The Moose

Richard and I have pieced this together from both our best recollections. Understand while it seems like it was all in slow motion and took hours, when I checked my cell phone it was 45 minutes after we left the house with the teams that I called Donna. In that time we had covered close to 7 miles of trail and the moose was dead, so in all likelihood the attack didn't last very long at all. It was minutes that seemed like hours.....

Thursday was a busy day. After feeding the kennel we headed up the highway to collect my drop bags from Nancy Crowden's freezer where they were 'hard freezing' as it was so warm outside. We swung by Jamie West's where 1 more bag was in her freezer before making the big drive to AirLand Transport in Anchorage.

The bags were unloaded, weighed and sorted by Iditarod officials. I forked over almost $1000 to get my 1593 lbs of food and gear down the trail. A big whack of cash, but still a good bargain!

That done Richard and I picked up a few supplies in Anchorage and Wasilla before heading back to Willow. "The Plan" was to head out on a 50 - 60 mile run with the dogs, camp for 4 hours, come 50 - 60 miles home and then 8 hours later do it all over again.

Despite the heavy sleds, the dogs were in a great mood and running very strong. I was very pleased and thrilled to be out on a big camping trip with them.

As we were running along Little Willow Creek I spotted a moose ahead, but he was along the river bank well off the trail and headed further away when he saw the dogs. A mile or so later when we were stopped for a moment Richard said there were 2 more moose further down the trail past that one. "Maybe that is our moose for the night", he said. I hoped so.

There was a new trail 'dragged' (or 'groomed') that bypassed the pretty Willow Creek Campground that we took. There is a tree right on one of the corners coming into the Campground that would have been tricky to avoid with big, loaded sleds - and the area has a lot of moose - so skipping it wasn't a bad idea. The trail jumped back off the Big Su River and we turned onto the 'Lucky Shot' Trail eventually heading for Vera Lake and the Iditarod Trail.

The team was still moving very strongly when we made the turn off towards Almond Lake.  Just as my leaders Tess and See were rounding the corner and vanishing out of my sight I saw their ears shoot forward and felt the a burst of speed coming from the team. Sure signs that we weren't on the trail alone. As always in those situations, I started talking to the dogs in my best 'calm, assertive' voice - "Easy, Easy".  Not only do the dogs know the tone, I want whatever we are about to encounter to know I'm there. (It is also a warning for Richard behind me.)

As soon as the sled cleared the corner I was on the bar brake with both feet, sure enough a big, dark moose butt moving away from us came into view.  While still standing on the brake I leaned over and dug my big snow hook into the snow, bringing my excited 12 dogs to a halt.  The moose turned to face us - not at all a good sign - but then swung around and started back down the trail.  Richard's leaders were next to me by now.  We waited a bit to give the moose time to get down the trail without any 'pressure' from the dog teams.  Richard offered to walk up ahead and check to make sure she was gone (a move that it turns out likely would have been VERY bad - I might have had to shovel the dog yard by myself for the rest of the month) but I said we should be fine if we just went ahead slow and carefully.  Usually once they are moving away from the dog team on a good trail the encounter goes well.  Most bad encounters occur when you come around corners and startle them or in conditions where they feel they can't flee - or that is what I thought.

I picked up my hook but kept both feet on the brake moving cautiously forward.  Immediately the moose came into range of my headlamp. She hadn't fled at all, she had simply stepped out of range of my light, turned and waited for us.  She was maybe 10 feet from See and Tess when I stopped them.  I yelled at her but from her body language it was clear that she wasn't in the least intimidated by me. I was definitely intimidated by her 1000 plus pounds. Her head was low and swinging from side to side, her ears were flat back and in a second she charged.

I remember thinking "This isn't happening. This isn't happening" as she reached my dog team and her feet started flying.  She was making no effort to avoid the dogs - in fact, she was actively aiming at them.  She came right between the leaders and stomped her way through the team. I saw her hooves connecting with the dogs and a couple yelped.  I moved to the right of my sled and she thundered by on the left.

