DIVIDE, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are searching for a hunter accused of shooting a moose with an arrow in Teller County and leaving it to die.
On Sept. 18, 2021, the agency learned about a dead bull moose that was found between Forest Service Roads 363 and 361 in the Phantom Creek drainage north of Divide in northern Teller County.
CPW investigators concluded that a suspected poacher shot the moose with an arrow and then attempted to remove its head. They then tried to hide the carcass by placing branches and sticks across it.
A game camera in the area caught the moose alive the morning of Sept. 16. Five hours later, an unidentified archery hunter was spotted by the camera, CPW said. Officials are asking the public to help identify the hunter.
“This is poaching and it’s illegal and we want to catch the person who did this,” Travis Sauder, assistant area wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak region, said in a press release. “This moose was treated unethically and that is something we take very seriously."
Anyone who illegally injures or kills wildlife could face misdemeanor charges, including harassment of wildlife, hunting big game without a license, illegal taking of wildlife and reckless endangerment, according to CPW. Those convicted could face up to six months in jail and $750 to $13,000 in fines, depending on the charges.
Those with information are asked to call the CPW Southeast REgional Office at 719-227-5200. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can call Operation Game Thief at 877-265-6648.
