A hiker and their dogs were attacked by a moose on the Lovell Gulch Trail near Woodland Park at about 6:45 p.m. Monday, . Paramedics evaluated and released the hiker at the scene, and none of the dogs appeared to be injured, wildlife officials said.

The 5.3-mile loop is advertised as both kid-friendly and dog-friendly, . Several reviews posted by hikers in recent months mention seeing both moose and calves on the trail, as well as other wildlife.

As of Monday night, signs remained in the area to warn hikers of aggressive moose behavior, but the animal was not being pursued by wildlife officers at that time, according to the agency.

“Moose may look more friendly than dangerous to wildlife watchers not used to living with this species, but like all wildlife, moose need their space,” . “These animals move more quickly than most would think — up to 35 miles per hour — and must be given command and respect when observed in the wild.”

Hikers who spot a moose should use alternate routes or wait for the moose to leave the area before proceeding, according to the agency.

Moose calves are born between mid-May and early June, and the mothers are very protective of their young, wildlife officials said. The mothers are more likely to be aggressive toward people and dogs well into the summer, especially if approached or caught off guard, officials said.

Hikers should keep dogs on a leash and avoid moose foraging areas when recreating, like those filled with thick willows, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Signs of aggression from a moose include laid-back ears, raised hairs on the neck, a lowered head, swaying back and forth, licking the snout, cocking the head and rolling eyes back, state wildlife officials said.

“If a moose reacts to your presence, you are too close,” wildlife officials said. “If a moose displays aggressive behavior or begins to charge, run as fast as you can and try to put a large object between you, such as a boulder, car or tree.”

The unidentified person was walking two dogs on Little Vasquez Road — a that climbs the mountain behind the Winter Park ski resort — when a moose and her yearling appeared, according to a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife. A yearling is a moose between 12 and 24 months old.

The moose charged and kicked the victim several times before turning to attack the two dogs, which the victim released to allow them to run away, state wildlife officials said. Paramedics took the victim to the hospital with serious injuries to the chest and arms.

Wildlife officers returned to the area, but were unable to find the moose, according to the news release. Signs were posted at the trailhead to alert visitors to moose activity in the area.

“Although this was an unexpected encounter with the moose, this incident is a good reminder to give moose plenty of space when recreating outdoors,” wildlife officials said in the news release.

Moose tend to inhabit areas near water with abundant willows, their primary food source, which often makes it hard to see any animals ahead because of the dense vegetation, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

People recreating outdoors should try to select routes with clear visibility, exercise caution and make noise when near willows, thick vegetation or approaching corners, wildlife officials said. Hikers should always respect posted signs warning of aggressive moose behavior or calf activity on trails.

Cow moose, or female moose, usually give birth to calves in late spring and early summer, wildlife officials said. During that time, they often become more aggressive toward perceived threats.

“Cows will often hide their calves to protect them from predators while remaining nearby,” officials stated in the release. “If you spot a calf, it is best to turn back or leave the area.”

Most moose conflicts involve dogs, according to the state wildlife agency. People recreating near moose habitats should keep dogs on leash. Off-leash dogs can venture off-trail, surprising hidden moose calves or cows and prompting the animals to chase or attack the dogs, state wildlife officials said.

Anyone who encounters a moose should give it time and space to move, wildlife officials said. Attempting to haze or scare the moose out of the way is dangerous and considered harassment, which is illegal.

If a moose has laid-back ears, pawing the ground, licks its snout, or changes its direction to face a person, that person is too close and needs to back away, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. If a moose charges, people should seek shelter behind large objects like trees or boulders to create an obstacle in its path.

and boasts one of the fastest-growing populations in the lower 48 states, according to the agency.

Located near Ridgway and Telluride, the Blue Lakes are among the most popular places to hike in the San Juan Mountains thanks to their alluring turquoise waters, robust wildflowers and access to the roughly 14,150-foot Mount Sneffels. The three lakes are so popular, in fact, that the U.S. Forest Service is now implementing a plan to reduce foot traffic to the area in hopes of restoring the natural environment, which has suffered over the years.

In addition to requiring permits in the future, that plan included last summer’s closure, which enabled the agency to upgrade some of the visitor amenities and lay the foundation for future restoration projects in the area, said Dana Gardunio, Ouray District Ranger for the USFS. Crews focused on remediating and re-seeding human-made campsites that eroded the soils, ripping up user-made trails, clearing dead trees, and cleaning up human waste.