The noise she was making was the scariest thing I have ever heard in my life.  It was a guttural, growling noise that sounded like dinosaur sound effects in low-budget science fiction movie.  Neither Richard nor I will ever forget it.

As she stomped through Richard's team she got tangled in his gangline and dragged his team into a huge ball.  She paused for a split second and I yelled at Richard to get out of her way as she aimed her attack at his sled.  He jumped into deep snow behind a tree as she went OVER TOP of his loaded sled, knocking it over and stripping the straw bag off.

It all happened so fast that there was no time to do anything but get out of her way.

At this point my team decided  to swing around and go after her.  I tried to stop them only to see the moose coming back up the line of dogs.  Rather then just proceed down the trail once she had cleared the dogs and sled with only a split second of hesitation she came back for round 2.

By now the dogs seemed to get that they were in danger and were trying to stay away from her but they were so tangled that wasn't easy.

She passed within inches of me as she stormed up in front of my sled.  My sled was over on its side and the team still turned around but Turtle and Runner were right next to her.  She was too close to the sled for me to get my gun.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Richard at his sled getting the .44 magnum that he carries. I suggested he hurry.

He stepped up next to me and said "Over her or into her?".  "Over",  I replied.  That is the one decision I wish I had made differently.  Never again will I offer an attacking moose a warning shot.

The second the gun went off a number of things happened - my dogs freaked, knocking me off my feet - and the moose charged.  Richard dove for the snow bank and briefly had 1000 lbs of pissed off moose standing over top of him.  His gun was filled with snow and basically pointless. I looked up to see her coming down the team swinging and stomping.  Lying on the ground, tangled in ganglines, watching an attacking moose coming towards me is an experience I could have happily lived my life with out.

I rolled out of her way at the last second and got only a glancing blow to my leg.

I scrambled to my feet and headed for my sled for my shotgun.  As I chambered a shell I asked Richard if he wanted to shoot or wanted me to. "I will", he said (he had had a lesson with both the shotgun and .44 right after arriving in Alaska).

We do not take the decision to shoot an animal lightly at all, but once they had initiated an extended attack, we are going to protect those we love.  We were prepared and had discussed the possibility on numerous occasions.

The cow was standing basically on the runners of Richard's sled, growling and swinging her head at us. It was obvious another charge was imminent.

Richard stepped clear of his wheel dogs and to within 3 feet of her before firing a shot directly into her head. She dropped instantly.

Through out the whole incident I am pleased to say that Richard and I remained quite calm.  I believe that helped keep the dogs relatively calm and didn't escalate the attack even more.  Certainly our hearts were both pounding and we were terrified but on the outside we were just dealing with what needed to be dealt with. However at this point, my very polite British friend let off with a string of obscenities that almost made me blush.  It was more than appropriate.

Immediately we had another set of emergencies to deal with - 24 dogs were in the biggest tangle you could possibly imagine.  Everyone was freaked by either the gunshot and/or the moose...we weren't sure if any were hurt and if so, how bad.

We set to work accounting for all dogs, freeing them from the lines and making sure they were all okay.

When we had the worst of the tangles sorted I pulled out my cell phone and called Donna.  I know that shooting a moose, even in self defense is a serious matter....it needed to be reported and the moose dealt with appropriately so her meat could be salvaged for the local food bank.

HUGE thanks to our friends that jumped for us that night when their phones rang - Donna at the top of that list. She called next door neighbors, the Jonrowes.  DeeDee was on the phone to me almost immediately to make sure we and the dogs were okay and to tell us that Mike was on the way out with a snow machine (she also told me that they had had issue with a moose in that area earlier in the day, but was able to run her off with a snow machine. Likely it was the same one).

