Millinocket in Penobscot County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)
Want to see a moose? Think like one!
I can smell and hear you long before you see me. To get a glimpse of me, look for my tracks and droppings; then approach quietly, with the wind in your face.
I am crepuscular. During the day, I can be hard to find in the thick, cool forest, so rise early and take a trail or slow-paddle a canoe along the shore just before dusk.
Mud doesn’t bother me, I hang out in bogs and wetlands to eat aquatic plants and escape swarming bugs, especially in late spring and early summer.
When the snow melts in the spring, I’m attracted to the roadsalt along roadways still present in puddles and on new plant shoots. When summer water plants diminish, I look in tree harvested areas for browse: young ash, birch, maple and aspen twigs.
During the fall breeding season, also called “rut”, I actively look for a mate making it easier to spot me in open places like logging roads and meadows.
Tips: Registered Maine Guides for hire can lead you into the best moose habitat. Gear up! Dress for the woods and bring water, food, binoculars, boots and bug netting.
Forest Giants
Alces alces Americana
Adult bull moose may weigh as much as 1,500 pounds and measure 10’ long and 7’ high. Their massive antlers can grow up to 6’ and weigh over 65 pounds.
Fast, winter-ready, and a huge appetite
Long legs allow moose to run up to 35 miles per hour and navigate with ease through the forest. Their tall stature, large hooves and thick fur with hollow insulating hairs are perfect for deep snow. Moose are big eaters – needing 40 to 60 pounds of browse (leaves and twigs) or aquatic vegetation daily.
Water Creatures!
Moose are strong swimmers because their long legs and hooves function like paddles. They can close their nostrils and dive up to 15 feet deep in search of nutrient-rich aquatic plants.
Erected 2019.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 45° 43.804′ N, 68° 50.306′ W. Marker is in Millinocket, Maine, in Penobscot County. Marker is on Millinocket Lake Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located in a Katahdin Woods & Water Scenic Byway information station. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1605 Millinocket Lake Road, Millinocket ME 04462, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Golden Road (within shouting distance of this marker); Destination Katahdin! (within shouting distance of this marker); Mount Katahdin (approx. 12.7 miles away); Katahdin (approx. 12.7 miles away); Baxter State Park (approx. 13.2 miles away).
More about this marker. Multiple pictures of moose appear on the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2019, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 5 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 5, 2019, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.