of speed as he tried to avoid the moose before hitting the bear," said Svein Erik Bjorke of the local wildlife authority, who was out in the forest searching for the wounded animal. "We are currently tracking the bear and we have found traces of blood indicating internal injuries," he said.

The driver escaped uninjured while his car suffered some damage.

Police Cruiser Strikes Moose While Looking For Moose

A BRUNSWICK, MAINE, POLICE LIEUTENANT was transported to the hospital with minor injuries late last month after colliding with a moose.  WMTW-TV reported the story:

According to Lt. Thomas Garrepy, at 3:26 a.m. Saturday, members of the Brunswick Police, Fire and Rescue, and Maine State Police responded to a report of a car crash on Interstate 295 in the area of Mile Marker 24.

Garrepy said the crash involved a Brunswick Police cruiser, which had struck a moose. Lt. Lynne Doucette was checking for a reported moose wandering on the highway in the area of Mile Marker 28 on southbound I-295.

Garrepy said as Doucette neared Mile Marker 24, she was preparing to pull over to check on a car in the breakdown lane when her cruiser struck a moose.

Frisky Moose Pays a Visit to Hooters and Harley's

A YOUNG BULL MOOSE WANDERED INTO LOVELAND, Colorado, in June and decided that he liked hanging around the Hooters saloon located next door to the Harley-Davidson dealer.  Denver tv Channel 7 posted:

"Kinda looked like he was in culture shock," said David Trom of Windsor. "I’ve seen moose before, photographed them in Wyoming, but around here, you don’t see them."

Everybody gets the munchies when they go to Hooters

The moose then wandered (from the Hooters parking lot) into the Thunder Mountain Harley Davidson Amphitheatre. "There are some trees, it's little bit shaded, he got inside there and started wandering around," said Katie Stults with Thunder Mountain marketing.

Workers and neighbors started snapping pictures. "People could see him, but they couldn’t get close enough to harm him," Stults said.

Police and wildlife officers responded and shot the moose with a tranquilizer gun, then transported it back to the wild.

Wham!  Driver Walks Away …. Moose Doesn't

A NEWFOUNDLAND MAN BELIEVES HE IS LUCKY to be alive following a collision with a moose while driving home that left his car completely destroyed.  CBC News reported:

"A lot of people can't believe that I survived it because the moose went over my head," said Tyler Cassell. "I saw a moose running across the road and when I got to it, I expected him to run back cross, but when I was about ten feet away from him, he ran in front of me and I smacked into him," he said.

CBC

Cassell said he believes he lost consciousness for a few minutes after the impact. He said he remembers climbing out of his vehicle with the dead animal lying next to him.

Cassell was taken to hospital for observation but, surprisingly, he escaped largely uninjured.

"[I'm] still sore and my neck and shoulders [are sore] and that's about it – and one scratch on my hand," Cassell said. "I never ended up with a bruise or nothing."

It's Never Too Late to Bag One

WITH HUNTING SEASON RAPIDLY APPROACHING, Firegeezer wants to show you that it's never too late to hope for the big one by relating this story from last October.  Joyce Herlitzke, who was 82 last year, had just taken up hunting four years before so that she could accompany her family on hunting trips.  the LaCrosse, Wisconsin, grandmother was in the Yukon Territory with her son Keith and a few other hunters when she sighted a most unusual bull moose.

Taking aim from 250 yards away, she brought the beast down and when the party went to see what she dropped, they found a 1,700 lb. bull with a 63-inch antler spread.  The creature is estimated to be 8 years old.

WKBT-TV has the story and more photos HERE.

Review previous editions of the Moose Chronicles HERE.

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Posted by on September 8, 2012 • Filed under: Moose Report

The Moose Chronicles

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An Occasional  Report on Noteworthy Moose Activity

IN MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A WANDERING MOOSE took a wrong turn and ended up in a backyard swimming pool.  The beast crashed through the backyard fence and unwittingly stepped onto the pool cover, taking it into the water with him.

WMUR-TV

WMUR-TV tells what happened next:

Police, firefighters, and fish and game officials were called to a home on Lindstrom Court in Manchester just after 10 p.m. When they arrived, they found the moose stuck swimming around in the water, unable to get out of the pool.

The visit came as a shock to the pool’s owner, George Trapotsis, who said "This train-like noise came through the fence and dove right into the pool. He tore the cover, got entangled and just couldn't move," Trapotsis said.

At about midnight the rescue of the moose was underway. With a rope attached to the moose, nine men pulled the animal out of the water.

WMUR-TV also provided this raw video that documents the water rescue:

 

IN EAGLE LAKE, MAINE, TWO SEPARATE vehicle accidents involving moose occurred just two hours and three miles apart on September 21.  The Bangor Daily News reported:

Maine State Police Sgt. Tom Pelletier said that one of the crashes seriously injured Cyr Martin, chief of the Ashland Police Department.  Martin, 46, of Eagle Lake was driving his 2006 Chevy Blazer south on Route 11 between Portage and Eagle Lake about 7:45 a.m. Wednesday when a moose entered the roadway, Pelletier said. Martin’s vehicle struck the moose and swerved into the northbound lane, colliding head-on with a 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck.

Martin, the driver of the pickup, 70-year-old Melford Bouchard of Newburgh, and Bouchard’s passenger, Eileen Ross of Newburgh, were taken by Fort Kent and Eagle Lake ambulances to Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent.   Ross was treated and then released, according to Pelletier, but Bouchard and Martin were taken by LifeFlight to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

The second accident happened two hours later on the same stretch of Route 11 when a delivery truck struck and killed a moose that stepped out in front of it.  The moose was the only casualty while the truck and driver both escaped any damage.

Whack-A-Moose in Maine

THE STATE OF MAINE has raised the speed limit on a 120-mile stretch of I-95 from the Canadian border down to  Bangor from 65 mph to 75, the highest in New England.  The new speed limit took effect in the first week of October and has serious implications on the mortality rate of auto vs. moose collisions.  WMTW-TV has the DETAILS.

Foreigner Shoots Famed Albino Moose

NORWAY INTERNATIONAL NETWORK REPORTS: 

Moose lovers were mourning the highly publicized loss (last) week of Norway’s near-legendary albino moose, killed by a Danish hunter who reportedly has few regrets. The moose wandered into his hunting area southeast of Oslo and he simply pulled the trigger.

Ole Frost was said to be unaware that the moose, nicknamed Albin, was popular and had been informally protected even by local hunting teams.

Frost, who had arrived for hunting in Norway on Monday, told Danish website bt.dk that he’d heard about a protected moose a few years ago but nothing recently. "So when I get it in my corner, I have just a few seconds to think about what I should do," he told bt.dk. "But I decided to shoot the moose and it’s a decision I stand by."

After hauling the carcass back to his workshop, Frost gave interviews to the curious press including TRK News who filed this video report HERE.

Albin had been protected, if only by loose agreement among Norwegian hunters, since first spotted in 2007. He was five years old and was technically not a true albino. Albin had gray eyes and a reddish mane.

A WOMAN IN BARRIE, ONTARIO, ARRIVED home to find a large crowd of her neighbors, police officers, and assorted news media gathered around her backyard fence where a young bull moose was thrashing about.  The Barrie Examiner continues:

Police were dispatched at about 7:15 a.m. and found the moose in Missen's yard at about 7:30 a.m. The constable on the scene called the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). She then tried to keep people quiet and away from the yard to prevent the moose from jumping or crashing through the fence to freedom.