“We found a lot of piles of human feces and toilet paper behind almost every tree that was up there,” Gardunio said.

Reducing traffic to the area for one summer may have an impact on the wildlife there, too. Gardunio said crews saw moose at Lower Blue Lake, as well as bears, deer and elk.

As hikers and campers prepare to return this summer, there are new guidelines they should be aware of to avoid overcrowding and to enable more restoration to be done. The forest service and its partners, like the , will have personnel at the trailhead, along the trail and at the Lower Blue Lake to help ensure compliance, Gardunio said, “because we don’t really want to lose the investment we’ve made in the work if it����ap not being respected.”

Here are five things you should know before making the trip to the Blue Lakes in the summer of 2026.

Crowds and conditions

In the past, the Blue Lakes saw about 35,000 visitors per year. Gardunio expects traffic to reach those levels in 2026, though it����ap possible there may be an increase as people seek to visit prior to the permit system launch next year.

Peak hiking season runs June 1 through Sept. 30, with the most foot traffic coming through on weekends and holidays. Given the warm and dry conditions Colorado experienced this winter, it����ap possible the trail may be accessible earlier than normal. However, Gardunio advised anyone who plans to visit in the spring to monitor the weather and be prepared for evolving conditions in the alpine terrain.

Parking capacity limits

In 2025, forest service crews reconstructed the trailhead parking lot to delineate specific spots for cars and added an overflow lot for oversized vehicles or those with trailers. In total, there are 45 first-come, first-served parking spots, and if they are full, visitors should be prepared to change their plan.

“Right now, the rule is that you should be parking in designated spots only, and if there aren’t spots, then you would leave,” Gardunio said.

Parking is prohibited along County Road 7 leading up to the trailhead, and agency personnel planted trees along the road’s edge to deter drivers from stationing their cars there. “We’re going to be working on trying to watch that and see where we may need to put some more signage or build some little fences, if needed, to try and discourage that use,” Gardunio added.

When nature calls, pack it out

Speaking of the trailhead, hikers will find a new bathroom with more stalls than previously available. The rest of the wilderness, however, is no longer a toilet. Visitors now must pack out their human waste. This requirement comes after unsustainable use and improper burying on the part of innumerable people. That was probably the top issue the environment faced, Gardunio said, as she and her crew found the landscape littered with “little white toilet paper flowers.”

“Typically, you’re supposed to dig a cathole at least six inches deep and bury it,” she said. “The soils up there are really challenging, there’s so many roots and rocks. I was up there trying to plant some of the trees, and it����ap really hard to dig in that soil, which is why we decided to do the pack out waste. The environment����ap just really not conducive for that.”

Gardunio recommends bringing or some comparable product to carry and dispose of excrement. And remember, it is also poor form to pee near lakes, which can cause contamination. advise urinating at least 200 feet away from trails, campsites, high-use areas, and water sources.

Camping changes

As people prepare to camp overnight near the Blue Lakes, there are both new and existing rules to consider.

Dispersed camping will still be available near the Lower Blue Lake this year, and while there will not be a cap on the total number of people who stay overnight, the forest service is limiting groups to a maximum of six people. Also new this year, campers are required to carry bear-resistant food storage containers, which must be approved by the .

Camping has long been prohibited at the middle and upper Blue Lakes, and that restriction remains in place. Additionally, camp spots must be at least 100 feet away from both water and trails, and avoid natural areas that are being restored. Those who cannot find a compliant spot should have a secondary plan in mind, Gardunio said.

“There is still a possibility, depending on numbers, that you could get up there and find yourself without a campsite,” she said. “So visitors should still be prepared that is the case and if they don’t have anywhere to camp, they’ll need to have another plan — either not camp up there, go back down the trail or find another spot somewhere else along the trail, which I know there’s not a lot because of how steep it is.”

Another existing rule worth repeating: Campfires are prohibited in the wilderness area. Forest Service personnel dismantled numerous man-made fire rings when they remediated the area, Gardunio said.

No permit required to hike to Colorado’s Blue Lakes in 2026

What����ap next on permits

The forest service is now building a digital permit system and continues to discuss proposed fees. Gardunio said to expect to hear more about the agency’s proposal around June 1, and that there will be a 60-day window to solicit public feedback. The agency’s proposal will likely include a fee that goes back to the local office that is intended to support the management of Mount Sneffels Wilderness and Blue Lakes recreation area, Gardunio said.

