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MOOSE HUNTING Guides & Outfitters

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Excellent Moose hunting outfitters can be found in both the US and Canada.  The most popular US destinations are Maine, Alaska, Wyoming, Vermont and New Hampshire.  In Canada, the provinces of Ontario, Newfoundland, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec as well as the Yukon provide tremendous trophy Moose hunting opportunity.  Different areas have various requirements, license and tag systems.  Your pro hunting guide can help you plan your moose hunting trip, whether you are looking for a rifle hunt or bow hunt.

More about Moose...

More About Moose:

Moose Range

During Maine's fall hunting season, the average adult cow weighs 600 lbs (dressed) and the average adult bull weighs 800 lbs (dressed). Large bulls weigh over 1000 lbs, dressed. The total length of a moose is about 9 feet and height measured at the shoulder is about 6 feet. The front hoof width is about 5 inches for a prime bull, just under 4 inches for a cow, and just under 3 inches for a calf. A cow has a brown face and dark body and a bull has a black face. Both cows and bulls have "bells", skin flaps found on the neck. A cow's bell looks more like a tuft of hair, whereas a bull's bell is larger and rounder. Some bulls may have an additional tuft of skin extending below the bell, but it is believed that this extension freezes off. A bull's antlers spread rarely exceeds 65 inches and a spread of 55 inches is considered good. Antlers on cows are extremely rare. Calves may have small buds by late September, yearlings may have spikes or small forks, and palms typically first develop in 2 and 3 year old bulls. Maximum antler development is obtained at age 5 and declines when bulls are in their teens.

Natural History

Habitat. Bulls and cows use somewhat different habitats during the summer, which is a tradeoff between cooler temperatures for bulls and the requirements for raising calves. Bulls are typically found at higher elevations in mixed and hardwood stands, where food supply is less available, but shading provides cooler temperatures. Cows are found at lower elevations in regenerating stands and adjacent softwoods, because food is more concentrated. This concentrated food source limits the amount of time cows spend feeding, which limits calves vulnerability to predators. Moose typically winter at higher elevations where more hardwood browse is available, and they often feed in regenerating stands. Mature softwood is used as cover when snow depth exceeds 3 feet.

Food Habits. Moose subsist on browse, the leaves and twigs of woody plants. Willow, aspen, birch, maple, pin cherry, and mountain ash are important, high quality browse utilized year round by moose. Because leaves are absent from hardwoods in the winter, balsam fir is an important winter food for moose. However, moose can not survive on balsam fir alone, because it has lower nutritional value. Fire, wind throw, insects, and forest practices, such as clear cutting, promote disturbance and regrowth of these important forage trees. Sodium is also important to moose. Aquatic plants, such as pondweed and water lily, have a higher sodium content than woody vegetation and are an important part of a moose's diet. As a result, moose have reduced the number of aquatic plants in much of northern Maine. Natural salt licks are rare in Maine, so moose are often seen along roads using the salt runoff as an artificial salt lick.

Reproduction. The breeding season for moose begins in late September and last into early October. Cows may produce their first calf when they are two, and most produce a calf by age 3. Each May, cows give birth to 1 to 2 calves. Cows rarely have more than 2 calves and young cows rarely have twins. A cow's nutritional condition determines the number of calves born and when a cow first breeds. Moose continue to breed into their teens, but are less productive. Calves remain with their mother for one year and are driven off shortly before the next calf is born. Bulls are able to breed as yearlings, but most do not breed until they are older and can compete with other larger bulls.

Survival. Moose die from a variety of causes: legal and illegal harvest, road kills, other accidents (drowning, falls, etc.), predation, disease, starvation, and old age. Harvest and road kills account for 2,000 to 2,500 moose deaths a year. Predation of adult moose is low, because predators capable of killing adult moose are rare or absent from Maine. Black bears, which are common in Maine, are potential predators of moose calves. Three parasites can cause mortality in moose in Maine: brain worm, winter tick, and lung worm. Moose infected with brain worm almost always die, but winter tick and lung worm infestations rarely kill moose.