The moose alternated between lying down and panting, and jogging around the yard and peering over the fence.

The MNR arrived at about 10:15 a.m. and officers shot the moose with a tranquilizer gun from the back yard.

Barrie Examiner

After an MNR officer was confident the moose was unconscious, it was blindfolded and its were legs tied. An officer removed the tranquilzer darts while police laid out a large green mesh tarp. Ten MNR and OPP officers lifted the approximately 900-pound animal onto the tarp and into the back of the MNR pickup truck.

It was taken away to be released back into the wild.

THE IDAHO STATE POLICE REPORTED on September 25 that two people were transported to the hospital with injuries caused when their truck rolled over after striking a moose on I-86 near Pocatello.

The Idaho State Journal tell us:  Idaho State Police Cpl. Chris Baker said the flatbed Dodge 2500 pickup, which has Montana plates, was eastbound on I-86 and had just passed the Highway 30 exit shortly after 8 p.m. when it was struck by the moose. The car (sic) then slid off the interstate into the median where it rolled once.

Idaho State Journal

Baker, who wasn’t the investigating officer, had few additional details. He did say, however that the same moose likely hit a car just a few minutes earlier in the same area. That car was not so severely damaged and the driver pulled off I-86 at the Chubbuck exit, making his way to the Walgreen’s parking lot where he called emergency services to report the incident.

The moose, which Baker estimates was a two- to three-year old male, was killed in the incident.

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Hat tips to Mark D. and Gnome Handler along with several loyal readers who alerted us to the swimming pool moose story.  Thanks!

You may catch up on previous Moose Chroncles HERE.

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Posted by on October 12, 2011 • Filed under: Moose Report • Tagged:

The Moose Chronicles

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An Occasional Series on Noteworthy Moose Activity

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The wreckage of a vehicle lays on the shoulder of Highway 43 near Wembley, Alta. on Sept. 2, following a collision with a moose. The vehicle was travelling westbound when it struck the moose. A male, female and infant passenger were in the vehicle at the time of the accident, but no one was harmed. ( Daily Herald-Tribune)

THE BOSTON HERALD REPORTED FROM Windsor, Massachusetts:

State police say a Windsor man suffered serious injuries after the motorcycle he was operating struck a moose that later had to be euthanized.

Police say 55-year-old Donald Allard Jr. was heading east on Route 9 just after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday when his Harley-Davidson crashed head-on into the moose, which was walking toward him in the travel lane just beyond a blind curve.

Police says the motorcycle then skidded on its side 124 feet and Allard was thrown off onto the ground nearby. Allard was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield with "critical injuries."

The moose suffered two broken legs and had to be destroyed by state environmental police.

THE VISITOR CENTER FOR THE GRAND TETON National Park is located in Moose, Wyoming.  So it was only fitting that when a couple chose to donate a large, bronze statue to grace the exterior of the Center, they decided on a moose as the subject.

Grand Teton National Park Foundation

ACN adds:  Thanks to Steve and Roberta Denning's generous donation, park visitors are charmed by a realistic replica of one of the park’s most iconic animals. Titled September by American artist Michael Coleman, the life-size moose sculpture stands over nine feet tall at its antlers. This imposing sculpture has quickly become a fascinating attraction for kids and adults alike. Many visitors stop to snap a photograph standing next to the bronze moose before they venture into the visitor center. 

Read more HERE.

FROM LOVELL, MAINE, THE Sun Journal reported:

A young cow moose, believed stuck in a fire pond off Sabattus Road for two days, was rescued Monday night by game wardens and town workers.

Fire Chief Tommie McKenzie said nearby residents discovered the animal's plight and reported it Monday. Maine Warden Service officers went to the scene and asked for additional help from Lovell Fire Department and town highway workers. "We put a nylon strap around it and just pulled it out," he said.

Bridgton News

The moose, believed to be about 2 years old, apparently could not get out of the pond because the banks were too soft and too steep, he said. It was exhausted, he said.

"Wardens left it there," away from the pond "so it could recover," the chief said. The moose was uninjured and later left on its own.

IN MADAWASKA LAKE, MAINE, a North Lakes Fire and Rescue tanker was responding to an auto accident on August 4.  A car had driven into a gang of three moose in the roadway and struck one of them, causing serious damage to the car.  About one mile from the scene, another moose walked out into the roadway in front of the FD tanker and it, too, was struck.

The Bangor Daily News describes the dual incident:

State Police Sgt. Brian Harris said 39-year-old Tommy Collins was driving a 1997 Plymouth van northbound on Route 161 at about 11:30 p.m. when he encountered three moose in the roadway. Collins was able to avoid two of the moose but struck and killed the third. Collins and his two passengers, Cindy Collins, 46, and Richard Collins, 41, suffered minor cuts and scrapes, Harris said. Cindy Collins was taken by Caribou Fire and Rescue to Cary Medical Center in Caribou.

Harris said the front of the van was substantially damaged and the vehicle needed to be towed from the scene by a wrecker.

Harris said firefighter Stephen Belanger, 53, was driving the North Lakes Fire and Rescue Department’s 1979 International tanker truck to the scene when a moose ran into the roadway in front of him a mile or so from the first accident.

Belanger tried to avoid the moose but could not and also struck and killed the animal. Belanger and his passenger, Ben Pelletier, 54, were not injured in the accident. The tanker sustained heavy damage to the front and had to be towed from the scene.

Norwegian Public Radio (NRK) reported:  A moose out grazing this week on the lush vegetation of what’s normally a downhill ski run in the winter suddenly attacked a female athlete who was part of a group competing in a race up the hill.  It’s become popular in recent years for Norwegians to run up steep ski runs, part of a relatively new sport called motbakke among local enthusiasts.

Things turned dramatic Monday evening at a motbakke event at the Varingskollen Ski Center in Nittedal, just north of Oslo. A moose continued grazing on the hill, "very calmly," according one participant, even after the racers started running nearby.  At one point, some racers feared the large animal would be disturbed by people running by it, and chased it away. The moose wandered over to a parallel ski run, but eventually returned and continued eating.

Then, without warning, it attacked a female participant. She had apparently tried to shoo it away from some small children herself, but fell and the moose apparently kicked her in the leg. She suffered a large cut and possible fracture.

Varingen photo

NRK has the STORY.

IN SWEDEN AN ANNUAL HAZARD is foraging moose who eat fementing apples in orchards and get drunk.  Their voracious appetite for the tasty fruit leads to overdoses and large numbers of drunken moose wandering erratically around.  But in Saro this past Tuesday one of the hungry rascals  apparently tried to stand up to reach some goodies higher up in the tree and he fell over, becoming entrapped in the tree.

The Local tells the story:

When Per Johansson of Saro returned home from work on Tuesday it was dark outside and the rain was coming down hard. Suddenly Johansson heard a bellowing noise from the garden next door. "I thought at first that someone was having a laugh. Then I went over to take a look and spotted (a moose) stuck in an apple tree with only one leg left on the ground," Johansson told The Local.

ScanPix

The unfortunate animal was desperately entangled in the tree’s branches and was kicking ferociously as Johansson approached.

"I thought it looked pretty bad so I called the police who sent out an on-call hunter. But while we were waiting, the neighbours and I started to saw down some of the branches and then the hunter arrived with a saw as well," said Johansson. The group tried to make the moose more comfortable but to no avail.

