Moose on the loose: 'Scary looking' visitor's tour of Bozeman includes nap at The Moose, naturally

When she pulled back her curtains Monday morning, Montana State University student Alivia Ballenger wasn’t expecting to see anything but the vacant lot across the street from her apartment.

“I was studying for a couple exams that morning,” Alivia said. “I opened up my window and saw a moose running across.”

She’s grown up in Bozeman, but has only ever seen a moose in more rural areas. Seeing the animal right in the middle of town, Alivia said, was a bit jarring.

"It’s very rare to see an animal that big. They’re kind of scary looking,” Alivia said. “I definitely did show my friends, they were pretty surprised, too.”

With her phone already in her hand, Alivia was able to record a video of the moose running across the vacant lot — and she knew exactly who to send it to. Alivia’s father, Travis Ballenger, is a real estate broker and owner of House of Bozeman Realty.

“I have the land listing for the property where the moose crossed,” Travis said. “My daughter woke up and there’s this great big moose. It just ran right by my sign.”

Travis shared Alivia’s video to his company’s Facebook page and, with a chuckle, said he hopes the sighting increases interest in the 2.5-acre property.

“It’s a great lot,” Travis said. “I think the moose thought so, too.”

Throughout the day on Monday, the moose was spotted all over Bozeman. It even stopped to take a nap in the shade next to the studio of local radio station The Moose 94.7.

The moose did not have antlers, though Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Information Officer Morgan Jacobsen said both males and females can lack antlers this time of year. He identified the animal as an adult and noted that while sightings in urban areas may surprise residents, they typically occur about once a year.

“We have sightings of various wildlife species in the city limits of Bozeman quite frequently,” Jacobsen said. “While a moose sighting is not an everyday thing, oftentimes they’re passing through and just happen to wander into town.”

The local FWP office received several reports about the moose, Jacobsen said, but no management action was taken.

“Yesterday was the first time we had received reports that this moose was in the area,” Jacobsen said. “We didn’t get reports that it was causing conflicts or obstructing traffic.”

FWP would reevaluate taking action if the moose continued returning to urban areas, posed a safety concern, or appeared sick or injured, Jacobsen said.

As of Tuesday morning, the moose appears to have checked out of the city, leaving behind only a viral video and a funny story.