Avoiding a growling moose may be tough, but there are strategies to mitigate the situation

How many folks have heard a moose growl? Prior to this winter there probably weren’t too many — at least those who live in low snow areas. The winter ice storm in the Alaska Interior coupled with heavier- than-usual snow have made it tough for all of the hoofed critters. Dall sheep, who spend their winters high on the mountainside, have mostly escaped the deadly snow depths of the lowlands. With no rain in the higher elevations, most of the high ridges still have feed readily available.

That is not the case in the valleys. Deep snow has made much of the willows and dwarf birch that moose depend on unavailable. Caribou in the Delta herd and Macomb herd, which utilize lichen in the black spruce forests, have been forced to move to areas with lesser-quality feed. Many of the moose have resorted to feeding on poplar, a lesser-quality feed. Deep snow and ice are preventing them from moving any distance.

They are staying on roads, driveways and snowmobile trails where they have good footing. It is ingrained in these big animals that they must stay on firm footing if they are to survive. Wolves are their main predator and wolves can run on top of this snowpack. Snowmachines are just another fast-moving predator. Cars are also a threat to be faced. Dog teams are a pack of wolves as far as the not-overly-bright moose is concerned.

This past couple weeks, there have been four publicized moose attacks on dog teams. Three of these highly visible attacks resulted in dogs being killed by charging moose. Undoubtedly there have more attacks than these. There have been at least two people injured and hospitalized by moose in the Delta Junction area since Christmas, plus a car destroyed by cornered stampeding bison. Are there ways to avoid these incidents?

[Moose attacks Iditarod rookie’s sled team near Fairbanks, injures four dogs]

Yes, the majority of the time there is. However, nothing is foolproof; things happen. As one who has spent all of my adult life in deep-snow country coupled with high moose populations, I have learned some techniques the hard way. The first time I was charged by a moose was on the trapline. There was a cow and calf on the trail ahead of me. I saw them and blithely continued along my merry path, expecting them to move. They did that, only not the direction I had hoped for. I ended up tipping my machine on its side and making myself as small as possible under the edge of the running board. The mama moose destroyed the cowling but I was unscathed.

That was the first time I heard a moose growl. I heard that growl again years later when my fenced dog yard was threatened by a cow moose with a newborn calf. I didn’t ask why she decided to calve within 100 feet of the dogs. That moose kept me trapped in the house for two days until I decided I’d had quite enough and came out with my German shepherd and a .300 Winchester to do battle. The dog finally was able to move her without me firing a shot, and I learned a little. Later, my education continued as I trained my dog team.

There are three methods to avoid catastrophic encounters between dogs and moose. The best is to spot the moose in the trail ahead of you, turn the team around and get out of there. That is not always possible. Moose appear suddenly around corners or from the brush along trails. Method No. 2 is to take your coat off and wave it over your head. You are making yourself bigger and more threatening than the moose. This works maybe half of the time. I carry a big gray flag.

The surprise charge has only one possibility that will get you out of trouble: Call the dogs up and run them by, through the moose, or whatever. Keep them moving. That has worked reasonably well for me on three separate occasions. I had dogs kicked each time, but none of them seriously. The sled was stomped a couple of times. One such charge resulted in the moose knocking me from the sled with her shoulder. I took refuge behind a spruce tree with the cow growling at me and making runs at the tree. The team continued down the trail. The moose elected to chase them and I was able to get out from behind the tree, get around the moose and pursue the team.

I can list the things that have no chance of working, in my opinion: flares, air horns, pepper spray and guns. What? Big guns don’t work? Think about it. By the time you get the gun into action, the moose is in the team stomping dogs or you. All that is left is the salvage of an occurring disaster. Pepper spray? Go for it — you stand there until a charging animal as big as a house is within 15 feet of you with a tiny aerosol can in your hand. Text me from your bed how that worked out.

Moose will attack a car if pushed. When cows lay their ears back and lower their head, they are coming. Get your rig in reverse. A bull will lick his lips and shake his head, usually. Sometimes they just charge. I was cutting wood a couple days ago. The snowmachine was parked and the chain saw was going. A bull moose appeared on my trail a couple hundred feet distant. I was lucky to have looked up, because he was coming. I jumped on the sno-go, which fortunately started on the first pull and took off between some little trees. The bull elected not to follow my fresh trail. Good thing, because I had dropped my chain saw when I spotted the charge. Some small spruce blocked my path 50 feet from the main trail. He stood, licking his lips and growling for 10 minutes before moving off.

Yard moose can be easily avoided. Be aware. Look around before going out. Keep the car between you and the moose. Don’t look straight at them. They don’t like a car horn blaring and will leave … some of the time. Nothing is going to work 100 times out of 100. Awareness of your surroundings and common sense will help. And, should you be unlucky enough to hear that growl, running works also.