It wasn’t until the fire brigade arrived on the scene and managed to bend the tree to the point where the exhausted beast could slide out of the branches that the animal was finally freed. They estimated that he had been on a 2-day bender.  The next morning it woke up and stumbled away.

 

You can review previous moose reports HERE.

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Posted by on September 9, 2011 • Filed under: Moose Report

The Moose Chronicles

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An Occasional Series on Noteworthy Moose Activity

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Maine State Police Trooper Fred Thomas worked an accident on Rte. 1 in Aroostook County, Wednesday June 15, where a car had collided with a moose.  After he cleared the scene, Trooper Thomas started driving down the highway and just a half-mile along he struck a moose which crashed into the patrol car's windshield.

Maine State Police photo

Tr. Thomas suffered some bumps and bruises, but no serious injuries.  The moose died on the scene.

Source:  WCSH-TV. 

This time of year it is not uncommon to find orphaned moose calves.  There are times that the mother cows are either killed by vehicles on the roadways, or killed by predators while protecting their young.  The Alaska Wildlife Center is one of the sanctuaries where the orphans are taken for upbringing and the staff there recently produced this cute video of a 3-week-old investigating the camera:

 

The moose's name is derived from the American Indian word "Mooswa" which means twig-eater. And as well as the twigs, the animals' diet consists of fresh leaves, young tree shoots and aquatic plants.

After leaving the retirement home, the moose escaped to a nearby park.  (Reuters)

In Alingsas, Sweden, earlier this month, things got lively in a senior citizen home when a moose jumped through a window into the dining hall.  The Daily Mail (UK) reported:

Police say that aside from the animal, who was scratched by the broken window, no one was injured in the June 9th incident at the Brunnsgarden retirement home in the small town of Alingsas.

Helen Gillquist, head of the retirement home, said residents had just finished lunch and left the ground-floor dining room when the moose jumped through the three-paneled glass window. She says it 'jumped over a sofa and knocked over chairs and flowers' before getting stuck in a set of doors.

The moose eventually escaped into a nearby park after police managed to open the home's doors.

A glazier inspects the door as he prepares to replace the glass where the moose entered.  (Reuters)

A Greyhound bus traveling through the forests of southern British Columbia encountered a moose crossing the highway Tuesday morning.  The bus was traveling from Edmonton to Kamloops when the cow and a calf strode out onto the road.  The bus struck the moose and the impact caused it to veer off the roadway as the driver lost control, and rode down into a slough where it came to rest in 5 feet of water.

CBC

The bus remained upright the entire time and just four of the 18 passengers were injured.  One of the injuries was for a broken bone and three others were transported to another hospital for undisclosed injuries.

The moose died from the collision and the calf has not been seen since.

CTV has the STORY.

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An off-duty nurse traveling on I-95 in Penobscot County, Maine, last night (Thursday) was ready for the worst when she came across a fresh traffic accident.  The Bangor Daily News tells us:

(Cynthia Deveau) the 38-year-old traveling nurse was heading south on Interstate 95 toward her Lincoln apartment after visiting family in East Millinocket when she came upon a badly smashed Nissan XTerra and a dead moose in the middle of the highway at about 9 p.m. Thursday, she said.

With the vehicle facing the wrong way and its front end caved in ― the windshield was smashed but didn’t shatter ― Deveau said she feared she would find extreme injuries to the vehicle’s occupants. Instead, a man, apparently the driver, had slight injuries to his hand and a woman and the couple’s small grandchild were OK.

"When I saw his truck and I stopped and he said, ‘I am OK,’ I was really surprised that he [the man] was the one in the accident," Deveau said late Thursday. "He’s very lucky."

Nurse Deveau carries an emergency aid kit and she conducted a primary evaluation while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.  She also set out some safety reflectors and a few small safety cones to alert oncoming drivers to the accident scene.  The Daily News continues:

Deveau’s precautions weren’t enough, however, to stop an 18-wheeler from smashing into the small female moose and dragging it several hundred feet, she said. The trucker’s mishap apparently did no damage to the truck, but the same cannot be said for the moose carcass.

"It smells awful," Deveau said.

For previous issues of The Moose Chronicles CLICK HERE.

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Posted by on June 24, 2011 • Filed under: Moose Report

Moose Chronicles Return

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Winter is Over and the Moose Are On the Move Again

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In St. John's, Newfoundland, the fender-benders have begun already.  VOCM online news reported yesterday:

There was no running of a red light, but a moose t-boned a pickup Sunday night around 9:00 on Torbay Road in St. John's. The driver didn't sustain any injuries, but the truck was extensively damaged. The cow moose had to be put down by wildlife officers. A calf was also seen in the area, but officials could not locate it.

FROM ANCHORGE, ALASKA, COMES this report of a ditz stricken with what the psychologists call the Disney Syndrome:

Don't mess with the moose.  That's the warning police in Anchorage, Alaska, are repeating after one of the animals kicked a woman in the chest and shoulder at a city park. She was checked by medics Monday afternoon and didn't have to go to a hospital.

The Anchorage Daily News reports the moose had been in Town Square Park most of the day feeding on trees. The woman in her 20s was attacked when she tried to pet it.

Police spokeswoman Anita Shell says the moose is not a threat unless provoked, so people need to give it space.

FROM MARYSTOWN, ALSO IN NEWFOUNDLAND, comes this bit of good news (good for people, not for moose):

Over 5,000 more moose licenses and a one-week extension to the hunting season highlight the province’s 2011 big game hunting season.

The 2011-12 Hunting and Trapping Guide and big game applications have been mailed to all qualified resident big game hunters in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Environment and Conservation Minister Ross Wiseman explained “We have increased the number of licenses in the province this year by more than 5,000, with the majority focused along the Trans Canada Highway and major trunk roads, in an attempt to counteract the number of moose-vehicle incidents that are occurring.

“While we have steadily increased the number of moose licenses for the past six years, this is the largest increase to date, as we work toward trying to address the moose-vehicle accident rate in the province.”

Read the full article with the details in the Southern Gazette HERE.

THE BAY TODAY ONLINE NEWSPAPER in North Bay, Ontario, has performed a true public service by posting a handy guide on how to avoid moose collisions.  A few of the tips tell us:

  • Use high beams at night where possible and watch for glowing eyes of animals
  • Brake firmly if an animal is standing on, or crossing, the road. Never assume the animal will move out of your way.
  • If possible, avoid driving during dusk or dawn when most wildlife collisions occur. Swerving to avoid hitting a wild animal may result in a more serious collision. If hitting a wild animal is unavoidable, remember to stay in control … Watch, Steer, Brake and Stop.

Read and print out the entire list HERE.

A DARING MOOSE HAS TAKEN A STROLL THROUGH Leicester, Massachusetts, recently.  Police Chief John Hurley spotted the moose Friday morning after getting to work. He said he just looked out the window and saw it.

Hurley followed it to make sure it didn’t get hit by a car or scare anyone and along the way he shot some video as it ran through a middle school, senior center, Becker College and then into a neighborhood.  With the help of the environmental police, the moose was rallied back to the reservoir where they believe it came from.

WFXT-TV Ch. 25 got the chief's video and prepared this report:

 

 

STILL IN MASSACHUSETTS, THE REPUBLICAN is reporting that in Whately the cab of a tractor trailer truck carrying 42,000 pounds of cargo was destroyed after the driver struck a moose on Interstate 91 Sunday night near Exit 21 south.

