Moose on the loose

Whitefish photographer: 'I hit it on the nose'

Skiers and snowmobilers had repeated encounters with an ornery moose that found itself cornered in a narrow section of the Canyon Creek drainage Wednesday.

Whitefish photographer David Marx said he and a friend were skiing into the drainage from Big Mountain when they came upon the cow moose, bedded down just about 20 feet off the Canyon Creek Road at about 1:15 p.m.

"She got up on her feet and was not too pleased with us, and went out on the road, and then the snowmobiles started coming, and she really didn't like that," Marx said.

The moose retreated west on the road, toward the Big Mountain summit, when she encountered eastbound snowmobiles that drove her back toward Marx and his friend.

For the next couple hours at least, the moose was caught between skiers and snowmobilers.

"Every which way she turned, she was probably confronted," said Marx, who climbed upslope to a position where he was able to photograph the moose below on the road.

"She didn't seem like she wanted to climb uphill," Marx said. "It's pretty deep snow, so it seemed like she was trying to stay on the road."

At 3 p.m., about an hour after Marx and his friend hiked out to the summit, Kevin Green skied into the drainage and had a close encounter with the moose.

As he was taking off his skis on the road, he turned and saw the moose about 15 feet away.

"When it came at me I had only one ski off so I was in an awkward position," Green said.

The moose charged within three feet of Green and kicked at him.

"I hit it on the nose with my ski pole and I was yelling pretty loud," Green said, noting that the moose appeared to have a damaged eye.

The moose charged him several more times as he attempted to retreat, but it never approached as close as the first time.

Green said he was able to scramble upslope into deep snow, but he had left his skis below on the road. While he waited for the moose to move away, he spotted two young skiers hiding in a tree well not far away.

After talking to them later, Green learned that they had been repeatedly charged by the moose and had been hiding in the tree well for about 45 minutes.

From his position behind the tree, Green said he saw "at least 20 people" on skis or snowmobiles trying to avoid or get around the moose. Eventually, Green was able to return to the road to retrieve his skis and hike back to the summit.

"When I got to the very top you could still see the moose standing down there," he said.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman John Fraley said the department was investigating multiple reports about the moose.

Eric Wenum, a wildlife conflict specialist, and Warden Chris Crane went to Canyon Creek on Thursday in an effort to locate the moose and evaluate its behavior and condition. They followed tracks in several directions but were unable to find the moose, Fraley said.

"The one thing we have learned is … the moose may have some problem with its eyes which could explain some of the abnormal behavior," Fraley said. "That may be one reason why it's not leaving the area and it is getting so close to people."

Wenum had repeatedly patrolled the area after Dec. 29, when the department received reports of an aggressive moose that put a hoof through the hood of a snowmobile.

Fraley said Wenum spotted a moose in the area on one patrol, but it was not behaving aggressively and there was no way to determine if it was the same moose that attacked the snowmobile. Fraley said he could not speculate if the Dec. 29 moose is the same one that was on the road Wednesday.

"We hadn't heard any more reports [of conflicts] since Dec. 29 until yesterday," Fraley said.

Flathead National Forest personnel have posted signs warning about the recent moose activity at the Whitefish Mountain Resort's ski boundaries above Canyon Creek, and at the entrance to the Canyon Creek trail network.

"We are strongly encouraging all folks to stay out of this area" until further notice, said Denise Germann, public affairs officer for the Flathead forest. "Both public safety and the welfare of the moose are priorities for local FWP and forest managers."

"People need to be aware that moose can be dangerous," Fraley said. "Any moose they encounter should be given a wide berth."

Donnie Clapp, spokesman for Whitefish Mountain Resort, said the moose encounters were a topic at a morning management meeting, even though the moose encounters occurred well outside the resort's boundaries.

"We do not encourage people to ski out-of-bounds," Clapp said, noting that it's an activity mostly pursued by local skiers eager to get into deep powder on the back side of the mountain. "It's a risky endeavor and if you do it, you should definitely have someone with you and you should be able to see each other at all times."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at mann@dailyinterlake.com