I don’t know about you, but when I picture a moose, I see it standing majestically at the edge of a pond, the sun glinting off its healthy, dark coat and water dripping from its mouth while it munches on pond weeds.
I think that’s how most casual observers want to see them. But a moose in spring can have a totally different look, as several people observed and then shared on social media recently. The spring look of a moose dashes our idyllic picture.
It’s not because it’s any less majestic or fascinating, or that as hunters, we have lost interest.
No, it’s because they look like they are sick. Why? The biggest reason for coat loss in April and May is winter ticks, according to Lee Kantar, the state’s moose biologist. Moose scratch and rub to rid themselves of the feeding ticks and in the process lose their heavy winter coats.
The result is a shaggy and messy-looking animal.
“Winter tick-infested moose typically lose their entire coat by the end of May and appear patchy and disheveled. We often see ‘ghost’ moose because the reaction of moose rubbing, biting, scratching their coats results in much breakage of the winter hairs, which are white at the base. So when this is broken off, you get clipped white hair,” Kantar said.
People on social media wildlife sites have been posting photos showing the patchy coated animals, speculating on their health and assuming the moose have mange or ticks. Some also were sure that the moose were exhibiting normal spring shedding of their winter coats.
Most moose carry some level of winter ticks, but the good news is that this is one of the lowest winter tick seasons in 18 years, Kantar said.
Winter ticks are the hardest on younger animals, which can die from a heavy infestation. Even though recent data indicate there is improvement in moose mortality from ticks, it still happens.
“This will likely turn out to be a very mild spring for moose mortalities and result in population growth of moose across the core range,” he said.
Healthy moose not loaded with winter ticks naturally shed their winter coats later in the spring and won’t have their full summer hair until the end of June.
They tend to shed from their backs and withers with the black hair of their summer coats coming from their legs toward the body in a uniform way, whereas tick-infested moose will have bare shoulders and spots devoid of hair on the neck, rump and other areas, the biologist said.
Shedding for any reason is never a pretty process, but it is not exclusive to moose. It’s just that they are so large, it’s hard to miss them.
Other animals shed winter coats too. That’s why trapping seasons for furbearers like fox and bobcat are in the cold months, when their coats are the thickest.
Some people on social media were just concerned about the animals’ welfare, while hunters hoped the moose had a good winter for another reason.
The annual moose permit lottery will be drawn soon. The deadline for applications is May 15 and the winners will be announced on June 15 in Fort Kent. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will accept applications online only this year.
In 2023, MDIF&W received 72,446 applications and issued 4,106 permits. There were 2,440 moose killed during all hunts, including the adaptive hunters, in the 2023 season.