The driver, Charles Poudrier, of Quebec, was not injured, but his truck was disabled and had to be towed from the interstate after the 8:35 p.m. accident, State Police Sgt. Matthew Murray said.

The moose, believed to weigh between 600 and 700 pounds, was standing in one of the lanes when it was struck. Massachusetts Environmental Police responded and removed the dead animal from the side of the road, he said.

 

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BACK IN JANUARY FIREGEEZER reported (HERE) that electric stungun manufacturer Taser International has brought out the new Taser X3W (Wildlife) model which is intended to take down, comparatively harmlessly, such adversaries as charging moose or bears. 

Taser's Moose Model

Alaska has now joined several other states and provinces in setting limits on how and when a Taser can be used on a moose or bear.  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner is reporting:

The Alaska Board of Game passed a statewide proposal prohibiting the use of electronic control devices, aka Tasers, for hunting, but the new regulation does not prevent people from using a Taser on animals in defense of life and property.

"This is referencing all use of (Tasers) for incapacitation of game in Alaska," Lewis said.

The department isn’t as concerned with a hunter killing a moose or bear with a Taser as it is "catch and release hunting," Lewis said.

"Conceivably someone could Tase a moose or bear, go up and get a picture taken with it, shut the (Taser) off and then release the animal," he said.

Read the details of this new legislation HERE.

 

CLICK HERE to get caught up on our previous Moose Reports.

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Posted by on April 12, 2011 • Filed under: Moose Report, News, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Moose Report

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An Occasional Series on Noteworthy Moose Activity

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Norway Takes Steps to Reduce Moose vs. Auto Collisions

VIEWS AND NEWS FROM NORWAY is reporting that state transportation authorities have come up with another unique attempt to reduce collisions between moose and man in Norway. They intend to hang up brightly colored moose antlers along a stretch of accident-prone highway, to get motorists to be more aware of the moose that may be lurking in the bush.

While some politicians are scoffing at the plan to spend over a million kroner on what they mockingly call “highway art,” officials are saying that the display of moose antlers is part of an overall traffic safety program.  

Earlier efforts have included spreading artificial blood on the roads, hanging reflectors along highways to scare off wildlife and spraying wolf urine on train tracks to keep moose away.  (Firegeezer wants to know how do you collect enough wolf urine to spray a railroad track?)

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IN NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR THE RCMP is investigating a vehicle-moose collision that occurred Saturday on the Trans-Canada Highway.  

The vehicle was traveling west when it struck a moose and left the road. Two occupants, a 20-year-old male driver and 19-year-old female passenger, received non-lifethreatening injuries. Both had to be extracted from the vehicle  and transported to hospital.

The moose was destroyed.  The Telegram has the STORY.

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IN NORTHUMBERLAND, ONTARIO, THE MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES  is seeking the public’s help solving cases of unlawful shooting and abandonment of moose across the province.  There have been several recent instances of hunters killing moose unlawfully and then deliberately leaving the carcasses abandoned in the woods.

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Mooseman54 Gets the Best Shot

NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT KEN LYON, 56, is know locally as “Mooseman54″ and has been actively photographing moose  for 11 years.  He tells WMUR-TV :

He sometimes travels 400 miles in a weekend and has gone through three cars to fulfill his hobby.  

Lyon said the best time to see them is early morning from April to July and September to October. He said December and January are also good times, so now isn’t a bad time to give it a shot.He looks for signs on the side of the road, like tracks. Swampy, muddy areas are good for moose spotting. Moose also love the salt on the sides of the roads.

A vehicle hit a moose just west of the Salmonier Line turnoff after 5:30 p.m., according to police. Nobody was injured, but the moose was killed.

Around the same time, another vehicle lost control trying to avoid a moose near Butter Pot Park. Police said the vehicle left the road, but no one was hurt.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2011/01/19/nl-moose-accidents-119.html#ixzz1BVBJQes3

Lyon said the secret is patience and a lot of driving. He does most of the photography from his car so he doesn’t spook them.  He uses a digital Canon Rebel with a 300mm lens.

WMUR-TV has also posted a 91-image photo gallery of Lyon’s works HERE.

Ken “Mooseman54″ Lyon photo

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 ELECTRIC STUNGUN MANUFACTURER Taser International has brought out the new Taser X3W (Wildlife) model which is intended to take down, comparatively harmlessly, such adversaries as charging moose or bears. 

Taser’s Moose Model

According to the product description on their website:

The Wildlife TASER electronic control device is a revolutionary new multi-shot ECD that can engage multiple targets, and deliver a calibrated Neuro Muscular Incapacitation (NMI) pulse from up to 35 feet away. The Range Adjusted Dual Laser System increases effectiveness, while providing a more humane means of animal control for wildlife. These devices have been proven effective for wildlife and are available today for wildlife managers, field biologists and zoo caretakers.

Read more about it in The Register HERE.

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 The Canadian Broadcasting Company is reporting that there were two moose accidents Tuesday evening in eastern Newfoundland.  A vehicle hit a moose just west of the Salmonier Line turnoff after 5:30 p.m., according to police. Nobody was injured, but the moose was killed.  Around the same time, another vehicle lost control trying to avoid a moose near Butter Pot Park. Police said the vehicle left the road, but no one was hurt. 

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Ambulance Chasers Hear the Call of the Moose

The CBC is also telling us that some undernourished lawyers are trying to cash in on the Moose game:

A St. John’s lawyer filed a class-action lawsuit Jan. 5 claiming the Newfoundland and Labrador government is responsible for injuries and deaths cause by road collisions with moose.  Lawyer Ches Crosbie claims the province’s failure to control the moose population is to blame for the more than 700 moose-vehicle accidents reported annually.

Two victims of moose accidents, Hugh George, 59, and Ben Bellows, 54, are named as representative claimants in the suit’s statement of claim, which has not been certified as a class action.

“Wildlife practices of the defendant have allowed the moose population on the Island to reach numbers in the range of 120,000 to 200,000 … multiplying the danger of moose collisions for users of the highways,” said a statement of claim filed in court.

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The Moose Chronicles is an occasional feature of Firegeezer.  You can review previous Moose Chronicle reports HERE.

Posted by on January 19, 2011 • Filed under: Moose Report • Tagged: ,

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TWO PEOPLE DIED NEAR EDMONTON, ALBERTA, Saturday night October 30 when the truck they were riding in struck a moose.  The accident occurred around 8:30 pm when the moose walked out onto the highway and the truck ran into it.  The driver lost control of the vehicle after the collision and it went into a ditch where it rolled several times.  Two passengers were ejected from the tumbling truck  and died at the scene.  The driver was wearing a seatbelt and suffered a broken arm.

Two other vehicles then struck the moose as well, but there were no other injuries.

The Edmonton Journal has the STORY.

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IN BRIDGER VALLEY, WYOMING, THE LOCAL GAME WARDEN is asking the public’s help in solving a moose poaching case.  The Bridger Valley Pioneer reports:

Beach said a two-year old bull moose with small antlers was shot and left between Meeks Cabin Dam and Van Tassel Lake sometime between late morning on Oct. 28 and mid-day Oct. 29.

