Moose charges N.H. couple snowmobiling in Jackman
 

JACKMAN, Maine —A husband and wife from Belmont, N.H., were caught in a stare down with a moose while snowmobiling in Maine on Friday.

Janis and Bob Powell were just outside Jackman when they crossed paths with a moose, which stopped and charged them.

Janis Powell said they’ve seen moose on the trails in the past 20 years they’ve been snowmobiling, but the animals usually get scared off.

No one was injured during the incident.

The moose ran away after the couple shot a gun into the air, Janis Powell said.

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Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/moose-charg...ckman/25566840

They got what they were asking for.
 

When you see a moose just hang way back and let it be. The idiot was trying to chase it down until the moose got P!$$*).

Lucky he didn't get his butt kicked even worse. And if he did I would simply ask "did you learn your lesson?"

ToW

They should be arrested.
 

Maine state "wildlife harassment law."?

"the intentional act that creates the likelihood of injury to wildlife, by annoying it to such an extent, as to significantly disrupt normal behavior patterns."

I would say they disrupted its' normal pattern.

ToW

Based on my clairvoyant powers I would have to say this is the forums very own ,but missing "Belmont Resident".

Who for a time was a very active member, but has not been heard from since Sept. of last year.

what really happened
 

In hindsight, Powell said she could see how people could interpret their actions as chasing or harassing the moose and that is why she removed the original video and replaced it with the edited version.

“Now people think we have something to hide,” she said. “We have nothing to hide — if we did, would we have called the wardens right away and posted this on the Internet?”

The entire incident lasted about two minutes, Janis Powell said, and left she and her husband in shock.

After the moose left, they examined the trail and noted spots of blood and a dozen or so fully engorged ticks, she said.

“It had to be a sickly moose,” Janis Powell said. “If you look at the video it looks kind if mangy and had to be infested with ticks.”

That being the case, the warden to whom the Powells reported the incident said the moose was likely agitated long before they showed up.

Thi

Here's an article in the Union Leader:
 

http://www.unionleader.com/article/2...RE03/140429966

Two things bother me in particular. As has been said, the pursuit of the moose on the trail. In the video, it appears that there are moose prints that have sunk into the snow to some depth, and would indicate the moose would be getting tired from running. They had a perfect opportunity to have a "we saw a moose while snowmobiling" video that could have been shot from afar, rather than chasing down the moose. It may get interesting if the Maine Game Wardens get involved with this.

The other thing that bothered me is where did the round(s) go when the pistol was fired? Into the woods? Was she positive that there was NO possible way someone or something could be harmed by the discharge of the bullet?

Not a way to show that they are responsible sportspeople and snowmobilers. :(

I've hit a moose with a sled before, not a pleasant experience. What they did was wrong. People need to realize that we are in their home as guests and we need to respect them. I got lucky when I hit it. And from the angle of the shot, looks like she arced the shot into the air, no telling where it landed.

When I first read your comment I assumed you were joking but then I did a quick google search and found it was Bob Powell the painter a/k/a "Belmont Resident" on this forum. How about that!

I agree with the others that he ran the animal down and in its exhaustion it turned to defend itself. Thank God these rocket scientist didn't shoot the animal with that 22 or 25 caliber pistol that would have really pissed it off and who knows how bad things might have gotten. Finally, if this unfortunate incident happened to you would you post this video for all to see? Can't old Bob see that chasing an animal down in a snow machine is dumb and having your wife blast off a round into orbit without regard for where the bullet will land isn't very smart either? I wonder if she has a concealed carry permit for the state of Maine? It is easy to get in NH but a little more difficult in Maine. I would have realized my mistake and kept the whole unfortunate incident to myself.

OK, now it's my turn to scare you!

This is the best response that I've read about that naughty Moose:

"Yes, it's definitely the moose's fault for not showing the snowmobiling couple the common courtesy of letting them "not follow" him. After all they weren't following the moose, the moose was just walking a bit further ahead of them and they were snow mobiling a bit behind. That's not really following. Also, everyone KNOWS that moose aren't really afraid of snowmobiles. In fact it's part of every baby moose's upbringing to get used to and accommodate snowmobiles. This was just an errant rude moose. My God! A wild animal acting wild! What will we humans have to put up with next?"

Moose in the Wild
 

Janis and Bob are very lucky to have walked away from this incident without harm!!!

A friend of ours and his girlfriend were out on his motorcycle one day and noticed a bull moose out in a field. They stopped and shut off the bike to watch the giant beast. Apparently, the moose didn't care for their audience and it charged them. The bike was totaled and he waked away with a broken shoulder and collarbone. The woman sustained a facial fracture, which required a lot of surgeries to fix. Moose certainly require a healthy dose of respect and caution. The woods are their home, we are just visitors.

I expect that Coastal Laker and Belmont Resident learned a very valuable lesson, indeed. I am very thankful that they didn't get hurt or worse.

