DIVIDE — Colorado Parks and Wildlife is offering a reward for information regarding an archer who shot and killed a bull moose on Sept. 18, 2021, and left it to die in Teller County.
The agency has released video and photos of a person of interest that were taken by game cameras between Forest Service Roads 362 and 363 in Phantom Creek near Divide. The moose died between these roads in the northern part of Teller County.
CPW officers investigated, and discovered that a suspected poacher shot the moose with an arrow, and tried removing its head. After an unsuccessful attempt, the suspect laid branches and sticks across the carcass, in an attempt to hide it.
“This is poaching and it’s illegal and we want to catch the person who did this,” said Travis Sauder, assistant area wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak region. “This moose was treated unethically and that is something we take very seriously. But we need the public’s help catching whoever did this.”
A game camera showed the moose alive on the morning of Sept. 16, and also showed an unidentified archer 5 hours later.
“Moose have become an iconic part of the Colorado landscape and have flourished since being reintroduced in 1978,” said Sauder. “The current population is estimated to be near 3,000 animals and they have spread throughout the state. While this creates many wonderful opportunities to photograph, view and hunt these animals, it has also come with one major drawback: every year moose are negligently harvested by elk hunters.”
Sauder said CPW is hopeful someone saw something, or heard conversations about the moose being killed.
“We’re asking the public to help us identify the hunter in the photos and video,” Sauder said. “We rely on honest sportspeople to help us solve these types of cases.”
If you have any information about the incident, you are asked to call the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Regional office at 719-227-5200.
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