Moose Attacks Hiker Near Missoula, Woman Recovering

On Thursday evening, May, 23 a woman was attacked by a moose on Blue Mountain near Missoula. It appears that the dogs the woman was walking at the time led to the attack.

"There was a woman who was walking a number of dogs along one of the trails and the dogs sniffed out a moose calf," says Montana Fish, Wildife & Parks spokeswoman Vivica Crowser. "The dogs went after the calf and then the woman followed and tried to get them to leave the calf alone. In the process, the cow moose attacked the woman and she was knocked down to the ground. She was on the ground for a while before being transported to the hospital for treatment."

Neither the dogs nor the moose or her calf were injured in the encounter. Crowser says Fish Wildlife and Parks will not be capturing the Moose over the incident.

"The behavior in this case was just normal instinctual behavior to protect the calf when the dogs came in, so there's nothing we will be doing," Crowser said. "So probably the biggest message here is just a reminder that this time of year, especially with all of the young wildlife, to keep dogs nearby, on leash, and under control."

The injured woman was able to go home from the hospital by Friday, May 24. She suffered no broken bones, but did have some pretty severe bruises, mostly on her back.

Vivica Crowser