Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Death by Muskox

....or so the Troopers report of one of their court officers.

Hmmm?

well you don't hear that every day.

What I was thinking, but I know they can get ornery. Sounds like he got between the alleged suspect and a dog team.

Worland sounds like one of the very best of them. Sad day for his family and those who knew him!

Yep,entirely plausible. Bummer! Musk ox got into John bakers dog lot and stomp the fk out of some of his dogs up in kotz.

Nothing more miserable, than running into a herd of those shaggy fkers with a team of dogs.

Anything wild with horns, you better be paying attention!

RIP.

Musk ox consider dogs to be wolves- no quarter. Better not interfere either.

Not every day a guy gets fugged by a sheep. Even if it is the bigest one in the world, (I just learned that a couple days ago!)

Down Montana way, it's the other way around.

Alaskans just don't do it like Outsiders!

A couple years ago a Federal Park Ranger (Mt. Rainer) got gored to death by a Mountain Goat.

I've had a couple close encounters with dog teams and Moose. For those that might not know, Moose growl when there angry

Yep, I've heard that growl. Several years ago my appendix ruptured and I was in the hospital for a few days and then got infection and ended up back in the hospital. A couple days after getting back home I took my dog out to pee one morning in the dark, and her ears went up, I noticed a big cow standing off the yard in the woods. Two seconds later the cow was on my driveway and coming for me. I ran to my shop but didn't have the key with me so couldn't get in. She stood six feet from me with ears down and growled. She then dropped her ears and growled again. I thought she was going to stomp me when my dog came in behind her and nipped a rear leg. The cow spun around and took off after my dog and I figured the dog would be killed. I went in the house, grabbed a shotgun and went out the back door hoping to stop the attach. I found moose tracks going up over the hill but no dog tracks (there was snow on the ground.) I heard a thumping sound under my deck. I looked under with a flashlight and there was my girl. Don't know how she got under the deck but I had to dig her out. That aussie girl might have saved my life. I've been charged by several moose over the years but I can tell you this, when they growl at you, you need to get out of Dodge. I no longer take my dogs out in the dark without a handgun on my belt.

I have heard that moose-growl, but their roar when stressed is leagues beyond! And one better mind both. I have heard the roar twice, the 2nd time I was looking at a sky-lined cow when she cut loose witha double roar.

The first time I heard that roar I swear I was 20 yards down the trail before my feet reached the ground. And going the other way.... The two incidents were a year or two apart, but in the exact same place. Maybe even the same animal.

The guy got Al "Gored"

I wrote a friend in Alaska about this. He apparently has hunted with the guy but did say the Musk Ox have moved into town, especially in Icy View. He didn't have a bad word to say about the officer.

I honestly didn't know what I was hearing when I heard that roar, but I thought there may have been a bear involved. I had been sitting on a meadow and had a cow and two calves approach to within 25 yards. I stared at them and they did the equivalent with their ears and noses until she decided enough. They slinked off through tall grass and into the trees quickly but not seemingly alarmed. After I heard them thumping deep into the trees, she suddenly let go and what a blood-curdling sound that was, even at perhaps 100 yards distant. And then the unbridled clattering began.

It's sad no doubt.

We must never forget; these are wild animals; we should never take anything for granted.

Moose are just so darn big & tall !! Several years ago, myself & family were waiting to board the tour bus that drive thru the area below Denali. We were outside the lodge when a mama & young walked by us,within feet. Thankfully they ignored us!! Later we saw,within feet a grizzly !! Hell of a trip. Pretty boring down here in Virginia. A black bear walking thru our yard is a big deal !!

[quote=las]Musk ox consider dogs to be wolves- no quarter .... quote]

Much smarter than they are given credit for being.

Yes they are.

Those in Nome spend the summer over the ridge. Come hunting season, they cross over to the no-hunting Nome side.

I did a 2 mile stalk on a 5-bull herd, about 40 miles up the Noatak River from Kotzebue, getting within about 100 yards of them.. They caught me moving, and left....





The funny part was there was apparently something going on status wise - the 5th bull was apart a bit, seemingly wanting to join up, but as they fled, the 4th in line would turn around and bang heads with him, backing him off. Several times.

Fun to watch.

Used to live in Nome. Shot a lot of Musk Ox when they had a registration permit.
Actually, a few herds spend the summer around town. No bears there. They move out of town when the bears go to bed. However, life has been so good around town they have been staying longer. That's according to friends who still live there.
I live in Fairbanks. I notice dog mushers here have no problem doing a DLP on moose here and the troopers don't complain. Not the same with Ox in Nome. Troopers and F&G have a more serious definition od defending your property, dogs, from Ox. Localst are regularly threatened with citation if an Ox is killed to protect dogs. I assume that will now change!