Maine’s moose records are some of the densest in this atlas: 774 mapped sightings rank the species 7th out of 59 mammals tracked in the state. That volume says more about how often people spot a moose than about how many actually live in the North Woods.
Ponds in summer, deep timber in winter
Records climb sharply from May through August and peak in June, and that timing tracks a real seasonal shift. Moose wade into the ponds and slow streams scattered across the North Woods and the Western Maine Mountains to feed on sodium-rich pondweed and water lilies, standing chest-deep for minutes at a stretch. It’s also the easiest season to see one, since a moose feeding in open water is far more visible than one bedded down in spruce. Once ponds freeze over, the same animals pull back into dense stands of fir and cedar, browsing on twigs and bark where deep snow and thick cover both cut down on how often anyone gets a clear look.
A tick problem the North Woods knows well
Maine’s moose carry a heavier winter tick burden than almost anywhere else in their range, a pattern wildlife biologists here have tracked closely through GPS-collar studies. Tens of thousands of ticks can latch onto a single moose over a winter, and calves rubbing off infested hair are sometimes described as “ghost moose” for the pale, worn patches left behind. Shorter, milder winters in the North Woods let more larval ticks survive to find a host the following fall, which is one reason the state keeps such close tabs on calf survival from year to year.
Status in Maine
NatureServe ranks the moose S5, secure, and it’s native to Maine. The North Woods’ mix of wetlands and dense conifer forest remains one of the last large, unbroken blocks of moose habitat in the Lower 48.
Full species profile