“Tracks in the snow indicated the suspect shot the moose west of the two track road leading to Van Tassel Lake from Meeks Cabin Dam,” Beach said. “The suspect then followed the moose for a few hundred yards, but stopped their pursuit just a few feet east of the two-track road. The moose was found dead just 90 yards from where the person stopped following the tracks.”

Bridger Valley Pioneer

Game Warden Beach speculates that whoever shot it had thought at first is was a cow moose, but when they got close enough to see the small antlers on it, they panicked and left.

The Bridger Valley Pioneer has MORE.

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NEBRASKA IS GENERALLY TOO FAR SOUTH for moose because of the warmer climate, but on Friday November 5 an 1,100-lb. cow moose was the first one to be sighted in two years.  Unfortunately the first person to see her was driving an SUV and plowed into on a highway near Scotts Bluff.  The impact killed the moose on impact, yet the carcass continued to be a danger as a following Chrysler sedan also crashed into it.

The SUV  had several thousands of dollars in damage and the Chrysler was totalled.  Both drivers escaped injury, however.  The extraordinary weight of the beast made it difficult to move it off the highway.  A Bobcat front-end loader was brought in and used to lift it onto a flatbed trailer, then carried away.

Nebraska State Patrol photo

The Omaha World-Herald has the DETAILS.

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A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAN WHO WAS never taught that wild animals are ….. well … wild, pulled his car over and stopped to look at one the other day.  The North Andover (Massachusetts) Eagle Tribune tells us what happened:

A Northfield man driving along Rockingham Road received a surprise Saturday when he saw a moose on the side of the road shortly before 4 p.m. and pulled over to take a look at it.

While John Skomurski was gazing at the large animal, the bold moose suddenly came toward him. The moose then slammed its head against the windshield, damaging Skomurski’s car, according to Londonderry police Lt. Robert Michaud.

“The person just stopped and the moose just came over and head-butted the window,” Michaud said. “No one got hurt, but it cracked the windshield.  Then it got up and just walked away,” he said.

The moose was last seen disappearing into the woods from which it never returned.

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You want a moose for yourself?  All you have to do is call one.  Here’s how to do it:

 

Review previous reports from the Moose Chronicles HERE.

Posted by on November 9, 2010 • Filed under: Moose Report

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A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAN WHO WAS lucky enough to win one of the limited moose hunting licenses for this season was able to bag a bull that turned out to be the state record for the biggest rack.  Jack Middleton, a Manchester attorney, had tried for 20 years to win one of the apportioned licenses and this was his first successful attempt, enabling him to participate in the 9-day season that ran from October 16 to 24.

Union Leader

When he somehow got the beast to the check-in station, it was measured at 68-½ inches across.  In order to get an estimate on the bull's age, the Fish & Game biologist at the station extracted a tooth and determined that it was between 9 and 10 years old.  The rack on the 775-lb. moose had 25 points on it.  The complete story can be read in the Manchester Union Leader HERE.

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MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING NETWORK TELLS US that moose collisions with cars are on the increase in the New England states.  In Maine alone, there are several hundred collisions  every year.  But as the moose population expands, the problem is also growing in states that previously never had a problem before.  Last year Massachusetts had 30 moose-vehicle collisions whereas just 10 years ago there were only 50 moose in the entire state.  MPBN tells us that it started in northern New England twenty years ago. Moose returned because the hardwood forests they depend on had grown back after farmers clear-cut them in the 1800s.

Now some of the states are inaugurating driver-education programs to make drivers more aware of the growing hazard.  It is such a new problem that many drivers don't even know about it.  Read the full report on MPBN's website HERE.

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IT'S NOT JUST CARS that are getting more moose dents in their fenders:

 

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VERMONT'S 6-DAY MOOSE HUNTING SEASON just concluded yesterday (Thursday).  This year 765 lucky winners had their license applications drawn from the pool of 12,000 entrants.  One of them brought in a notable catch Wednesday afternoon that is generating a lot of interest amongst the moosers. 

A party of hunters who wish to be not publicly identified bagged an albino bull.  A Fish & Wildlife Dept. representative said that the creature that weighed in a 744 lbs. was probably about 2 years old.

Burlington Free Press

The game official added that there have been several sightings and photos taken of more than one white moose over the past four years.

The Burlington Free Press tells the tale HERE.

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THE OPENING DAY OF MINNESOTA'S MOOSE SEASON on October 2 was all it took for a pair of hunters from Bemidji to bag one of the forest's real monsters, a 1,400-lb. bull.

The Bemidji Pioneer tells:

Dan Rockensock of Bemidji and his partner Greg Winskowski of Stephen first heard the animal crashing in the brush and finally the moose emerged from the thick woods. The moose eventually stopped about 10 yards from Rockensock and offered a killing shot.

After the shot the moose ran past Rockensock who returned to camp to enlist Winskowski’s help in tracking.  The hunters eventually retrieved the bull about a mile from where Rockensock first saw it.

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This is a continuing series.  To catch up on previous issues of the Moose Chronicles, CLICK HERE.

Posted by on October 22, 2010 • Filed under: Moose Report • Tagged: , ,

The Moose Chronicles

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FROM ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND, THE TELEGRAM reports that on October 6 three women were transported to the hospital following a collision between their car and a moose on the Trans-Canada Highway.

The driver of the vehicle, a 60-year-old woman, received serious injuries, but are considered to be non-life threatening. The two passengers received injuries also described as non-life threatening.

The Toyota Matrix the women were travelling in was heavily damaged with the top of the car being peeled back by the collision.

RCMP say the accident occurred between 7:40 p.m. and 8 p.m. The vehicle was east-bound and the moose came up onto the highway in front of the vehicle.

The moose was killed immediately by the impact.

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A WOMAN IN WASILLA, ALASKA,  WAS TRAPPED IN HER SUV for 25 minutes on October 4 after she struck a moose which wrecked her car.  When the FD finally got her into an ambulance to be transported, it was involved in an accident.  The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reports:

At about 6:45 a.m., the Hyundai sport-utility vehicle the woman was driving struck a moose and rolled off the south side of the road, near Mile 2. Chief James Steele of Central Mat-Su Fire Department said the accident trapped the woman — who was conscious — inside the car for about 25 minutes.  “Fire and rescue were there because someone reported seeing smoke, but it turned out to be just steam,” Steele said. “The impact killed the moose instantly. It looked like a little bull.”

An ambulance carried the woman away. As it turned from KGB onto the Palmer-Wasilla Highway Extension, a southbound car turning left from KGB onto the highway extension hit the back of the ambulance, which was traveling without its lights or siren on.

Steele said that accident inflicted minor damage to the ambulance and moderate damage to the car.  “We don’t know how it happened,” Steele said of that second collision.

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IN WEST HARTLAND, CONNECTICUT, The Register Citizen tells us that on September 22 Alan Green, 50, was traveling in a 1997 Ford Escort when he struck and killed a moose that had wandered into the roadway.  The vehicle sustained heavy front end damage. Green, a West Hartland resident, sustained a minor injury to his left arm.

State police located the dead moose on the roadway. The Department of Environment Protection removed the animal from the scene.  Green was transported to Hartford Hospital by Winsted Ambulance volunteers.

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FROM DIXFIELD, MAINE, THE LEWISTON SUN JOURNAL reported that on September 24 a young bull moose kept dozens of residents transfixed, and law enforcement officials frustrated when it strolled into town and wouldn’t leave for nearly three hours.

