Cow, calf and bull moose seen together

[marty]

Hi all,
I was driving on the York Pond Road in NH and came upon a bull, cow and calf moose, all hanng out on the road together. I have seen hundreds of moose over the years (including 32 this year ), but had never seen a cow, calf and bull together in the pre-rutting season.

It should also be noted that the cow and bull both appeared to be younger, as they were not fully grown. The cow and calf were of similar size, looking to be about 3 years old. The bull had a smaller rack, but certainly a larger one than a yearling. The calf was very small. Maybe they were pygmie moose

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has seen this before. Just curious.

Thanks,
Marty

 

[una_dogger]

Wow! Very cool sighting! I have never been so lucky!

 

[Waumbek]

Hi all,
I was driving on the York Pond Road in NH and came upon a bull, cow and calf moose, all hanng out on the road together.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has seen this before. Just curious.
Thanks,
Marty

Not here, but I did come across a large herd of moose--cows, bulls, calves, yearlings--in the Tetons in late August pre-rut season. They were grazing on willows and blocking the trail in a narrow defile. I eventually had to walk through them--very carefully trying not to come between cows and calves. I believe they are a different type of moose, however.

 

[1ADAM12]

Cool sighting Marty! So where are the pictures?

 

[marty]

Cool sighting Marty! So where are the pictures?

Yeah, that's my luck with photography. When I bring my camera, I never see anything special. When I forget it, I am almost certain to run across something amazing.

At least I have a mental image blazed into my memory.

regards,
Marty

 

[Waumbek]

If this is to be believed, it looks like Marty saw the pre-rut scoping out of a male for a female moose, with junior still hanging around but not for long, and I saw the different phenomenon of temporary group feeding in an abundant food area, even though there were more than a dozen moose in this abundant willow grove:

[Begin Quote] Do moose travel in herds?

NO. Moose are by nature a solitary animal. The only bond of any duration is formed between cows and calves. Calves usually remain with the cow for one year, until she calves again. At this time she will drive the yearling away. If she does not have a calf, yearlings may continue to travel with the cow.

During the "rut" (breeding season) a temporary bond is formed for about a week between the bull and cow. At this time a bull, cow, and calf may be seen together and falsely mistaken for a family.

In areas where food is plentiful, small numbers of non-related moose can also be encountered. This is especially true during late fall and early winter. Groups such as these, with less than 12 animals, have been observed at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge. [End Quote]

 

[poison ivy]

Wow... three moose! I saw one in the pond at the Berlin Fish Hatchery the same morning.

Not sure if it's one of the three Marty saw, but here's a picture.

- Ivy

 

[marty]

Nice photo, Poison Ivy

Your bull had a bit larger rack than the one that I saw. Just wish I had the dang camera.

Sorry we didn't run into each other.......

Best regards,
Marty

 

[ColdRiverRun]

Yeah, that's my luck with photography. When I bring my camera, I never see anything special. When I forget it, I am almost certain to run across something amazing.

Hey, weren't you one of those guys who had Bigfoot in there freezer?

 

[marty]

Hey, weren't you one of those guys who had Bigfoot in there freezer?

Actually, I'm now thinking that young bull looked more like a Sasquatch. Is it too late to change my story? Thanks for the laugh


Oh, and thanks for a possible explanation for this sighting, Waumbeck. I have a bad feeling when the cow sees that fine specimen of a bull moose in Poison Ivy's photo, the one I saw will be dumped quickly.

Marty

 

[forestgnome]

Thanks for sharing the sighting. Waumbeck's quote about the bull being a non-related bachelor is probably what you saw. Despite the small size of the rack, it still could be an elderly adult with spunk or, more likely, a young adult with high hopes that may be dashed in the coming weeks. This is definately the time when all this starts to happen. I've had a big decline in bull sightings in the past two weeks, another sign of the season.

Here's another example of why I think moose are very individual. Despite the norm, I saw a large bull(without antlers), a large cow, and a calf together in Pinkham Notch in February a few years ago.

happy trails

 

[WhiteMTHike]

Wanna see Moose? Two words...Pittsburg, NH.