In Maine, May and June bring long, sunny days, blooming flowers — and more moose versus car crashes than any other two-month period during the year.
Crashes involving moose happen mostly in the northern part of the state; almost half from 2020-24 were in Aroostook County. But central and southern Maine still see serious incidents every year.
Welcome to moose collision season. Here’s what you need to know.
Where do they happen?
Most moose-related crashes happen in the northeastern part of the state, where moose are most present in populated areas. Interstate 95 between Bangor and Houlton is the most active stretch for high-speed, dangerous moose collisions, according to data from the Maine Department of Transportation.
Central, western and southern Maine also have collisions, too, though. Somerset County drivers hit 95 moose from 2020-24, the third-most of Maine’s 16 counties, with U.S. Route 201 between Jackman and West Forks being a particularly busy stretch.
With 80 and 64 collisions, respectively, Franklin and Washington counties round out the top five.
South of the mountains, crashes are less likely, but still possible. In Kennebec County, for instance, drivers have hit 38 moose since 2016, 23 of which were on I-95.
Any collision with a moose is serious; adult males, or bulls, can weigh up to 1,600 pounds, and adult females, or cows, weigh as much as 1,200 pounds.
When are you at risk?
Since 2016, according to DOT data, 74% of all moose crashes happened at night, when it was dark on the roadways. Peak times for crashes are between 4 and 5 a.m., and 8 and 11 p.m.
Lee Kantar, the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department’s moose biologist, said that timing makes sense, given moose movement patterns. Like deer, moose are most active around sunrise and sunset.
May and June are peak moose collision season for good reason, he said. For starters, they’re more difficult to see: Moose shed their winter coat in May and June, making them appear darker and more difficult to see at night, Kantar said. More than 35% of all moose crashes happened in these two months, from 2020-24.
After spending the winter in smaller home areas, moose tend to expand back to their usual 10- to 12-square-mile range after the snow melts. Sometimes, moose will travel even farther for food or a good salt lick. That’s usually how moose end up in populated areas like Augusta, Bangor, Lewiston and Portland, Kantar said.
Mothers also sometimes cast off their young in spring, leaving them to wander by themselves for the first time. Kantar said those young moose can unknowingly end up in harm’s way.
“In a low light condition, the problem with moose — even a young moose that’s a yearling or 2-year-old moose, you’re still talking about an animal that’s anywhere between 500 and 800 pounds, that’s very tall in the leg,” he said. “You don’t tend to get that eye-shine that you see in a deer. So, when something like that is crossing the road and the light conditions are poor, it becomes very, very difficult to see that animal.”
So what?
Deer are hit far more often in Maine than moose — 25 times more often. But per crash, moose are the most expensive and most dangerous animal Mainers collide with on the roads.
In 15.7% of moose crashes from 2020-24, a person in the car was injured, far higher than in collisions with any other animal.
Three people died in moose collisions, more than all other animal crash deaths in that period combined.
As calculated by the DOT, moose caused $179,221 in estimated economic loss for each collision. Deer, by comparison, caused $34,140 in economic loss per crash.
Moose crashes and deaths have decreased drastically since 2000, Kantar said, as populations have dwindled. But fewer moose can pull drivers into a false sense of security, he said.
“An animal that size tends to be so unexpected by people when, all of a sudden, it’s there,” Kantar said. “They just can’t believe it. And yet, you can miss seeing a moose that’s right next to the road.”
What to do
If you see a moose in front of you on or near the road, use extreme caution. Moose are unpredictable, so stay in your car. If the moose is in the roadway, slow to a stop. Don’t try to go around. Wait for it to wander back off the roadway.
If you’re in the unfortunate position where a crash is unavoidable and imminent, transportation department officials recommend braking until right before impact, when letting up on the brakes can raise the front end of the vehicle and prevent the moose from crashing through your windshield. Duck to avoid debris.
Avoiding that situation in the first place is possible, Kantar said, with caution during peak seasons and times. Maine’s many moose crossing signs are intentionally placed in highly traveled wildlife crossings, so take special care in those zones.
“If I was driving up (U.S. Route) 201, let’s say, or Greenville, as I get further north on blacktop roads where you can go faster, and it’s that time of evening or early morning — I’d be very vigilant, no matter what,” he said. “Out of a matter of course, if I see something, is that something where I can put on my brakes and avoid contact? Because that would be a good call.”
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Ethan Horton can be reached at [email protected].