Mike dragged the moose out to the nearest road (something that must be done) and offered us an escort home. Unfortunately, it became obvious shortly after we got underway that a few dogs were too injured or sore to make the run home, so he led us to the nearest road.

Another call to Donna and she and Keith Blaha were in our dog truck and on the way to us.

We also needed to gut the moose before she froze (state law).  Donna called the Stitt family and Skeeter and Skipper were down in no time to do that for us.

And big thanks to Doug Grilliot.  Doug was the one that armed us for the trail and walked us through instructions for using the guns. I can't imagine how the situation would have ended had we not had a gun and the ability to use it correctly.

In regards to the moose, whatever was going on with her she was not acting like a 'normal' or 'rational' wild animal.  She had plenty of opportunities to easily end the encounter and never even seemed to consider them.  This was a young cow, she did not have a calf with her, she was not pregnant, had a full belly, and unlike alot of moose in the area this winter, was in good condition.

The dogs all seem to be doing relatively well. A few are sore and a few seemed to be in shock for a bit.  Beauty completely melted down when all the shooting started (two more shots were put into the moose to ensure she wouldn't get back up and wasn't suffering) and was simply standing in harness screaming at the top of her lungs when it was all over.  Irving had a blow to his quadricep tear the muscle and is out for the season but should recover fully.

I know that virtually every dog got kicked AT LEAST once as I watched it happen, so it is such a blessing that more dogs were not seriously injured.

Meeting an aggressive moose on the trail has always been one of my biggest fears running dogs. We have now been through that - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger - right??

The Race So Far - Bet

Howdy Ho everybodies!  It's your sitting around in Canada enjoying my chair, just woke up from a nap non-roving Border Collie Reporter, Bet here!

Its been a very exciting race so far... ok, that probably wasn't very convincing because I just said I had a nap, so let me try that again...

Holy Moley everybodies, this is a real nail biter of a race! 

Ok, that wasn't very convincing either, so I'll have to go with: its been a very predictable and going as scheduled race... which is GREAT!  No Mooses, no plowing trails with faces, and no pants on fire (yes, I know... so disappointing on the flaming pants thing)

The Musher and Pretty Curly Tails got into the Kershner Home checkpoint at 4:08 am this morning with all 14 Pretty Curly Tails.  They had to take a mandatory 6 hour rest period.  Here are the Pretty Curly Tails curled up and resting

Here is the sled resting

I can't tell if the Musher is in the sled resting or not... nobody tells me these important things.

The Pretty Curly Tails were checked out by the vet and found to be okey dokie spiffy keen!

According to the Musher, the middle 30 miles is punchy and slow because the pups don't have their "snow legs" yet... once again, clueless.  All this time I've been studying baa baa sheepie things books and I should have purchased a "Translating Musher Talk for Dummies"

The Musher did say they were all having fun... I hope that's not code words for something else, but I'm guessing that they are all having fun, so that's good.

They left the Kershner Home checkpoint at 10:30am and plan on being back into Willow at the finish around 10pm... which is way past my bedtime, so I'll have an update in the morning.  If you are on the Facebooks, the Photographer Minion Donna will make an announcement or something and I told her to also tell the mail list peoples, but she'll be really busy helping the Musher with the pups and stuffs, so that may not come for a while.  You should definitely keep hitting refresh on the official Don Bowers 200 Web site for official updates and stuffs.

In the meantime, while you are waiting, there's an interview that has the Musher in it here.  Click the blueish looking button that has a megaphone on it directly under the words stuffs.

Meanwhile, back in Willow, Alaska

Hey?  Where did everyone go?

- Bet

AAAAAND They're Off! - Bet

Thanks to the Photographer Minion Donna Quante, we have pictures of the start of the Don Bowers Memorial 200! 

Keep checking the Don Bowers link and also if you are on the Facebooks, don't forget to like them and let everyone know how much you love the Musher and Pretty Curly Tails!

So, here it was on Willow lake this morning before the race.  A balmy -32 degrees... eeesh!

