Utah, Colorado exchange critters

HUNTSVILLE — We have too many moose. They have more than enough bighorn sheep.

So, wildlife officials from Colorado and Utah this week began an exchange, rounding up 20-25 female moose Friday and today (weather permitting) near the frozen Causey Reservoir for an eastbound road trip.

In three or four weeks, about 20 wild bighorn sheep will be transported west to Utah. They'll be taken from their home in Colorado that includes the 250-square-mile Trinchera Ranch belonging to Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine.

Last year, Utah was able to unload some moose to Colorado in a more one-sided exchange. In years past, Utah has received Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and ptarmigan (birds) from Colorado.

"We've got a lot more moose here than the area can handle," said Mark Hadley, spokesman for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Statewide, Utah's 2005 moose population was about 4,130, with about 1,050 concentrated in Morgan and southern Rich counties, where target numbers are supposed to be around 640.

After a snowstorm halted plans Thursday, moose were rounded up Friday one by one, using nets, helicopters and a dozen or so wildlife workers from Colorado. By noon, four moose had been captured. Veterinarians checked the moose for health problems, then fitted them with radio collars for tracking purposes, tagged their ears for identification and sent them on their way in trailers — and none too soon.

In northern Utah, competition for space has forced younger moose into back yards and on roads in residential areas as they try to establish their own territory. That poses a threat to the curious who get too close and to people driving cars.

"People get killed hitting moose," Hadley said. And a moose's docile appearance can be deceiving. "They're not afraid — they'll charge people, they'll stomp on people."

Wildlife biologists have begun to notice a problem with moose habitat. If left unchecked, too many moose in too small a range could soon mean a shortage of food, bringing starvation and death to hungry moose.

In theory, hunters are supposed to help thin moose numbers, but swaths of private property and "No Trespassing" signs have prevented that from happening.

"It's hard to get hunters on these moose," Hadley said about the Causey Reservoir area. "That's our biggest challenge in this area."