Moose!

[DRAFTSTUD]

Laugh out Loud! I was taking a young man on his first hunt out west, first time past Dallas! As we were going up Missionary Ridge north of Durango you drive by camps right off the road and all of a sudden the Kid yells "Elk, I see some Elk!". Yeah, horses tied up on a High Line always remind me of Elk standing in a row! So, I can see where the stretch isn't that far for some idiots. Did it say what the % was of Resident to Non-resident? John

 

[BRI]

Remember several years ago someone around Great Falls shot "the biggest deer he'd ever seen" and took it to a butcher shop. Butcher said it was a llama and the guy said "well it was in a field full of deer"

How's that go? You can't fix stupid!

 

[Moosie]

Rosco and Oak. That elk either as 4 legs or 8 I've never seen a 2 legged or 6 legged elk. You guys need help !!!! You are right.... you can't fix Stupid

I'd kill that elk. Easy shot. Even bunched up. I wouldn't pull the trigger that particular second but I wouldn't blink to kill it in a group or bunched up.

 

[BuzzH]

Maybe thats the reason MT, CO, and WY all give you 2 elk tags per year...just in case.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Here you can shoot him now.

 

[Dinkshooter]

But don;t shoot this one.

 

[Bucnutz.wis]

But don;t shoot this one.

Now that there looks like a pretty friggin big deer...in the open, quartering away... Hmmm.....

I'm from Wisconsin - I might just shoot my computer monitor...

 

[Oak]

Didn't work...:W:

MAN SENTENCED IN MOOSE CASE

MEEKER, Colo. - A hunter from Highlands Ranch pleaded guilty April 1 to a felony and several misdemeanors in a case that highlights a growing concern for Colorado wildlife managers -- hunters who fail to correctly identify big game animals.

After a three-month long investigation by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Joel D. Eady, 30, was charged with willful destruction of wildlife - a Class 5 felony, as well as hunting out of season, illegal possession of wildlife and failing to properly care for a harvested animal. The investigation showed that Eady failed to report the incident in a timely manner. This incident happened during a hunting trip in October 2010 in the Missouri Creek Basin, about 30 miles east of Meeker.

"The biggest concern here is that Mr. Eady never reported this to us," said District Wildlife Manager and lead investigator Jon Wangnild. "We understand that mistakes happen and we will usually be more lenient with someone who reports an accident right away, but failing to report this incident turned a careless mistake into a felony."

Following Eady's guilty plea in Rio Blanco County District Court, Judge Gail Nichols sentenced Eady to three years of supervised probation and a $5,177 fine. The conviction means Eady may face a lifetime suspension of his hunting privileges pending a review by a Division of Wildlife Hearing Examiner.

According to witnesses, Eady admitted to them that he had mistakenly shot the cow moose after misidentifying it as an elk. He also told those at the scene that he would turn himself in, but never did.

"There is a tremendous amount of information and education about the proper identification of game animals available to hunters," Wangnild said. "The Division has a great website where you can get as much information as you need to be a safe and legal hunter. A hunter should never, ever pull the trigger without being certain of the target. But if an accident occurs, the best thing to do is to let us know right away."

Wangnild said some hunters may not be aware that moose may live in the same area where elk are found so the Division has conducted an extensive education and outreach program to help hunters distinguish between moose and elk, including letters and emails sent to hunters, and videos and illustrations that can be found on the Division's website.

If a mistake does occur, hunters are encouraged to inform Division authorities immediately. In many cases, wildlife officers may use discretion in making determinations about the facts of a given case. If a hunter does not report an accident and abandons the animal, it can lead to serious charges and fines, as well as lifetime suspension of hunting privileges.

The Division reminds hunters that it is their responsibility to educate themselves as much as possible before hunting and encourage investing in a good pair of binoculars to help identify game. Using a rifle scope to identify game is strongly discouraged because it could create a situation where you may end up pointing your rifle at a person.

In poor light or thick cover, elk can be confused with moose. But on close examination, the differences are stark enough that anyone with basic knowledge of wildlife and a good pair of binoculars should be able to avoid mistaking one species for the other.

A bull moose has a large, dark brown or black body, a bulbous snout and a beard, or bell, under its throat. One of the most striking differences between a bull moose and a bull elk are its antlers. Bull moose have palmated or flattened antlers with tines, while a bull elk does not. The cow moose is similar in appearance to a bull minus the antlers.

A bull elk has a slender snout, pale yellow rump with darker legs, and chestnut brown neck. It has brow tines that grow off of the main antler beam. A cow elk is similar in appearance to a bull elk but also does not have antlers.

