On Friday, while out walking on our trail, I was thrilled to find moose tracks heading from the river uphill across our property, most likely towards wooded ridges and deep ravines to the west of us.
It appeared to be solitary, possibly a male yearling rejected by its mother, which cows do prior to calving in spring. However, in measuring its footprint and gait, it could be a more mature individual. The hoof print was approximately 3.5″ wide x 8″ long, including two rear-facing dewclaws. The gait in the woods was about 30″ apart, but in an open field, I measured 42″. Now, just imagine how tall that animal was (they can grow to 5-7′ at the shoulder)!
Nocturnal by nature, moose are rarely seen here, though I’ve heard there are some that live in a secluded valley a few miles away. I’ve only seen a few tracks in mud or snow, and have had three sightings total in 35 years, once with a mother and calf together. Given their size (males can weigh 1,200-1,800 lbs., females 800-1,300 lbs.) and their somewhat ornery nature, it is probably just as well!
Eliza Waters 
That is so cool! Maybe you will see it soon, from a safe distance, of course 😀
Thanks, Julie. I was happy to see evidence of its visit, they are so elusive.
You get to have all the fun Eliza, but no midnight gardening kind lady. Running into one of those could damage your lawn mower 🤣 Thank you for sharing, I look forward to mother and calf 🤗❤️🙏
Yes, ha, they are massive beasts!
How exciting
It was, they are really something to see!
This is such an exciting find!
Absolutely, I was thrilled to see those tracks. They are second only in mass to American bison, so quite massive!
Woo-hoo and wowsah! What an exciting find. Even though we live on the edge of the woods, I have never seen any signs of them here.
They are pretty elusive, at least around here. I was thrilled with the rare visit.
Yes, yes!
Really appreciated the ruler for scale.
Thanks, Laurie. A curious mind needs to know. 🙂
WOW! Time to put up a trail camera!
IKR? I keep saying I need to get one… 😀
Wow! Those are some huge hoof prints! I wonder how often the moose crosses your trail there.
I rarely see their tracks, so I think they only move seasonally as their diet changes with the seasons. 🫎
Exciting!
Hey Marian! It certainly was a thrill to see the tracks and imagining how big it must have been. Sightings are so rare.
That’s very cool to know you have a moose near by! I’d love to see one in the wild. I work in Belchertown and one had been spotted there a couple years ago but I did not get to see it.
They are around the Quabbin, too, but they head for cover when they hear or smell humans, which is probably a good idea (for both parties)!
Deer? Coyotes? Bobcats? Sure. But a moose? When I read “five to seven feet at the shoulder” I paused. Clearly, my mental image of a moose is off! What a thrill to find evidence of one passing by!
Truly! They are big and tough-minded like bison, not to be trifled with, so I’m good with just the tracks!
Moose in MA….what a surprising walk-discovery. It seems like many animals and birds are migrating northwards, but you saw the opposite.
We’re in their historic range, but it’s been centuries. Glad they are back though.
Wow! Lucky you. I remember seeing an adult moose next to John’s truck in the yard & noting that it’s “hump” was as tall as the top of the cab! They are truly majestic animals.
Quite impressive, aren’t they? Their size always astounds me!
What a find!! So exciting. Great documentation of their size. I’ve seen one once – and I smelled ’em (phew!) before I saw ’em. ❤️
Thanks, Catherine. Being unpredictable and territorial, I’m okay with no close encounters!
Too much snow this winter, which means not enough things to eat. Maybe that’s why a moose would wander so close to your area.
You may be right, although they apparently aren’t troubled by a couple feet of snow with those long, powerful legs. 🙂
Yikes! Yes, tracks are more than adequate than an actual face to face.
Absolutely! 😀
I would love to see a moose, but they do not come to the central PA Appalachian Mountains.
They are primarily boreal dwellers and really are something to see, such strange-looking creatures!
I would love to see a moose someday….from a safe distance!
Probably a good idea. I’ve seen videos of encounters in Alaska, they are tough cookies!
Very cool. I miss them in the Maine woods. I walked up to one once, close enough to gauge just how giant she was. Told her thanks for the meeting, and calmly walked away although I was shaking inside! She followed me for a bit but didn’t pursue me further. 🫎
I remember my father telling me tales of them bashing into vehicles and treeing hunters, so you were very brave to greet one!
