Snowmobilers dig out moose stuck in deep N.H. snowbank

A group of snowmobilers riding in northern New Hampshire helped free a young moose that had become trapped in a deep snowbank. The group was unable to reach wildlife authorities due bad cell service so they carried out the rescue themselves. Mike Dion said he and others in the group were heading home for lunch when they saw the moose, barely visible and stuck in the snow.“That’s all you could see, was the hair and her head,” Dion said in an interview with WMUR-TV. “Her body was just sunk down in the snow.”Dion said it was clear the young female moose was in distress.“She was unable to move, just couldn’t move at all,” he said. “I don’t know if the legs weren’t touching the ground, there was so much snow there, or what happened.”The snowmobilers say they decided to intervene because they didn’t have a way to reached N.H. Fish and Game and with nearly 5 feet of snow on the ground it was clear the moose would be unable to free herself. Dion said the moose appeared calm but exhausted as the group spent about 20 minutes digging her out with their hands and boots.“Eventually, we got her up and got her going, and she seemed to be all in good health,” Dion said. “I think she was happy. She wasn’t aggressive or too nasty with us. That’s what we were worried about at first.”New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said people who encounter wildlife in distress should contact authorities rather than attempt a rescue, noting that moose can be dangerous.“They could kick you or hurt you if you were really to try to grab ahold of one,” said Becky Fuda, the department’s deer project leader.“It’s probably a good thing that she was exhausted,” Dion said. New Hampshire’s moose population is estimated at roughly 3,000 to 4,000, according to state wildlife officials. While Maine is home to the some of the largest moose populations in the eastern United States, with a herd estimated at about 60,000 to 70,000 animals.

NEW HAMPTON, N.H. —

A group of snowmobilers riding in northern New Hampshire helped free a young moose that had become trapped in a deep snowbank. The group was unable to reach wildlife authorities due bad cell service so they carried out the rescue themselves.

Mike Dion said he and others in the group were heading home for lunch when they saw the moose, barely visible and stuck in the snow.

“That’s all you could see, was the hair and her head,” Dion said in an interview with WMUR-TV. “Her body was just sunk down in the snow.”

Dion said it was clear the young female moose was in distress.

“She was unable to move, just couldn’t move at all,” he said. “I don’t know if the legs weren’t touching the ground, there was so much snow there, or what happened.”

The snowmobilers say they decided to intervene because they didn’t have a way to reached N.H. Fish and Game and with nearly 5 feet of snow on the ground it was clear the moose would be unable to free herself.

Dion said the moose appeared calm but exhausted as the group spent about 20 minutes digging her out with their hands and boots.

“Eventually, we got her up and got her going, and she seemed to be all in good health,” Dion said. “I think she was happy. She wasn’t aggressive or too nasty with us. That’s what we were worried about at first.”

New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said people who encounter wildlife in distress should contact authorities rather than attempt a rescue, noting that moose can be dangerous.

“They could kick you or hurt you if you were really to try to grab ahold of one,” said Becky Fuda, the department’s deer project leader.

“It’s probably a good thing that she was exhausted,” Dion said.

New Hampshire’s moose population is estimated at roughly 3,000 to 4,000, according to state wildlife officials. While Maine is home to the some of the largest moose populations in the eastern United States, with a herd estimated at about 60,000 to 70,000 animals.