A steep, bare slope at 13,000 feet is about the last place somebody might expect to see a moose, but one cruised right by some Colorado hikers there on Sept. 6.
Wildlife biologists told Cowboy State Daily that such an encounter is a rarity. But, when moose put their minds to it, they can travel amazing distances and end up in weird places.
Avid hiker Hunter Michaud of Colorado Springs caught video of the cow moose, trotting down a narrow hiking trail through scree (loose rock) above timberline, not far below the summit of Mount Sneffels.
The 14,153-foot peak is in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado
He told Cowboy State Daily that he and his hiking companions saw the moose coming from a long way off.
She seemed determined to get to where she was going, so they wisely decided to step off the trail and give her the right of way.
They guessed that the cow moose might have been headed from one marshy area on the Telluride, Colorado side of the mountain, to another marshy area far below on the other side.
Hikers high above timber line on Mount Sneffels in southwest Colorado were stunned when a moose trotted right by them at 13,000 feet elevation. It’s rare to see moose that high, wildlife biologists say. (Courtesy Hunter Michaud) 
Hikers high above timber line on Mount Sneffels in southwest Colorado were stunned when a moose trotted right by them at 13,000 feet elevation. It’s rare to see moose that high, wildlife biologists say. (Courtesy Hunter Michaud)
Moose On The Move
Moose, like other ungulates, will sometimes take treks that amount to mini migrations, Nick DeCesare, a research biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, told Cowboy State Daily.
Moose are usually associated with swamps, marshes, river bottoms or thick forests. But their treks can take them to some places outside of typical habitat, DeCesare said.
That includes sometimes trekking into the high country, he said.
Some might be tempted to go near, or even above timberline, seeking forbs and other plants that they might not find on their typical range, he said.
A moose all the way up in the high alpine scree, like Michaud encountered, was probably moving through on her way to somewhere else, he said.
DeCesare was involved with research on the movements of moose wearing radio tracking collars in Montana.
There were instances of moose going up and over alpine passes to get to where they wanted to go, he said.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, “we’ve seen them wander out through the prairie, which is almost as un-mooselike as it would seem to see them high in the mountains,” DeCesare said
Stan Harter, Lander Region wildlife biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, agreed that moose can end up in some surprising places in the low country.
He’s seen moose way out in the so-called sagebrush sea in the Big Piney and Pinedale area.
Moose also sometimes traverse vast sagebrush country in the Oregon Buttes area, between Lander and Farson, he said.
Taking Off To Explore
Michaud said other hikers have reported seeing moose where he had his encounter, including a cow with calves.
He wondered if the moose he saw was either the same cow, or one of the now-grown calves – following the route that its mother showed it.
DeCesare said there’s reason to think that knowledge of travel routes is passed down between generations of moose, as it is in deer and other species.
As to why moose take epic hikes, including sometimes up and over mountains, that’s not known for certain, he said.
It might be because they’re seeking new food sources, or because their home range has started to feel crowded, so they’re looking for new territory.
A moose scaling mountains in search of less-crowded stomping grounds could make sense in Colorado, where the moose population is booming.
While trekking is usually associated with young males, DeCesare said that some of the collared cow moose in Montana struck out on their own.
“They’ll also go explore. We’ll see certain individuals, for a summer, will just go take off,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