I was in Radio for nine years as an interviewer. I interviewed a Micmac author, Evan Pritchard, who was living in New York – so we offered him a couple of overnights with us in the Maine woods. When I told him about what I did, he told me that the Micmac were so named because they were ‘the moose people.’ He said young Braves would go up and tag a moose to earn status in the tribe. That being said, I was only afraid when I got close enough to smell her and see the size of her. I’ve never really been afraid of wild things, and I’ve had some amazing encounters because of it. I wish I would’ve had the courage to touch her, because I had a feeling I could have. That being said, I would not have done this with a bull moose. I do have a modicum of sense. 😉
Ha, glad to know that. The one time I saw the cow and calf, was in a field a mile away from my house and quite a crowd had gathered. Luckily, I had my camera. They were about 30-40′ away, and I was surprised how calm she was. Of course, no one approached her or the calf, so we weren’t going to test her!
The sad thing is that in the past 20 years ticks have become epidemic here and seem to plague the young particularly, causing them to die from anemia. It’s pretty horrific that is happening.
It is horrific. The ticks arrived almost like a plague when we left Maine years ago. So did the algae blooms in the beautiful lakes that were home for decades. And by the way, I would never walk up to a mother and a baby of any species. Or like I day, a bull. I did tell the story somewhere in my writing, if I find it, I’ll send you a link. It’s a pretty interesting story. But I don’t want to hijack your thread! 💗
That is so exciting! 😉
Definitely was! 👍🏼 🫎
I bet it was exciting to see the tracks! We have moose in the forest here in Dalarna, but also in other regions of Sweden. I was once chased by a male moose while on horseback, that was not a fun experience, but my horse kept me safe. They are majestic animals.
Oh, gosh, what a scary thing to experience. I am definitely respectful of them!
Wow, exciting! I wonder if you will spot one this year if they are passing by so near. Must be a magnificent sight!
Definitely exciting! There are massive animals, esp. the bulls. I really wouldn’t want to see one during rut, they can be tough customers then!
I am not sure what impressed me most, the tracks or the fact that you go for a walk with a ruler in your pocket. 🙂
Ha, no, I went the next day with ruler and camera!
Wow! I would have thought you were too far south for moose?
Their historic range is as far south as PA, but have only returned here to western MA in the last 20 years or so since reforestation provides food and shelter. There was a hunting ban on them for a long time, but I think a few permits are being issued now (mostly trophy hunters seeking the antlered bulls). Their hides are very thick and meat must be tough. Not a practice I condone, however.
Cool! I hope you see one.
That is great that you had one pass through your property!
A couple of locals see them in the Cricket Hill/state forest/ town property. There have been a few in the area for a good many years. A good number of years ago I had one in our back yard.
We are so fortunate
Agreed, it is pretty amazing to have them around here. I guess Quabbin has them, too.
Hi Eliza. What excitement ! We just don’t have anything that big wandering around our field. It would be so amazing to actually see one.
MJ
Hi Eliza. How exciting ! It would be so amazing to actually see one
MJ
They are an astonishing sight, not particularly handsome, but certainly massive. It seems strange that our woods contains such a creature!
Very exciting! I’ve only seen a moose once . It was ambling along on the shoulder of a road.
Thanks, Belinda. I was pretty stoked! 🙂
How wonderful!
It was an unusual animal sign rarely seen here, I was excited to see it. Thanks, Cindy!
Thrilling, Eliza!
A rare event, for sure. 🙂
That’s one BIG critter, Eliza! Probably just as well that you didn’t see this guy up close, huh?!
Yeah, I’m happy that they are able to live well here, but the tracks are all the proof I need. 😉
The first full-grown moose I ever saw absolutely blew my mind. They are huge! 😀
Mega fauna, lol!
You must have been thrilled when you first spotted the footprints, given how rare they are. Thanks for measuring and sharing your results.
Thanks, Alys. I was hop-up-and-down happy to see those tracks! Knowing that our ecosystem is healthy enough to support them means a lot to me.
What a wonderful and healthy sign Eliza! ❤️ xxx
Thank you, Xenia! 🫎