Moose Hunting.......Alaska Style

akangl · 02-05-2005, 08:35 PM

Well, this didn't involve the Titan until after, but it was a sad day.

My mom and I both commute long distances........her 130 miles, me 165 miles. Thursday night/Friday morning about 2 am my mom hit a moose with her Subaru Legacy. She had the forethought to DUCK and that saved her life. The car is a little worse for the wear, but she's ok and that's what counts.

However, it gave me an insight into human nature, here was this older woman on the side of the road with a downed moose and a wrecked car. Not one but TWO truckers slowed down, looked, and took off. The temperature was 40 BELOW zero. She drove around for 30 minutes trying to find someone to help her, she had no cell service on her phone. Thankfully the car was somewhat driveable. She ended up at this lady's house and I got a call from the lady at 2:40 am. It was 52 below at my house and I had to fire up the Titan and drove like a madwoman 40 miles doing between 80-95 mph.

I called the ins company and got a wrecker coming for the car, after he picked the car up I took my mom to the ER. She has some frostbite on her hand and was pretty cut up.

The moose is dead, that was one of the biggest moose I've ever seen! God was watching out for my mom that night.

Here's a link to a picture of the car, the moose went through the windshield then went over the other side of the car. There is moose hair and glass all over the inside of that car.......and my Titan now.

http://www.members.aol.com/akangl/car.jpg

37L1 · 02-05-2005, 08:38 PM

Ay Caramba!!!

Glad your Mom is OK. Can't believe those two idiots didn't stop to help her out. People, sheesh!

tnbowhunter · 02-05-2005, 08:40 PM

Good grief Jolie, Glad your mom is doing as well as she is, it could certainly have been worse.
Shame on those truckers for not stopping and giving assistance.
I guess i'm lucky, all I have to worry about is a 125 lb deer with above freezing temps.
Hope all goes well for your mom.

bestatchess · 02-05-2005, 08:49 PM

Wow! I'm glad your Mom is relatively O.K. I can't believe the truckers would not stop. I have been to Alaska a few times in the summer and I know those moose are big, tough customers. I had one running right along side a Jeep I was driving one time and it was huge. Another time one ran over our tent with one of my fishing buddies still sleeping inside. No injury, but it sure got him up quickly.

Where exactly do you live in Alaska? I think I recall a sign posting the moose kill count on the road between Anchorage and Homer, and it was pretty high.

Also, how do you start the Titan at 52 below? Do you have an oil or coolant heater or something?

*Squid* · 02-05-2005, 08:56 PM

Talk about living right. I would have died of fright, just watching that big a$$ moose filling the windscreen. No doubt your mom is truly Blessed!

akangl · 02-05-2005, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bestatchess

Wow! I'm glad your Mom is relatively O.K. I can't believe the truckers would not stop. I have been to Alaska a few times in the summer and I know those moose are big, tough customers. I had one running right along side a Jeep I was driving one time and it was huge. Another time one ran over our tent with one of my fishing buddies still sleeping inside. No injury, but it sure got him up quickly.

Where exactly do you live in Alaska? I think I recall a sign posting the moose kill count on the road between Anchorage and Homer, and it was pretty high.

Also, how do you start the Titan at 52 below? Do you have an oil or coolant heater or something?

I live south of Fairbanks, in the freezer. Moose are always getting hit up here, the one my mom hit I narrowly missed just a couple weeks before. She liked to hang out beside the road and mosey across in front of cars.

As for how I start the Titan, well, I turn the key and........

It has a battery heater, oil pan heater, and block heater, it does pretty good, but the power seat goes on strike.

My Focus just has a block heater, great little car.

akangl · 02-05-2005, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squid

Talk about living right. I would have died of fright, just watching that big a$$ moose filling the windscreen. No doubt your mom is truly Blessed!

Yes she is, she is very very blessed. She said when she saw that she was going to hit it, she said "$hit", grabbed the wheel, mashed the brakes, closed her eyes, and layed across the seats. She said it happened so fast she doesn't know how she had the forethought to duck.

That dang little Subaru is a tough car, took a direct hit and was still driveable. Hats off to Subaru for making such a great car!

*Squid* · 02-05-2005, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akangl

Yes she is, she is very very blessed. She said when she saw that she was going to hit it, she said "$hit", grabbed the wheel, mashed the brakes, closed her eyes, and layed across the seats. She said it happened so fast she doesn't know how she had the forethought to duck.

That dang little Subaru is a tough car, took a direct hit and was still driveable. Hats off to Subaru for making such a great car!

First I would have said it, then I would have did it.

bestatchess · 02-05-2005, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akangl

I live south of Fairbanks, in the freezer.

A very cold, kind of dark freezer !! Sunrise at 9:20 AM Sunset at 4:51 PM, with the high today a balmy -17F in town. O.K., I am cured of complaining about our local weather.

Best wishes to your Mom.

Flat Black · 02-05-2005, 11:46 PM

That's the kind of poeple that live in the Fbks area.
I ate a moose in my ford in 95. that was the second time I thought I were dead. I was half way between Delta and Berch Lake. Not very much traffic down there in the middle of the winter. Had a great time sledding, the moose god just wanted to finish the day by trying to kill me. It was only -31 but I had all my sno-go gear so I did OK. 4 1/2 hrs. THANK GOD FOR MY ARCTIC TRAINING in the Army thats all I knew.

akangl · 02-06-2005, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flat Black

That's the kind of poeple that live in the Fbks area.
I ate a moose in my ford in 95. that was the second time I thought I were dead. I was half way between Delta and Berch Lake. Not very much traffic down there in the middle of the winter. Had a great time sledding, the moose god just wanted to finish the day by trying to kill me. It was only -31 but I had all my sno-go gear so I did OK. 4 1/2 hrs. THANK GOD FOR MY ARCTIC TRAINING in the Army thats all I knew.

It just makes me sad that they could drive on by and not think about it. She had no winter gear with her, was cut up and bleeding, she needed help.

I drive in at 3:30 am and I know that by 4:30 am I'll see the mail truck, he would stop. I have winter gear with me too, but I hate the cold.

Speaking of my drive, I guess I better get to it, have to work today.

keiffers · 02-06-2005, 08:47 AM

WOW! Few years ago I was in Vermont visiting my grandmother...was out driving around and saw a moose up in the trees bout 50 ft off the road. Slowed down, it caught view of me and decided to move a bit closer to the road. Being from Texas, I figured hey I'll turn around and go look at it again - not everyday a southerner gets to see a moose right LOL Anyway, it moved back up into the woods and that was that. Ok doesn't sound all that exciting, but compared to my dodging white-tail deer here, that was pretty exciting to me LOL I get kinda leary when I go out and see my dad, have to drive out past a limestone quarry where I've seen deer come jumping out of the bushes multiple times. Oh well, best to your mom