The Kennebec Explorer 2014 Visitor's Guide to Maine's Kennebec Valley | Page 5

Got Moose? You bet! Mascot? Mammal? Fuzzy Buddy? Call them what you will. It’s Official. Here in the Kennebec Valley we love the Moose so much that we decided to name the Maine Moose the official animal rep- resentative for the region. It seemed that since these majestic animals spend so much time welcoming visitors while grazing in marshy roadside places that it was time to elevate their status. When you come up towards the Jackman region, you are entering prime moose country. Anywhere along Route 201 from The Forks to the Canadian Border and on Route 15 from Rockwood, moose, moose and more moose are what you are apt to find on any given day. Best Viewing Times & Spots The best times to spot Moose are at dawn and dusk from mid-May through July. In the fall, during the rut, is also a good time to spot a bull with a fully formed rack. Seeing a moose then is a real treat because they’ll soon shed their antlers. Because of their massive size, moose find it easier to move about in open areas — making it fairly easy to spot one, if you are fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. They can often be seen along logging roads, diving for dinner in wet boggy areas, hanging out in gravel pits, and clip-clopping down hiking or snowmobile trails. The best moose viewing experience has to be seeing one in its own element; out in the woods, while you are hiking, ATVing, or snowmobiling. Give them a wide berth and don’t forget your camera! If you have never seen one of these large members of the deer family up close, you cannot imagine just how big an animal they are. Mature bulls can weigh over 1,000 pounds and are about 7 feet tall at the shoulders. So if you see that flashing moose sign on the highway, stay alert! And remember, they are still wild animals and deserve our respect. Moose are browsers rather than grazers. They obtain most of their food from aquatic and marsh plants such as horsetails and pondweed. Moose also eat grass, lichen, plants growing on the forest floor, peeled-off bark and leaves from willows, sallows, and poplars. To learn more about Moose in the Kennebec Valley, visit KennebecValley.org. 3