10 Moose Shot!

[taylorce1]

I got a release last night from CO DOW and they have had to investigate 10 accidental and intentional moose shootings this year already. Losing 10 moose will really impact the amount of tags for next year. It is a once in a lifetime tag for a bull moose in CO as and you usually have less than 1% chance of drawing in any area for any season plus you have to have a minimum of 3 preference points before you are eligible to draw! Bad thing is we have three more seasons to go, and I sure hope the numbers don’t get any higher.

Please be sure of your target when out hunting. Maybe those accidental idiots would do some basic research on what Moose vs. Elk and Deer look like, or maybe Colorado should make you take a test like MT does for bear hunting. Plus I hope those poachers lose their hunting privileges for life, so they can't hunt in any of the other participating States as well as all the gear and equipment they had with them.

[.284]

10.........Sounds intentional.......accidental......not so much.

[Art Eatman]

Visualize a very long rant about terminal stupid...

[grubbylabs]

Yup can't fix stupid. I am not sure why but it is once in a life time tag here as well. If your not careful you could trip over one when you go out side.

[taylorce1]

10.........Sounds intentional.......accidental......not so much.

The accidental shootings are the ones where the hunters took care of the meat and turned themselves into the DOW. They fessed up to making the mistake and did the right thing in the end. Then there are the ones that thought they had an elk and got caught in a check point, those are the accidental shootings.

The intentional ones are the ones shot and left them lay, or shot removed antlers then left them lay.

[Daryl]

Here's a "shot" of one in central Colorado, in the Gunnison area.

Daryl

[Gbro]

My 1st year Elk hunting in CO. we saw more Moose than Elk while in the field.

I killed the largest bull that year and have been grieved by that mistake ever since.
The circumstances of this animal dieing was I told a local resident that I had seen 2 bulls a day before and he killed his once in a lifetime bull that would not have died if it weren't for my big mouth.
He was a road hunter:barf:

[Daryl]

I killed the largest bull that year and have been grieved by that mistake ever since.
The circumstances of this animal dieing was I told a local resident that I had seen 2 bulls a day before and he killed his once in a lifetime bull that would not have died if it weren't for my big mouth.
He was a road hunter

The circumstances of the kill aside, wildlife is a renewable resource. While 1 bull might be missed temporarily, another will grow to replace it.

It really is the circle of life, so nothing really to grieve.

Some years back, hunters killed an excessive number of bears in an area I like to hunt. The result was that the Game & Fish dept closed the area to hunting for a year or two. Right now, there are more bears in that area than I've ever known.

Daryl

[Rangefinder]

taylorce1>> It really doesn't surprise me, though it really P***es me off. I live just over the range from you on the western slope. My son had a 2nd season elk tag and no matter where we went--farthest reaches of the supposedly unknown mountains, the area was always littered with out-of-state hunters (most on group horse-back hunts or tearing things up on ATV's.) While I'm not objecting to those coming here to hunt, most that I talked to were (IMHO) complete idiots who really shouldn't be left unattended in a city park much less left to their own devises out hunting. A few good ones among them, whom I appreciate, but it left a sour taste in my mouth how many idiots we encountered. Growing up in Montana, I saw a lot of the same year after year. More than a few Bay Mares were shot by "tourist" hunters thinking they filled a cow tag.

[Daryl]

I saw a lot of the same year after year. More than a few Bay Mares were shot by "tourist" hunters

Idiocy is not dictated by, or limited to geographic areas. While in Colorado, I've seen folks with Colorado plates doing the idiot thing, too.

Here in Az, I once had my buckskin mule get loose one night while elk hunting. She was a gentle thing, and was grazing in the meadow by camp. A truck was driving by as a hunting companion walked out to get her in the early light. They stopped, hauled out firearms, and started laying them across the hood right there in the middle of the road next to our camp. If Lisa hadn't walked out of the darkness into their headlights, and picked up the lead rope that was still attached to the halter she was wearing, they'd have most likely shot her, too.

Their vehicle wore Arizona plates, so they were somewhat local.

My wife grew up in Beulah, Colorado, and had to paint her horse to keep bowhunters from shooting at it. They weren't all imported hunters, either, since some of the vehicles wore Colorado plates.

Idiots are idiots, no matter where they live. Fortunately, not all fit that mold.

