A hunter had to be flown out of a remote area of Colorado this week after trying to shoot a moose with an arrow, which caused the animal to seek revenge – it charged and impaled the man, authorities said. Read on to find out what happened and how common moose attacks are in Colorado. (Probably a lot more common than you think.)
The man, who has not been identified, was in a remote area in Poudre Canyon about 70 miles west of Fort Collins. Just after noon on Tuesday, he shot an arrow at a moose. He missed. The animal then attacked and impaled him, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
The hunter had brought a GPS emergency beacon, which he activated to alert authorities. Another group of hunters soon found him attempting to wander out of the area. They helped transport him to the main road. There, a deputy placed a tourniquet on his wound in what the sheriff’s office described as a “life-saving maneuver.” “He was in very bad shape,” said Jenevieve Kramer, a spokeswoman for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. Due to the severity of his injuries, the man was flown to a nearby hospital in a rescue helicopter. His current condition is unclear.
Here’s a little-known fact: Colorado has an archery moose season that runs from September 11th to September 30th. Here are some more: Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife Department said this is the fourth time a moose has attacked a person in Colorado this year and the 13th such attack since 2019. And one more thing: adult moose weigh about 1,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall.
The hunter responded correctly to the situation, said Jason Surface, wildlife manager for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife area a statement. “It was an unfortunate incident, but it was prepared for,” Surface said. “Without the GPS signal he activated, he might not have survived.” “His ability to keep his cool after being mauled by a moose, having that presence of mind is pretty impressive,” he added. “A distress beacon helped save this hunter, and it’s always good to have a plan when you’re alone in the woods.”
“Big game animals, especially moose, can be aggressive and unpredictable,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a press release. “And there are risks associated with hunting, especially bowhunting, which requires you to get closer to the animal than other forms of hunting.” The agency said they “will not take any management action against the moose.”