Here in CT. this story was on the news today. The video was edited showing the moose going after the man only. The impression was how dangerous wild life is, and how lucky he was, pathetic.

Also in NY (NJ)
 

The NY news programs also showed the edited clip with the same slant - i.e, angry moose attacks snowmobilers. I guess they shared the same clip on ABC affiliates.

Boston as well
 

Saw the same Saturday night on Boston news

Ditto on CBS in So FL

I had a very similar encounter as this up in Pittsburg this year at about 7am one morning. Very intimidating with the size of these animals. They seem to like to travel on the hard pack of the trails, especially when the snow is deep. We could get rid of the darn thing either. Finally machines came from the other direction and it ran off trail. The moose in this video I saw on channel 5 did not look good. Very mangy with a fair amount of missing hair. I suspect it was in poor health and that probably contributed the situation.

Long hard winter only
 

Not really. That's the way many look after a long hard winter. If you see the same moose in a couple months after he eats new greenery you wouldn't know it is the same animal.


ToW

Can't buy that TOR. I have seen plenty of moose at this same time of year, and non looked like that. That thing was not looking good. Not taking any sides here just not everyone knows all the facts behind the whole encounter. There was video I saw in late February that was almost the same exact scenario as above that played out with a snowmobiler only the second time charge the moose made a charge the guy shot it. I imagine he got in some hot water but probably was fearing for his life. I think it was on You Tube. Check out the atrticle below on a current moose study being done studying the effects of ticks.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/02/0...than-expected/

What are "all the facts behind the whole encounter"?

I see two snowmobiles following a Moose that was trying to get away from them. It seemed like the Moose felt threatened and was trying to protect himself from two funny looking loud objects. The lead snowmobile driver puts his hands in the air as if trying to make the Moose get out of the way. Then the Moose felt even more threatened.

What else is there?

Darwin awards for both of them!! :rolleye1:

All most us heard was a news story reported on TV. The news rarely ever presents two sides of the coin and is rarely ever 100% accurate. Never held accountable for what they report incorrectly. We all know that and seen it. I'd rather have a comment from F&G indicating that the health of the moose could have contributed to the situation or have that offical say the snowmobiler acted in appropriately before judgement gets passed. Thats all I am pointing out. When you come trucking around a corner on a snowmobile doing 40Mph and encounter a moose they usually do run pretty much immediately. Likey they are just as startled as you would be and they have terrible eyesight to boot.

And a winners ribbon for the Moose. :D

Who cares what the news said. Have you watched the video? The lead snowmobiler clearly was chasing the animal in deep wet snow. If he had simply laid off the gas when he first saw the moose this wouldn't be a story but Bob the brain surgeon decided to gun his machine and chase the animal down.

Not Bullwinkle
 

I just saw on the front page of MSN.com a very abbreviated and much edited version of the video titled “Snowmobilers find out this is not Bullwinkle". I can't believe how the mainstream media is spinning this by attempting to show the moose as the aggressor. Anyone with half a brain that watches the entire video will realize the moose was simply defending itself from an animal with far less intelligence and common sense.

BTW nice job with the firearm "Captain" I see you respect the safety of others as much as you respect the rights of wildlife in their own environment.

My understanding is that Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is now investigating the incident and may very well fine the snowmobilers. That would be great!

From the Concord Monitor 4-23-14
 

http://hosted2.ap.org/NHCON/c26bcf5a...utmk=145713527

Could be up to a $500 fine. Ah, the cost of 15 minutes of fame and a case of aggravated ignorance.

Go to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife facebook page and you will see a video that the same couple took in 2011 that knocked over two Moose while snowmobiling in the same area.

In the mind of the newest moose....
 

Maybe he said: "Wait a minute, I know them. Aren't they the same guys who knocked over my cousins???? Well, I'll teach them or two!".

Not taking sides here, but all we are doing in this thread is speculating. We know next to 0 facts.

Just watched the full video, I agree with others here, the smart thing to do would have been to stop as soon as they saw it and let it go on its way. They chased it down, closing the distance to it quickly. Not a bright move on their part, maybe they would have been a little more timid if they weren't carrying????

One fact we do know...
 

In the video that was posted, there is at least 18 seconds of video before the lead snowmobiler stopped his snowmobile. Now, I might be wrong, but I think that you can stop a snowmobile quicker than that, and then perhaps proceed at "headway speed", giving the moose ample opportunity to wander off the trail.

Yes, we are speculating, and I for one will be interested in seeing the outcome from the Maine F&G dept.

Thanks for your thoughts, though.

I don't disagree with you, but the facts we don't know are what happened before the video starts.

Don't get me wrong, I would not have done what he did (I would have stopped to watch the moose), but I wasn't there so it is hard to say for sure.

Zero facts? Did you watch the whole video? I think its pretty clear what happened.

As a past president of a snowmobile club and a long time rider I have certainly come across my fair share of moose on the trail and can tell you without a doubt they should not have acted in the manner that they (they being Bob and Janis) did.

