A bull moose was shot by a bow hunter near Brainard Lake on Saturday, and while wildlife officials said the kill was legal and “clean,” some who frequent the popular Boulder County recreation area expressed anger over the animal’s death.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill confirmed the moose was killed with a bow and arrow near the southwest side of the lake, and said the hunter had a tag to shoot a moose in the area.
“It definitely upset a lot of people,” said William Clark, of Colorado Springs, who witnessed the killing and noted there were children in the area who saw the moose die. “I’m sure some of them came up there just to see the moose. And then the first one they see is one that got killed.
“That could stick with the kids for some time.”
The one-month archery season runs until the end of September, and Brainard Lake is on U.S. Forest Service land, which is huntable.
Churchill said it was a clean kill with the arrow penetrating both lungs.
“It went down very quickly, and that’s what we prefer to see when people are hunting animals,” Churchill said. “It was the cleanest kill you can hope for.”
Churchill did say that, after being shot, the moose ran a few hundred yards into an area where there probably were wildlife watchers present or other people recreating.
“It’s tough for people to witness it,” Churchill said. “It’s not something most people see every day.”
Clark, one of those witnesses, has been traveling to Brainard Lake just about every other weekend during this season to photograph moose.
“That’s the premier spot in the state for bull moose,” he said.
Clark said he was talking with another photographer and waiting for more light when he heard a cow call that he later realized was probably the hunter’s.
“Then the calls stopped and I heard this kind of blood-curdling, moaning scream sound and tree branches breaking,” Clark said. “Then (the moose) was running full speed toward us with another bull coming right behind it. We had a second or two to decide which direction to run.
“At that time, I saw blood coming out of the side and kind of connected then that he had been shot.”
Clark said the moose stumbled and fell over before dying about 10 to 15 seconds later. He said people in the area soon were in the faces of the hunter and the park rangers on scene.
‘Kind of dangerous and risky’
Some took to social media to mourn the moose, which was one of four bulls in the area, according to Churchill.
Ray Esparza, of Colorado Springs, got to the site about 10 minutes after the moose was killed and posted a photo of the animal on Facebook with the message: “Bad news everyone this fellow was killed this morning by a hunter !!!!”
Esparza said he is a photographer and has been coming to Brainard Lake for the past eight weekends to take pictures of moose. He said he was surprised to learn hunting was allowed in the area and sad to hear the moose had been shot.
Esparza said he is not against hunting, but thinks the area near the lake should be off limits because of the number of people doing other things there.
“What if that moose had run over or hit one of the kids?” Esparza said. “I’m not against hunting, but that’s kind of dangerous and risky.”
Clark said he also felt that there were safety issues with allowing hunting in such a popular area, especially on weekends.
“I understand the hunter’s side of the equation as far as the population and keeping them in check, but my biggest concern up there that day was the safety of the people,” Clark said. “(The moose) could have run around injured on adrenaline for a minute or two and could have hurt or even killed someone.”
Clark also added that moose in the Brainard Lake area were easy kills because they had gotten used to people.
“I kind of compared it to going on a lion hunt at the Denver Zoo,” he said. “It would take the same amount of effort. As photographers, most of us keep our distance so they associate people with little or no threat. That’s kind of like the old saying, ‘Shooting fish in a barrel.'”
‘These are not tame animals’
Churchill said that while people may have gotten comfortable with the moose, the area is multi-use and hunting is allowed.
“Just because people are able to see the animals does not mean hunting is not allowed,” Churchill said. “These are not tame animals, either.”
Churchill said the moose’s death could be a “teaching moment” about the important role of hunters in helping cull animals to maintain healthy habitats and herds, as well as paying fees that support areas such as Brainard Lake. In fact, moose were reintroduced to Colorado in 1978 with hunter dollars.
“That’s why these animals are here,” Churchill said. “Those hunter dollars help us maintain habitat and protect wildlife habitat in Colorado and reintroduce animals in Colorado.”
Wildlife officials reported an increase in moose sightings in Boulder County in 2013. Colorado Parks and Wildlife this year issued five tags for moose in the wildlife management area including Brainard Lake: three for cows and two for bulls.
Only a small number of moose archery tags are issued each season and are distributed through a lottery. Hunters are qualified to enter the lottery by accumulating points by hunting for 15, 20 or 30 years.
“It takes many years to get a tag,” Churchill said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Camera staff reporter Amy Bounds contributed to this report.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Mitchell Byars at 303-473-1329, byarsm@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/mitchellbyars.
