Loose Moose in Idaho Now Being Seen in Canyons

Todd Eccles's wife spotted a moose Friday morning.  This wouldn’t be big news, but it’s about where she saw the animal.  Todd is one of the stars of the Gun Guys on Newsradio 96.1 FM and 1310 KLIX.  Since he was on air this morning, she drove one of their sons to his job, near Niagara Springs, where they spotted a cow drinking water.  In the canyon!  This wouldn’t be considered normal moose habitat, but the population of them is so thick in the South Hills, many are leaving and looking for new “stomping grounds”.

In less than one week, Idaho Fish and Game relocated two moose from the valley.  One was wandering in Kimberly.  The other is in Burley.  Many of the moose on the loose are yearlings, and they may be more curious than older animals.  Don’t attempt to make friends!

A member of our radio audience wrote this week and mentioned a moose was hanging around her barns for several days, and that it almost seemed tame.  There are no tame moose.  While generally shy, they can be very ill-tempered.

There are two factors at play here.  People keep moving to Idaho.  New housing developments are sprouting up in areas that were once mainly the range of wildlife.  And, as mentioned earlier, there is an explosion in the moose population.  Chances of encounters are likely going to increase.  Chances of a bad encounter are more and more possible.

Seeing a moose in the wild is a thrill.  Seeing one in town requires a call to law enforcement and Fish and Game.

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