As fall settles across Montana, people often talk about the spike in deer collisions. What many drivers forget is that deer aren’t the only animals on the move. This is the time of year when elk and moose are migrating too, and when one of these giants steps onto the road, the outcome is very different from your typical deer strike. In the shop, we can usually tell what kind of wildlife a vehicle hit before the customer even says a word. The type of damage tells the story.
Collisions with elk and moose come down to one thing: size. These animals are tall, heavy, and solid. When someone hits a deer, the damage tends to stay lower on the car – bumper, grille, maybe a headlight. With an elk or moose, the entire front of the vehicle takes the impact because their bodies sit much higher. Instead of the hood staying intact, it crumples upward. Instead of a broken headlight, you often see both crushed. The windshield is usually involved, and in some cases, the roofline takes a hit too. It’s a completely different situation from the standard deer accident.
Another big difference is how the vehicle absorbs the impact. Modern cars are engineered with crumple zones, and they work well for many types of collisions. But when a thousand-pound elk lands on your hood, those zones get overwhelmed quickly. We often see significant structural damage. The radiator support, frame rails, and front apron can all shift out of place. Even impacts that don’t look severe on the outside sometimes reveal major internal damage once we open things up. That’s why thorough inspections are non-negotiable with these cases.
Moose introduce their own challenges because they’re even taller. Their center of gravity is above the height of most vehicles. When a car hits a moose, it’s common for the body of the animal to roll over the hood and strike the windshield at full force. The roof can buckle, the pillars can bend, and that’s when repairs start to lean toward structural rebuilding rather than cosmetic fixes. These collisions take time and precision because repairing the exterior alone won’t restore the safety of the vehicle – everything underneath must be checked.
Working with insurance in these cases also tends to be different. Repairs for elk or moose collisions often exceed the cost of deer damage because the repairs involve deeper systems: cooling, suspension, alignment, structural components, and sometimes airbag replacement. Customers are frequently surprised when their adjuster declares the vehicle a total loss even though the car “doesn’t look that bad.” But when the force of impact goes through the upper half of the vehicle, the safety systems become a major concern. No shop will send a car back on the road without making sure every structural point measures within safe limits.
Another challenge is glass damage. Moose and elk impacts frequently shatter windshields because the animals are tall enough to strike directly into the glass area. Windshield replacement in these cases isn’t just about installing new glass. Vehicles today rely on ADAS sensors – lane assist, emergency braking systems, and cameras – that attach to or calibrate through the windshield. That means additional recalibration work is necessary to ensure the vehicle’s safety systems function correctly after the repair.
People who experience these accidents often say the same thing: they never saw the animal until it was too late. Fog, early sunsets, and heavy tree lines make elk and moose harder to spot than deer. Their darker coats blend into the surroundings, and they move more slowly, which makes it easier to misjudge the situation. These animals don’t dart out – they step out. By the time a driver realizes what’s happening, they’ve already closed the distance.
At the shop, our goal with these repairs is to restore not just the vehicle’s appearance but every safety function behind it. We measure frame points, inspect structural pillars, check alignment angles, test sensors, and verify that the impact didn’t weaken anything that could put the driver at risk later. Repairs after an elk or moose collision are about rebuilding confidence as much as restoring the car. Drivers who’ve been through this kind of accident often feel shaken, and getting their vehicle back to pre-accident condition helps them get back on the road with peace of mind.
Wildlife collisions are part of Montana life, especially during migration season. If you ever find yourself in one of these situations, know that you’re not alone and your vehicle can be brought back to full safety. The damage might look overwhelming, but with the right process and careful repairs, it can be fully restored. At OHS Body Shop, we’ve seen every type of wildlife accident you can imagine, and we’re ready to help whenever fall driving brings the unexpected.
