A Homer man died Sunday morning after being attacked by a moose.
According to an online dispatch posted by Alaska State Troopers, a cow moose charged at 70-year-old Dale Chorman and another person.
Journalist and writer Tom Kizzia was asked by Chorman’s family to speak on their behalf. He said Chorman and his friend were looking at newborn moose calves on Chorman’s property located east of Homer near Fernwood Drive when the moose charged at them.
“They were going down to see how close they could get to see if they could get any pictures of these newborn twins, but it was really thick, real dense part of the woods,” Kizzia said, “it was thick alder and elderberry, like we know around here, and suddenly out of nowhere, that moose was coming at them. They hadn’t seen it.”
Medics declared Chorman dead after arriving at the scene. Troopers say the moose has left the area. As of Sunday, troopers are still investigating the incident and the exact cause of death.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, cow moose with calves tend to be aggressive in late spring and summer. The department recommends running behind a solid object like a tree if a moose charges at you.
