Back to outdoor activities & events in New Hampshire
Reprinted with permission of New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
CONCORD, N.H. - It's early summer and, as is the case each year at this time, increased reports of moose sightings throughout New Hampshire have prompted state wildlife officials to warn motorists to take extra care while traveling Granite State roadways. The fact that moose sightings and contact with human activities have become more frequent in early June is not a surprise to wildlife biologists. According to Kris Bontaites, moose project leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, yearling moose---those that were born in the spring and summer of 1999---are now being pushed away by their mothers (who are about to give birth to this year's calves) to make their own in the wild, and the youngsters are apt to show up just about anywhere and at any time.
"They're basically like teenagers suddenly set free to make a life on their own, and we know all too well how that can turn out," Bontaites says. "People can expect to see moose in all kinds of places over the next couple of months, and their antics may seem rather outlandish."
Bontaites urges motorists to use extra caution throughout spring, summer and fall. Wandering moose, she adds can be seen anywhere in the state, not just at "moose crossing" areas. Bontaites also advises that drivers scan the sides of the roads; drive under 55 mph on highways at night; and be able to stop within the zone of their headlights. Homeowners and others who suddenly find themselves near moose, according to Eric Orff, Fish and Game's wildlife biologist from Durham, "should give them their space," because they're probably just as confused about their surroundings as their human viewers are about the animals' presence.
"These young moose are enrolled in the 'College of Hard Knocks,'" he says, "and we encourage people who encounter a moose in their yards or elsewhere to just let it wander off in its search for a safe place to live." New Hampshire has an estimated 9,600 moose. Roughly 200 moose are struck by vehicles each year, according to biologists and law enforcement authorities. To spread the word about sharing the roads with moose, New Hampshire Fish and Game launched "Brake for Moose," an award-winning campaign that includes the popular yellow bumper sticker, still available from the Department.
"At this time of year," Orff explains, "you can see a moose
just about anywhere in the state. To those of us who have worked with moose for a while, nothing is really surprising."
