There are about a dozen or so Shiras Moose that live in our immediate neighborhood; many more in the vast forests of the Roosevelt National Forest and Rawah Wilderness area. Moose were introduced into the Laramie River Valley at the foot of the Rawahs in 1978, and in other areas of Colorado through the early 1990’s. There are an estimated 1,000 of the animals now who make Colorado their home.
We never approach a moose, of course, but I do sometimes stand on my deck and yell at them to “STOP EATING MY BUSHES!” We’ve had them mess up our wood shed, knock over barbecue grills, and plow through the garden. Our young nephew came to visit once, and in the morning he told us that a moose had looked through the bedroom window at him. We thought he had been dreaming until we found the tracks in the flower bed outside his room.
But all in all, we almost always enjoy the frequent visits from these large neighbors, and, as you can see from the caption below the above photograph, I sometimes can’t resist naming the more frequent visitors.