Moose Habitat After Logging

by Rafi
(Ontario)

We visited a site that had been logged 6 to 12 months ago. A vast land that hardly had any standing trees except at the edges of course. Within the first hour of the hunt, we saw and shot a cow Moose. We spent the next 5 days in the same area on ATV's and trucks and must have put over 500 KM driving around and did not see a thing,I thought that was strange.

So this year we returned to the same area and the newly grown trees were about 4-5 feet. Again we spent hours and hours on ATV's and in trucks driving the trails... not a single moose in sight!!!!

So I am beginning to think that the first moose we shot was simply a fluke, there are no moose around here. Hence the question, after an area has been logged hard, when would the moose come back?

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How Logging Affects Moose Habitat
by: Mark - Site Owner

Thanks for the question Rafi.

Logging has long term effects on the habitat for moose. Initially moose will not utilize a newly logged because of loss of food and shelter. Although they will cross these areas (which may be how you found your cow moose) if the food and shelter is not there, neither will the moose be.

As the low growing brush regrows, if it is of sufficient quality as moose forage the moose will return. This can take anywhere from 3-5 years or more depending on the environment and climate.

There are of course other reasons you may not have seen any moose. If there had been an extraordinary amount of human influence in the area the moose may have moved into deeper cover. During the late fall moose generally seek out areas deeper into the forest and are not going to be found out in the open. Also predators can and will play a large roll in the locations of the moose populations.

For instance; wolves moving into an area can displace an entire moose population from a valley or area.

It is difficult for me to say definitively when moose will return to an area after large scale logging has occurred. The best advice I can give is to go out and look for fresh sign. If you are unable to find areas that moose have been frequenting in your chosen area I suggest you move to a new area. Keeping in mind of course that in not too many years down the road the moose will return to feed and raise their young in that area.

I hope my long winded answer has answered your question.

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