ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – If you’ve noticed more moose in your Anchorage neighborhood, you probably aren’t mistaken. Fish and Game Biologist Cory Stantorf said the recent heavy snow is pushing moose from the mountains down into town.
“Once we get to that snow level where moose are really having to plow through snow in the higher elevations, they start migrating down into our neighborhoods to get away from that snow, find what forage they can,” Stantorf said. “And that’s when we start seeing human – moose conflicts.”
In 2025, when Anchorage had a nearly snowless winter, Stantorf said moose stayed in the mountains and the department had almost no reports of conflicts with humans. So far this year, he said, they haven’t received any recent reports of aggressive moose, but he urged people to be cautious around them. He said moose are hungry and likely to be cranky.
“They are nutritionally stressed, they have a shorter fuse, so their defense mechanism, instead of to flee, is to stand their ground and fight if they’re being harassed or pressured.”
Stanford said the best thing to do is avoid moose, if possible.
“Give moose a wide berth, don’t pressure them if they are on a trail, walk really far away from them to get around them or come back the way you came,” he said.
And if you are charged by a moose, Stantorf advises people to run and hide behind a solid object like a vehicle or a tree. Stantorf said drivers should also be aware that with heavy snow, moose are likely walking in the roads. He said people should be aware that moose are likely all around.
“Take a peek around when you go to let dogs out in the morning or step out into your front yard,” he said. “If you do have an encounter with a moose that’s aggressive or stressed please let the Anchorage Fish and Game office know or the Alaska Wildlife Troopers so we can take a look at that animal and evaluate it.”
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