
Some Observations on Moose 
Their Life Habits and Some Hunting Experiences 
’ By CAPT. BEVERLEY W. ROBINSON 
Illustrations from paintings by Carl Rungius 
of his kind, the moose is the 
largest member of the deer 
family, either living or ever known to 
have existed. Even the long extinct 
great Irish elk, with his greater spread 
of antlers, is said by natural- 
ists to have been a_ smaller 
animal. Seen amid the lonely 
haunts of his forested home, 
this great, uncouth beast seems 
truly some colossus of a bygone 
age. 
His large, overhanging nose 
or “muffle,” pendulous “bell,” 
rather short neck and_ body 
when compared to his long 
four-foot legs, and no _ tail 
worth mentioning, make him 
anything but a graceful crea- 
ture to look at, yet with al! ~ iis, 
R ot tis supreme as the giant 
a big bull moose in the autumn mavnrma 
when his broad heavily pal- 
mated antlers are fully grown, 
is a magnificent looking beast. 
IS coat of coarse, smoky brown 
hair, looking sometimes almost 
black on neck and flanks, does not 
particularly tone in with his surround- 
ings and yet, the speed and noiseless- 
ness with which he can slip out of 
MITT 
HULL 
sight in a country filled with dry 
branches and snapping twigs is sur- 
prising when we consider his great 
bulk. 
Essentially an animal of the forest, 
his range extends through most of the 
With great palmated antlers and huge pre- 
hensile lip, the moose, largest of our North 
American hoofed animals, might give one 
the impression of clumsiness were it not 
for his superb carriage and lordly mien. In 
the solitude of his native spruce forests, he 
is perhaps the most picturesque figure in 
the rugged and vigorous northern landscape. 
MITT TAIT 
TA INIINI | 
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heavily wooded territory of the Can- 
adian provinces and includes northern 
Maine and Minnesota, northwest Wy- 
oming, the Yukon and Alaska. Dur- 
ing the summer, moose keep more to 
the densely wooded forest of spruce 
and fir lying in low marshy ground 
and spend much of their time in and 
ATAU LeU AULT 
HUTOUTNUTUCTSE ETT 
near the water of streams, lakes and 
ponds where they wallow about and 
feed upon the pads and stems of the 
water lily. 
« In August the horns of the bulls are 
fully grown and hardened and by early 
September are scraped clean of 
their velvet. Towards the mid- 
dle or latter part of this month, 
dependent on the season, the rut 
begins, then the moose move 
about more and work up onto 
the ridges of the open hard- 
woods, remaining much of the 
time on the higher and drier 
land until the snows of winter 
become too deep to permit of 
their easily moving about. 
Their principal food consists 
of twigs, leaves, bark, moss and 
the tender tops of small trees 
which they reach by bestriding 
and “riding down” the tree, and 
when the heavy snow comes, 
several moose will collect together and 
“yard,” as it is termed. 
HIS yard is of comparatively small 
area and is usually selected mainly 
with regard to its abundance of food, 
and throughout its extent, the moose 
criss-cross it -with numerous paths 
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