A moose calf can look very similar to an antlerless elk, so using binoculars is critical to identify other distinguishing characteristics.

The Division relies on tips and public information to help enforce hunting regulations, and citizens are encouraged to report illegal activity to Operation Game Thief, a Colorado Division of Wildlife program which rewards citizens who turn in poachers. You can call us toll-free within Colorado at 1-877-COLO-OGT. Verizon cell phone users can dial #OGT.

Callers to Operation Game Thief do not have to reveal their names or testify in court. A reward of $500 is offered for information on cases involving big game or endangered species, while $250 is offered for information on turkey and $100 for fishing and small game cases. Rewards of up to $1,000 are available for information about flagrant violations. Rewards are paid for information which leads to an arrest or a citation being issued.

For more information on how to distinguish moose from elk, please see:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/5F4B2585-97CF-4F9D-9F67-1520201B74D/0/elkmooseflyer.pdf

Moose/Elk Comparison Video:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/9C0E127C-EE75-4127-8AE5-2A981A9D5D0/0/moosevselk.wmv

 

[Baerman]

Now that there looks like a pretty friggin big deer...in the open, quartering away... Hmmm.....

I'm from Wisconsin - I might just shoot my computer monitor...

No Way, thats a griz. I can see the hump on it's back.

 

[JohnCushman]

I think he got off pretty easy

 

[RJH]

Reminds me of some crazy's my son and I walked up on in Northern California deer hunting after hearing three shots asked them what they were shooting at one of the guys said they did not know but they had a couple of good sound shot so they took it......My son and I smiled turned around and left the area on a dead run.

RJH

 

[tarheel]

When I lived in CO and hunted elk from horseback, I felt so safe that my mare had her own rig of hunter orange. Heard a story back in the 60's of a NR from, you guessed it; Texas, bringing a small mule through the game check station at Idaho Springs with a cow tag attached. That was the story anyway.

 

[putm2sleep]

Well, for every idiot they do not catch, it is very nice to know they do catch and prosecute some that did not report their crime. Just need to throw the book at them. (Several years ago, we turned in NRs I watched shooting at deer during our 1st elk only season. They were fined and nailed and could not return to CO for 3 years.)

 

[Mikeflies]

That reminds me of the email I got several years ago, one of those Priceless emails. It was about a fellow from New York who drew an Elk tag in Montana, went hunting & killed a nice cow, only to show up at the check in station to have the Fish & Game Wardens to clear him when the laughter broke out. The man shot a Llama & the pics showed a gutted Llama in the back of his truck. It was Priceless. I must have deleted the email since I can not find it in my saved. That was funny, but goes to show it does happen.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

That reminds me of the one where a guy and his wife went out elk hunting and they separated one morning and after a while the guy heard a shot that he was sure was his wife. He headed over to the shot and heard his wife start screaming for some guy to get away from her elk. he closed the distance and when he got there she was still screaming at the guy and telling him that was her elk. The guy calmly told her she could have it and all he wanted was the bridle and saddle back, LOL!!!

 

[idnative1948]

That one is always told in camp if we end up with a new guy for whatever reason.

 

[idnative1948]

I will help out here. You have a bull elk tag in your pocket. Which one do you shoot?

Cut/pasted your post and sent it to my friend's significant other and asked her the same question. Her response was, "Well, I sure as h... wouldn't shoot the one in the water because he would shoot me if I did!"

 

[174in]

This reminds me of last fall when I returned home from my pronghorn hunt and was showing the pics to the guys at work.One guy looked at my antelope and said"thats nice what is it a mule deer".then the other guy beside him said "no you dumby its an elk" LOL neither one had a clue and they both deer hunt.

 

[MuddyBull]

I remember a post on the internet a few years back that showed an elk tag affixed to a well field dressed LLAMA in the back of a truck at a game station.

 

[Oak]

Another year, another bunch of idiots....

ELK HUNTERS WARNED TO AVOID MOOSE

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Halfway through the fall rifle seasons, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are again warning elk hunters not to shoot moose during their hunting trips.

Law enforcement officers are investigating 11 cases of moose being illegally shot this fall, including a trophy bull moose discovered shot and abandoned in the White River National Forest near Red Sandstone Road on Sunday, Oct. 30 and another illegally killed near Silverthorne on Oct. 22.

Last year, officers investigated 14 cases of moose being mistakenly - or illegally shot. Eleven hunters were cited for poaching or negligence.

"If there's any question - any question at all - don't shoot," said Ron Velarde Northwest Regional Manager. "If you're not absolutely, positively certain of your target, do not pull that trigger.

