It sounds like a tall tale told too loudly over too many beers, but it was all real. Punches were thrown. A shovel became a defense mechanism. A moose was put in a chokehold, and then finally taken out by a firearm more akin to squirrels than moose.
The general rule is that you need something a bit heftier than a .22 to take down a moose. But a man in Stoughton, Saskatchewan made it happen when that was all he had. The moose attack happened the morning of January 22.
Shawn Tuffnell’s mother Angie had gone outside to warm up her vehicle when he heard the piercing screams. He ran out and found his mother pinned underneath what appeared to be a male moose that had shed its antlers. Angie had accidently surprised the moose, which was tucked up against the house’s dryer vent for warmth, as the temperature was hovering around -40 degrees. Then the moose charged at her, trapping her underneath its body, with its chest directly above her.
The Tussle
Tuffnell’s first instinct was to start screaming at the moose to scare it away, but the moose was not phased. The next was to throw a punch, which he did, he told the Canadian Press. That punch split the moose’s lip but did little else. Then he grabbed a nearby shovel and started clobbering the moose, which still didn’t back down. It did, however, turn its attention away from Angie and onto Shawn.
“I hit him right in the lip and cut his lip. That still didn’t work,” Tuffnell said. “Then he finally came at me. He didn’t like that yellow shovel.”
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The moose lunged at Shawn, who retreated into the entryway. The moose followed, and then Shawn gribbed his arms around the moose’s neck in a headlock manuever. While this was happening, he was screaming for his mother’s boyfriend to bring him a gun.
A Wild Encounter
Shawn recounted the details of the moose attcak in a Facebook post.
“The moose pulled out of the doorway to go back at mom and I went out there and grabbed it by the nostrils (like a bull ring) and ear and pulled it back towards the doorway,” he stated. “He definitely turned and come at me again with his mouth wide open trying to bite me and I grabbed him around the neck again to keep him close so he couldn’t use his feet to get me. I tried my best to keep him in the doorway and busy so he wouldn’t go back out after mom. I was telling her not to move or talk due to the moose already trying twice to get back at her and stomp her.”
The boyfriend brought a .22 rifle with a 10 round clip. Shawn unloaded the clip into the moose’s eye sockets. It was then blinded but still fighting. The boyfriend reloaded the clip, handed the gun back to Shawn, who kept shooting until the animal was down, about five or six more rounds.
After the attack was over, Shawn and Angie were treated at a local hospital. Shawn had a broken rib and Angie had a leg laceration.
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“Crazy experience that turned out really good considering,” Shawn said. “Just one broken rib from fighting a moose. Not bad!”
Signs of a Moose Attack
The moose that attacked the Tuffnell’s was suffering from a combination of starvation and exhaustion which made it aggressive.
Understanding the potential signs of aggression in moose is crucial to staying safe around these beautiful but potentially dangerous animals.
Here are some critical signs to watch out for, according to the Institute for Environmental Research and Education:
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- Ears Laid Back: This is often the first and most obvious sign of agitation. Pay close attention if a moose flattens its ears against its head.
- Raised Hackles: Like dogs, moose raise the hair on their back when they are agitated or feel threatened.
- Stomping Feet: A moose may stomp its feet as a warning signal.
- Licking Snout: Frequent licking of the snout can be another sign of nervousness and impending aggression.
- Head Down, Charging Posture: This is an unmistakable sign that the moose is preparing to charge.
- Vocalization: Grunts can be a warning signal.