While spring is a time to welcome the new life, for the local moose it is also a time to bid farewell and best wishes to the yearlings. Once a baby (or commonly twins with moose) is born, the cow will keep the young with her until she is about to give birth again, or up to as much as two years after birth if she is not pregnant again. Moose are territorial and tend to be quite good at spreading out their populations in an effort to not overfeed a given area, so once the yearlings are served their eviction, they may stick around into the summer, but generally wander off eventually to establish their own territory.

Being a robust and healthy population in this area, this is why our population has grown so relatively fast and spread so far in the Peak to Peak region over the last few decades. With no natural predators (grizzly bears and wolves) other than human hunting and the rare mountain lion attack on young, they have spread quite far in a relatively short span of time.

In my recollection from over 25 years here in Nederland, I recall one of my first sightings in 1997 when a pair of yearling twins were seen walking through town after their mother was killed in the early fall. While it seemed a “one-off” sighting, it was around 10 years later that we to see others, but within a few years after that we had a couple “hot spots” where they were known to spend their time.

In another 10 years they were seen seemingly everywhere from Raymond down to Central City. The population has spread so much so since then that not too many years ago a young bull was seen walking the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder late one evening. Rare sightings are happening near Longmont. One bull was even found wandering the plains in north-central Kansas in 2019 (though it is also theorized he may also have wandered down from Minnesota) according to an article in The Topeka Capital-Journal.

In my relatively short span of time as a wildlife photographer, I have had the opportunity to witness a number of touching events with animals, though most have been joyful and usually with babies. That said, probably the most heart-wrenching was coming across this scene one evening a few years ago as a cow was amid telling her yearling it was time to go. My attention was drawn to the pair due to a bit of commotion spotted through the pines, and as I got a closer look, noticed the mother aggressively chasing the yearling. Quite startled, the younger moose would be run off, then slowly make its way back to her, appearing confused and looking for consoling. When she got close, the mother would charge again, at one point even rearing up and kicking a bit with her front hooves. After a handful of approach attempts, the young one was able to get quite close, and this time the mother leaned over the pines and brush as if to give one final nuzzle, as though giving one final bit of affection before making her decision final.

As it was nearing dusk, I gave up my attempts to continue photographing and made my way back to the car. I imagine this may have gone on a bit longer before the young one finally got the point and headed away to begin her life on her own.

For additional information about James DeWalt Photography, check out https://jamesdewaltphotography.com.