Moose Hunting Info >> Moose Hunting Tips

The moose (so named in North America) or elk (in Europe), Alces alces, is the largest member of the deer family Cervidae, distinguished from the others by the palmate antlers of its males. Moose eat saplings and shrubs; the name moose is from mus or mooz (‘twig eater’) in several of the Algonquian languages, spoken by certain indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Moose are typical of boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to sub arctic climates. They prefer only those zones where the average summer temperature does not much exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). Wind chill or take abundance help the moose to stay cool in the coastal and relatively humid zones, as well as in the much drier interior. Thus, in evolutionary terms, the moose has had to adapt both to humid and dry climates, and to dense and open habitats. In North America, that includes almost all of Canada, Alaska, much of New England, and the upper Rockies. Moose have been successfully introduced on the island of Newfoundland in 1904 where they are now the dominant ungulate and somewhat less successfully on Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Ten moose were also introduced in Fiordland, New Zealand in 1910, but they apparently died off.

The male moose’s antlers arise as cylindrical beams projecting on each side at right angles to the middle line of the skull, which after a short distance divide in a fork-like manner. The lower prong of this fork may be either simple, or divided into two or three tines, with some flattening. The male moose drops its antlers following mating season to save energy for the wintertime. The antlers will re-grow in the spring, usually taking around 3-5 months until they are grown to the size they had before. This remarkably places moose antlers among the quickest growing organs of the animal world. Antlers have a cover of skin at first, which will disappear once the moose reaches maturity.

The notable length of their legs gives a definitely awkward appearance to the animal. Their muzzle is quite long and fat, with just a tiny triangular stripped patch under the nostrils; the males hold a strange sac, generally called the bell that hangs from the neckline. The moose’s teeth bear a resemblance to the ones of other ruminants like deer, sheep and cows. On every side of the inferior jaw moose have 3 molars, 3 premolars and 4 front teeth, among which one is a changed canine. A male moose’s (called a bull) usual weight ranges between 540 and 720 kg (1200 - 1600 lbs) while females (called cows) typically weigh around 400 kg (880 lb). Only males hold antlers, frequently 160cm (64 inches) crosswise and 20kg (44 lb) in heaviness with a wide, compressed palmate form fringed in even 30 tines.

Spring is the season of birth for many animals, including the moose. By early May, last year’s offspring, a close companion of its mother throughout the long, cold winter, is now considered an unwanted intruder and is driven off by the cow as she seeks solitude in which to bring forth the next generation.

Useful info: