In September of 1993, a famous moose became a hunter’s trophy. The Spokesman Review, out of Spokane, Washington, published an article on October 10, 1993 that referenced “Bullwinkle”, a moose mascot, so to speak, for the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge.
According to the article, “Inmates and staff have pictures of Bullwinkle being petted, eating apples from the hands of children or poking his big nose in a window.” Everybody has a story about the gentle giant. Apparently, Bullwinkle was a patient moose, as inmate David Grant said “the only time he showed impatience was if you were slow unwrapping a cinnamon roll.”
Doing all they could do from the prison, in previous hunting seasons, inmates had attempted to deter hunters from shooting their pet by spray-painting Bullwinkle and even going so far as to write the word “PET” on his side.
From fixing up Bullwinkle, after returning to the prison battered from a fight with another bull, to regularly feeding him a variety of foods, including the “prison lunch standard” bologna sandwich, the inmates and prison staff adored Bullwinkle and cared for him like he was their pet.
Although he has been gone for more than 9 years, inmates and prison staff who were touched by his life remember Bullwinkle and still love to tell stories about him. He will always have a place in their hearts, and they are thankful for the time they had with him.
Click HERE for the Spokesman Review’s original article.
