Moose in Maine

[rup]

Never met a moose on a hiking trail, but get the opinion from threads here that it's more probable in ME. Heading up there next week so I thought I'd ask about the 'protocol' for such an event. Don't need a set of antlers embedded in my butt, or worse.

 

[weatherman]

Don't try to pet them. No really, a guy on a trip I was on once got wayyy too drunk and tried. Fortunately the moose realized he was more stupid than she was and ignored him. Anyway, give them a reasonably wide berth, don't get between momma and baby, and you should be fine. There are a few stories about people getting charged, necessitating a quick tree climb, but they are mostly during the rut (Sept-Oct) and rare enough that I wouldn't worry. They do have poor eyesight, so perhaps if you do find one that is aggressive, putting a little distance between yourself and the moose then trying to blend in with your surroundings might be good.
Good luck finding them.

(I can see where this might go... my sister got bit by a moose once... )

Weatherman

 

[David Metsky]

If it's not rutting season, moose are likely to move away from you on the trails. They are wary and don't like it when you move too close, but are unlikely to take offense. As with any animal, it pays to take care when encountering a mother with a calf. The general rule is move slowly, don't get too close, and if the animal appears agitated, back off.

In rutting season (mid-October and later) stay clear of encounters with moose. The bulls can be very aggressive and unpredictable. Move away quietly and give them a wide berth.

 

[McRat]

Don't try to pet them. ...

(I can see where this might go... my sister got bit by a moose once... )

I have some proposals.

First of all, there should be signs posted prominently on all national park entrances, saying, "Do Not Ride the Moose".

/I just couldn't resist. Only wish I could find the video.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

Saw this gal last week in Pittsburg, NH. Just give them their space and you'll be fine.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Last summer my dog Duffy stirred up a moose with a calf on Airline and we were charged... twice. What I learned from the whole thing is that a cow unlike a Bull in rut is not so much after you as she is telling you to get out of there. She obviously had no intention of leaving her calf very far away and stopped after chasing us a short distance. It nevertheless is amazing how fast you can run under those conditions.

 

[Lawn Sale]

I had one that came charging into the Sidney Tappan Campsite on the 100-Mile Wilderness two years ago. It was around dusk and he was just as startled to see people there. We stood still and he looked around, then walked off into the woods.

I have had lots of experiences with moose in northern Maine, and I have found if you're not aggressive towards them, most of the time they'll leave if given the time. But, if you show aggressive or sudden movements, they will take the initiative and charge.

Some of the time it's just a bluff as they'll go a short distance and stop, waiting for you to react, but a co-worker has dents in his truck because he stood his ground.

 

[peakbagger]

One issue is that if you are planning to camp near a pond or stream and find a dry flat spot, odds are that you will be setting up your tent in a moose path and have the chance of having an up close encouter sometimes during the night.

 

[Stan]

One issue is that if you are planning to camp near a pond or stream and find a dry flat spot, odds are that you will be setting up your tent in a moose path and have the chance of having an up close encouter sometimes during the night.

This sounds like the voice of experience. I'd like to hear the rest of that up close encounter.

Moose can be dangerous in the rut but I do believe it can begin well before mid October. My advice, received from Bill Silliker, is to avoid the bulls from late August on. Moose can also be dangerous when defending their young.

Moose are fun to watch and have always been a pleasant encounter for me.

 

[rup]

Thanks. Doesn't sound so bad.

Actually, I was taking my wife up to see Tux 2 years ago in July and ran across a mob of hikers looking at a moose which was about 10 yards off the Tux trail about 3/4 way there. I had pleanty of people to hide behind that time. Maine trails seem not so crowded.

My wife will be disappointed that she shouldn't ride one, but I'm relieved that I need not pack (ie, carry) the saddle.

 

[Technetium]

I've only ever seen them while on the road up there. Both times I got the impression that they are pretty dopey animals. One of them was in a gully by the highway north of the twins, just staring emptily at a couple cars that had stopped to watch it.

 

[cooperhill]

I think seeing them on the side of the road and meeting up with them up close and in person (especially if you are alone) on the trail are two different experiences (IMO). I agree with the others that you should give them space and see how they react to your presence. I met a cow and her calf a few years ago on the John Shelburne ski trail and she didn't move away but got up and started to move towards me. As Ed'n Lauky said, she was telling me to get out of there. I kept my distance and backed away.

 

[carole]

I think seeing them on the side of the road and meeting up with them up close and in person (especially if you are alone) on the trail are two different experiences (IMO). I agree with the others that you should give them space and see how they react to your presence.

Funny, I have met more while hiking alone then when in a car or with others. It is a thrilling, sometimes heart-stopping, experience, but I have never felt threatened even when I almost walked into the backside of one in early November. I was looking down at the trail and just happened to glance up or would have walked into her (I assume as there was no rack).

 

[MEB]

My first stay at Chimney Pond in Baxter another camper walked right into the backside of the resident cow moose...it was dark so her headlamp was pointing towards the ground. Aside from all the sreaming and scambling the moose continued on feeding like nothing had happened.

Over the 4th of July this year I was coming down Pleasant Mountain on the Firewarden trail with my dog Reuben....turning a corner I looked up to see a big bull moose about 25 yards infront of me.....we looked at each other for a few seconds and then he took off down the trail.

I have encountered a few other moose on the trail and for the most part they just take off into the woods.

-MEB

 

[bobandgeri]

We've seen lots of moose while hiking or montain biking, but more in Maine and Vermont than in NH. In most all cases they have either quickly left or decided to leave the area after a short time. Once we had an experience with a moose where it kept running up the trail in front of us. It finally went in the woods to hide behind a tree and looked down the trail at us. Be as respectful to a moose as you would any large wild animal and you will be just fine.

 

[forestgnome]

I've only ever seen them while on the road up there. Both times I got the impression that they are pretty dopey animals. One of them was in a gully by the highway north of the twins, just staring emptily at a couple cars that had stopped to watch it.

You simply misunderstand what you saw. The moose was not concerned with the cars, which are a daily experience. How are they supposed to look at the people gawking at them yet again?


If anyone is concerned, just stay away from them. After spending perhaps hundreds of hours observing hundreds of moose, I agree with some of the things I often read, but not all.

Moose are individuals. They have individual minds and experiences. You may have a certain experience with a moose who has seen people many times without incident as it drank roadsalty water in the gully. The next moose you see may have only seen one person, the idiot who wanted the stupid moose to "do something" and threw a rock at it. The next moose you see may be a bull who's mate was shot last season, or it might be a mama who just lost her calf to a bear.

When bulls gather in autumn and winter, you can watch them behave differently. One may be bold and the other more shy, etc. The same goes for calves, who are experiencing the same things. The often have very distict behaviors.

If someone says that moose "will" act any particular way, they don't know what they're talking about. Same goes for those who say they are awkward or clumsy. That is a mark of inexperience. They are very graceful trotting through forest that makes hikers look foolish.

Anyway, if you find youself to close for comfort, do not maintain eye contact! Act like you have no interest in the moose and slowly walk straight away.

happy trails