Moose Gores Colorado Bowhunter Who Wanted To Kill The Animal

A bowhunter in Colorado was gored and nearly killed by a bull moose after he tried to hunt it.

The incident reportedly took place on Sept. 13 in Tap Creek near Larimer County when the archer fired a shot at the moose and missed. This irked the animal, leading it to charge at the hunter, People reported.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said deputies reached the spot after the man's GPS device sent out an SOS signal. The archery hunter had hiked about a mile and a half in the Long Draw Road and was helped by the passer-by when a deputy arrived in the area.

The archer was found to have inflicted life-threatening injuries due to the attack. The rescue team rendered the man first-aid and tourniquet and airlifted him to an area hospital.

"The life-threatening severity of the injuries to the hunter required evacuation on an air ambulance, which took him to an area hospital. The hunter told our deputy he had been bow hunting and shot at a bull moose but missed, and it subsequently charged and gored him," the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said in the statement.

"We're proud of our deputy and his quick, decisive assessment of the injuries to stabilize the hunter. We also commend the party of passers-by who helped transport him down Long Draw Road and waved down our deputy, who also helped our deputy with traffic control so that all the medical personnel on the scene could devote their attention to the injured hunter."

There was no further word on the hunter's condition.

CPW said they are not taking any management action on the moose. "Big game animals, especially moose, can be aggressive and unpredictable," the statement said.

"And hunting comes with risks, especially bow hunting which requires getting closer to the animal than other forms of hunting," it added.

The incident marks the fourth moose attack in Colorado since early this year. Jason Clay, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told The Denver Gazette that the bull moose don't normally charge at humans. Still, they are likely to attack during their mating season which lasts from late August and through early September to mid-October. A bull moose can stand anywhere between 6.1 to 6.4 feet high and weigh 360 to 600 kg.