There will be no repeat of an episode last fall in which a bow hunter shot and killed a bull moose near the shoreline of Brainard Lake, with horrified park visitors witnessing its demise.
Or, if it happens, it won’t be legal.
At its January meeting, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted 6-2 to enact that measure as part of a broader set of updated regulations impacting big-game hunting in the state.
The rule, taking effect for the 2015 hunting season, imposes restrictions barring moose hunters for a quarter-mile extending out from the high-water mark of Brainard Lake. It’s in effect from the season’s start until the U.S. Forest Service access gate closes, usually on or about Oct. 12. Once the gate goes down, the closure is lifted.
There was significant public outcry after a bow hunter, at 6:30 a.m. Sept. 6, killed a bull moose in the willows on the southwest side of the lake. After being struck, the moose ran about 200 yards before toppling over and dying within proximity of people there to view wildlife.
The hunter had a valid tag to shoot a moose in the area, and Parks and Wildlife officials deemed it a legal kill. But, with the moose then being field dressed where it fell, a number of people happened upon the scene, including some camp hosts who had been there all summer yet were unaware hunting was allowed in the area.
“It actually was in response to that incident,” said Manda Walters, a spokeswoman for Parks and Wildlife, referring to the new regulation. Charlie Brennan, Daily Camera
