Moose

June 15

Anchor Point, AK

One night a few weeks ago after dining on bacon and cheese mooseburgers I was lounging around in the dining room getting ready to go down to my camper and go to bed when Greg's phone rang. It was the State Police reporting that a moose had been killed. Here in Alaska due to the high number of moose hit by automobiles they have a road kill list you can sign up for and whenever a moose is killed and it's your turn on the list you can get a free moose for the taking. Greg got the directions and we drove down the road a few miles to the site. This was not actually a road kill but a defense of life and property. It seems that a couple that lived in a cabin by a muskeg had been having trouble with an overprotective moose cow charging them recently. On this particular evening as the lady was returning home from work the moose charged her chasing her out into the muskeg before retreating shortly only to charge again. This time the lady pulled out her 44 magnum handgun she had been carrying for such an incident and stopped the moose ten feet away with a bullet through the neck. When we arrived she was still a little shaken, understandably, and her husband helped us field dress the animal to which Greg gave him a hind quarter, tenderloin, and back strap for his assistance. With it getting late and the weather sufficiently cool enough to prevent spoilage we decided to return in the morning to pack the meat out. When we returned in the morning and were about to haul the carcass out the moose calf appeared by the cabin calling for it's mother. Sadly it is illegal to try and raise the calf, or to shoot it, and not being old enough to fend for itself it will probably starve or become a meal for the wolves or bears.

A couple of eagles landed nearby also, hoping for a free meal of scraps.