Longevity. The average life expectancy is 8 years for a cow and 7 years for a bull. Moose may live into their late teens, but rarely live past 20.

Historical Management in Maine

Distribution and Population trends. According to writings of early explorers, moose were plentiful in New England during the 1600s. By the early 1900's, moose populations in Maine had declined to an estimated 2,000. This decline was mostly attributed to unrestricted hunting. Clearing forestland for farming and increased incidence of brainworm attributed to increasing deer populations also contributed to their decline. Deer are host or carriers of brainworm without suffering any ill effects. During the 1900's, laws protecting moose from excessive hunting, and improving habitat conditions, allowed the moose population to increase. The moose population is currently estimated at 29,000.

Harvest Trends/Statistics

Season Changes. Prior to 1830, there were no laws restricting the harvest of moose. Moose could be hunted statewide, all year, without a bag limit. In 1830, the first law established an open season of 2 months. Over the next 14 years, from 1830-1874, the season length ranged from 2 to 8 months. Moose hunting was not allowed from 1875-1879. In 1880, the moose season was reopened. A bag limit was first established in 1889, which limited each hunter to one bull. From 1889-1915, the season length varied from 1 to 3 months. In 1915, the moose season was closed statewide. The season was reopened in 1919 for a short 11 day season with a 1 bull bag limit. The season continued to be closed and reopened periodically from 1920-1936. When the season was open, only one bull moose per hunter could be harvested during a 6 day season. In 1935, the season was reduced to 3 days. Then in 1936, the moose season was closed and remained closed until 1980. During this 54 year season closure, several bills were introduced to reestablish a moose season. In 1979, a moose hunting bill passed both houses and was signed into law. This law allowed the MDIFW to issue up to 700 permits to Maine resident hunters in 1980. A 6 day season was set during the last week of September 1980 and was restricted to an area north of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. A bag limit of one moose of any sex or age was allowed. A law was then enacted which allowed annual seasons of up to 1,000 permits (with a provision that 10% of the permits could be issued to nonresidents) north of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. In 1982, 1,000 permits were issued. A bill that expanded the moose hunting district was passed in 1985 and went into effect in 1986.  Since 1982, the number of permits issued and the area open to hunting has increased. The number of permits issued increased to 1,200 in 1994, 1,400 in 1995, and 1,500 in 1996 and subsequent years.  A bill that increased the maximum number of permits to 2,000 in 1998 was passed in 1997, and, in 1999, moose permits were raised to 3,000, with 500 of those earmarked specifically for "antlerless moose".

Canada's forests extend from the Alaska boundary to the eastern tip of Newfoundland. All regions of this vast and varied tract have one thing in common: they all support moose.

Moose are found on the rocky, wooded hillsides of the western mountain ranges; along the margins of half a million lakes, muskegs, and streams of the great boreal forest; and even on the northern tundra and in the aspen parkland of the Prairie Provinces.

It is estimated that there are between 500 000 and 1 million moose in Canada. The moose as a big-game animal is prized by recreational hunters. However, it is much more than that to people who live in the North, there, the moose is an important source of food. It is also an important link in the food chain supporting predators like bears and wolves and scavengers like ravens.

The moose is the largest member of the deer family -- whose North American members also include elk (wapiti), white-tailed deer, mule deer, and caribou. Moose are not unique to North America but are also common in northern Europe and Asia.

A bull moose in full spread of antlers is the most imposing beast in North America. It stands taller at the shoulder than the largest saddle horse. Big bulls weigh as much as a horse -- up to 600 kg in most of Canada and as much as 800 kg for the giant Alaska-Yukon subspecies.

Moose have long, slim legs that end in cloven hooves often more than 18 cm long. The body is deep at the shoulders, where massive muscles are attached, giving the animal a humped appearance. It is slab-sided and low-rumped, with rather slim hindquarters and a short, well-haired stubby tail. The head is heavy and compact, and the nose extends in a long, mournful-looking arch terminating in a long, flexible upper lip. The ears are similar to those of a mule, although not quite as long. From the throat of most moose hangs a pendant of fur-covered skin, perhaps 30 cm long, called a bell.

