BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A man in Colorado’s Coal Creek community is recovering after being attacked by a cow moose near his home on Monday morning.

Rob Standerwick has lived in his home on Hummingbird Lane for 24 years. He walks the trail along Coal Creek three times a day with his dogs and has never had an encounter quite like this.

Standerwick was once again walking his two dogs, Phantom and Magic, when he surprised the cow moose on Monday.

“I heard a couple of branches break and looked up and saw this cow, female moose, and she was already at full speed running right at me,” Standerwick said. “I didn’t have a chance to even turn to run or get behind a bigger tree. By the time I recognized she was coming, I was on the ground.”

Next thing Standerwick knew, the cow was on top of him. Thinking quickly, he decided to pull out a firearm from his pocket and fire two shots into the ground. The shots scared off the moose, and he was able to get away.

Thankfully, some neighbors also heard the gunshots and came quickly to help.

“I ended up halfway to my property before I just ran out of steam and I collapse, and the next thing I knew, one of my other neighbors was on top of me saying, ‘Hey, we called 911. Everyone is on the way and we’re here,'” Standerwick said.

Standerwick said he feels lucky to be alive, having only suffered some torn muscles in his chest and arm. The worst of it was in his right hand, with multiple dislocated and broken fingers.

“All in all, pretty minor for a 1,200-pound mouse standing on top of me,” he joked.

Standerwick, who is used to wildlife in and around his home, also believes the cow was just behaving as it should have.

“I’ve seen her in the past, and when we see her with her baby, we know to divert, turn around and divert to another trail. And she’s never had a problem with that. But this time, I didn’t see her until the last second, and she didn’t see me because this was right after a bend in the creek, so she was in an aspen grove. So I’m sure I just startled her and we were just closer than we’ve ever been.” Standerwick said. “She was doing her job as a mom.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a press release that such attacks serve as a reminder to stay vigilant, especially during the late spring and early summer months when cow moose can be “aggressive while their calves are young.”

“CPW encourages hikers to avoid thick willow habitat in riparian areas, where moose like to eat and rest, to decrease chances of moose interactions,” the agency wrote. “CPW urges dog owners to keep their dogs leashed while hiking, and give moose extra space on trails.”