In response to criticism about implementing a fee for visitation, Gardunio said she believes this is a necessary strategy to protect the wilderness for future hikers and campers. She also believes it will lead to a better experience in 2027 and thereafter.

“Although it may feel restrictive, the hope is that when you are able to visit those areas, whether it����ap with a permit or outside of permitted season, that your experience is a much higher quality without it and that you also have an area to enjoy that doesn’t feel like it����ap overrun or degraded to the extent that we've seen at Blue Lakes,” she said.

CORRECTION 11:24 a.m. on April 2: A previous version of this story erroneously stated the Forest Service planned to build fire rings at the designated campsites it has identified for future years at Lower Blue Lakes. No fires are allowed in that part of the wilderness.

On Wednesday, the U.S Forest Service announced it purchased 480 acres of land on the 14,178-foot mountain from The Conservation Fund. That includes a portion of the DeCaLiBron Loop trail, so-named because it traverses numerous peaks reaching more than 14,000 feet in elevation. Those include Mounts Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross.

Notably, the purchase does not include the Mount Bross summit, which will remain privately owned and inaccessible to hikers.

“We are excited to bring access and conservation efforts that will benefit the community and wildlife in such a popular recreation area,” said Ryan Nehl, supervisor of the Pike-San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, in a statement. “We could not have accomplished this without the support of The Conservation Fund, Park County and many other partners, with whom we are honored to care for the land and ensure its protection for many generations to come.”

The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit, purchased the parcels from a private landowner last September with the intention of moving them to public domain. The Forest Service is now charged with managing the land, which will further enable public trail access and protect critical headwaters and wildlife habitat, the announcement said. The area includes headwaters for the South Platte River, a source of drinking and agricultural irrigation water. It is also a habitat for moose, elk, and Bighorn sheep.

The Forest Service used money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to make the acquisition.

“Mount Bross is a place where Colorado’s recreation, heritage and natural wonder all come together. This project shows what����ap possible when local communities, conservation partners and the Forest Service move quickly together to protect Colorado’s most cherished landscapes,” Kelly Ingebritson, senior field representative at The Conservation Fund, said in a statement.

The Forest Service has been steadily acquiring private parcels on the Mosquito Range near Fairplay and Alma. In 2023, the agency picked up 289 acres on Mount Democrat and the Kite Lake Trailhead from The Conservation Fund, which had previously purchased it from a private landowner. The owner, John Reiber, had previously closed the area to hikers due to liability issues.

Before we get to the good stuff, just know that what applies to Von Miller and Payton absolutely applies to Justin Simmons, too. Even though the Broncos now have a starting safety slot wide open while a former Pro Bowl safety in Simmons is local and looking for a gig, the locker room in Dove Valley might not be big enough for the both of them. Although stranger things have happened, and it’s almost Christmas.

Speaking of presents, the Chiefs finally returned the AFC West throne to the store, receipt and all, after hogging that thing for 3,270 days. Eight years, 11 months, and 14 days, officially.

A child born on New Year’s Day 2017, the actual start of the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC West dynasty, would be halfway through third grade as of Monday. At last, Heaven help us, we can clearly see the end, a light at the end of long, red tunnel of darkness.

The Chiefs were mathematically eliminated from the postseason this past Sunday. Kansas City is slated to be $43.8 million over the cap in 2026. Travis Kelce just turned 36. Chris Jones will be 32 next summer. Mahomes will be 31 next September, and his left knee just went kablooey in a home loss to the Chargers. Legends live forever in our hearts, but every anterior cruciate ligament comes with an expiration date.

The second-hardest thing in the NFL is to win a championship. The hardest is to pull it off multiple times. It never ceases to amuse me how the most popular sports league in America, land of me-first, is simultaneously a screaming bastion of socialism and enforced parity. The good of all before the one.

Bad teams get the best draft picks. A salary cap that prevents elite teams from hoarding all the elite players, so long as those elite players want to get paid. And they do.

All that being said, the Broncos (12-2) aren’t just poised to win a division title this fall. They’re in a really good position to follow in the Chiefs’ cleats and go on a little dynastic run of their own. And we’ll give you five reasons why:

1. The Chiefs’ best players are getting old

Even if Kelce, who can become an unrestricted free agent next year, elects to return, the Chiefs’ books are looking fairly lopsided. Kansas City will have 44.9% of its cap space for 2026 taken up by four players who will be 31 years or older: Jones ($44.85 million), K Harrison Butker ($7.3 million), LB Drue Tranquill ($7.5 million) and Mahomes ($78.2 million).

