MOOSE

Physical characteristics and distribution

Body length: 240 – 310 cm
Weight: 200 – 1000 kg
Life expectancy: 10 – 15 years
Distribution: North America, Northern Europe to North and East Asia, Baltic States
Habitat: forests, wetlands, taiga
Species: not endangered

Appearance

The moose has a massive body with a long head, long legs and a rather short tail. His coat is black-brown, calves have a red-brown coat color. The peculiarity of the moose is the long thighbeard. Bulls carry an antler that can grow up to two meters wide. It is dropped each year between January and February and is growing again. Moose cows do not have antlers, as is the case with the other deer species. Another striking feature is the large, overhanging upper lip. Wide hooves allow the moose to move well on marshy ground. Elk cows are usually smaller and weigh only half of their male counterparts. The species that grow the most are the Alaskan Moose and the Kamchatka Moose.

Reproduction and development

The mating season of the moose is the autumn. During the rutting season, male elks release loud cries and follow the female’s scent trail. After mating, the male immediately moves his way. The gestation period is about eight months. Mostly only one elk calf is born, rarely two. After birth, a calf weighs about ten kilograms and its coat is reddish in color. After just a few hours, the cub can follow the moose and then stay with his mother for about a year. As soon as a new birth is due, the mother expels the boy. At one and a half years, the youngster is sexually mature. Elks only grew up when they were eight to ten years old.

Lifestyle and behavior

Moose are loners and diurnal. They inhabit areas that comprise about 500 hectares and are defended against conspecifics with fights in which the opponents are often badly injured. In winter, the elk leave the tundra and migrate to the woodland, the taiga. Often they cover several hundred kilometers. In order to escape the annual mosquito plague, the moose in Scandinavia even pull into the mountains and rise up to 1000 meters in height. The animals are also good swimmers and can travel longer distances in the water on their walks. During hikes, it can happen that communities of up to 50 animals come together. These consist of loose dressings, there is no strong pack cohesion. During the mating season, neither males nor females tolerate mates.

Feeding

Moose are herbivores, but their food spectrum is broad. Mainly they eat thin twigs, leaves and buds of deciduous trees. Grasses, herbs, mosses and lichens are also part of their diet. With the broad, overhanging upper lip, they succeed easily to strip leaves from the trees. However, it is difficult for the animals to absorb food from the ground. Due to their short neck, they can only reach the ground by spreading their forelegs or kneeling. Even in the water they find plants, e.g. Water lilies that are on their menu. For that, they even dive their heads under the water surface. To meet their daily calorie needs, moose spend two-thirds of their time looking for something to eat. Depending on the subspecies and the area, the animals consume ten to thirty kilograms of food every day.

Hunting style, equipment and countries

Elks are found in all northern European countries (Scandinavia), Russia, Canada and Alaska. In all countries hunting for elk can be done. In Scandinavia, hunting for companionship is mainly carried out with hunting companies, hunting both female and male game. In Canada, Alaska and Russia are targeted hunted trout moose here especially the stalking and in the rutting season the moose call is used. Moose are generally not really fireproof, so in Europe weapons in caliber from 308 are sufficient. In Canada, Alaska and eastern areas of Russia we Chukotka stronger caliber are recommended because the moose not only stronger antlers but also have bulkier bodies.

Hunting trip Countries

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