Sgt. Jeff Howe said the saga began around 5 p.m. on the fields near Naples Packing where the moose was first spotted. He eventually strolled into the Main Street and Weld Street area, bringing with him a large group of moose watchers, Howe said.

The bull moose starts out to cross Weld Street in Dixfield.
Charlie Picasa photo

“We had a hard time keeping people back. Traffic was snarled up. Every time we got him turned around (to go into the woods) he’d come back onto the street,” Howe said.

The moose, estimated to weigh about 700 pounds, settled down behind Wiles Funeral Home on Weld Street, walked down Weld Street, as well as along Main Street.  Eventually the moose walked into the woods, and the dozens of people dispersed.

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IN CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA, THE LOCAL MOOSE LODGE presented the Citrus County Fire Service with five dozen “Tommy the Moose” animal dolls.  The Crystal River Loyal Order of Moose Lodge No. 2013 also donated a supply of the dolls to the Sheriff’s office and the county EMS department. 

The Citrus Daily tells us:

The Tommy Moose program, sponsored by Moose International, provides the plush dolls to police officers, firefighters and ambulance personnel all over North America. The officials keep the plush dolls in their vehicles, ready to be given to children when the children or their families are involved in fires, accidents or other traumatic situations.

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FROM THE PORTLAND, MAINE, PRESS HERALD comes this report:

A college official is crediting the driver of a chartered bus for keeping control of the vehicle after it hit a bull moose on Interstate 95 while carrying two soccer teams back to Fort Kent.

University of Maine Fort Kent Athletic Director Bill Ashby told the Bangor Daily News that no one on the bus was hurt in the 2:15 a.m. crash (September 26)  just north of Orono. The moose, estimated to weigh 1,000 to 1,200 pounds, was killed.

Ashby said the bus was carrying the men’s and women’s soccer teams back to Fort Kent after games in New York state. The crash delayed the bus for several hours, but it continued the trip to Fort Kent.

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ON OCTOBER 6 A MASSACHUSETTS STATE wildlife biologist issued a public announcement warning the citizens to watch out for moose on the highways.  The Republican reports:

Two moose have been struck by motorists in the past two days in Western Massachusetts, and a state wildlife biologist is advising drivers to watch out for them as they are in the peak of their breeding season and may wander into roadways as they search for a mate.

In Palmer, 23-year-old Justin Before, of Ware, struck a moose just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday night on West Ware Road, also known as Whiskey Hill Road, according to police.  While Before’s Mitsubishi Eclipse was totaled, the moose walked away. Before also was unhurt.

But in Northampton on Monday, a large moose was struck and killed by a motorist on Route 5 near the state police barracks.  The driver, Andrew M. Rule, 20, of 55 Florence St., escaped injury in the accident, reported about 10:40 p.m. Police said he had been wearing a seat belt. The vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage.

The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife this week put out an advisory telling drivers to brake for moose and deer this fall. The news release states that drivers need to be aware of increased activity by the animals, especially during early morning and evening hours.

Because moose are looking for mates, they can often wander into the path of a car, according to wildlife biologist Sonja A. Christensen. The search for a mate gives them “tunnel-vision.”

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 THE CANADIAN PRESS IS REPORTING that the city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, will soon be getting a new hog slaughtering plant.  

The city sold the building and land to the new owners of Thunder Creek Pork in the spring after taking possession in exchange for taxes owed by the old pork plant that went belly up.

Thunder Creek Pork is looking for workers and expect to start operations before the end of the year.

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To get caught up on previous reports from the Moose Chronicles, CLICK HERE.

Posted by on October 8, 2010 • Filed under: Moose Report • Tagged:

Moose Update

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IN KONGSVINGER, NORWAY LAST TUESDAY, A MOOSE CALF suddenly came crashing through the window of a florist shop, sending staff and shoppers running.  The beast then wandered next door to a bakery leaving a trail of minor destruction behind before it visited a small grocery.

It soon became bored and dashed back out to the street where it took off for parts unknown.  The CCTV cameras in the shopping plaza caught part of the unscheduled visit:

 

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IN MAINE, 27-YR.-OLD CHRISTOPHER MILLER of New Brunswick, Canada, died on July 10 after the car he was riding in struck a moose on the Maine Turnpike in York.  According to Maine State Police, Miller died after the vehicle hit a moose standing in the Turnpike’s southbound lane. Police say the car rolled over several times before landing against a tree.

The driver of the vehicle, Andrew McDonald, 28, suffered severe head injuries and was taken to Maine Medical Center.  Another passenger in the back seat suffered only cuts and bruises.  The three people were traveling from New Brunswick to Massachusetts to attend a concert.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS IS REPORTING THAT A 66-yr.-old man is dead after the car he was driving collided with a moose near Welsford, New Brunswick, on Sunday night.  Two passengers, one with serious injuries, were taken to hospital for treatment.

Police say all were wearing seatbelts and alcohol is not believed to be a factor.  The road was wet at the time of the collision.

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A 500-POUND MOOSE WANDERED into the heart of Greenfield, Massachusetts, Friday and decided to camp out in the center grass plot of a traffic circle.  Considering that traffic in Massachusetts is already bad enough without the young bull charging cars in the  roundabout, animal wardens tranquilized the beast and hauled him back to his patch.

WWLP-TV Ch. 22 got the video:

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 WCSH-TV Ch. 6 Portland, Maine, reported last week (here) that the Maine State Police are warning drivers to use caution in Kennebunk after two moose were spotted near I-95 in Kennebunk. 

They initially responded at 7 am Tuesday, then shot and killed one of the moose.  The other ran off.  If the moose returns, the plan is to shoot that one, too.

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THE TOWN OF VAIL, COLORADO, has been reporting moose sightings recently as at least one pair of cow and calf have decided to camp in the area while the calf grows to maturity.  Residents have been concerned because of the erratic behavior of the cow, most likely due to her protective instinct when she feels her calf is threatened. 
Officials are telling people to keep their distance from the wild beasts and the town’s thoroughly-yuppified police sergeant tells them,  “Our goal is to have a peaceful interface, where people can appreciate the presence of moose, but keep their distance.”
 
A moose cow and her calf feed in a watering hole in the backyard of a house next to the Gore Creek Wednesday in Vail Village.
Several onlookers reported seeing the cow charge around the area, possibly to protect her young.
(Vail Daily / Taylor photo)
 
The complete set of instructions and the story can be found in the Vail Daily HERE.
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From Grand Junction, Colorado, The Daily Sentinel is reporting:
One of Colorado’s most-charismatic animals will have its day July 31 when the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service celebrate Grand Mesa Moose Day.
Activities will include moose viewing information, presentations about moose biology and moose history, presentations on how biologists transplant and track moose, and a puppet show.
Family and kid-friendly events and giveaways are planned throughout the day. All activities are free.
Events will be from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center atop Grand Mesa on Colorado Highway 65.
For earlier moose reports, click on “Moose Report” in the Categories list on the right sidebar.
Posted by on July 19, 2010 • Filed under: current events, Moose Report, News

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One of our readers reminded me recently that it’s been a long time since our last Moose Report, so let’s get with it:

THE HEAT WAVE THAT SWEPT THE EAST THIS WEEK drove many folks to the beach to cool off.  In York, Maine, beachgoers last weekend were joined by a moose that wandered out of the woodland and enjoyed a 30-minute romp in the surf.  Everybody just kept an eye on her until she had enough and then left, trotting back into the brush.  WMTW-TV Ch. 8 filed this video report of the surprise visitor:

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ALSO IN MAINE, THIS TIME IN PORTLAND, a moose has been scampering around the city for a week now and might be the one that was spotted this morning (Thursday) in a pond in one of the city parks taking a dip.

