Everything You Want to Know About Moose Habitat

Do you live in an area that may be considered a moose habitat?  Have you seen one in your back yard?  The moose is the largest animal in North America.  They are often found in Canada, Alaska and the northern states of the United States.  They span from Washington to New England.  They may also be found in the Rockies to Utah.

The moose habitat needs to be full of foods that the moose will eat.  They generally make their meals out of twigs, shrubs, hard and soft woods.  They are often called twig eaters because of their diets.  They do tend to have favorites that they will frequently make their meals out of.  They prefer to eat willows, birches, aspens, maples, and fir trees.  They enjoy these trees much more in the summer time. 

However, when the fall arrives they tend to feed on the bark of maple and aspen trees.  They tend to like this because it is a hard wood.  When the snow falls in the winter time they will eat the buds and new growth that is beginning from these trees.

They also enjoy sodium rich water plants.  They will eat these plants while they are around the water, seeking relief from flies and other bugs that bother them.  They can also be found around highways where salt accumulates.  This is because the moose needs salt in their diet.  They seek this out and often lick it off of the roadways. 

The moose habitat is most often more open than you would think.  Moose often avoid areas that are very heavy with brush.  This tends to restrict their movements and it makes it difficult for them to see other animals or danger.

While we may fear forest fires, we need to understand how they benefit the moose habitat.  They contribute to new growth that the moose will often eat and enjoy feasting on.  This is not the same as when loggers come in and cut the trees out.  The fires cause more nutritious re-growth for the moose.  So, even though we never think about it, forest fires can be good.  Floods are the same way. 

They result in re-growth of willows and other such trees and shrubs that the moose thrives on.  If they are able to withstand the flood they will reap the benefits when it is over and the forest thrives with new life.

The conditions in the summer and the winter both play an important role in the moose habitat. They need a lot of full foliage in the summer that they can feed on.  If this foliage is located near wet marshlands then the baby cows well get the vitamins and minerals that they need to grow into large, health moose.  The amount of snow and the length that it lasts has a large effect on the moose as well. 

They have an easier time walking through the snow than deer and elk.  They do have a difficult time when the snow gets really deep because they can not find the foliage that they need to eat.  They will make their way into areas that have what they need to survive.  When the snow becomes covered in ice it also becomes difficult for the moose to move.

As you can see, moose habitat really is not that elaborate.  They need to be somewhere that has a lot of brush and foliage that they can eat and live off of.  They need to be in a location that is going to allow them to get the sodium content that they need as well.  You will find these amazing creatures where they can get and move about freely.

Related Resources:

Moose Calling Techniques

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