The Broncos’ 31-and-older club,

2. The Chargers’ best players are already old

The Bolts have 33.3% of their active roster cap tied up in 17 players who are at least 29 years old.

QB Justin Herbert is better with one good hand than most NFL signal-callers are with two. He’s just 27. Although working with Jim Harbaugh has been known to age people prematurely.

3. The Broncos’ best players are … not

The Broncos went into Week 1, per PhillyVoice.com,

Bo Nix, the QB1 who keeps rising to the moment, is 25 and on a rookie contract through 2027 (for now).

Also signed through ’27, per Spotrac.com (deep breath): CB Pat Surtain II, RT Mike McGlinchey, DL Zach Allen, WR Courtland Sutton, LT Garett Bolles, OLB Jonathon Cooper, OLB Nik Bonitto, S Talanoa Hufanga, DB Jahdae Barron, DL D.J. Jones, LB Dre Greenlaw, G Quinn Meinerz, DL Malcolm Roach, C Luke Wattenberg, OLB Jonah Elliss, RB RJ Harvey, CB Kris Abrams-Draine, K Wil Lutz and P Jeremy Crawshaw. Oh, and WRs Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant.

Pretty good core, that. Especially when you consider that only five of those guys are 30 years or older — and one of those five happens to be Lutz.

4. GM George Paton has the drafting part down

And he always did. Nine of Denver’s 11 starters are former Broncos draft picks or former collegiate free agents. As are five of the 11 guys who usually start for Vance Joseph’s defense. The more expensive Nix’s contract becomes, the more important hitting on rookies immediately is going to get.

5. Sean Payton has done this before

Yes, Sunshine Sean loves the screen game more than Homer Simpson loves Duff Beer. Yes, he holds fools and journalists in equal disdain. But the man also won seven division titles in New Orleans, including four straight (2017-2020) after his 2012 suspension. From 2018-2022, talk about the Broncos largely focused on the franchise’s sagging floor. Now it’s about the ceiling. Whether you like him personally or not, there’s no denying the degree to which Payton flipped the script.

Tom Brady was 42 when he signed with Tampa Bay and 45 when he retired for the second time. Savor the now. When a window opens, you don’t walk through it. You sprint like there’s a raging, snorting Nederland moose in hot pursuit.

In the NFL, age is a running clock. As any Broncomaniac can tell you, there’s one defensive coordinator worse than Belichick, a mastermind not even Mahomes, Brees, Elway or Manning could lick: Father Time. For the first time in a decade, he’s finally on the Broncos’ side.

Its summit will remain off limits to fourteener hikers, however, for the foreseeable future.

The Conservation Fund acquired 58 parcels of land owned by John Reiber last week, totaling more than 480 acres. Included is a small trail segment on Bross that is part of the DeCaLiBron Loop connecting that peak to Mount Lincoln, Mount Cameron and Mount Democrat. Most of the parcels purchased last week are south of the summit and are not part of the loop. Terms of the sale were not announced.

The DeCaLiBron Loop links four 14,000-foot peaks, making it one of the most popular fourteener destinations in Colorado. Two years ago, Reiber sold 289 acres on Democrat and the Kite Lake Trailhead to The Conservation Fund. They were later conveyed to the U.S. Forest Service, as last week’s acquisition will be.

“Sometimes, to save a mountain, you have to buy it,” said Kelly Ingebritson, senior field representative at The Conservation Fund. “It secures hiking access between Mount Lincoln and Mount Bross. It protects its southern face and viewshed. It����ap near the critical headwaters of the South Platte River.”

Ingebritson said parcels south of the summit also are important wildlife habitat for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Canada lynx, elk and moose.

“And,” she said, “the Mosquito Range is a botanical hotspot with rare plants that are endemic to the area.”

Land on Bross and neighboring peaks is a bewildering array of 10-acre mining claims dating back to the late 1800s.

“Our role is like (connecting) a puzzle,” Ingebritson said in an interview. “This is a national forest with thousands of acres of private land and we are helping to put the pieces back together. The land ownership is fragmented. We’re providing a solution. On Mount Bross we purchased 58 separate parcels of private land, all within the national forest boundary.”

The DeCaLiBron Loop currently skirts the summit of Bross due to landholder concerns that have kept it closed for years. Adding the summit to the loop will require more than negotiations with them. There also are safety concerns due to fears that 19th-century mining tunnels near the summit could collapse.

