The .45 ACP was developed and eventually selected for military service due to, in part, its ability to stop mounted cavalry. In the days preceding World War I, officers needed a sidearm that could stop a charging horse with one shot. The 9mm had no such design requirements when it was developed; it probably wouldn’t stop a horse, but the residents of Victor, Montana, now know it will stop a charging moose.
With enough shots.
Several weeks ago, according to Ravalli Republic, a young man and his girlfriend were walking the man’s dog down a popular trail on the north end of town. Multiple dogs on the strip were barking at a young moose feeding at a nearby river; the man’s dog in turn began barking at one of the other dogs. The moose, already agitated by the neighborhood dogs, had enough and began advancing toward the man’s dog, which continued barking at the other dog unaware of the situation.
The man yelled several times to get the dog’s attention, finally grabbing it by the collar and intending to drag it back to safety.
The dog, realizing what was coming its way, darted back to safety with the woman, leaving the man between the moose and them. The bull broke into a full gallup toward the man, but as he turned to run he tripped over either cottonwood branches or roots, fell, and turned as the moose closed to within seven yards — intent on getting closer.
The man drew his 9mm pistol and began firing.
Authorities later found wounds to the bull’s jugular vein, esophagus, and, as it had turned, its side.
The man’s name wasn’t given, but Ravalli Republic quoted Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks’ Aaron Berg as saying the shooting appeared justified.
“He felt horrible,” Berg said. “He didn’t want to have to do that.”
Even more amazing than the charge and subsequent shooting was the fact both man and beast were running on instinct.
“He told me he didn’t remember discharging the pistol,” Berg said.
The wounded moose died 100 yards away from the shooting. The meat was processed and distributed to needy families in the area.
Victor is a small town in Ravalli County, along the western state line of Montana. The 2010 Census put the population at 745, with the town itself measuring a scant .46 square miles.
Cover Image: Thinkstock