Daryl

[JohnO]

Pretty sure they only gave out about 8 tags this year to begin with. To think some as*h*les mistakenly shot 10, only half way though the season is really bad.

Maybe these hunters need to turn down the magnification on their scopes so they can see more than dark fur.

[Rangefinder]

Idiocy is not dictated by, or limited to geographic areas. While in Colorado, I've seen folks with Colorado plates doing the idiot thing, too.

While I DO agree with you (there are enough local idiots to go around for sure), most locals see lots of Elk, Deer, etc. regularly and know what they're looking at when they see it. If they shoot a moose "thinking" it was an elk, they're just poaching and need to be beaten to death with their own rifle. It's the imported hunters I always see misidentifying game (including shooting someone's livestock) because they're too stupid to educate themselves before venturing out. Either way, it's devastating to the sport and does nothing but turn bad press and attitudes toward the rest of us.

[30-30remchester]

Taylorce1, you understate the license drawing process. I just got rejected for the 24th time. Twenty four years and still no real hope of getting a license.

[grubbylabs]

Couple years a go I was on a late cow hunt and I kid you not when I say I counted 30 head of moose in one day, and I bet close to 2/3 of them had a calf with em. And that is pretty representative of our moose population across the south east region of our state. Yet for some reason we only get one two moose in a life time, one cow and one bull.

Oh and it is also common in our area for farmers and ranchers to have to ask if they can take the shoes off someones trophy elk before they take it home and eat it if you know what I mean.

[taylorce1]

Taylorce1, you understate the license drawing process. I just got rejected for the 24th time. Twenty four years and still no real hope of getting a license.

I feel your pain; I'm right there with you along with a buddy of mine maxed out on points, not nearly as many years invested as you though. Yet there are guys every year that draw with three points as well. What are you going to do except keep trying!

The system for moose just out right sucks but I can't think of anything better. I'm just hoping the population will get bigger and start allowing for more tags. But with people knocking down moose every year without tags illegally or accidentally it isn't going to help those numbers at all.


I've hunted here and elswhere enough to know there are plenty of homegrown idiots in every State. I just hope nobody has ever thought to lump me in with those idiots!

[taylorce1]

Guess I worded the press release wrong, it was carelessly or accidentally. I just browsed over it the first time and didn't get the 10 moose part right it was more than 10. Here is what the press release said.

Big game hunters are being reminded to be absolutely certain of their target before they pull the trigger. So far this fall, wildlife officers have investigated more than 10 cases of elk hunters carelessly or negligently shooting moose.
"We're seeing way too many preventable mistakes," said Ron Velarde, Division of Wildlife's Northwest regional manager. "If you aren't 100 percent sure that what you have in your sights is what you have on your license, do not pull the trigger."

Proper target identification is one of the first rules that hunters learn in hunter education courses. Properly identifying the target not only ensures you are taking the proper species and gender but also prevents hunters from shooting at sound or movement - something that should never happen.

Jay Sarason, DOW chief of law enforcement, noted that more than 250,000 hunters take to the field each fall in Colorado and the total number of violations is low.

"We harvest about 50,000 elk every year," Sarason said. "The vast majority are harvested legally and ethically. Ethical sportsmen 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 see suspicious activity in the field are asked to contact your local District Wildlife Manager, enforcement agency or Operation Game Thief toll-free at 877-COLO-OGT (877-265-6648). Callers may remain totally anonymous.

See Elk vs. Moose (3MB pdf) for a fact sheet describing the differences between moose and elk. To learn more about moose in Colorado, see Moose Profile.

[Gbro]

Quote:
I killed the largest bull that year and have been grieved by that mistake ever since.
The circumstances of this animal dieing was I told a local resident that I had seen 2 bulls a day before and he killed his once in a lifetime bull that would not have died if it weren't for my big mouth.
He was a road hunter

You mis-understood me.
I was not upset about the animal being harvested, it was who harvested it. That feller was not deserving of such a fine animal. He will have it hanging on his wall bragging about his hunting skills.:barf:
That is what grieves me and nothing will change that. i will never help someone "Like That" again.

[Irish B]

Here's three hanging out in Divide 4 months or so. Thats about 30 min west of taylorce1 and 10 min west of me. . . an area where the last moose sighting was 100 years ago. There are moose everywhere you turn up in Summit County and in Rocky Mountain National Park.

