Moose or Elk? Don’t Mistake the Two

By Holger Jensen
 
Introduced to Colorado 24 years ago, moose are thriving in many parts of the state and elk hunters should know the difference between these two ungulates. A hunter who mistakes a bull moose for a bull elk can be fined more than $11,000.

This is a mistake that should not be made, being that the animals are vastly different in size, color, horn shape and habits. The Shiras moose is the smallest of four sub-species and much smaller than an Alaska moose but a mature bull still weighs 1,200 pounds, about twice as much as the average bull elk. Moose are dark brown and appear almost black.  Elk are light brown — a bull can be almost golden — with a pale yellow rump.

A moose has a very large, long nose and a “bell” under the throat, compared to the relatively narrow snout of an elk. A mature bull also has broad, flat antlers with paddles unlike the pointed antlers of an elk. But the antlers on some young bull moose have not flattened out yet, so hunters need to look over the entire animal before pulling the trigger.

The largest member of the deer family, moose have adapted to a variety of habitats. They favor abundant willows along streams and ponds, but “ridge runners” also forage in areas of lodgepole pine, oakbrush, aspen, spruce fir and even sagebrush — in other words where elk can be found.

They act very differently, however, when approached by humans. Typically, moose will not flee like elk at the sight of a hunter.

Despite these readily apparent differences, every hunting season brings a number of illegal moose kills.  Circumstances vary from mistaken identity by hunters to blatant poaching. And the common denominator in most accidental kills is the absence of optical aids, such as binoculars or spotting scope, to properly identify the species.

The Division of Wildlife stresses that the accidental killing of a moose does not necessarily lead to prosecution and may not count as part of the hunter’s bag limit if he or she reports the incident promptly and takes care of the meat. Officers will conduct an investigation to determine if the kill is accidental — i.e. unintentionally taking wildlife that is not due to carelessness or negligence — and a hunter who field dresses the animal will be looked at more favorably than one who doesn’t. However, anyone who shoots a moose legally or illegally and takes only part of the animal or walks away and leaves the carcass to spoil will be charged.

The first moose to reach Colorado, 12 from Utah, were planted in the North Park region near Walden in 1978. There are now more than 2,000 moose in the state and they can be found just about anywhere. Moose have an uncanny ability to wander where least expected. They have been spotted near Cripple Creek, Salida, Westcliffe, Gunnison, Hayden, Steamboat Springs and Summit County. One was seen near the Eisenhower Tunnel on heavily traveled Interstate 70 and another made its way into downtown Craig.

The Colorado Wildlife Commission began issuing a limited number of moose hunting licenses in 1985. In the first six years, when the number of licenses ranged from three to seven, there were more illegal or accidental kills of moose than the legal harvest. But the number of moose hunting licenses increased substantially in 1992 and the kill ratio has gone up exponentially since then.

This year 156 moose licenses are being issued for the three moose seasons — archery Sept. 10-25, muzzleloading Sept. 10-18 and rifle Oct. 1-9.
 
                                 ###

Click Here To Return To The Previous Page