Mountain Shiras moose habitat

[Bullshot]

What’s everyone’s experience with Shiras moose habitat up
in typical nat. forest. My limited encounters have been on the more gently sloped dark timber and along water courses, and seemingly often close to roads and trails. Do moose also utilize very steep or rocky forested slopes and/or hellhole areas like elk would. I am wondering if it would be a waste of time to try to get into the steep/deep/dark/nasties for moose. Not that you’d ever want to get one down in such a spot!!!!

 

[MTLabrador]

I’ve seen bull moose after the rut in some very nasty areas when chasing elk.

 

[BigHornRam]

I've found sheds up high. Bulls often go up in elevation to winter where the snow is deep and the predators have a hard time getting around in the snow.

 

[wytex]

During the rut bulls may well be out in the middle of the Red Desert, otherwise usually associated with willows.
Have found moose scrapes in the forest well away from any water source or willows though, again rut related behavior.
Seem to be everywhere we hunt elk.

 

[Shortbowshot]

I found a moose shed up near timber line in Colorado. Not sure what he was doing up there that time of year. Had a buddy leave a game cam out all year. When the snow melted back below it moose seemed to be the only critters up there for awhile. It was around 9800 ft in dark timber.

 

[Ben Long]

IME moose don't hole up in dark timber the same way elk do because they are not subjected to the same intense hunting pressure. Plus I don't think they are quite as sensitive to disturbance. From where I sit, it looks like moose are MORE sensitive to temperature. If they are on north slopes, its probably because they are seeking shade, not security. They like to be near water for the coolness and browse species. That said, I have found sheds at the very tip-tops of mountains here in NW MT. Maybe they were trying to stay above the wolves, I don't know. LIke elk, moose are where you find 'em!

 

[WYWINCHESTER]

This year we glassed the biggest bull above the tree line in the scrubs. They're up there.

 

[Jared123]

Thanks

 

[Bambistew]

Got to find the food. Lots of places have a lot of small willow near treeline. Look for those little pockets/springs at treeline or way high.

Good luck!

 

[Sisu64]

I was also curious about mnt moose habitat, I don’t mean to hijack the thread but what about high mnt lakes? Do they need to have any certain food sources? This one I hiked to yesterday doesnt have much aquatic vegetation.

 

[Orion’s Breath]

My understanding is that Shiras moose more often focus on riparian browse species like willow around water, rather than aquatic vegetation.

There does seem to be an association between aquatic vegetation and sodium hunger in moose too, and there’re some academic papers out there that have documented this:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...by_moose_Sodium_hunger_or_foraging_efficiency

 

[Orion’s Breath]

I’ll be off chasing Shiras in NW MT this year in a different environment to what I’m used to seeing moose in - less riparian habitat and more regenerating clearcuts. Will let you know what I see out there!

 

[Coveyleader]

If your unit has alpine, look there, up with the Mule deer. They summer as high or higher than elk in those lakes that have willows surrounding them with timber below. I have a ton of photos of moose up with the MD.

 

[buffybr]

I've shot two Montana Shiras moose and took a friend in on his. All three were in small scrub willow parks surrounded by dark timber. Prior to Yellowstone planting wolves in the Park, I used to see up to 5 moose a day in the willows along the creeks and rivers between Bozeman and West Yellowstone. Now, I'm lucky to see one moose in 10 trips on that same route.

I've also seen moose on sagebrush flats and up to timberline, but most of the moose that I've seen were near willows and water.

 

[littlebighorn]

On my Wyoming Shiras moose hunt I saw them in all kinds of terrain. From normal willow swamps to alpine areas. I even jumped a good group out of a quakie patch in the middle of big open sage country.
They are big and black, so during warm months they typically find the coolest shady spot in the area. But that could be an oak hillside or whatever is available.

 

[Orion’s Breath]

I was talking with a moose biologist who described them as generalists first, and specialists second.

I think what he meant was that they have an ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats, like what we’ve all seen them in above, but when they find an area with sufficient browse to sustain themselves they focus on it heavily.

There’s a moose-focused scientific journal, Alces, which I’ve found to be a wealth of information about moose, without a paywall: https://alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces

 

[RyGuy]

I was talking with a moose biologist who described them as generalists first, and specialists second.

I think what he meant was that they have an ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats, like what we’ve all seen them in above, but when they find an area with sufficient browse to sustain themselves they focus on it heavily.

There’s a moose-focused scientific journal, Alces, which I’ve found to be a wealth of information about moose, without a paywall: https://alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces

Yeah I feel like “generalists first, specialist second” is the perfect way to describe them.
I’ve seen them in open sage, out in hay fields, in deep dark timber with tons of blow down, but primarily around willow bottoms and water.