Moose Hunting Info >> Moose Hunting Tips

The word “moose” is derived from the Natik word “moos” which itself is derived from the Proto-Algonquian “mooswa”- the animal that strips bark off of trees. Moose can be found in the Northern Hemisphere and the largest animals can grow up to be 7 feet tall and over 1500 pounds. They have a life expectancy of 8 to 25 years. Thsi kind of animal is the largest member of the deer family. The moose is the national animal in Norway and Swede .

Moose are known to be very good swimmers ( up to 6 miles per hour ) and they can run up to 35 miles per hour. Thanks to their long legs which are insulated from the cold by a rather thick coat of hollow hairs, moose can walk through snow easily. They have very bad eyesight ( almost blind ) but they compensate with their hear and sense of smell which are very developed. Moose are color blind due to the fact that they have a shortage of cones.

In normal situations, moose aren’t aggressive at all but when they are hungry/tired, the situation changes. Another situation in which moose get aggressive is when they are harassed by people/dogs or even traffic. Mothers with young calves get very aggressive and will likely attack people who are getting too close.

Regarding the migration aspect, moose migrations can exceed 300km which is quite impressive. Moose can be easily identified from other deer thanks to their sheer size of the hooves. Although they have a respectable size and can run fast for short distances, moose fall prey to black/grizzly bears and wolves. Recent studies say that up to 75% of the newborn moose can be killed in their first eight weeks of life by bears.

These animals are usually solitary animals but the situation changes during the mating season. Moose eat roots, birch and aspen twigs, willow, grasses and pond weeds along with insects, aquatic plats, lichens; they can feed underwater. Moose eat up to 20 kg of plants each and every day.

A male moose ( bulls ) normally weigh 540 up to 720 kg ( approximately 1200 to 1600 lbs ) while the female moose ( cows ) weigh 400 kg ( about 880lb ). The record for the biggest moose dates from 1897: 2.34m ( 7.7 feet ) and an astonishing weight of 825 kg.

In North America there are about 800,000 – 1.2 million animals; every year almost 90,000 moose are killed by hunters. As you can see from the numbers, there are no endangerment problems.

All in all, moose are very popular among hunters due to the fact that these animals have a respectable size and the thrill of chasing these animals has no rival; that is why more and more people are embarking on this great adventure called moose hunting.

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