Bull moose captured in Boise-area neighborhood — the second moose relocation in 2 weeks

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game on Thursday morning captured and relocated a bull moose that was captured in a Boise-area neighborhood — the second nearby moose relocated in just over two weeks.

Southwest Region spokesperson Brian Pearson told the Idaho Statesman the agency went out early in the morning to tranquilize the young male moose, which was near the Eagle Road and State Street/Idaho 44 intersection.

Pearson said the moose’s proximity to traffic and homes posed a potential safety risk. The moose is being relocated to the Smiths Ferry area south of Cascade.

According to a news release issued before the moose’s capture, the animal was seen in Eagle near Ballantyne Lane, Floating Feather Road and Idaho 44 last night. The area is just north of the Boise River and a short distance from Eagle Island State Park.

Fish and Game said it received reports of moose sightings on Wednesday afternoon, and conservation officers located the moose around 5:30 p.m. Hoping to keep the animal off the highway, officials observed the moose for about half an hour until they lost sight of it when it wandered into a corn field. Officers spent another hour at the location but did not see the animal again.

“At that point, the peak traffic period was over, and the animal was in as good a place as it could be under the circumstances,” Regional Wildlife Manager Ryan Walrath said in the release.

An Eagle Police Department Facebook post said the moose was about 6 feet tall and between 600 and 700 pounds. Photos from the post showed the moose bedded down in a backyard and standing near Eagle Adventist Christian School.

Last month, a cow moose was seen frequenting Hidden Springs, a planned community north of Boise. When the moose didn’t move on from the area after a few days, Fish and Game tranquilized her and relocated her to the Smiths Ferry area.

Pearson said Fish and Game hasn’t had to relocate a moose from the Treasure Valley since 2019, when a moose was removed from Nampa.

“It’s not common and it’s particularly not common to have two moose in the Boise area in such a short span of time,” Pearson said.