Moose Watching
in the
Northeast Kingdom of Vermont

Click here to download a printable self driving Moose viewing tour map of our area
(PDF Document)

Historical Perspective

When Vermont was first explored by Europeans, forests covered 95% of the Vermont landscape. Moose, a forest dwelling animal, were widely distributed as evidenced by their mention in the historic  accounts of several Vermont towns. Actual moose numbers present at that time are unknown but moose were apparently common based on some of these early accounts. For example, the Abenaki Indians, who raided Deerfield Massachusetts in 1704, had cached meat from 20 moose at a site on the Connecticut River near Brattleboro to provide food for their return march home to Canada. Also, and old Indian named Foosah, who lived near Crystal Lake in Barton, told of killing twenty-seven moose and many beaver in this vicinity in the winter of 1783-1784.

Moose were shot opportunistically throughout the years by native Americans and European settlers for human food purposes. Unregulated hunting played a part in the extirpation of moose during the 19th century in Vermont. Probably a more important factor was the loss of moose habitat that accompanied the widespread conversion of forests to agricultural land that began about 1800 and reached a peak in 1875, when only 25% of Vermont was still wooded.

The woodlands of late 19th century Vermont were concentrated along the higher elevations of the Green Mountain Chain and in Essex County which had remained mostly forested. Moose were either extinct or very rare in those times as evidenced by news account of an "unknown animal" being shot near Wenlock in Essex County in 1899. The animal was a young bull moose and the shooting was illegal because the 1896 Legislature had established a closed hunting season on moose.

Agricultural expansion in 19th century Vermont had eliminated habitat for forest dwelling wildlife species such as beaver, black bear, deer, moose, cougar, and wolf. These species were extinct, or nearly so, until economic change and the opening of better agricultural lands in the west lead to abandonment of marginally useful farm lands and ultimately, the return of Vermont's forests.

Farms went out of business on a vast scale. Hard won fields gradually were lost to forest cover and moose began to reappear in Vermont. By the 1960's moose were officially estimated at 25 in Essex County. Forests had reclaimed 80% of Vermont and moose numbers increased so that by 1980 moose were regularly seen in Essex County and occasionally elsewhere as well. The absence of predation on moose (the two major wild predators, cougar and wolf, were extirpated and human predation was illegal) has also contributed toward rapid population growth.

Moose Behavior

Moose are active throughout the day with activity peaks during dawn and dusk. They are good swimmers, able to sustain a speed of 6 miles per hour (10 km/h), and can run up to 35 miles per hour (55 km/h).
Their eyesight is poor but their hearing and sense of smell are excellent and so compensate. Due to a shortage of cones, which provide color sensitivity, moose are color-blind. Their retina is composed mainly of rod cells so would see the world as a spectrum of varying grey. Rods also provide excellent low-light and motion capability, but don't give moose the acuity or sharpness of detail that humans enjoy.

Moose are not normally aggressive, however, they can be very aggressive when hungry, tired or harassed by people, dogs, and traffic (sounds familiar!). During the mating season bull moose are often more aggressive toward people. Mothers with young calves are very protective and will attack humans who come too close.

You can identify when a moose might attack if the long hairs on its hump are raised and it's ears laid back. A moose may also lick its lips.

Charges may only be "bluffs", warning you to get back, however take this seriously, even a young calf could cause significant injuries from it's size alone. When a moose does charge, it often kicks forward with its front hooves. Unlike other animals, such as dogs and bears, it's usually a good idea to run from a moose because they won't chase you very far.

Moose Families

Females, starting from around 2 years of age, give birth in May/June to 1-2 young after a mating period (rut) between late September and early November. Gestation lasts for approximately eight months.
Cows commonly give birth to twins and occasionally triplets. After the young are born, they drink the mother's milk, which is very high in fat and other nutrients. Because of the milk, the calf grows very fast and so offspring can browse and follow their mother at 3 weeks of age and are completely weaned at five months. They stay with their mother for at least a year after birth, until the next young are born.


The two photos show a male moose(top) and a female with it's young(left). The correct name for female moose is a COW, the male is called a BULL and the young moose is called a CALF.

Mothers are extremely aggressive and very protective of their calves, most probably due to the scarcity of food in the Winter, their greatest threat to survival.

Moose tend to be solitary animals but gathering in higher densities, up to a dozen or more, for the breeding season. Only 25% of groups have more than two adults. Each group, were possible, would occupy an area of 300-600 hectares.

An interesting talking points exists over the plural of the word moose but my feelings are that the correct form, MOOSE, is inadequate. Imagine the greater pleasure of encountering a group of MEESE roaming the countryside.

 Moose Tracks

Some populations migrate between sites favorable at different times of the year. These migrations can exceed 300km by European populations.
Moose can be identified from other deer by their unique foot prints mainly due to the sheer size of the hooves (see below). Cows and young bulls leave pointier tracks and like other deer, the sharper end of the heart points in the direction of travel. Moose strides are usually around 30" to 40" long.

It is quite clear from the prints that each of its feet has two large hoofed toes and two smaller toes.

Moose Predators

Despite their size and ability to run quickly for short distances, moose mainly fall prey to wolves, black bears and grizzly bears. Some population studies have shown that bears can kill up to 75 percent of newborns in their first eight weeks of life.
Another threat to moose is the winter tick. Tick infestations irritate the moose's skin, causing the moose to rub off portions of the hair they depend on for protection from the extreme winter cold, which typifies much of their habitat. Severe winters combined with heavy tick infestations can reduce moose populations as much as 50 percent.

Other causes of death include hunting, collisions with cars, parasites, and malnutrition due to gum disease.