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Moose in Massachusetts
Historical Background
Many
people are surprised to learn there are moose (Alces alces) living
in Massachusetts. Moose have been absent from the state from the early
1700's. As recently as the 1970's a moose sighting was considered a
rare sight. Why are moose here now? As early settlers cleared the extensive
forests in the state for pastures and farming, moose habitat disappeared
and so did the moose. This was a trend through much of New England.
Habitat for moose recovered due in part to farmers moving out to the
more fertile Midwest or to factories during the Industrial Revolution.
Moose are now reclaiming their former range and moving into areas where they haven't been seen for hundreds of years. Moose populations got a boost in northern New England states from a combination of forest cutting practices and lack of moose harvest which created ideal moose habitat and allowed for high reproduction and survival rates. Gradually, as the population increased, moose moved southward into their historic range and by the early 1980's this largest member of North America's deer family moved into northern Worcester and Middlesex Counties and began to breed and disperse through central Massachusetts.
In 2007, MassWildlife biologists estimate 850-950 moose live in Massachusetts, with the majority of them found in northern Worcester County. During the year, moose home ranges vary from 5-50 square miles depending on the season. MassWildlife has been monitoring moose populations through sighting reports, roadkills and urban/suburban situations. A recent study has begun to catch and collar moose to follow their movements and gain an understanding of this animal's movements, reproduction and survival rates.
Natural
History Information
General Description
Moose are big. In the fall, an adult cow (female) moose can weigh from 500-700 pounds and a bull (male) moose will weigh anywhere from 600-1000 pounds. They can stand up to 6 feet tall at the shoulder including legs 3½ - 4 feet in length. Only bulls grow antlers. These antlers begin growing in March to early April, completing by August when the velvet is shed. Antlers start dropping in December, though some young bulls retain their antlers until late winter. The bell, the flap of skin and long hair that hangs from the throat, is more pronounced in adult bulls than in cows or immature bulls.
Feeding Habits
Moose, like deer, lack a set of upper incisors; they strip off browse and bark rather than snipping it neatly. During summer, moose prefer to feed in or near clearings and other open areas where they browse on tender leaves, twigs and tree bark as well as aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation. Grasses, lichens, mosses, mushrooms and other herbaceous plants are also a part of their diet. In the summer, moose tend to seek food and relief from flies and mosquitoes by spending time in wetlands. Winter food mostly consists of needle bearing trees and hardwood bark, buds and twigs.
Other
Life History Info
Moose are mostly active between dawn and dusk. The breeding period for moose runs September through October. This is one of the seasons when many moose sightings are reported. The bull stays with the cow only long enough to breed then he leaves in pursuit of another cow. Both bulls and cows travel more during this time in pursuit of a mate. Females can breed as early as 1 ½ years of age.
The other period of high moose activity is in May, when the young of the past year are leaving the adult cow before she calves. Cows usually give birth in late May through June to only one calf per year, twins are unusual. Moose calves weigh 20-25 pounds at birth with reddish fur. By fall they will have gained nearly 300 pounds!
When You See A Moose
Wildlife viewers, hunters and other outdoors people may encounter a moose in their travels through Massachusetts forests. Stay a respectful distance away and enjoy this magnificent animal. In most cases, the moose will move off. During the breeding season in fall, or the calving season in spring, be especially cautious because bulls can be unpredictable and cows can be very protective of their calves. Keep dogs under control.
Drivers-Brake
For Moose; It Could Save Your Life!
Be particularly alert, especially at night during the fall breeding season and in May and June when yearling moose are driven from their mother. Moose will step out onto a roadway without showing the slightest concern for oncoming traffic. With their long legs, a vehicle hitting a moose take the legs out from under the animal, flipping the moose's body onto the car's windshield or roof. The dark body is difficult to see and its eyes are much higher in the air than the level of a pair of white tail deer eyes.
Local and State Police Departments
If a moose is sighted in town, advise callers to leave the animal alone. Remind pet owners to keep their dogs under control. Keep crowds away and avoid following the animal. Pursuit not only stresses the animal but it adds the risk of having a moose chased out into traffic or into a group of bystanders. In most situations, the animal will fade back into the forest. If your situation involves a moose in a densely populated area, contact the Environmental Police Radio Room (24 hours) or the nearest MassWildlife office on week days during business hours to activate the Large Animal Response (LAR) Team. Team members will be paged through the Radio Room and will contact your department to assess the situation. See below for useful actions to take regarding urban/suburban moose incidents.