In colour the moose varies from dark brown, almost black, to reddish or greyish brown, with grey or white leg "stockings."

In late summer and autumn, a mature bull carries a great sometimes almost white rack of antlers which may extend 180 cm or more between the widest tips, but which are more often 120-150 cm in span. The heavy main beams broaden into large palms which are fringed with a series of spikes usually less than 30 cm long.
 

Life history

At birth a calf moose is a tiny, ungainly copy of its mother. If it is one of twins it may weigh 6 kg; if born singly, between 11 and 16 kg.

Calves are helpless at birth. The mother keeps them in seclusion for a couple of days, hidden from their many enemies in a thicket or on an island. The voice of a newborn calf is a low grunt, but after a few days it develops a strident wail that is almost human. At the age of only a few days it can outrun a human, and swim readily.

Of all North American big-game animals, the moose calf gains weight fastest. During the first month after birth it may gain over half a kilogram per day, and later in the summer may begin to put on over 2 kg per day for a time.

Calves stay with the cow until she calves again the following spring. At that time she drive off her yearling calves – no doubt a difficult experience for the "teenage" moose.

A bull calf may develop button antlers during its first year. New antlers are grown each summer and shed each autumn. Mature animals usually shed their antlers in November, but some younger bulls may carry theirs through the winter until April. Yearling bulls usually have spike antlers, and the antlers of two-year-olds are larger, usually flat at the ends.

The antlers begin growing in midsummer and during the period of growth are soft and spongy, with blood vessels running through them. They are covered with a velvety skin. By late August or early September the antlers are fully developed and are hard and bony. The velvet dries and the bulls rub it off against tree trunks.

The eyesight of the moose is extremely poor, but its senses of smell and hearing compensate for this. Before bedding down, a moose usually travels upwind for a time and then swings back in a partial circle. Thus predators on its track will have to approach from windward. Skilled hunters know when to leave the track and work their way upwind to the hiding-place of their quarry.

Hunters may stalk moose, or may call them during the breeding season. A skilful hunter, imitating the cow's call, usually with the aid of a birchbark horn, can entice a bull within shooting distance.
 

Feeding habits 

The moose lives almost solely on twigs and shrubs during the winter months. In summer this diet is varied with leaves, some upland plants, and water plants in great quantity where available. A large adult moose eats 15-20 kg, green weight, of twigs each day in winter, and in summer eats 25-30 kg of forage -- twigs, leaves, shrubs, upland plants, and water plants.

Winter forage includes twigs of balsam fir, poplar, red osier dogwood, birch, willow, and red and striped maples.

Moose also eat small amounts of many other trees and shrubs. When food becomes scarce, as it often does toward spring, moose will strip bark from trees, especially poplars. In June and July, moose gather around salt licks, usually low-lying areas of stagnant, mineral-rich water. At that season, they are feeding heavily on leaves and other lush plant growth and seem to require supplementary minerals.
 

Breeding habits

Moose sometimes take more than one mate, but usually a bull stays with a given cow during most of the breeding season. The breeding season, or rut, begins in mid-September, and the listener in moose country may hear the nasal-toned bawling of the cow moose enticing a mate, and the coughing bellow of the responding bull.

A good food supply improves breeding success. On good range over 90% of the cows become pregnant and up to 30% bear twins. Very rarely, triplets are observed. However, when the food supply is poor, rates of pregnancy can drop to 50%, and the twinning rate almost to zero.

Adaptation to environment

The long legs of the moose carry it easily over deadfall trees or through snow that would stop a deer or wolf. Its cloven hooves and dew claws spread widely to provide support when it wades through soft muskeg or snow. With its tremendous physical power and vitality, the moose can travel over almost any terrain. When frightened it may crash noisily through the underbrush, but in spite of its great size even a full-grown, antlered bull can move almost as silently as a cat through dense forest.

Moose stand cold very well but suffer from heat. In summer, especially when the fly season is in progress, moose often cool off in water for several hours each day. They also dip their heads under the surface to feed on water lilies and other water plants.