[HiBC]

Circumstances prevented using the cow tag I had this year,butI did receive an E-mail from the DOW before season explaining the difference between a moose and an elk and asking me not to shoot a moose.
The topic is discussed in the Big Game pamphlet.
I think the DOW covers the awareness part well enough.
Which is to say,there just is not any excuse.

[Rangefinder]

Yup, and those pamphlets probably make perfect sense when they're thumbing through 'em with the feet up in the recliner while dreaming about how much fun it'll be to shoot an elk soon. Then they get into the field. Unless it's a black lab with bright orange spray paint down both sides, EVERYTHING 'looks like an elk'. "It's bigger than a deer probably, so it MUST be an elk--right fellas? Yup-looks like the one in that pamphlet the DOW sent us for sure---shoot it quick before it gets away!"

Went cutting wood today just down the road from my house. Take a guess how many trucks were parked along the highway where someone walked in to hunt on boldly marked and fenced "UTE RESERVATION Tribal Land--No Hunting, No Trespassing". Counted 7 within the 8 miles I had to go for my access road to my scrub oak spot. Now take a guess how many had out-of-state plates. ALL OF THEM! Not gonna say where from--it doesn't matter here. But if they can't read the bright orange signs everywhere that stick out like pimples on the prom queen and are visible from a car on the highway moving 60mph that say they aren't supposed to be there to begin with, I have a feeling they aren't too concerned about reading a courtesy pamphlet.

[HiBC]

Sounds near Pagosa.
Agreed.
Wm Blake wrote "All attempt at foolproofing are folly,as the genious of the fool is infinite"

My point was "I'm sorry,I didn't know" does not cut it,nor for the folks tresspassing on the Ute reservation.

A harsh outcome seems appropriate.

I grew up with"Not only do they write you up,they seize your firearms,vehicles,boats,planes,and any other property ....."
Inspires a fellow to pay attention

[Rangefinder]

Sounds near Pagosa.

YUP--you nailed it. I get my firewood up Devil Mt road north of chimney rock. wanna take a guess how many 'imported' campsites were there and how big a pile of trash was left bagged at the turn-off from the 2nd season groups up there that they believe is someone else responsibility to haul off for them?

No offense to those from the states which I won't mention outside of Colorado (if those who come here were more like a lot of our members here, there wouldn't be much to say on this topic), but a huge portion of the local population would love to close the borders to out-of-state hunting if it were possible (would never happen because of the all-mighty dollar that fills state DOW coffers)--if there is any question why, you can come take a drive with me. 20 minutes ought to clear things up pretty well.

[Art Eatman]

I don't think it's an out-of-state thing so much as it is a city-folks thing. Or a non-outdoorsman thing. Add to ignorance an "I don't give a (bleep)" thing.

On my only trip through Yellowstone I saw my first moose. I instantly knew what it was. Hey, I'd seen beaucoup pictures in outdoor magazines. Pretty much the same thing for elk: I'd seen pictures. Danged sure don't look like deer. Or meese. But I grew up reading about critters I might not ever see.

Back up fifty years or more for a Field & Stream story: A farmer in Maine finished plowing with a mule. He let his two kids ride the mule back to the barn. On the way a "hunter" shot and killed the mule. When asked just what and where were the horns, this Nimrod pointed to the hames of the collar. And there hadn't been a moose in that part of Maine for the best part of fifty years.

The problem is not at all new, and it darned sure won't go away.

Here in the desert with all the city tourists who don't have a clue about what they're seeing or even staying alive, I'm regularly reminded of the joke about the gal who guesses how many sheep are in a flock, and the herder lets her pick one to take home. As she's getting ready to leave, he asks, "Lady, if I tell you what color your hair used to be, can I have my dog back?"

[Rangefinder]

Art, you're probably pretty accurate--I take it for granted at times that I grew up in and have spent most of my life in the country. I that sense, I do get REALLY possessive and protective of it. But, that being said, I'm still not budging from my views of being sick and tired of the idiots. Seems there are several kinds of people: Country Folk, City Folk, Country Folk displaced in the City (and make it back when they can), And City Folk that are out to take over the Country. The last category are what I see most of. They come to claim their piece of the "wild" and don't care who they step on or offend in the process.