While each case presents unique circumstances, wildlife managers say inadvertent moose kills invariably involve some combination of low-light conditions, an incomplete or long-distance view of the animal and poor judgment by the hunter, leading to misidentification of the target.

It is the obligation of every hunter to positively identify the target," said Bob Thompson, Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Acting Chief of Law Enforcement. "It's the first and most important thing we teach in hunter safety class. There is no excuse for shooting the wrong animal."

Moose and elk are both large members of the deer family and the two species are easy to distinguish in clear light, said Andy Holland, Colorado Parks and Wildlife's big game manager. Elk tend to be lighter, have a white rump and can be found in groups, often in hilly and open terrain. Moose tend to be uniformly dark brown, travel singly or in pairs, and can often be found in riparian areas and willow thickets.

However, moose and elk can often be found in similar terrain - in aspen stands, in oak brush, in wet or dry meadows, and even above timberline. Heavy cover can also obscure distinguishing field marks, like the moose's bulbous nose or the broad, palmated antlers of bulls.

Hunting for elk is often best at dawn and dusk, low-light conditions that can lead to the misidentification of elk and moose even by experienced hunters. The moose's habit of standing still in bottoms and wet terrain can also make it a tempting target for an inexperienced or over-anxious hunter.

"Elk don't stand around and watch you," Holland said. "If it sees you or smells you and doesn't run away, it's probably not an elk. It's the hunters' responsibility to make sure they know what they're looking at."

Funded and supported by sportsmen, Colorado's moose introduction program ranks as one of the most successful species conservation efforts in state's history. Colorado is home to a growing population of roughly 1,700 moose, which are now common in North Park, Middle Park, Steamboat Springs, Rio Grande National Forest, and Grand Mesa National Forest. Moose were recently introduced into the White River National Forest east of Meeker. In addition, moose are inveterate wanderers and are increasingly found on the Front Range.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife issued just 175 moose hunting licenses this year. The lifetime bag limit for antlered moose in Colorado is one. In contrast, wildlife managers issued elk licenses to more than 214,000 hunters in 2010.

As Colorado's moose population has grown, Colorado Parks and Wildlife managers have devoted significant resources to education and outreach programs intended to inform hunters about the differences between elk and moose. This year, some 23,000 flyers were mailed to hunters who drew elk tags in areas where moose are known to exist. Elk and moose identification lessons are a standard part of hunter safety courses. Teams of volunteers even visited hunters in their camps throughout the Northwest Region to deliver the message face-to-face.

But sometimes, even a personal conversation is not enough. In 2010, Velarde visited a camp of elk hunters near Meeker and warned the group to be on the lookout for moose. A day later, a wildlife officer returned to the camp after one of the hunters turned himself in for shooting a moose.

"We harvest about 50,000 elk every year," Velarde said. "The vast majority of hunters behave responsibly and identify their target before taking their shot. They shouldn't feel like they're getting a black eye because a very small number of people are too quick on the trigger."

Hunters that mistakenly kill the wrong animal are urged to field dress the carcass and immediately contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Wildlife officers will seize the erroneously killed animal and donate the meat. Hunters who mistakenly kill a moose and don't turn themselves in, like the hunter that shot and abandoned the trophy bull near Vail, face serious charges and heavy fines if caught by wildlife officers. The illegal take of a bull moose can carry fines up to $10,000 and/or surcharges, but abandonment of a carcass may be prosecuted as a felony with fines up to $20,000 and/or imprisonment and the possible lifetime loss of hunting privileges in Colorado and 35 other states that participate in the national Wildlife Violator Compact.

In the Silverthorne case, several people hiking the Gore Range and Rock Creek/Pebble Creek Trail reported that they encountered a hunter who told them he had shot a bull moose by mistake, but the individual has yet to report the incident to wildlife officers. In this case, officers have a description of the hunter and articles that he left behind, and also believe that he is a resident of Colorado.

"If you make a mistake, own up to it," Velarde said. "It's the right thing to do. Report it to us and make sure the meat doesn't go to waste. Better yet - when in doubt, don't pull the trigger."

Hunters who may see suspicious activity in the field are asked to contact the local District Wildlife Manager, enforcement agency or Operation Game Thief toll-free at 877-COLO-OGT (877-265-6648). Callers may remain totally anonymous.

A fact sheet describing the differences between moose and elk is available at: http://wildlife.state.co.us/SiteCollectionDocuments/DOW/Hunting/BigGame/elk-moose-flyer.pdf

To learn more about moose in Colorado, see: http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/Mammals/Pages/MooseCountry1.aspx