Moose in Routt County

In my 23 years of living in Routt County I saw a moose for the first time today in this beautiful state! Not once but twice! It started out as a normal spring day heading to Steamboat Lake to go fishing. Nearing the turn off to the Marina my friend looked to the left and saw a large black animal running through the willows. Immediately I looked over and could not believe what I was seeing. (Due to the fact that the only time I have seen this animal in nature was in the Panhandle of Idaho). In deed this was a moose. I pulled over and attempted to watch it for a few moments. As it disappeared into the willows, I continued the drive to our destination of fishing. Once I started fishing one of the inlets to Steamboat Lake and being out fished upon the first drop of the line by my friend my mind was occupied with the location of the moose and I wasn’t much concerned with the fish. We did catch a couple Cutthroats that had decent girth to them and two Rainbow trouts that averaged about 2-2.5 lbs. There are some large fish this time of year as I was disappointed to not land the "Big One". As we were nearing the lake we came upon a man who also was fishing. This man, like myself was also occupied with the moose. By this time the moose which was about a 2 year old female was only across a couple bends in the creek. This young cow seemed very content, considering how close we were to her. She stood there and fed as we all admired her beauty and discussed how rare it is to see a moose in this area. About 30-40 minutes passed watching her in amazement she finally disappeared back into the willows. I do believe that the next time I am in that area I will be keeping a sharp eye for a moose. For all the anglers out there the fishing of the particular inlet was very steady. Steamboat Lake is not completely cleared of ice, but very fishable from every bank. If you are visiting the area or just a local going for drive, keep your eyes open. There is plenty of wildlife to be viewing this time of year ranging from moose to elk, sand hill crane to blue heron as well as bald eagles. Keep your eyes open it is a beautiful time in Routt County!

4/21/2007