View Full Version : 76,000 moose in Maine
peakbagger
09-07-2012, 14:46
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2012/09/07/survey_shows_maine_has_about_76000_moose/
I was up in Baxter last weekend, first time in a long time I ddint see any moose. I guess they were on a holiday weekend;)
I have plenty in my neighborhood in NH so its not like I was deprived.
Feral Bill
09-07-2012, 16:11
The auto body shops must be thrilled.
coach lou
09-07-2012, 16:25
The auto body shops must be thrilled.
Moose hits generally total cars, which is good for the Dealers:(
peakbagger
09-07-2012, 16:57
Cars are usually totaled by breaking the windshield pillars and ripping the roof off, sometimes the bumper and grilles are untouched. Trucks on the other hand usually are repairable but require lots of parts.
Kerosene
09-07-2012, 17:30
Still haven't seen my moose, but I've heard one crashing through the underbrush (coulda been Bigfoot I suppose) and I followed very fresh tracks and scat down the trail. I have high hopes for encountering one from a safe distance this coming trip to the Mahoosucs.
hikerboy57
09-07-2012, 17:33
for the 3 weeks i was up in maine last month, i saw no moose on the trail at all. while driving with coach lou down to monson from greenville one night in the rain, happened to catch sight of a cow running with us on the other side of the road. Lou hit the gas, but that was it.
coach lou
09-07-2012, 17:50
Another reason to stop in at the Cafe, if my collision repair shop can't fix your moose hit, Hikerboy can sell you a new car!
Quadzilla
09-11-2012, 12:31
I was an EMT for 4 years while I lived in Stratton, Maine. Was a first responder to 3 car/moose collisions. No one lived. Drive slow when it is dark, as the eyes of a moose do not reflect like that of a deer, fox, etc. Hit a moose at full speed and your vehicle will propel it into the windshield and then into the cab. The force will break the glass and the moose will end up in the drivers compartment. The driver and passenger will be crushed, the seats collapse backwards and the moose thrashes to free itself in its last moments. I drive a little slower as darkness overtakes the highways of Maine. Not a pretty thought, but hitting a moose isn't like hitting a deer. Car/moose accidents are frequent in Northern Maine, so respect the caution signs when they appear as these tend to be sites with the most hits.
I saw one moose at dusk and three more at dawn a week ago at page pond about 15 miles south of mahoosuc notch and 8 miles north of white mtn hostel
peakbagger
09-11-2012, 15:31
They tend to be regarded as "household pests" in my neighborhood in the Whites. They were a real PITA when I was planting grass and they decided to walk through it. I usually have a cow and calf hanging around at the end of my road bfore dawn and after dusk. When I first moved into my neighborhood I had a pontiac fiero (very low car), I pulled off the highway one evening during rutting season and I saw one huge bull moose and seven cows standing in the road. It was quite obivous that I had interupted a mating sessionbetween the bull and his harem. I stopped very quickly and eventually they wandered off but the car was in reverse and I was ready to hit the gas. That bull could have stepped through my sunroof with plenty of clearence. There are more dogs in the neighborhood these days so I dont see them on the road as often but some evenings you can tell them are walking down the road as different dogs start barking.
There are some highways north of me like RT 16 to Rangeley that I will not drive on at night or when its foggy as its not a case of seeing a moose its more like how many on the side of the road and how many in the road.
DrRichardCranium
09-13-2012, 11:02
What percentage of those moose are invisible?
Take one down, toss it around, 75,999 moose in Maine....
PJWetzel
09-13-2012, 14:20
Saw two in Baxter SP a few days ago. Several more in the 100 mi wilderness. Six total on this hike to date
DaSchwartz
09-14-2012, 01:44
Bill Bryson had a lot to say about Moose in his book... such as a moose is a cow drawn by a 3 year old and pretty much the most stupid mammal on the earth.
Wise Old Owl
09-14-2012, 01:52
What percentage of those moose are invisible?
They don't reflect light - so at night they all are.
Feral Bill
09-14-2012, 10:47
Two women (former students of mine) were injured in a moose collision out here last night. The one without seat belts is critical. Please wear yours.
