To Find a Moose

We roused ourselves before dawn and drove the bumpy back roads with only logging trucks for company. We repeated the same ritual at dusk, passing shallow ponds, fresh-water marshes, open fields, woods and mountains. We scoured roads with ominous signs such as "Brake for Moose. It Could Save Your Life." and "Moose Crossing. Hundreds of Collisions."

I couldn't show my visiting sister a single moose. It's a familiar story for those of us fortunate enough to live in the mountains of Maine and New Hampshire: Moose seldom appear when you want to see them, and often are there when you least want or expect to see them.

While you're driving on a dark road at night is when you don't want to see a moose. My 21-year-old son, working this summer for an outdoors outfitter in northern New Hampshire, recently reported that he nearly hit a moose while driving home from work at dusk.

"She just walked out into the road and stood there," he said. "I'm glad my car has good brakes."

I'm glad too, because moose-car collisions are often fatal to both moose and human.

Where's the moose?

To increase your chances of seeing a moose on a visit to the north country, it helps to understand a little about the animal and its habits.

First, some basic moose facts:

• Mature bulls average 1,000 pounds and stand 6 feet at the shoulder, making them the largest land animals in North America. Cows weigh about 200 pounds less.
• Only bulls have antlers, and these are shed each December. Shed antlers are a rich food source for rodents and are quickly consumed.
• Velvety antlers begin to re-grow in March and reach full-growth by September. Bulls then rub against tree trunks to shed the velvet.
• Bulls are unpredictable and aggressive in the fall when rutting starts. They will fight over cows with other bulls by charging head-on. The older the bull, the bigger the antlers, and the greater chance of mating.
• Cows give birth, often to twins, in late spring.
• Both cows and bulls have a bell -- the flap of skin and hair hanging from the throat -- but it's more pronounced in mature bulls.
• Their long front legs and shorter back legs allow moose to move easily over fallen trees and other forest debris.
• Excellent swimmers, moose can swim faster than two people can paddle a canoe.
• Moose can run at speeds of 35 miles per hour.
• Moose react to perceived threats (including humans who approach them intentionally or by accident) by charging and stomping until the threat stops moving.
• Moose have poor vision, but keen senses of hearing and smelling.

Look, but don't touch

Moose are fairly slow-moving when encountered near roads. They don't dash out like deer, but tend to amble out and then just stand.

This doesn't mean the moose is tame or friendly -- it's just not afraid of you or your car.

And it has little reason to be. Outside of the black bear, which can kill calves up to nine weeks old, moose have no remaining natural predators in northern New England. Causes of death include hunting, car collisions, fights between bulls, falls from cliffs, starvation, and disease, including a parasite carried by its relative, the white tailed deer.

Stay in your car and enjoy these animals through binoculars or a telephoto lens. Deaths of people who have come too close to a moose are rare, but not unheard of. Never approach a moose, and never come between a cow and her calf. Moose can go from a standstill to a full charge with alarming speed. They are wild, unpredictable and skittish.

If you do get out of your car, maintain a minimum distance of 150 yards from the moose. Make sure you have a plan on how to get back inside your car quickly. Chances are the moose will simply walk back into the woods when it senses your presence. If it starts walking toward you, it's time for you to retreat.

Moose-car collisions are on the rise as the animals move into more populated southern areas, and previously rural areas become developed. Because of its height, a struck moose is often propelled onto the windshield or roof, crushing the occupants of the car.

Heed warning signs and drive carefully in areas where moose are frequently spotted. Be especially carefully at night, at dawn and dusk, and on overcast days. The dark hair of a moose blends in with dark pavement, making moose difficult to see in the dark. Their eyes are above the range of your headlights and thus do not reflect light like a deer's eyes.

In early summer, last year's calves are driven away by their mothers. These youngsters are confused by encounters with humans and cars. They may stand in the road for some time before deciding to move on, and it might be tempting to get out and clap your hands or blow your horn to get a moose moving. But do you really want a skittish, near-sighted, 800-pound animal running toward your car?

None of this takes away from the thrill of seeing a moose, whether its your first time or you live in moose country.  

Moose country

Moose are found throughout Maine and New Hampshire, but are concentrated in the northern and western mountains of these states. The estimated moose population in Maine is 35,000, while New Hampshire has 7,000 to 9,000 moose.  Despite their size and numbers, moose can be surprisingly elusive to the casual moose-watcher.

The further into wilderness you venture, the more likely you will be to see a moose.  However, the majority of tourists want to see a moose from the safety and comfort of their car.  

