Environment DEC
From the November 2007 issue
Moose Population on the Rise: Motorists Urged to be on the Alert
Motorists should be alert for moose on roadways in the Adirondacks and surrounding areas at this time of year--a peak of moose activity. Early fall is the breeding season for moose in northern New York. During this time, moose are wandering, leading them to areas where they are not typically seen. While this increases opportunities for people to see moose, it also increases the danger of colliding with them on the roadway.
Moose are much larger and taller than deer. Their large bodies cause greater damage, and, when struck, their height often causes them to damage the windshields of vehicles, not just their front ends. Last year, a half dozen moose-vehicle accidents were reported in New York. However, there has not been a human fatality from an accident with a moose, which is a record that the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) hopes to retain.
Moose were common in New York State centuries ago, when forests covered 95 percent of the landscape
Moose are most active at dawn and dusk; unfortunately, these also are times of poor visibility. Moose are especially difficult to see at night because of their dark brown-to-black coloring and their height--their heads and much of their bodies are above vehicle headlights.
Population Increasing and Spreading Out
From about the end of the Civil War until the 1980s, moose had vanished from the state due to agricultural habitat change and unregulated hunting. Now, moose numbers are growing exponentially in New York, with roughly 500 moose estimated to be in the northern part of the state. That's up from the estimated 50-100 moose a decade earlier and a handful of sporadic sightings in the 1980s. As their population has grown in New England and Canada,many North American moose (usually younger ones) have migrated into New York. However, it's possible the increase in recent years is mainly due to the birth of calves in New York, rather than migration.
The increasing moose population may be due to births in the state rather than migration
Reports of wandering moose have become annual events, and a record number of moose-automobile collisions occurred before the start of the breeding season, when the animals are most active. Although the "core" breeding season has passed, motorists should remain vigilant.
