Faced with an angry moose? Here’s what you need to do.

Elk, the largest member of the deer family, are probably most associated in popular culture with the dim-witted but well-meaning cartoon character Bullwinkle.

But that light-hearted image took a darker turn last week after an Iditarod sled dog racer in Alaska made headlines for shooting and killing a moose to protect himself and his dogs, one of which was injured during the encounter. (He was also punished for poorly gutting the carcass.)

Moose attacks on humans are uncommon, but they do occur in states with large moose populations. In Alaska, for example, as many as 10 are reported each year. And in Colorado, The Colorado Sun reports this in October that at least four people were injured in elk encounters in 2023.

Rock-solid statistics on fatal moose attacks on humans are not available, but wildlife experts agree that these are exceedingly rare, as human fatalities involving moose are almost exclusively the result of vehicle accidents. (One case of a fatal moose attack in Sweden was initially ruled a homicide, according to a 2017 Journal of Forensic Sciences report.)

Rick Libbey has been taking photos and videos of moose in the wild for 45 years. He said displays of aggressive behavior toward humans are abnormal and that moose are docile, peaceful creatures about 90 percent of the time.

“The problem is the other 10 percent of the time,” he said.

So if you find yourself in one of those 1-in-10 situations, what do you do?

Read the body language.

Mr Libbey said a moose that feels threatened or is considering attacking will show telltale signs of agitation.

If a moose’s ears are up, straight and cupped, everything is fine. But if his ears sit low against the back of his head, “that’s the first sign I don’t like this,” Mr. Libbey said.

The hair on the back of the moose’s neck and shoulders may stand up and the eyeballs may bulge.

However, the clearest sign of impending trouble — in the form of an animal weighing 1,000 pounds or more charging toward you — is when a moose’s tongue sticks out and licks its mouth, he said.

In that case, Mr. Libbey said, the question is no longer whether the moose will attack. “It’s going to happen,” he said.

Lee Kantar, a state moose biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, explained that the tongue is a way for a moose to collect scent on its receptors to gauge what it is dealing with.

Be aware of elk.

For nearly a decade, Mr. Libbey has split his time in the woods between New England and Alaska, capturing images he shares on various online platforms under the name MooseMan Nature Photos.

Mr. Libbey and his wife, Libby (yes, she is Libby Libbey), post videos of huge bull elk battling for supremacyoften during the rutting or mating season, which attracts millions of views.

The bulls, or bull elk, put their heads down and lock the racks as they advance, then retreat and then charge again, the clicking and crashing of their interlocking antlers rippling through the forest like a pair of dissonant castanets echoes.

The couple gives the lumbering giants names, such as Left Hook, Swagger or Grumpy, based on physical or personality traits.

A cow, a female moose, is just as likely to attack as a bull, especially if she senses that her descendants are in danger. “Mommy goes into protection mode,” Mr. Libbey said.

Mr. Libbey said he has been “bluff-charged” a few times in his decades of documenting moose. A cow once attacked Mrs. Libbey, who said she was taking cover behind a skinny “Charlie Brown tree,” but it was big enough to work.

If you are in the woods and confronted by an aggressive moose, try to get behind a tree, rock or other obstacle. The moose mainly wants you to go away and is unlikely to go very far after you, Mr Libbey said.

Henry Jones, elk project manager with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, advised against cornering an elk. Make sure there is an exit, he said.

If you fall to the ground, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game advises: “Curl up into a ball, protect your head with your hands and keep still. Do not move or attempt to get up until the elk is a safe distance away or it may resume its attack.”

Although its antlers, ranging from three to five feet wide, can be formidable, its legs pose the greatest danger. A moose will mount like a horse and strike forward with its powerful front legs, Mr. Libbey said.

How powerful? Mr. Kantar said he has seen images of a moose stomping a snowmobile to pieces.

Keep your dogs close.

If you walk your dog in places where moose are found, keep your pet on a leash, because moose see dogs as wolves and therefore as threats.

In general, moose aren’t scared, Mr. Libbey said, but he added, “Man, a wolf is the only thing that’s going to scare them.”

By the end of winter, moose have used up their fat reserves and no longer want to expend energy wading through deep snow. While elk look for the path of least resistance by heading to beaten or groomed trails, skiers, snowmobilers and sledders have a better chance of encountering one, Kantar said.

Generally, things go haywire when someone “is stupid” and gets too close to a moose, Kantar said.

“The safest distance,” he said, “is to use binoculars.”