If I Were Going...: Rocky Mountain Moose

Shiras Moose at Rocky Mountain National Park

Just like Caty and I like to go to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to look for baby Moose in the spring, we also like to go to the mountains in the late summer/early fall to look for bulls. I thought I had blogged about it a lot, but I guess I haven’t, so here's just a little bit. Our early summer expedition is dubbed “Moosecapade.” We don’t really have a name for out fall adventures.

A great weekend in Grand Lake in 2015

Several years ago we rented a cabin in Grand Lake for the Labor Day holiday and had extraordinary luck with seven bulls that hung around the entire weekend.

We had decided we would go back each year and rent the same cabin and then the owner sold it to someone who has opted not to rent it out anymore. We never rented another cabin for Labor Day!

This time, we camped and we weren’t as lucky with Moose, seeing mainly females and yearlings with just a few bulls, most young and none with spectacular antlers.

A young male with modest antlers

I have written before about how the state of Colorado introduced Shiras Moose to Colorado back in the late 70s, starting in Walden, which is north of RMNP. Some billed it as a re-introduction, but there is no evidence that Moose ever lived in Colorado.

Female Moose just outside the Park

We attended a Ranger Talk this trip and learned more about what happened and how it’s going. First, the introduction was not environmental, it was economic. Moose were introduced for hunting, which brings in lots of revenue. And, it was implied that the National Park Service was not consulted.

Mother and calf grazing on the west side of RMNP

After the introduction, Moose have been slowly spreading out across the state.

First, they were exclusively on the western side of the mountains.

Now they also appear on the east.

And, they have moved south.

Whereas Moose have been declining elsewhere, they Moose have done well in Colorado. According to RMNP, too well.

The Moose are destroying the willows, which both causes them to spread further and drives out other animals that depend on that habitat. Most notable, Beavers have pretty much disappeared from RMNP. The ecosystem is being affected and probably not in a good way.

This collared Moose is part of a RMNP study that monitors where they go

RMNP's Moose have few predators

Why?

Well, Moose have been introduced into an area that lacks most of their natural predators. This includes Wolves and Brown Bears, which no longer live in Colorado, and Mountain Lions, which have had their numbers greatly reduced.

So, there is little to check Moose expansion.

RMNP is now exploring what can be done.

One option is to wait and see what happens.

Another is to hold an annual cull where Moose hunting is allowed in the Park.

We favor Wolves; this Moose might not

The third is to reintroduce Wolves, which were long ago driven out in early settlers' ill-advised efforts to eliminate all predators. Now, they only occasionally wander down to Colorado from Wyoming.

The RMNP staff has lots of concerns about Wolves because the Park is relatively small (compared to the huge Yellowstone/Grand Teton complex that does support a Wolf population) and it borders on populated areas.

Of course, if Wolves show up on their own – and they might with the huge Moose buffet we are growing – then, they would be protected in RMNP. But, the Park is concerned about a concerted introduction.

You know that Caty and I favor bringing in Wolves. That would be so awesome.

Yellowstone Wolf, 2016

Unfortunately, there are so many misconceptions about Wolves, it may be a long haul. No, they won’t kill off all the Elk or all the Moose. Yes, they will take some cattle, but it won’t destroy ranching in Colorado. And, no, they won’t stalk and kill all the people who visit the Park. They would help balance the prey populations and they would certainly get me back in the Park more often.

Brainard Lake
Originally, we wanted to camp at Brainard Lake, where we have always had good luck with Bull Moose, but it was Labor Day weekend and we could not get a camping spot there (even on Thursday morning!). So, we camped at Timber Creek on the west side of RMNP.

Brainard Moose, 2017

But, one morning, we got up a 3:00 a.m. and drove all the way to Brainard Lake to try to catch Moose before they went back into the woods for the day. One of the most interesting things about the drive was that we went the entire distance from the campground over Train Ridge Road to the eastern side of the Park without seeing another car. I think we were, indeed, the ONLY car on the top of the ridge.

Brainard Lake in the early morning

It was lovely. But, there were no Moose. Apparently, they had already started moving up into the mountains for the rut. We had thought about hiking while there, but the holiday crowds were oppressive. So, we headed back to RMNP.

Monarch Lake

We also went out to Monarch Lake, which is 28 miles south of the campground in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. We went fairly late in the afternoon and didn’t see much at the lake except a fishing Osprey – a real treat ...

Getting this made up for missing a similar opportunity Earlier in Grand Teton National Park

... and an adorable White-Tailed Deer Fawn ...

He was curious

On the way out we photographed several other Ospreys (I think we could dub this trip "Ospreycapade"), including one on a nest right by the road ...

Ospreys live on the water and can be found throughout North America

... and one that perched close to us in a tree ...

The yellow eyes indicate an adult; juveniles have orange eyes

... before taking off ...

Liftoff

See the frayed rope in the nest?

Then, we encountered a nest that underscored the dangers of litter. It looked as though the ospreys had used some rope in their nest and then one of the birds became entangled and died. There was a juvenile Osprey in the nest, but we couldn’t tell if the dead bird was a sibling or a parent. Very sad to see, regardless.

The juvenile was probably fine; it was fledged and, this late in the season, could most likely fend for itself.

We went back to Monarch earlier in the day on Labor Day, but parking was insane, with cars illegally parked for probably a mile along the narrow road into the lake, turning it into a one-way route. Nope!

Camping

It was a nice weekend for camping.

Timber Creek Campground

We had just a smidge of rain, but lots of threatening clouds, which put the damper (no pun intended) on any hiking plans –especially after part of the Ranger talk had been a first-hand description from the Ranger's wife of what it is like to be struck by lightning on a trail.

The clear night made for some good Milky Way opportunities. We didn't spend a lot of time on night sky because of our frequent early morning departures – some in Park to look for Moose and that (fruitless) early, early morning trek to Brainard Lake. But, we did capture some of the magnificent night sky.

A big plus was that every evening as the sun set, we saw bats (Little Brown Bats to be specific)! That was a first for me in RMNP. Hard to photograph, but fun to see.