Morning Sentinel / Michael Smarc

Police officers and game wardens surrounded it while a state biologist prepared to use a tranquilizer gun to subdue the beast.  But the biologist blew his one moment of fame when the gun jammed  and they had to watch as the moose cavorted on to its next neighborhood to terrorize.

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STILL IN MAINE, WLBZ-TV Ch. 2 is reporting that:

 One moose was to blame for 5 separate accidents on I-95 in Kennebunk all around the same time.It happened around 10:20 Wednesday night.  State police say five separate cars hit one moose one after another, yet somehow managed to miss each other.

A 21-year old was the only one taken to the hospital.  Her car flipped onto its roof and slid upon hitting the moose.  She was able to pull herself out of the car and police say her injuries were minor.  No one else was injured very badly.

C’mon…. what about da’ moose?  It must have been injured badly, ya’ think?

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IN MISSOULA, MONTANA, THE BIG SKY BREWING CO. has introduced a brown ale with an intriguing name, Moose Drool Brown Ale.  Once you get past the connotation of the name, it generally gets pretty good reviews.   ”It goes well with red meats and heavier, decadent dishes…” says one critic.  The brewery describes it:

It’s chocolate brown in color with a creamy texture. A malty beer with just enough hop presence to keep it from being too sweet. The aroma mostly comes from the malt with a hint of spice added by the hops. Moose Drool is brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate, and whole black malts; and Kent Goldings, Liberty, and WILLAMETTE HOPS. It has an original gravity of 13 degrees Plato, and is 4.2% alcohol by weight, 5.3% by volume.

Big Sky Brewing Co. WEBSITE.

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TODAY, JULY 1 IS CANADA DAY, one of the country’s premier holidays and in the Saskatchewan city of Moose Jaw, they are celebrating in part by holding the 9th Annual Moose Jawg road race that brought 500 runners to the famed city.

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FROM MERRIMACK, NEW HAMPSHIRE, THE Nashua Telegraph reports:
 Peering out his front window, a New Hampshire man got an unwelcome sight — a dying moose on his lawn. The 300-pound moose, sitting about 15 feet from the front door of Rob Munroe’s house in Merrimack when he woke up Wednesday morning, appeared to be trying to stand up. Munroe called police, who arrived as the animal lay down on her side and died.
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Posted by on July 1, 2010 • Filed under: culture, current events, Moose Report, News, Videos • Tagged:

Month of the Moose is Approaching

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REGULAR READERS KNOW THAT MAY IS THE MONTH OF THE MOOSE.  Last year we documented several accounts of fire and EMS activity generated by wild moose wandering into civilization during calving season.  We had them wandering through city neighborhoods, walking down country highways, and in a couple of instances jumping off of bridges.

woburn-moose-a-wcvb

(If you want a brief review of last year’s moose-ativity, check some of our reports HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. )

A harbinger of sorts for the upcoming Moose Season took place Saturday night in Topsham, Maine.  Shortly after sunset at 8 pm a moose wandered onto I-295 into the path of a car driven by Jorge Jarez with his father Jose, 50, riding in the passenger seat.  As the car struck the long-leggity beastie, the moose crashed through the windshield killing Jose immediately.  The car then plunged off the side of the road just off the breakdown lane.  Jorge, the driver suffered only minor injuries.

Immediately after, another car driven by Meghan Glancy, 22, plowed into the moose carcass laying in the travel lane causing the car to go airborne briefly, then landing on it’s top and skidding on its roof for more than 100 ft. along the pavement.  Glancy suffered back and neck injuries and was flown to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston by helicopter.

Fox23 Portland has this video report:

NECN has the Dept. of Public Safety press release HERE.

Moose season returns……

Posted by on April 5, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Moose Report, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: ,

Moose Update

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FRIDAY NIGHT WAS REALLY TOUGH ON THE MOOSE population in St. John’s, Newfoundland.  In the span of just over 1-hr., 40-mins. three of the beasts were struck by cars.  The Telegram reports:

Police say the first vehicle struck a moose on the Outer Ring Road at 9:41 p.m., causing moderate damage to the vehicle and injuring the animal badly enough it had to be killed by police officers. No one in the vehicle was hurt.

About 17 minutes later, another vehicle, this time on Thorburn Road north of Portugal Cove—St. Philip’s, struck a moose. The female driver was treated at the scene for minor injuries, but the moose died on impact.

Then, at 10:17 p.m., another driver struck a moose in the east-bound lane of Manuels Access Road, near Modern Paving Ltd. The 20-year-old male driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries and his vehicle suffered moderate damage. The moose was removed by wildlife officers.

That’s scored at:  People -2, Moose – 2.  And a total of six moose-wrecks in the past week in St. John’s.  For our previous moose updates, go to the Search box on the right side-bar and enter the word “moose.”

Firegeezer asks:  Why isn’t the plural of “moose” spelled “meese”?

Posted by on May 30, 2009 • Filed under: current events, Moose Report

May, the Month of the Moose (Cont’d.)

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 THE VERMONT STATE POLICE are reporting (HERE) that a motorist was killed Sunday night when his car struck a moose on I-91 near Wheelock, Vermont.

Richard Mills of West Haven, Connecticut, was not wearing a seat belt when he collided with the beast on a clear, dry stretch of highway.

Hat tip to Andrew E.

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IN PORTLAND, MAINE, A WAYWARD MOOSE wandered into the city Sunday afternoon and then began charging around some neighborhoods and an old-age apartment building.  City Police and a sharpshooter tracked it for several hours and attempted to shoot it with a tranquilizer dart.

After the dart just bounced off of the creature, it started charging after the officers and they finally had to shoot it with real bullets.  The Associated Press has the video report:

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Police in Newfoundland say fresh moose tracks at the side of a highway have led them to conclude that a motorcyclist likely swerved to miss the animal before he crashed his bike and was fatally injured.

The single-vehicle accident happened Saturday afternoon on the Trans-Canada Highway about five kilometres west of South Branch in western Newfoundland.  Police say the motorcycle was travelling westbound when it came around a bend and hit the shoulder.
The 67-year-old driver was taken to Charles Legrow Health Centre in Port Aux Basques, where he later died.

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In eastern Washington State, The Spokane Spokesman-Review REPORTS that a car collided with a moose Saturday afternoon, near the same location where a 19-year-old Spokane woman was killed after hitting a moose on May 13 (Firegeezer report HERE).

Saturday’s collision happened in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90, just near the state line, and involved one vehicle.  Washington State Patrol dispatch said the driver had left the scene by the time troopers arrived. It’s not illegal to leave the scene of a collision with an animal.

The moose had to be put down by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife because of the injuries it suffered, according to the dispatcher.

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The Turnagain Times is REPORTING from Moose Pass, Alaska:

The 14 volunteers of the Moose Pass Volunteer Fire Department celebrated the addition of two new rescue vehicles to their response capabilities.  The Fire Department recently acquired a new 1,000-gallon engine from Chugiak Fire Department, and a rescue vehicle from Sitka Fire Department. 

