BILLINGS - A moose stayed in the backyards of a Billings neighborhood near where people went trick-or-treating on Halloween night.
The moose has been spotted several times and was first seen more than three weeks ago.
One family said it was concerned a little bit but taking pretty much the same precautions as on any other Halloween night.
"Just have a good time," said Winona Feldner, who spent Halloween with her husband and their seven children.
As of 7 p.m. Monday, the moose remained calm very close to where he was during the afternoon.
"With kids and people in the neighborhood, that moose could get upset about anything and then end up hurting somebody," Feldner said.
The Feldner family has seen him during the day and knows he is close by.
"It's probably the same alertness," Feldner said about precautions for Halloween. "I mean, it's Montana. There was a wild bear this summer too. So you just always have to be careful of animals and give them their space."
Another nearby neighborhood looked quiet on Halloween night.
"We don't get a lot in this area," Callie Jackson said. about trick-or-treaters in her neighborhood.
But she also says the moose pretty much stayed in an area near some of the backyards.
"I haven't seen him on the streets," Jackson said. "I know there have been videos of him on the streets, but I think lately he's been here kind of convalescing, maybe, and just resting."
Jackson and others have noticed the moose is limping because of an injury possibly on his left front leg.
According to Fish, Wildlife and Parks, it appears to be a soft tissue injury and it may also be the reason the moose has been slow to leave Billings.
He lost his antlers maybe a little early, which biologists say may be due to some of the stress.
While FWP says an encounter with the moose is not likely on Halloween night, the advice is to stay alert and look out for the moose and other wildlife.
"Moose can be more active at dawn and dusk," said Chrissy Webb, acting communications and education manager for FWP's region five. "But, it's hard to say what this guy has been doing. Obviously he's in a different habitat than he would be in the wild,so his behavior could have changed a little bit
"Wish he would go home because I'm afraid for his safety," Jackson said.
"It's not good for him to be running around here either doesn't have all the food and everything that he needs to live," Feldner said.