Moose have this game they play where they try to **** on trail as many times possible without being seen. Most are masters at the game.
Buffalo Skipper
09-19-2012, 14:32
Two women (former students of mine) were injured in a moose collision out here last night. The one without seat belts is critical. Please wear yours.
Sorry to hear about your friends. These accidents are more common than one may think, but the statistics are telling. Seatbelts make a difference. Hope they both recover.
swjohnsey
09-19-2012, 16:56
About two moose per square mile. I'm surprised the population density is that high. I saw one cow.
About two moose per square mile. I'm surprised the population density is that high. I saw one cow.
Despite the rumors, moose are wild animals. Most tend to make themselves inconspicuous, especially if they haven't been near people recently.
There was always a moose at Chimney Pond you could count on called "JR" by the rangers. He would hang out near the privy and at night his eyes would glow as if to light the path.
peakbagger
09-21-2012, 16:15
Several years ago I had lean to #9 at Chimney Pond at Baxter which is set back in the woods. Me and a friend went on dayhike up Katahdin and came back down to our shelter. There was a mother and calf right in front of it. We went over to the pond and mentioned it to the ranger who said that the mother and calf had been hanging around for a few weeks, and wait awhile. We went back in 20 minutes and the mother and calf were behind the shelter about 100 feet grazing so we went in the shelter to change and get some food. A few minutes later we hear some grunting and along comes baby moose to visit. Lean to #9 is a newer style and has the standard Maine "deacons" bench under the overhang. Baby moose came up to the shelter softly grunting until its front legs were up against the deacons bench and then the critter leaned in as far as it could. We werent planning to feed it and wondered even if we did, what would we feed a moose? but it was obvious that someone figured it out. We sat there and watched for awhile but as soon as the calf figured out it wasnt going to get anything it wandered away.
Not Maine, but Achilles and I ran across this one in August in the Rockies. I think it was the fifth one he had seen this season, with the others in NH and ME. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?87904-Shiras-Moose
There was always a moose at Chimney Pond you could count on called "JR" by the rangers. He would hang out near the privy and at night his eyes would glow as if to light the path.
Montana AT05
09-21-2012, 21:41
Can you hunt moose in Maine? Sounds like a few seasons are in order. Demand for classes on how to hunt wolves here in Montana sky-rocketed recently. Dang over-sized rats are out of control!
peakbagger
09-22-2012, 06:48
There is a limited moose hunting season in Maine, but its a lottery to get a permit. Baxter State Park is 2/3rd a wildlife refuge so they cant be bothered.
Tipi Walter
09-22-2012, 20:44
Can you hunt moose in Maine? Sounds like a few seasons are in order. Demand for classes on how to hunt wolves here in Montana sky-rocketed recently. Dang over-sized rats are out of control!
I hope by over-sized rats you mean humans since the combined population of wolves in Idaho/Montana is around 2,000 (with 545 of these killed last year) while the combined human population of these two states is 2,582,184. Should the humans be thinned?
I hope by over-sized rats you mean humans since the combined population of wolves in Idaho/Montana is around 2,000 (with 545 of these killed last year) while the combined human population of these two states is 2,582,184. Should the humans be thinned?
THE ANSWER IS YES - WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE! - Hey Tipi - - we've got a little crowd that'll be in Joyce Kilmer on Nov 2,3,4 - join in if you can.
Tipi Walter
09-22-2012, 21:46
THE ANSWER IS YES - WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE! - Hey Tipi - - we've got a little crowd that'll be in Joyce Kilmer on Nov 2,3,4 - join in if you can.
Thanks for the head's up. My last trip (September) I went 17 days without seeing another backpacker. Send me a message of your planned route, etc.
Montana AT05
09-23-2012, 02:45
I hope by over-sized rats you mean humans since the combined population of wolves in Idaho/Montana is around 2,000 (with 545 of these killed last year) while the combined human population of these two states is 2,582,184. Should the humans be thinned?
No. I mean wolves. And in Maine, apparently moose. The wolves ate up all the food supply of the cougar (oops Yellowstone ecologists). Time to thin the herd. We tried organizing a drum circle to support the cougar but that didn't seem to work. That was weird, cause that usually works. <shrugs>