MassWildlife District Offices and Westboro Field Headquarters
Call weekdays between 7:30 AM- 4:30PM. If there is no staff person available, contact the Environmental Police Radio Room.
Environmental Police Radio Room
Call 1- 800-632-8075 or 617/ 727-6398. This facility is staffed 24 hours/day. Call this number during weekends, holidays and non-business hours if there is a moose situation in your town. Dispatchers will page members of the LAR Team.
Moose Issues
Moose vs. Cars
Hitting
a moose with a car is dangerous and the results can be tragic. In September
and October, when a cow comes into her breeding cycle there is virtually
nothing that can keep an amorous suitor away. Problems arise when this
game of "catch me if you can" take moose into residential
areas or across major highways. Similarly, in the spring when yearling
moose are trying to find a new territory, moose sightings on roads and
highways are more frequent. Because they have no predators, moose can
be oblivious to the potential dangers posed by cars, trucks, buses and
trains and most people are unaware of the number of moose in our midst.
Law enforcement and other agencies are strongly urged to contact MassWildlife if a moose has been hit or killed by a car in their jurisdiction. MassWildlife biologists need information on age, sex and location of the incident as part of their study and monitoring of the moose population.
Police and other departments involved in moose/car collisions are reminded that while drivers are allowed by law to keep white tailed deer they have hit, only MassWildlife or the Environmental Police can make decisions regarding the disposition of moose involved in vehicle collisions.
Moose in Residential Areas
Having no natural predators in Massachusetts and being protected by law from hunting, moose are unwary as they move through populated areas. During the mating season this indifference is magnified by the "tunnel-vision" created by the urge to reproduce. Spring yearlings are also known to appear in densely populated areas, having followed waterways or forests into the heart of an urban center. People should never try to approach or pursue a moose if one should show up in the neighborhood. Leave the animal alone and call the Environmental Police or MassWildlife if the moose is in a highly populated area. Usually the moose found its way into the situation and will likely find its way out if given the chance especially in semi-suburban and rural areas.
Options
in Handling Urban/Suburban Moose Incidents
To protect the lives of people and wildlife, MassWildlife and the Environmental Police formed an interagency Large Animal Response Team (LART) to respond to situations where moose are discovered in heavily human populated areas. The team members consist of MassWildlife biologists and Environmental Police Officers with specific training in chemical immobilization of large animals, primarily moose and bear. Municipalities and other law enforcement agencies can activate this team by calling the 24 hour Environmental Police Radio Room at 1/800-632-8075 or calling the closest MassWildlife offices during business hours. Depending on the situation, members of the team will provide anything from technical advice to responding to the scene. If it's determined the LAR Team needs to be at the scene, members will be paged and they will coordinate efforts with local/state police, animal control officers, MassHighways and local public works departments to ensure safety for the public as well as the animal involved.
There are 4 options available to wildlife professionals when dealing with suburban or urban moose situations.
- Keeping tabs on the animal from a distance, or "baby-sitting" as it is sometimes called, is often all that is needed to allow the moose to move on. Usually the job becomes more public relations than public safety as officers try to keep people away from the moose.
- Trying to encourage the moose to go in a specific direction by using hazing techniques.
- If the animal becomes cornered and can be confined to an area, chemical immobilants may be used if the situation warrants this action. Trained staff from MassWildlife and/or the Environmental Police will be on hand to exercise this option.
- The last resort, when an immediate threat to public safety exists, is to destroy the moose with a firearm.
MassWildlife District Offices and Westboro Field Headquarters
Call weekdays between 7:30 AM- 4:30PM. If there is no staff person available, contact the Environmental Police Radio Room.
Environmental Police Radio Room
1(800)-632-8075 or (617) 727-6398. This facility is staffed 24 hours/day. Call this number during weekends, holidays and non-business hours if there is a moose situation in your town. Dispatchers will page members of the LAR Team.