Moose hunting… it’s not for the faint of heart.
If you’ve ever seen a bull moose up close, you know what absolute freaks these animals are.
Big, massive horses with plates of spikes on their heads… they almost feel more like a dinosaur than they do a member of the deer family.
A while back, MeatEater host and well-known hunter/outdoorsmen, Steve Rinella, was hunting moose in British Columbia when he downed a big bull. And against his own advice, he went running after it…
But when his gun didn’t go off for the second shot, the moose got up and charged him, putting an antler tip right into his ass.
“I feel my ass get popped by something. It felt like someone took a broom handle and went boom… in your ass.”
Overall, Rinella managed to get away with just a bruise on his ass (and maybe a bruised ego), but it was a valuable lesson for him. One that he’s glad he learned.
Oh, and props to his camera man of catching all the action… you the real MVP.
Bull Moose Leaves Hoof Print On Runner’s Head
Pics or it didn’t happen…
Ok look, getting kicked by a moose is no laughing matter. In fact, moose attacks can be deadly…
But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see the hoof print some moose left upside this dude’s head.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, a New Mexico man was running on a trail near Winter Park, Colorado, when he was attacked by a moose.
Running with his two dogs, the dogs were quite a ways ahead of him when they both came running back in a hurry. That’s when he spotted the moose about 50 feet in front of him.
The took a couple steps forward and BOOM… moose takes off in a full blown charge.
The bull reportedly kicked him in the back of the head, leaving a perfect hoof print laceration. Ultimately, the guy was fine, minus the hoof print in his dome, and was released after minimal medical care, but I have one question…
How the hell you gonna tell me a guy has a hoof print on his head and not released the pictures? C’mon man…
CPW District Wildlife Manager Serena Rocksund called a the incident a good reminder to keep your dog on a leash:
“This is a good reminder for folks to keep their dogs on leash and give moose plenty of space when recreating outdoors.
It’s hard to see around these corners with the thick vegetation on these trails, so having a dog on a short leash here is key.”
This isn’t the first moose attack in recent months either. Just last week, a 79 year old Colorado woman was stomped by a moose while she was walking her dog.
And then back at the beginning of the month, a Colorado man was charged by a moose but was able to duck behind a tree in the nick of time.
As always when there is a moose incident, Colorado state officials shared some tips on how to identify an aggressive moose and what to do if you find yourself in danger of being charged by one.
“If a moose starts getting aggressive, it could have laid-back ears, hair on its neck raised and start licking its snout. Hikers should keep pets away and avoid animals that are acting abnormally.
If a moose displays aggressive behavior or begins to charge, run as fast as you can and try to put a large object between you such as a boulder, car or tree.
While moose encounters with people are quite common, moose cause few problem.”