“I’ve heard the land up there described as Swiss cheese,” Ingebritson said. “It is important to avoid the summit. It����ap currently closed, and it����ap still privately owned by multiple unrelated parties, so it����ap difficult to get an agreement up there.

“But,” she added, “the U.S. Forest Service and The Conservation Fund are interested in acquiring the summit, and we stand ready to work on acquiring it if there can be a consensus.”

The Conservation Fund made the acquisition in partnership with the forest service, Park County, the Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative and the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.

“Colorado’s 14ers drew 265,000 hikers last year, including almost 20,000 to the Decalibron Loop, one of the most popular mountain hiking routes in the state,” said Lloyd Athearn, executive director of Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, in a news release. “This acquisition preserves a key parcel along the loop trail, which will help with ongoing trail access and sustainability. The acquisition also protects other important lands on the flanks of Mount Bross that will preserve alpine tundra ecosystems.”

Cattle killings in Pitkin County this summer have spurred calls in recent weeks to remove the entire Copper Creek pack — comprising two adults, three yearlings and an unknown number of pups born this year — as a threat. Cattle killings connected to the pack already prompted Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials in May to kill one of the wolves born last year.

The controversy prompted a special meeting Monday of . Commissioners pressed CPW officials on their plan for handling the pack. But at the end of a nearly two-hour meeting, they did not make any official recommendations or policy changes.

The created after voters in 2020 narrowly chose to reintroduce the apex predator delegates decisions about removing wolves from the wild to CPW, not the commission.

CPW officials said they would not yet remove the pack but were closely monitoring the collared canines — and had deployed range riders to help ward off wolves from herds.

“Setting aside the question over who’s to make the decision, we don’t think it’s necessary at this point to remove the pack,” CPW director Jeff Davis said at the meeting.

The Copper Creek pack formed in 2024 when two of the 10 wolves released in 2023 mated. The pair produced five pups, the first to be born in the reintroduction program.

But CPW removed the pack from the wild — except for one pup that evaded capture — and put them in a sanctuary after a series of depredations in Grand County last year. The pack’s patriarch died in captivity of wounds incurred while in the wild.

CPW in January then rereleased the mother wolf and four pups into Colorado’s central mountains, along with 15 wolves captured in Canada. One of the adult males from Canada in February joined the pack and mated with the female wolf. New pups were born in April, though CPW officials said they don’t yet know how many.

In May, CPW shot and killed one of the pack’s yearlings after it was connected to the killing of three head of cattle and injuries to three more across three Pitkin County ranches.

While cattle have been killed and injured since then, there have been no more incidents that CPW could definitively tie to the pack since the agency killed the yearling, said Matt Yamashita, CPW’s area wildlife manager, at the meeting Monday. Depredations are more difficult to investigate in the summer, when cattle are spread out on grazing allotments that span thousands of acres of rugged landscape, he said.

Davis, the agency head, acknowledged that “there has been continued conflict” between cattle and wolves in the area.

Ranchers in the pack’s vicinity have reported killings and injuries they believed were caused by wolves, Commissioner Tai Jacober said. One rancher said a wolf scattered his grazing herds on Friday, causing him to spend the weekend gathering them back up.

The continued conflict prompted three ranching groups — the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and the Holy Cross Cattlemen’s Association — to send a letter to CPW demanding the removal of the Copper Creek pack.

“The situation is unsustainable and has caused irreparable harm — to the credibility of the reintroduction effort, to the well-being of livestock and wolves alike, and to the ranching families who steward this landscape every day,” the July 3 letter states. “(The Holy Cross Cattlemen’s Association) joins in urging the immediate removal of the Copper Creek Pack.”

It’s unclear whether that would mean relocating the wolves or putting them down.

Several commissioners on Monday said they did not want to involve themselves in the day-to-day wildlife decisions handled by CPW, like how to manage depredating wolves.

The agency makes decisions every day on how to handle wildlife incidents like a moose charging at a person or a bear killing livestock, Commissioner Jay Tutchton said.

“I don’t see how this situation is any different,” he said. “I understand why we’re here, but I guess I disagree with the entire premise of this meeting.”

Davis said he met with two of the ranchers whose herds are being targeted by the Copper Creek pack. Both, he said, had been “busting their backsides” to coexist with the canines.

“They’ve been working with us to deploy non-lethals, they sat with us and shared their stories,” he said. “They’re looking for some solutions, they’re trying to hang on to hope. That’s something I take very seriously because that’s our pathway to success.”