I was glad to see that the Musher was wearing her chilly gear and remembered her hat.  Please note, that's the fluffy lined Skookum brand hoodie thing and not some wild animal attacking her head.

I have some pictures of the Pretty Curly Tails before the race, but I'll save those for tomorrow in case we don't have any action shots.  I don't everybodies having Pretty Curly Tail withdrawal.

So, here's the Pretty Curly Tails taking off at the start of the race.  The Musher has bib #10 and was the second out of the chute.

Front front to back we have:  Billie/Tess, Kelly/Casey, Tramp/Boo, Smartie/Beauty, Turtle/Wifi, Astro/Rocky, and Q/Charge!

Sigh... I wish I was there watching the race from the warmth of a truck or nice hotel room, or at Starbucks or something.

Anyhoo, there they go, off to have fun and avoid the Mooses (keep up the screetchy noises please).

Go you Pretty Curly Tails!  Have fun on the trail and be safe Musher!!!

- Bet

How Cold Is It? - Bet

Howdy Ho everyobodies, its your toasty warm non-roving Border Collie Reporter, Bet here!

How cold is it?  Well here at North Wapiti Central, its a frigid -2F and we got some snows!  Of course, from the Border Collie Broadcasting Center, its a wonderfully warm room temperature.


Its so cold that they cancelled the Copper Basin 300 because of hard blowing snow, temperatures 50 below zero and its just too plain icky for the Curly Tails.

How cold is it at Willow, Alaska... according to the Musher, its -34F and getting colder!  EEESH, seriously? 

Its so cold that the Pretty Sled Dogs are gathering up their shedded fluff and trying to paste it back on their bodies... or so the Musher claims. 

Now you must be asking yourself... self: if the Pretty Sled Dogs have raced just fine and dandy and loving it in -50F Iditarod weather, why are they duct taping their fluffs back on themselves and being so cold, they should be loving it!

Well, your self is right, but like everybodies, they have to get use to the cold again.  The weather here at North Wapiti Central has been downright balmy the past few months.  Its been so balmy that the Pretty Sled Dogs thought it was shedding season, so they did some shedding and now they wish they didn't shed.  Its sorta like packing for the Bahamas and ending up in the Antarctica place.

So, I hope you enjoyed the video of the Pretty Curly Tails going out on their run yesterday.

Here's Bang posing in front of the sled with its snazzy Eagle Pack logo... Eagle Pack, the official sponsor of North Wapiti Kennels and maker of the ultra tasty Eagle Pack dog food... try some today!

Here's Billie and Smartie hanging out in the dog yard.  Please note that the fence behind them is five feet tall... so... dang that's a lot of snows!

Before their run yesterday, the Musher had a word with Jinx and See to let them know that the snow is very deep, so it was important they stay on the trail and stuff.

Afterwards, Runner and TopDog relaxed in their own homemade igloo

Then this morning as the sun crested the snow covered trees

The Pretty Curly Tails came out of their houses....

... and said HOLY MOLY ITS REALLY COLD OUT HERE!!!!  GIVE US STRAW WE WANT STRAW, SERIOUSLY HOW ABOUT SOME STRAW!!!!?????

So, the Musher set about distributing some straw to them

Apparently the Musher wasn't moving fast enough and Astro got a bit rambunctious.

GIMME THE STRAW I NEED THE STRAW... WAIT A MINUTE, THIS ANORAK IS VERY TOASTY, KEEP THE STRAW, GIVE ME THE ANORAK!!!!

And Astro is indeed correct, as it is a Skookum brand anorak... Skookum, proud sponsor of the Musher and North Wapiti Kennels.

Even though its very cold out, training still must be done, so after their breakfast digesting period, it was time to hook them up for a run...

... after it became apparent that their hearts really weren't into it in such cold, the Musher decided to just take the day off and let them snuggle in their houses.

- Bet