Nothing disrupts the peace and beauty of mountain living like transplants and tourists. Unless it’s a transplanted moose. They are the biggest transplant of all, bringing in more tourists and tromping through the mountains without abandon. And we love them.

Up until about 30 years ago, moose were rarely seen in the Rockies, outside of the occasional straggler bull moose. The idea of bringing in moose to Colorado first came up in the 1950s. Several organizations, including Colorado wildlife officials, proposed the idea of introducing moose to the northwestern part of the state. A large number of ranchers came out in strong opposition to the idea. The most common concern: moose would compete with cattle and sheep on grazing land and damage local ecosystems.

The idea was brought up again in the 1960s. This time, even more people and organizations, from state to federal, worked together for the next two decades. Finally, in 1978, 12 moose from Utah and 12 from Wyoming were brought in and dispersed among eight counties in Colorado, including Gilpin and Boulder.

The reason at the time behind wanting to establish a moose population in Colorado was for the sole purpose of providing more hunting opportunities. But before that could happen, the animals had to be protected and given time to start producing new calves.

Initially, the fine for illegally killing a moose was $1000 to $5000, with the possibility of jail time for up to one to three years. In 1983, the fine for killing a moose had gone to a flat rate of $1000 for the first offense and double for the second. In fall of that year, The Mountain-Ear reported that two men, both from Colorado, were arrested and charged for killing one of the banded moose from Wyoming along with a yearling calf.

Also in 1983, in a separate incident, it was reported that another man from California was charged for killing two more moose. An additional two more were found dead that year, killed by gunshot, but the person or persons responsible for those was never found.

Despite this incident and a few other setbacks, the moose population in Colorado that year was close to 100. By all standards, the moose surprised everyone with how well and how quickly they established themselves in the area.

It is also around this time that the moose began to become more symbolic of mountain culture. The establishment once called “Alps Lodge” changed its name to “Moose Lodge.” Other new businesses popped up that following decade with a “moose” reference in their name. In 1988, a Great Dane by the name of “Moose” won Pet of the Year. Now closed, during much of the 1990s Moose Brother’s Pizza was a popular local eatery.

More recently, during a debate about the new logo currently being planned to represent the town of Nederland, an overwhelming number of people asked that a moose be used in the design. To be more specific, they suggested a hula-hooping moose…but regardless, people up here clearly identify with the moose.

The first ever moose hunting season was allowed in 1985 and has continued every year since. Currently, moose roam through much of the state, with a population of nearly 3,000. Moose are hunted in more than 39 game management units across Colorado, and as the population declines in other states, they continue to thrive here.

In addition to hunting, moose viewing is also a popular experience for locals and visitors. Pictures of moose sightings began appearing in The Mountain-Ear as early as the mid 1990s. In 1995, Walden was declared the “Moose Viewing Capital of Colorado” by the state legislature.

With that being said, it soon became necessary to educate the public on proper moose viewing guidelines, including safety tips. An article published in The Mountain-Ear in 1995 was written solely to remind people of the dangers and restrictions of feeding wildlife, including moose.

One part read, “While the Colorado Division of Wildlife encourages wildlife viewing, it strongly discourages the feeding of wildlife. In fact, it is now illegal to feed deer, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, moose and antelope.”

Feeding any wildlife will also attract the mountain lions that feed on them, but in addition, moose may look cute and cuddly, but they are, for the most part, mean. They are not shy – they will fight each other and especially you when cornered or feeling threatened.

If you need any sort of reminder as to exactly how deadly these animals can be, search “moose fighting” online. Often a bull moose will fight until his opponent retreats or is dead, just to get dibs on an available cow.

According to a statistic released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, moose attacks have been on the rise over the past five years, with a total of 21 being reported since 2017. In 2014, The Mountain-Ear reported one of the first attacks in the area, in Gilpin County near the Forest Hills subdivision. Two women were attacked and then hospitalized for several days, with one ending up in intensive care.

In 2019, Doug Gibney, who had been a caretaker for Arapahoe Ranch above Nederland, and pastor at Calvary Chapel Church in Nederland since 1980, was attacked by a cow moose protecting her calf.

Reporter John Scarffe described the attack: “As he was heading back to the house, the moose came out of the willows. Gibney was spun around, and then the moose came back. He was knocked down three times. The last charge spun him around, and then the moose came back at him and reared up. Gibney rolled over to the opposite side and the moose crushed his ribs.”

Eventually Gibney’s dog came up and barked until the moose released Gibney. He had to retreat to a pond until the cow returned to her young and walked on. No action was taken against the moose. The moose was in its natural habitat and the attack likely a result of seasonal behavior.

That same year, area Wildlife Manager Kristin Cannon reminded people, “They may be aggressive toward people, but especially people with dogs, and especially if those dogs are off leash.”

Just this past spring a man in Coal Creek Canyon was attacked. Rob Standerwick was charged by a cow moose on a trail he probably had walked hundreds of times in his 24 years living in the mountains. He said, “I walk it two to three times a day.” Standerwick was also aware of the number of moose in the area, and always walked away or turned around to give the animal space.

Standerwick was walking his dogs on a path near his property when, before he even realized what was happening, he found himself face to face with a moose.

He stated that the moose was standing over him, one hoof on his chest while the other had kicked him in the head and jaw. He also said he has “no hard feelings towards the moose, she was just doing her job protecting her calf.”

In a recent interview with Kara VanHoose with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, she said “Moose are not one of the species you should ever approach in the wild. Because they are so big and so fast they don’t have that fear of humans, they do not think you are approaching them in a friendly manner and will charge you using their size to intimidate you and that is something you never want to experience in the wild.”

She also mentioned that “the majority of attacks and conflicts we see are based around dogs because moose see dogs as a predator.” VanHoose continued, “They will chase after dogs and will attack them even if a dog is on leash. Stay away from places where moose like to hang out, near water and willow trees.” She ended with, “if you are going out to see moose or view moose, it is best to stay in your car. Moose will charge without necessarily being provoked.”

After all this, moose have had no known negative impact on the environment and can be beneficial in clearing shrubbery. Either way, the Peak to Peak is now considered “moose country” and both locals and visitors need to stay alert when recreating.

Spring is fast approaching and cows will soon be giving birth. Most attacks from moose happen during early spring and summer, right in time for tourist season. So, just in case Nederland does end up with a hula-hooping moose on their logo, tell the transplants and tourists to beware.

Moose may be cute, but never forget, they will attack if they feel even the slightest bit threatened. Be sure to warn the newcomers. No matter how challenging it can be to deal with the tourists, nobody wants to see the aftermath of what happens when trying to take a selfie with a moose.

Read more about the history of moose in Boulder and Gilpin Counties by visiting our historic archives online at https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/.

Listen to our podcast to hear a more in-depth interview with Colorado Parks and Wildlife representative Kara VanHoose. She shares more ways to stay safe while enjoying the outdoors in Colorado. You can stream our podcast across every major player and also find it online at https://www.themtnear.com/ the-mountain-ear-podcast/.