Two moose killed on Gunflint Trail

Two motorists struck and killed moose on the Gunflint Trail last week.

Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said that only one of the accidents involving a moose was reported to the sheriff ’s office “The driver and passengers were not injured,” he said. “The moose that was struck and killed on Saturday night was not reported by the driver.”

Both moose were killed near mid-trail, not far from Trail Center, which is known to be an area of high moose density.

The previous weekend a moose was injured by a vehicle.

While it might seem like moose are slow, they can appear like magic from the woods and all of sudden be standing right in front of a moving vehicle.

A bull moose can stand 6.9 feet at the shoulders and weigh as much as 1,500 pounds, so it’s nothing any driver wants to hit.

In 2019 a 17-year-old teenage girl survived but suffered numerous injuries after hitting a moose in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. The 1,400-pound animal rolled onto the roof of her Dodge Neon and crushed it.

And in the 1980’s a driver was killed near Hovland when he struck a moose.

With little to no shoulders on the Gunflint Trail and often no clearing on the sides of the road, it doesn’t take much for a moose to suddenly appear as if out of nowhere. So, it is wise to follow the speed limit. While it is 50 mph in many places, the speed limit drops to 30 mph where the road bends. At night it is especially hard to see moose because they are often black, meaning it’s wise to slow down when making your way up or down the Gunflint Trail at night.