They had a video posted on there FB account of them driving aggressively- chasing down a mom and young calf. Both animals were driven into the deep snow crashing down falling trying to get out of the way of the snowmobiles coming at them... It's an awfull thing to watch...and sad.

This same video was posted on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife facebook page but I guess the Powell's are covering their tracks and pulling all the videos about how they snowmobile in Maine.

Of course they likely don't realize that those videos have already been saved away from their Facebook pages, so removing the videos is a non-issue at this point.

I agree, it was a terrible video. Apparently Janis's friend that commented about it, though it was pretty cool though. Makes you wonder! Never a dull moment, indeed!

moose ticks
 

I saw the original video posted and her answers now still don't quite make it right, it looked as though they wanted to pass the moose and didn't want to wait til it went off the trail. Ticks are bad everywhere even on people this year. Wildlife are having a heck of a time with the ticks lately and it could have been driving the moose a bit crazy but they still should have waited it out a bit.

I would be pissed if a snowmobile chased me too. What was that a .380?
A cap gun in the wilderness...

I have a very healthy respect for these animals. Firing a weapon at an aggressive moose certainly will not deter it but will probably make it even more enraged. If you are going to fire at it, shoot to kill. And with something bigger than a cap gun, in the picture it looks to be a .25.

If there is another video I think they will have a hard time explaining away the recent Moose harassment video. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

W MUR said this morning that there will be an investigation and they may press charges against those involved.

The Moose was involved...I hope he doesn't get charged. :D

idiots
 

What a couple of idiots. The best part of the clip was when the moose started coming at him and he was was waving his arms in front of him like saying, "good moose, good moose". Whats it like to be the one being chased now? too bad the moose didn't have a gun.

The story has gone national. It was shown on Good Morning America this morning.

This is just a picture snipped from the other video.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

Take a look at the comments to Janis's post. Gives you a solid idea of how these people and their friends view moose.


This is a capture that someone took with a cell.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152854030443782

These are just the ones on the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Facebook Page, as of right now!

That last post (video) just pisses me off. While I don't know these people I do hope they get what's coming b/c that's not right.

Yup, it is a complete lack of respect for wildlife!

now it clear
 

Whew, I was getting upset becasue I thought you were chasing a healthy moose. I feel much better now knowing that it might have been sickly and tick infested. Damn agitated moose running in front of you for so long, what was he thinking. And I know its your right to carry a firearm, but just out of curiosity....why? Going on a nice lesiurely ride, got my keys, gloves, wallet, gun.....

hope
 

He already charged

so....
 

What your saying is that if F&G come back and say the moose was unhealthy, it is ok to chase and harass them in their own home? So the incident in 2011 that these fools also posted for all to see, the mother and the baby moose tripping in the snow, they must of been healthy becasue they didn't attack

To be completely honest, I spend weeks each year canoeing the backwaters in Maine. I carry concealed, but not for the animals. Maine has some remote backcountry and you just never know when you might come across a person or group of people that really don't want to be found or bothered.

I train in case I have too and hope I never do!

The firing of that pistol downrange (in the direction of the snowmobile trail even) will hopefully bring a firearms charge with the animal harassment.

What's so hard to understand why someone wouldn't carry a gun? If they get off chasing the wildlife through THEIR OWN backyard, they have to be prepared for when the animals finally have had enough and take a stand against them. When people are that prepared it's usually not their first experience.
I can't help but wonder if they have library of 'edited' wild animal encounters.

I guess I'm a little fuzzy on the general moose and snowmobiler relationship, is there tension?

I mean for us suburbanites and local hikers, seeing a moose is a novelty and generally considered a positive event. In remote areas obviously they're more common, do people consider them a nuisance?

To bad overall, but I agree with the reasoning.

what?
 

What do you think happened before the video started. This couple and the moose were sharing wilderness stories and nibbling on pine branches when all of a sudden the moose took their wallets at hoof point and darted away. Quick hun, break out the cell phone video and get the gun ready, we're going after him.

Imo, should not matter.

I'm a snowmobiler and as far as I know there is no tension, I love seeing wildlife and try not to harass them. About 6 years ago I was going thru the trail in Center Harbor, I came around a corner and a large buck was standing there in the middle of the trail I was probably about 50 feet from him, I shut down, looked for a tree to hide behind in case, then just waited. He looked at me for a few seconds, then pranced off. I started back up then drove on my way. While it was cool to see the deer, it was large and can do a lot of damage to you if it wants, I don't understand chasing down any animal with a snowmobile.

It just makes me want to cry when I see the Momma Moose fall over then look for her little baby Moose. I'm not an easy person to get emotional about something but that really made me upset and sad.

The City of Rochester had a moose problem yesterday, in light of recent events I think we know someone suited to deal with this :laugh:


http://www.wmur.com/news/moose-spott...ester/25637590