Sightings in Colorado
This was yesterday (September, 2011) driving through Rocky Mountain National Park. Cheers! Rob. (Ed.: No passing zone, not that you'd want to!)
"Here are some photos that were really fun to take (in Grand Lake, Colorado). I actually have the main event caught on video, but these photos do some justice as well. This bull moose, same as the one in the top photos below, was resting on someone's yard. Very relaxed and content. As I watched, he suddenly just fell over into a deep sleep. The sun was going down and the light not so good. But what I noticed here was that his eyes turned more and more blood red just before he fell asleep. He slept for a good hour or so, got up and fed than went into the woods. Todd Y."
Editor's Note: This photo sequence of a bull moose falling asleep is very rare. See our Slide Show galleries for more work from this amateur photographer.
"Here are two different bulls (big antlers and awesome bells). The first one I see quite often when I'm in Grand Lake, Colorado. Here he is feeding while at the same time trying to rid himself of what's left of the velvet on his antlers. These photos were taken as the sun was going down and it was actually darker than it appears on the photos. I watched him for a bit with the intentions of locating him in the morning. The next photo was taken when he was listening to a bunch of coyotes yelping in the distance. It was interesting to watch his expressions as he was listening to these predators. The third photo is of a different moose. It was a very cold morning with the temperature at 28 degrees. I had to walk almost a half mile in the wetlands, water just about mid-calf, to get these photos. Again, the lighting was not good as the sun was just coming up. I wish I could have kept up with this guy, but he was made for the terrain and I wasn't. Todd Y."
"I was up in Rocky Mountain National Park the last week of August and the moose were very cooperative for viewing in the Western part of the park. I've attached a few photos. One morning we saw two cows come to feed in the "Beaver Pond" area of the park and they were eating the vegetation at the bottom of the pond. We also saw a nice bull moose right along the side of the road while he was browsing on some willow. We saw one female with a calf and they were in the same spot just about every day we went into the park. The moose in RMNP seem to be doing very well, and I'm sure they will spread into the surrounding areas of Northern Colorado. Jeff."
"Last summer (June, '07) I was on the Grand Lake side of Rocky Mountain National Park. My cousin and I were lucky enough to see more than a dozen moose in the short time we were there. We watched this mom and her calf for nearly 30 minutes before they decided to cross the Colorado River and head into a thicket. I have numerous moose pics but this one remains one of my favorites. Jerry."
"This past September during elk season I encountered more moose then elk. One evening I had the fortune of stumbling on a cow and a bull moose in what I thought was a mating ritual. I sat and admired both animals for some time. The bull kept lowering his head showing of his massive antlers trying to impress his mate. I was able to take some photos prior to them making their way back into the tree. Brian."
"After attending a staff retreat outside of Winter Park my carpool mates and I saw this amazing sight—a bull, cow and two calves right next to the highway. We stopped and I got these photos. A couple of lifelong residents of Colorado indicated they had never seen live moose in the wild before. It was an amazing experience! Diane."
"The wife and I were on a short vacation and had been snowshoeing on the Grand Lake side of Rocky Mountain National Park when we came upon this cow moose and her calf. They put on quite a show for us before they got bored and left. Jerry."
"My wife and I recently took a trip to Colorado and Wyoming. We drove through Grand Teton, Yellowstone and back through Rocky Mountain National Park. We spent time in Grand Teton and Yellowstone looking for a moose. Neither of us had ever seen one. With all of the areas in both parks to spot them, I was sure we would eventually spot one. I was very disappointed that we had to head back to Colorado without seeing any. We saw plenty of elk, buffalo and even several bears, but no moose.
We drove through Rocky Mountain National Park and stopped at Grand Lake. Before we headed back, I followed a dirt rode and saw a sign for a waterfall. We took the path to Adam Falls and on our way back to the car I spotted something dark in the woods. I stopped and stepped back peering into the woods. My wife came back to see why I stopped. At first, I though it was someone on a horse. As I slowly walked into the woods, I realized I saw my first moose! I was taking pictures like crazy. At first I was seeing him through some thick thicket. This made a good picture because you can clearly see his face and antlers through the thicket. I then walked around and found a clearing to take a few more great, close pictures. I wanted to stay there all day. When I finally came out, I showed people on the path the pictures on my digital camera and they were amazed. He was a pretty nice bull moose. By the time the others started walking in, he had moved up a hill and was barely visible.
I plan to see more moose in the future, but this will probably always stand out as a great moose encounter. David."