Moose are quite at home in the water. They sometimes dive 5.5 m or more for plants growing on a lake or pond bottom. Moose have been known to swim 19 km. Of all North American deer, only the caribou is a more powerful swimmer. A moose calf is able to follow its mother on a long swim even while very young, occasionally resting its muzzle on the cow's back for support.
 

Enemies and hazards

Black and grizzly bears have been known to prey heavily on moose calves during the first few weeks of life while grizzly bears easily kill adult moose.

Wolves also kill many calves and take adult moose all year. Throughout most wolf range in Canada, moose are the principal prey of wolves. In winter, wolves usually hunt in packs. Hunting healthy adult moose is a difficult and often dangerous business for wolves. Only about one confrontation in 12 ends with the wolves successfully killing a moose. Wolves not infrequently suffer broken bones and even death from the flailing hooves of cornered moose. A healthy and aggressive moose is usually able to stand off wolves. However, in deep crusted snow, or on smooth ice, a pack can easily bring down a moose. They usually run up beside their quarry and rip the tender flanks until the moose is weakened from loss of blood. In the end, wolves get almost every moose. Few die of old age.

Wolverine also prey on moose calves occasionally. Where they coexist with moose, cougar take a substantial number of moose calves and yearlings.

Deer, elk, rabbits, and even beaver compete with the moose for food.

Ticks are common on moose, especially in late winter, and may weaken animals seriously both by sucking blood and by causing the affected moose to rub off much of its hair, causing serious heat loss. Internal parasites such as the hydatid-a tiny tapeworm-affect moose, especially when lack of forage and heavy tick infestation lower their resistance.

Another serious parasitic disease of moose is caused by the meningeal worm, so called because it attacks the meninges, or membranes, surrounding the brain and spinal chord. Meningeal worm is a parasite of white-tailed deer, who are adapted to it. However, it is deadly to moose, and there is a long history of moose mortality in regions where the two species overlap in their distribution.

Moose drift to the willow-rich valleys or other areas where good forage exists close to forest cover. Winter is a time of hunger for moose. They restrict their food intake and limit their activity to save energy. Where there is limited predation and hunting, moose numbers may increase to the point where food is inadequate and many animals starve while all are malnourished and more likely to be killed by predators or disease. Concentrations of up to 135 animals per 10 km2 have been seen in Wells Grey Provincial Park in British Columbia.
 

Changes due to humans

Since the beginning of settlement in Canada there have been considerable shifts in the distribution of moose. They are found in many regions which had no moose in presettlement days. There are now large moose populations in north-central Ontario, and in the southern part of British Columbia, where moose were previously unknown. They have only recently spread to the Quebec North Shore, north of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The island of Newfoundland, which had never been occupied by moose, was "seeded" with a few pair in the early 1900s and now has large populations. Moose are constantly spreading northwards through the sparse transition forest that extends to the open tundra.

Before settlement, the large supplies of woody twigs needed by moose were provided by young forest regrowth in the wake of forest fires. With settlement came control of wildlife, fires still occur but have been widely replaced by clear-cut cut logging as a source of forest renewal and of moose forage.
 

Management of moose

Moose populations must be kept within the limits set by the food supply to prevent starvation, disease, and serious damage to vegetation. Foresters in areas that are overpopulated by moose find that regeneration of forest trees is harmed significantly. This may seriously reduce future timber crops as well as the breeding habitat of songbirds that nest in deciduous shrubs. Moose numbers are controlled to a varying degree by predators and also by hunting.

Moose are an important economic resource in Canada. Moose hunting generates over $500 million dollars in economic activity annually and provides large amounts of food for aboriginal and other rural people. Moose are a major element in the complex of wildlife attractions that draw visitors to parks and other wildlands for nature viewing and study. These activities also result in large expenditures.

Moose respond well to management of their habitat by logging or controlled burning, provided a diversity of open areas and patches of larger trees for cover is maintained. Today, moose management in Canada is soundly based on aerial counts, habitat inventories, and scientific studies of reproductive rates and calf survival. Moose get along well with human activities and with appropriate management will always be part of the Canadian scene.

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