Exercise extra caution around moose this winter

It doesn't matter how many years you've lived in Alaska, our state mammal is fascinating and huge.

Whether it is their soft, supple-looking ears, big, brown eyes or Ice Age good looks that draw us in, we love to look at them almost as much as we love to hunt and eat them.

But not every moose encounter ends with a freezer stocked with lean, wild meat or a flurry of photos.

This winter's bonus load of snow means more moose on roadways, in residential areas and along cross-country ski and snowmachine trails. This increase is evident in the spike in moose-vehicle collisions we've had in the Mat-Su Valley this winter. During an average winter, there are about 270, and we've already hit that mark with several months left before spring.

That's why officials with the Division of Wildlife Conservation are urging us to keep an extra sharp eye out for moose this winter.

"Moose are stressed with the deep snowpack in Southcentral," said Bruce Dale, Region IV supervisor for the Division of Wildlife Conservation. "Moose will gravitate toward areas with shallow or packed snow such as roads, trails and driveways. Moose may be more aggressive and agitated than usual and defend areas with shallow snow. People should be extra cautious and give moose a wide berth."

State wildlife biologists say people are more likely to be injured encountering a moose than a bear because there are nearly three times as many moose in Alaska as bears.

While walking his dogs near the Willow Airport on Friday, George Murphy was attacked by a moose. He's in serious condition at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, according to spokesperson Ginger Houghton.

But this was no greenhorn caught unaware. Murphy is a longtime Alaskan, a Bush pilot, and he's no stranger to winter dos and don'ts in Alaska. As such, we should all be on notice that we are not immune from this hazard.

Here are a few moose safety tips:

• Do not go near moose or feed them. Feeding them is illegal. Going near them can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.

• Drive slowly and keep an eye out for moose entering the roadway, perhaps chased into the road by neighborhood dogs. Pet owners should know that it is illegal for dogs to chase moose and that Alaska Wildlife Troopers may shoot animals observed chasing moose.

• Leave extra space between vehicles to provide increase stopping distances and better visibility for the car traveling in front.

• People driving passenger cars are urged to use extra caution as moose collisions with such vehicles tend to break the moose's legs, which causes the body of the moose to fall onto the car's hood and into windshield. The weight of the moose then destroys the front roof support beams, which puts anyone in the front seats at risk of being crushed. Each moose-vehicle accident costs nearly $35,000 in lost work time, injuries, vehicle damage and the cost of emergency responders, according Alaska Moose Federation Conservation Fund executive director Gary Olson.

Driving slowly and carefully this winter could save you money, and it could save your life.