JACKMAN — A New Hampshire couple got a scare while snowmobiling in Maine: They were charged by a moose.

Janis and Bob Powell of Belmont, N.H., said they were just outside of Jackman on Friday when they came across a moose. They say the animal stopped and charged at them.

No one was injured.

Janis Powell told WMTW-TV that they have seen moose on the trails over the 20 years that they’ve been snowmobiling, but the animals usually run off.

A video of the incident posted by WCSH-TV in Portland shows the Powells on their snowmobiles following the moose for about 20 seconds before the moose stops. However, because the video clip begins with the moose already running on the snowmobile trail, it can’t be determined how long the Powells were following the animal.

Attempts to reach the Powells for comment Saturday night were not successful.

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But in a conversation on what was identified as Bob Powell’s public Facebook page, Janis Powell said the video may make it look like she was chasing the moose, but she said she wasn’t.

“As the moose came out, I was traveling at a clip and just slowed down expecting it to jump off the trail like the dozen or so others that we encountered this riding season,” she said on the Facebook page, which was identified as that of Bob Powell, who lives in Belmont, N.H., and is married to Janis Powell.

“Unfortunately that did not happen and things went from bad to worse. I can see where it does look like I was chasing it, but that wasn’t the case.”

After the moose stopped, it walked toward Janis Powell’s snowmobile and she got off, keeping the machine between her and the moose. As she began to edge toward her husband’s snowmobile, which was behind hers, the moose ran after her and appeared to kick her with its forelegs.

Janis Powell then kept her husband’s snowmobile between her and the moose, retrieved a handgun and fired it into the air.

The moose didn’t appear to react to the shot, but a few seconds later, it ran off.

Janis Powell said on the Facebook page that “in hindsight, we regret posting the video.”


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