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Moose Alert!

© Christina Coruth

It's time for another wild animal update from New Hampshire. Encounters with wild animals can be dangerous if you don't understand the animal. This is fairly obvious with many animals, such as bears. Not always so with others, such as moose.

Some people encounter moose when they least expect it. Then there are Granite Staters and tourists who travel the state in search of moose. Some are armed with cameras and, during the last week of October, others are armed with a State awarded hunting permit. Neither group seeking out moose is likely to be disappointed.

However, as has been the case with so many other wild animals in New Hampshire, moose came dangerously close to disappearing from the state. During the pre-Colonial period, the moose population was much greater than the deer population. According to Moose Facts, a page at the Fish & Game Web site, "By the mid 1800's fewer than 15 moose existed in the state." Today, after years of better forest management there are about 9,600 moose in the New Hampshire. The recovery has reached a point that allows for a controlled moose hunting season wherein a license to hunt moose is won by lottery. The moose hunting licenses for this year have already been awarded.

Moose can be found in all parts of the state, but are more numerous in the northern part of the state known as the Great North Woods. A region up near Pittsburg is called "Moose Alley," a prime viewing area for tourist looking for moose to watch.

And people love to watch Moose. Since moose don't usually run away like most wild animals when humans are in sight, many people have the mistaken notion that moose are friendly. They aren't, they just don't care. They aren't afraid of us. I suppose if you weighed 1,000 pounds and stood six feet at the shoulder, you wouldn't be afraid of any puny little humans either. Moose are the largest wild animal in North America.

Experts warn that you must keep your distance. Moose are unpredictable and quick. If one decides you are getting too close, it may very well charge. Moose have been known to stomp people to the point of serious injury, even death. Watch from a distance. If you spot a moose in your yard, leave him alone. He will move on. If you live in a city, call the police or the Fish and Game department. If you are moose watching, stay in your car at a safe distance. As I said, they're very big, you'll get great pictures without having to get close.

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