Tekoa faces moose problem

Tekoa

A cow moose and a young bull have been spotted at many locations in Tekoa.

Dave and Laurie Shrope, living on the south side of town, have discovered moose noseprints on their front window, and were startled when they opened their drapes one morning to see the cow moose staring back at them. Dave said they bed down in their front yard or the old school yard lot behind their residence frequently.

The cow simply grazes, but the bull is more destructive. He tears down bird feeders and lawn ornaments.

Last week, the duo was spotted a block north on the corner of Elisabeth and Truax in a vacant lot where they were browsing on bushes. Neighborhood dogs don’t distract them.

They continued their slow meander through a residential neighborhood. Neighbors Addie Mae Sienknecht and Jack Bowman live on the corner of SR 27 and Huffman. They have seen them in their alleyway nibbling on Jack’s apple trees. They also frequent the railroad right-of-way that faces Hangman Creek.

Melissa Lawhead lives by Tekoa’s grade school and saw them in alleys on her side of town.

One citizen, Greg Blomgren, has kept track of these moose for years. Two winters ago, an orphan calf found herself in backyards in Tekoa. To survive the brutal winters, she would stay on Greg’s patio or neighbors decks or lawns.

Greg says he has a problem with moose eating his rosebushes, thorns and all. He says three moose, the three-year-old orphan, the cow and bull moose, make regular visits to his place on SR 27 on the outskirts of town.

Tekoa will probably see more sightings. Greg says his tree man gave him some spray for his rose bushes that should keep the moose away.

Many of us wonder what’s bringing them here. The orphan is comfortable with small town living.

Old timers don’t remember seeing moose in Tekoa except for passing through on the run during the summer months. They are staying within city limits and are sighted weekly. Sienknecht is a bit leery about putting the trash out on the carport at night.