Do Moose come out in the rain? According to anecdotes, moose are generally unbothered by rain, since it is so common where many of them live. Extreme rain and significant wind will be more likely to make them take shelter, but apparently, heat would be much more likely to keep them hunkered down.
For those who like moose, you might want to go and observe them out in the wild one day, but in the places that moose appear, such as Canada or Alaska, the weather might not always be stellar. So, that might lead some to wonder, do moose come out in the rain?
To know when would be the best times to go to see moose, we’ll discuss what variables you need to consider below.
Related Reading: How Big is a Moose Compared to a Human?
Factors Affecting When Moose Come Out
Time Of The Year
Moose are more active in the mating season when they are looking for a mate. Bulls especially will be wandering around out of the forests more. The mating season generally starts in late September until around mid-October.
Time Of The Day
Moose likes the weather a bit cooler, and likes to avoid the heat. This means that moose generally enjoy early mornings and evenings. Adding to this, they must actively search for food and water at this time.
Solunar Calendar
A strange theory by John Alden Knight says that moose movement is affected by the position of the moon and how full it is. Although being made in 1926, it’s still widely used by hunters and fishermen today.
Location
Obviously, moose are most at home near large bodies of water. This includes:
- Streams
- Lake
- Ponds
- Swamps
- Bogs
Any of those places will be more likely to have moose.
Temperature
Moose have bodies made to withstand the cold, so they are not very active in the heat. If the temperature is higher than average for the season, then your chances of finding a moose is significantly lowered. You could still find them, but you might have to tread into swamps and other bodies of water where they might cool off.
Air Pressure
Barometric pressure changes the behavior of all species in the deer family, and moose are no exception. It’s a negative correlation for moose; as air pressure decreases, moose activity increases, and as air pressure increases, moose activity decreases.
Weather Conditions
Moose are built for extreme cold and wetness, but depending on the strength of the weather, they may still hide from the rain. In lighter rains and cold, moose won’t be bothered at all, but if rain and wind combined are too extreme, then moose might try to find shelter in forest areas.
Wind
Moose has an impressive sense of smell, which means that if you would like to see moose, make sure to seat yourself on an outermost border of a likely hunting area would be more likely not to scare them with your smell.
As mentioned, if the wind is simply too strong, then the moose might try to hunker down and not really move around. They don’t like extreme wind conditions, so if there is sideways wind and rain, then don’t bother about finding them.
Where Are The Best Areas To Find Moose
Where are moose found? Generally, these majestic creatures are scattered all the way across the Northern Hemisphere, so with slight variations in timing for mating seasons, most advice can be used to find moose no matter where you are.
Moose Population In North America
Moose populations are decreasing quickly in North America because of the opening of different highways in moose habitats.
The moose range covers almost all of Canada and Alaska but also includes:
- Northern New England and upstate New York.
- Upper Rocky Mountains
- Northern Minnesota
- North of Wisconsin
- The Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale.
In North America, it draws a line across America middle but the highest of this population lives in Canada, with 700,000 out of an estimated 1,000,000 animals. The largest of these species are found in Alaska.
Moose Population In Europe
If you’re in Europe, that’s no problem – you can still see moose as well! The moose are native to Northern and Central Europe. Generally, its areal covers the following areas:
- Norway
- Sweden
- Finland
- Russia
- The Baltic States
- Belorussia
- Poland
- Northern Ukraine.
Those are the significant populations, but small isolated populations had been found in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany, with individuals reported in Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Sweden has the greatest population of moose in the entire world. Moose are a huge part of the culture in Sweden and are often shot for meat and for their antlers to be kept as trophies. It is said that according to statistics, 100,000 moose are hunted each season. The population is approximately 400,000 before the hunting seasons, afterwards, about 300,000 and another 100,000 are born the following spring.
However, these figures are reflective of the 1980s and the population was generally quite large at the time, and the figures are thought to have decreased a lot since then because of the same reasons moose populations are dropping in America.
Related Reading: How Much Does a Moose Cost? [5 Thing to Consider]
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, moose do come out in the rain because rain is often common where they reside, but it does depend on how extreme the weather is. However, heat will make them less likely to come out from the shelter, and so too will significant amounts of wind and rain.
Other factors to keep in mind include the barometer, the time of day, the time of year, the exact location, the temperature, and the solunar calendar. In terms of locations, there are many, many areas where you can see moose if you want to see them – multiple states of Northern America and a huge variety of countries in Northern Europe have dense moose populations.
Continue Reading: Can A Moose Run on Water? [ANSWERED]