January 13, 2008 in City

Moose’s bad vision gives skiers hard time

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WHITEFISH, Mont. – State wildlife officials continue to search for a moose with apparent vision problems that has acted aggressively toward snowmobilers and skiers in the Whitefish area in recent weeks.

“It is very, very unusual and abnormal behavior,” said John Fraley, spokesman for the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “Moose can be quite aggressive but to actually attack, unprovoked – that’s very unusual.”

In late December, snowmobilers in the Canyon Creek area reported an aggressive moose on a groomed trail that kicked at two sleds. It is believed the same animal refused to budge for a trail-grooming machine.

David Marx said the moose stood him down Thursday on the back side of Whitefish Mountain Resort after he startled it out of its day bed.

Marx said the moose bolted onto the packed snowmobile track and started walking toward the summit. But snowmobilers were coming down, and the animal was trapped between the skiers and the sledders.

Marx eventually retreated back up through the trees he had just skied down.

About an hour or so later, another group of skiers was challenged by the moose.

“It sounded really scary for those skiers,” Fraley said.

Kevin Green said he “skied to within 15 feet of the moose before I saw her. I looked at it and thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s that moose everyone’s talking about.’ ”

The moose hunched its shoulders, Green said, and began moving slowly toward him.

He got one ski off.

“Then she charged in fast,” he said. “I was yelling, waving my arms around and everything.”

At 3 feet, “I smacked it sideways across the nose, and it backed off.”

That gave him time to pull off his other ski, but the moose charged again. “It was just mad and coming right at me. I just kept backing my way up the hill into the trees.”

Green said the moose came at his about 10 more times.

Eventually, he hid behind a tree and the moose lost interest.

“Maybe she couldn’t see me,” Green said.

Marx, a photographer, captured several images that seem to show something wrong with the moose’s eyes. That matches reports from others who have encountered the moose, who have said the animal’s eyes are clouded over and hazy.

“We don’t know, but certainly if there’s something wrong with its eyesight then that could help explain the aggressive behavior,” Fraley said. “We’re still trying to locate the moose and see what we can find out about this.”

Fraley said the same moose appeared to be involved in all of the encounters, but he’s not sure.

On Friday, wildlife officials were patrolling the area, and officials from Whitefish Mountain Resort and the U.S. Forest Service were urging people to stay away from the Canyon Creek trail until they can find the moose.

“Once we find the moose, then we’ll re-evaluate again,” Fraley said.

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