BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife wants to remind people that moose hunting is legal in Colorado and it can also happen in areas where people are sightseeing.

The reminder comes a week after a woman thought she saw a moose being hunted near a popular viewing area at Brainard Lake in Boulder County.

The woman claimed she and several others saw a moose collapse. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the woman thought the moose was killed by a bow hunter and left the area.

Wildlife officers said when the woman walked away, she saw a hunter emerge.

It turned out the moose she saw was never shot at or killed and the hunter she ran into shot a different moose, a cow moose. The hunter had a hunting tag for cow moose.

The issue gained momentum after an article was published in the Boulder Daily Camera featuring the woman’s story.

“We have different people pursuing different kinds of recreation and we want people to understand one recreation doesn’t trump another one,” said Jennifer Churchill with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Churchill said it’s important to remember moose hunting is allowed at forest service recreation areas such as Brainard Lake.

“Quite frankly, the reason we have moose in Colorado is because hunter dollars contributed to reintroducing that species to the state,” she said.

A year ago, a moose was hunted and killed at Brainard Lake. It sparked outcry from several visitors who witnessed it.

There are roughly 2,000 moose in Colorado, according to Churchill. About 200 moose hunting tags were issued this season. In all, 2,000 hunters applied for those tags.

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