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Moose
Watching Tips
"Moose
Watching Tips" is included in The Easy Traveler tour of New
England.
Our tour includes a selection of very special areas, known locally as
"Moose-a-Mile" Country.
(Place your cursor over each photo for a more complete description.)
 SAFETY TIPS:
PLEASE
DRIVE CAUTIOUSLY IN MOOSE COUNTRY! Heed "Moose Crossing''
signs. Stay within speed limits or below. Watch the shoulder carefully.
A moose on the highway is not a good thing.
If it’s early morning (or very overcast or at dusk), please be extra
cautious.
Remember, that the bulk of his big body is up high on skinny legs (above
the beams of many headlights and in perfect position to come crashing up over
the hood, then through the windshield).
DON'T
EXPECT A MOOSE TO GET OUT OF YOUR WAY BECAUSE IT'S LIKELY HE WON'T: If one is ambling down
the middle of the road, it’s best to stop and wait it out or very slowly ease
around it.
Although a moose may walk by you and appear unconcerned
by your presence, remember that moose are wild animals and avoid human contact.
They can be totally unpredictable and should never be approached. KEEP
YOUR DISTANCE! An angry moose is very dangerous. Stay away from
cows with calves: They are fiercely protective of their young. Stay away
from bulls during the breeding season: They are aggressive and have
charged cars, horses, and people.
BEST TIMES TO LOOK:
Late Spring to mid-summer and the month of September
Early morning and evening, and noon to 2 PM. Moose are most active at night, but can be seen any time of the day.
They tend to be inactive during the hottest parts of the day.
BEST PLACES TO LOOK:
 AT THE EDGES OF LAKES, PONDS, SWAMPS, BOGS, & WET FOREST AREAS - Moose eat tender shoots and sodium-rich, aquatic plants here in late spring and summer.
WITHIN THE EDGES OF THE FOREST – Moose browse year round on the twig ends, bark, and leaves of trees (usually spruce, maples, willows, and aspen) and shrubs.
IN CLEARED AREAS WHERE TIMBER HAS BEEN HARVESTED & ALONG POWER LINES – Moose nibble here on ferns, grasses, shrubs, and small trees. Recent clear cuts are excellent places to find moose any time of
year.
  ALONG HIGHWAYS – Look for churned up, muddy areas along the edges of highways, where water and road salt collects spring, summer, and fall.
WHERE THERE ARE MOOSE TRACKS – Large impressions that are 2 toed (moose have 4 toes, but dew claws usually don’t show in the tracks), up to 6” long and 4” wide.
MOOSE
MISCELLANY:
Moose (Alces alces) are herbivores. “Moose” comes from an Algonquin
Native American word meaning "twig eater": A moose eats up to 50
pounds of woodland and aquatic vegetation every day.
The tallest land animal in North America and the largest member of the deer
family, moose can stand over 7 feet tall (measured at the shoulder) and be 9
feet long. The average adult female weights about 600 pounds; the average
male, about 800 pounds. Many moose are much larger.
Moose have a life expectancy of 8 to 12 years in
the wild. They have poor eyesight, but a very keen sense of smell and
excellent hearing.
A moose’s speed in the water is about 6 MPH, but on land it’s up to 35
MPH.
Mating (rutting) season is early
September to late October.
Calves (twins about half the time; triplets, rarely) are born late May to early
June, when moose are also shedding their winter coats, so the adults may look a
bit ragged. Calves remain with their mothers until the next year’s
birthing.
Only males grow antlers, which harden into bone by late August and are shed each
winter (to be consumed by woodland rodents for their calcium).
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