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.
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