The rescue vehicle is heated and will be used to stabilize victims on the scene. The rescue vehicle was purchased from the Sitka Fire Department for $1, and Samson Tug and Barge shipped the vehicle to Seward at no cost to either Fire Department.

The Fire Department used grant money from the Borough to purchase the new engine, which will be housed at the Mile 36 response location. Congratulations to all the Fire Department volunteers who have been working hard to make the acquirement of these vehicles a reality, the highways will be a safer place because of their efforts.

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Moose Pass VFD photo

Moose Pass VFD WEBSITE.

Note:  To view this month’s previous moose stories, enter the word “moose” in the search box on the right-hand sidebar of this page.

Posted by on May 25, 2009 • Filed under: current events, Moose Report

May Remains the Month of the Moose

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OUR GAGGLE OF MOOSE STORIES LAST SATURDAY WAS NOT THE END of the springtime frolics of the long-snouted creatures that roam the northern territories.  Moose play abounds still.

*  After two days of tracking and chasing, a wayward moose that had been wandering around the city of New Britain, Connecticut, (pop. 70,000) was finally caught.  A posse from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and New Britain police tracked the animal down Thursday and shot it with a tranquilizer dart.

The young female moose that weighs about 400 lbs. was taken to an unpopulated area and released.  The Associated Press released this video report:

*  In Woburn, Massachusetts a female moose has been bounding through the neighborhoods since she was first spotted Thursday near a Target store.  It was seen again this morning around 10 am as it was running through a residential area and the police and animal control officers chased after it for a while until it disappeared into some nearby woods.  The moose is still missing, but they are hoping that it has gone back into the forest.

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WCVB-TV

WCVB-TV has the video of this one HERE including some interesting views of rotund policemen doing their best at running.

*  In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a family of three moose have taken up residence on the golf course of the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club.  The Star Phoenix reports:

The moose is just one of three that have been hanging around the golf course of late. Roger Hogle, executive director of the private club, reports sightings of an adult bull and cow and what he thinks is a two-year-old female calf. To his knowledge, these are the first moose anyone has seen on the course since it opened in 1907.

On the golf course, at least, there has been peaceful coexistence. Hogle says the moose have not bothered anyone and seem undisturbed by golfers. Neither have the moose done any damage to the course. The Rules of Golf, incidentally, provide for relief if a ball rolls into a hoof print or lands in a pile of moose droppings, except in a bunker or sand trap, in which case the rule is to play it as it lays and don’t forget a generous tip for the kid who cleans your clubs.

Posted by on May 22, 2009 • Filed under: current events, Moose Report

Wandering Moose Triggers Fatal Wrecks

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A FULLY-GROWN MOOSE STRAYED ONTO INTERSTATE 90 near Liberty Lake, Washington, late Wednesday night and set off a chain of accidents that left the moose and a 19-yr.-old girl dead.

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It began around 10 pm near the Idaho border during a rainstorm when the moose jumped the highway border fence and wandered onto the 4-lane highway.  A car hit the moose and was heavily damaged.  The driver managed to pull over onto the median and then called the State Police.  A few seconds later a second car struck the moose that was laying in the highway and it, too, ended up in the median, a wreck.

Within moments a third car driven by Alexandra Phillips, 19, and carrying one passenger, ran into the dead or dying moose and spun off into the median, joining the other two cars.  While Miss Phillips was standing beside her car inspecting the damage, a pickup truck ran into the moose carcass and began spinning out of control.  As it slid by Phillips’ car it struck her, killing her instantly.

KREM-TV has a video report with a full description of the tragic chain of events:

Posted by on May 16, 2009 • Filed under: Moose Report, rescue

"Raining Cats and ….." Moose?

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AN EXCITED MOTORIST IN CLINTON, MAINE, called 9-1-1 Tuesday morning to report that a moose had just “fallen out of the sky.”  The shaken driver was traveling along a road and passing underneath a bridge that carries I-95 when the 500-lb. juvenile landed with a thud right in front of his car.

Clinton Police Chief Charles Runnels said the yearling bull had wandered onto the Interstate and probably panicked because of the noise and traffic and began running. He said it just picked the wrong spot to jump the guardrail, falling onto a road instead of landing in a field.  “He landed on his head, and died right off,” Runnels said.

A tow-truck driver who happened by shortly after stopped and asked if he could take the animal’s corpse. Traffic reopened shortly after the man loaded up the beast and drove away.

The Kennebec Journal has the STORY.

Posted by on May 16, 2009 • Filed under: current events, Moose Report

Moose Jaw Landmark Destroyed

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ONE OF THE LANDMARK BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN MOOSE JAW, Saskatchewan, burned down Thursday night in a spectacular blaze.

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all photos via CHAB

The fire was first reported at 7:20 pm in what’s called the old YWCA building.  When the FD arrived on the scene only moments later, the entire building was fully involved with fire showing in every window and through the roof.

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Firefighting efforts were concentrated on containment and protecting the nearby buildings, which they did successfully.  Late in the operations part of the rear wall collapsed and partially fell on a house next door, destroying its roof and rear area.  The FD says that the house is unsalvagable. 

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On Friday the building was still unsafe for investigators to get inside to search for the cause.  A backhoe was brought in to knock down the remaining walls which are all unstable.

The 95-yr.-old building was initially used for many years as a YWCA and then later as a Masonic Hall.  It has been vacant for a while and recently it was undergoing renovation and being converted to condominium apartments.

There is more along with a good photo gallery at Discover Moose Jaw HERE.

Posted by on May 16, 2009 • Filed under: fire, Moose Report

Meandering Moose Makes Multi-Car Mess

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A MOOSE WANDERED ONTO I-684 DURING RUSH HOUR Monday night and within moments there were nine wrecked automobiles with one on its side, one person injured, and a dead moose.

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Mark Turndahl’s car was destroyed when
it hit the moose Monday evening.
(Journal News photo)

It was after dark when the 800-pound beast walked out into traffic not far from White Plains, New York.  A car driven by Mark Turndahl of Danbury, Connecticut, first struck the moose pitching it up and over the car before it landed in the roadway.  Then the next two cars ran over it while causing a chain-reaction collision that eventually tallied nine wrecked cars.

“I was driving on 684 in the right lane when all of a sudden I saw this huge head and the next thing I knew I was covered in glass,” Turndahl said. “I didn’t even have time to step on the brakes.”

One person was treated for minor injuries while the Goldens Bridge Fire Dept. worked to secure the accident scene.  The state highway department brought in equipment and buried the moose beside the accident site.

This is mating season for moose and deer and it is not unusual for them to wander into populous areas during that time.  But their dark coat and long legs put the moose above headlight beam level and leave them susceptible to being struck.

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file photo from M. T. Bradner

The Westchester Journal News has the full STORY.

RNN has a video report:

Posted by on September 25, 2008 • Filed under: current events, Moose Report

Getting Dry In Ontario

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FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS thieves pulled off a major heist of Moosehead brand beer in Canada.

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Early this morning they stole two tractors from a trucking company and then drove them to another terminal in Mississauga, near Toronto, where they hitched up to two trailers containing the Moosehead Lager.  Altogether they grabbed 70,000 cans and 44,000 bottles of the brew.  The loads had a retail value of Can.$ 200,000.

Moosehead Breweries is located in St. John, New Brunswick and is still owned by the Oland family, founders in 1867 of the firm.

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Posted by on September 19, 2007 • Filed under: beer, Moose Report