A Moose in Moose Muck!!!

This hungry gal was seen on route 16 in Errol. We found her along the side of the road in what we like to call "moose muck". It was around 8am in mid-August and we were heading back to Rhode Island after a week of camping in Rangeley Maine. This stretch of route 16 which runs from Rangeley to Errol has dozens of great "moose muck" areas and we have seen several moose along this stretch of road. This moose in-particular was not bothered by our presence and at one point she even stopped eating and approached our vehicle, which was a bit intimidating since she was easily 9 feet tall at the shoulder and one charge could have caused some damage to our jeep. It has been my experience that some moose just don't seem to care when you pull over and watch them while others will flee out of sight as soon as they notice you. We were very lucky with this cow since she allowed us to watch and photograph her for well over a half an hour before we decided to drive away and let her eat in peace. Spotting a moose is one of the main reasons we visit the remote area of Errol and this part of New Hampshire has proven to be one of the best areas to see them along roadways. If your interested in spotting a moose for yourself I would recommend traveling up and down route 16 from the central part of Errol up to the Maine state line. We have had the best luck seeing moose at dusk and it is also recommended to look for them at dawn as well. Along this route you may catch one anywhere but it is most likely you will see one in "moose muck". So what is this "moose muck" I speak of? It is simply areas along the roadside that are yucky, muddy puddles of sorts. They are filled with large amounts of grasses which the moose depends upon and they also contain high yields of salt that has washed off of the ice treated roads during the winter months. These areas are depositories for the salt that washes off of the roads once the winter snow melts. The salt attracts the animals since their diets require high amounts of sodium. The photograph above portrays a great "moose muck" area and as we can see this moose is loving the nutrients it is providing her.