In New Hampshire, the stretch of Route 3 from Pittsburg to the Canadian border is known as "Moose Alley" for its frequent moose sightings. Route 26 near Colebrook is designated a "watchable wildlife corridor" with signs pointing to moose-viewing spots. I've seen numerous moose while driving the roads through and surrounding the White Mountain National Forest in both New Hampshire and Maine. Last year a cow and two calves made regular nightly visits to Route 16 through Pinkham Notch (except on the days I tried to show them to my sister).

Maine has its own "Moose Alley" -- the section of Route 201 from Bingham to Jackman. The Rangeley and Moosehead lakes areas of Maine are also good for moose watching. Lily Bay State Park on Moosehead Lake sometimes has "regulars" that show in the shallows near the boat ramps in the evenings. The Golden Road which leads into the Maine woods north of Greenville is another good place for moose watching. You'll share this dirt road with logging trucks, so drive with care. The trucks have the right of way since the road was developed for logging operations and is owned by paper companies.    

Other tips:

• Local people who regularly drive rural roads often know where moose have been seen. Ask at your lodgings, campground, or at local stores.
• If you see cars pulled to the side of the road at dawn and dusk in moose country, chances are someone has spotted a moose.
• Have your camera ready. You might not have time to fiddle with camera bags and change lenses before the moose disappears into the woods.

Choose the season

Moose are active all year, but you are most likely to see them in the late spring months of May and June. After a winter diet of spruce evergreens, twigs and bark, moose seek the fresh, spring leaves and tender shoots and buds of trees.

A little later in the summer, moose eat aquatic plants in shallow ponds and lake shorelines.

Cows and their calves are often seen in roadside clearings where vegetation is plentiful and the terrain is easier for calves to negotiate. Cows also keep young calves close to water for easier escape from predators. 

Choose your time of day

Moose seek the shelter and shade of the deep woods on summer days.

In the cool of the evening and early morning, and on cloudy, cool days, they move to clearings and ponds to browse on tender vegetation.

Salt, salad bowls and roads

Salt is the reason for moose sightings in ponds and along roads.

Moose need sodium, but cannot get enough from trees and leaves. Aquatic plants are high in sodium, bringing moose to browse in shallow shorelines. Ponds and lakes also give the moose relief from the relentless biting insects of the north woods. Moose will completely submerge themselves and then rise out of the water, weeds draped over antlers.

Maine and New Hampshire have few natural salt licks, so road salt serves as a substitute. Runoff from salted roads provides artificial salt pools, luring moose to roadsides. In the winter, moose will stand in the roadway, licking salt from the pavement. Rural municipal salt and sand storage lots also attract moose.

Seeing a moose in the north country used to be as easy as driving past old clearcuts from logging operations. A few years after land is clearcut, re-emerging trees provide moose a gourmet salad bowl of baby greens. These days, paper companies practice sustainable harvesting -- selectively cutting trees and leaving stands of trees in place. Land in public view is seldom clearcut. Moose still have plenty of young trees to graze on, but they are harder to see from the road.

Keep an eye out 

If you're out walking or hiking in moose country during the day, look for signs of moose -- large hoof prints and moose droppings. (If you don't know what a moose dropping looks like, visit any tourist shop in moose country -- most have "jewelry" and other novelties made of moose droppings.) Return to those areas in the early evening and you might get lucky and see a moose.  

If you're looking for moose from your car, slow down. It's hard to see anything when you're hurtling by at highway speeds.

Moose can be difficult to spot in the woods. Their dark hair is effective camouflage against dappled sunlight in wooded areas. Look in the distance where fields meet woods. If you see any movement, look harder. If you're lucky, something will begin to take shape. Then magically, the majestic form of a moose will emerge.

Try a moose tour

Moose are an important tourist draw to northern Maine and New Hampshire. State wildlife officials try to balance the moose population against competing interests -- roadside viewing and tourism, revenue-generating moose hunts, and the need to minimize the number of moose-car collisions.

A number of private companies offer moose sighting tours. I've never been on one, so I can't vouch for their success. But people who make their living off of spotting moose for tourists know where moose have been seen in the area.

Even if you don't see a moose, the tour will take you through stunningly beautiful country and into wild areas that you likely wouldn't see on your own.

An almost sure sighting

The Maine Wildlife Park in Gray is home to a number of injured, orphaned, or human dependent animals, including a family of moose. There's a good chance you'll see one of the moose if you visit, although their habitat is large and includes pasture and woods.

In spring 2007, the park's cow moose gave birth. Park officials heeded their own advice and stayed away from mother and baby, partly for their own protection, and partly to reduce the calf's human dependency. If all goes well, the yearling calf will be released to the wild next spring.

For more information on moose, visit:

New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Moosehead Lake Region Moose Watching

North Country Chamber of Commerce