State wildlife officers and crews with the Colorado Springs Fire Department responded Tuesday to a baby moose that “found itself in a bit of a sticky situation near Cottonwood Creek Park,” the .

“Not your everyday rescue call — but when our friends at Colorado Parks and Wildlife call when a bull moose needs help, we show up,” the department wrote on .

Videos posted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife show firefighters before the team used a soft stretcher to .

As the crew moved the moose, one firefighter supported its head and another helped lift its feet, which dangled out of the sling.

Firefighters then continued to hose the moose off through the wall of the state wildlife trailer, according to posted by the agency.

Once the moose arrived at its new home, state wildlife officers gave it a wake-up drug and let it loose in the wild, according to the agency.

Wildlife officers watched the three moose for two days before deciding to move them, according to a from the agency.

The risk to the moose’s safety and the safety of people living in the area was too high, and the three animals were too comfortable to move out of the city on their own, agency officials said in the release.

Officers tranquilized the cow moose on Wednesday and loaded her into a horse trailer, according to the release. The two calves were then picked up, fully awake, and put into the trailer with her.

All three were taken to an unspecified area outside of Steamboat Springs, agency officials said.

The mother was fitted with a collar and will be monitored by Colorado Parks and Wildlife as part of a moose population and movement study being conducted in Steamboat Springs, agency officials said.

It’s common to see moose in and around Steamboat, wildlife officers said in the release.

Moose are often found in areas near water with an abundance of willows, their primary food source. It’s important to maintain a safe distance from moose and to keep dogs on a leash when hiking in moose habitat, agency officials said.

If you know there’s moose in the area or see signs warning about an aggressive animal, you should find another spot to spend time outdoors, officials said.

The woman injured in Sunday’s attack was airlifted to a Front Range hospital with serious injuries. No update on her condition was available.

River Creek Park reopened to the public on Wednesday.

She was walking her two dogs at River Creek Park when she was attacked, agency officials said in a news release. Both dogs were leashed.

A man passing by on a paddleboard found her on the ground near the river after the attack and was helping her to the parking lot when the moose returned and kicked him, according to the release.

Paramedics evaluated the man’s minor injuries on scene and released him while the woman was taken to the hospital, agency officials said. No update on her condition was available Tuesday.

State wildlife officers saw a moose with two calves in the area after the attack and believe the moose was protecting her young, the release stated.

River Creek Park will be closed through Wednesday as wildlife officials continue to assess the area, according to the release.

The Sunday attack was one of three in three days, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Two women were attacked by a moose Friday while walking their dogs along Fourmile Creek Road near Fairplay, agency officials said in the news release.

The moose charged and trampled both women multiple times until they were able to escape by climbing onto a nearby roof, according to the release. A neighbor scared the moose away with a fire extinguisher.

Neither woman sought medical attention, officials said.

On Saturday, a couple in Grand Lake was returning home from a walk with their dog near Columbine Lake when a moose charged them, knocking the woman to the ground, state wildlife officials said.

The woman managed to crawl under a small storage area next to their house, but the moose continued to charge and attempt to stomp her, according to the news release.

When the moose continued to show aggression towards the woman and showed no signs of leaving, her boyfriend shot and killed the moose, the release stated.

The woman was treated on scene for injuries to her face, shoulder and arms, according to the state wildlife agency.

Wildlife officers said the man acted in self-defense while the moose was “actively posing a threat to human health and safety” and did not cite him for shooting it.

State wildlife officers believe the moose was protecting a calf, which was bedded out of sight from the victim and her boyfriend at the time of the attack.

That calf was euthanized by the agency.

“The decision to euthanize the calf was not easy to make,” Hot Sulphur Springs Area Wildlife Manager Jeromy Huntington said in the news release. “While rehabilitation can be successful in some cases, it’s not a guaranteed solution. In the case of this moose calf, taking it to a rehab at such a young age would not be in the best interest of the animal’s long-term survival in the wild.”

Huntington said the rehabilitation center, which can only hold animals for a year, would only make the calf more comfortable with humans, leading to an increased safety threat down the road.

Most moose conflicts involve dogs, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

When :

• Keep dogs on-leash to avoid them wandering off a trail and startling a moose
• Choose a trail with good visibility and make noise when walking through vegetation
• Turn around or leave an area if a calf is spotted
• Get behind objects like trees or boulders to put obstacles in the moose’s path, especially if it charges
• And respect posted signs warning of aggressive moose behavior or calf activity on trails

The state wildlife agency has responded to 22 injuries from moose attacks since 2019.