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Northern Minnesota January 2021
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| The moose is Minnesota's largest wild animal, and Minnesota is one of the few states that have moose. The largest member of the deer family, averaging 950 to 1,000 pounds and sometimes exceeding 1,200 pounds. Its antlers sometimes measure five feet across and weigh up to 40 pounds. Northeastern Minnesota is home to the last stronghold of moose in the state. Sadly, the region's population of this animal has been in decline since 2006. That year an estimated 8,800 moose still roamed across Lake, Cook, and St. Louis counties. For the best chance of seeing one of these massive creatures, we suggest driving the Gunflint Trail National Scenic Byway. The Gunflint Trail is a 57-mile long paved road that traverses the heart of moose country. Moose thrive in boggy lowlands where they can stay cool and have plenty of food available. |
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| Many animals hibernate or migrate to warmer climates in winter, but Minnesota's Lynx are specially adapted to endure cold weather. In addition to a thick winter coat, the lynx has wide, padded, furry paws that work like snowshoes to help the big cat survive winter's difficult conditions. We have up to 200 lynx now live in Minnesota. |
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| Floyd & Linda Ruggles 1/2021 |
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| The area we were exploring was a mix of habitats, some recent clearcuts, some younger and middle-aged woods as well. It was mostly aspen, along with some pockets of spruce and balsam fir which is where I had seen most of the moose sign last year. It didn’t take long to discover that the moose were still in the vicinity. We first found an old set of tracks in the same area as last year. In deep snow, my first impression of moose tracks is that they look like human tracks, albeit from a very long-legged human. But after following a set of old tracks, we soon discovered more recent tracks and those eventually led to even more recent tracks, including some where the big split hooves of at least two and probably three different moose were visible. Further down an ever-narrowing logging road, we found where the moose had been actively feeding within the last day or so. The evidence of moose browsing is always impressive. Shrubs and small trees up to a couple inches in diameter can be found just snapped off as the moose key in on the freshest and highest buds they can reach. The height at which moose can browse is also surprising. We were standing on nearly two feet of crusted snow, which gave me a reach of nearly ten feet off the ground, yet I could find branches browsed even above my reach. |
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It’s clear that long legs, a relatively long neck and an extraordinarily long head, give the moose a reach that extends far beyond that of any other herbivore in Northern Minnesota. The moose droppings, soon found a recent moose bed in the snow, which was enormous by the scale of a typical deer bed. The both of us could have easily laid down in the giant impression in the snow with room to spare. Understanding the reach of a browsing moose and then seeing the size of their bed reminds you very quickly that these really are enormous animals. It’s interesting to note that the moose we tracked recently are considered outside Minnesota’s primary moose range, which has contracted to the east across the Arrowhead in recent years. Right now, the primary moose range, as determined by the DNR, starts just east of Tower, where deer densities begin to fall off. Outside the primary range, moose are typically found in more isolated pockets, like this group of animals I’ve been tracking. The good news is that the moose population has stabilized in northeastern Minnesota after about a decade of decline. I’d like to think that these animals are part of a tentative recovery in areas outside the primary range.
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Photo Gallery
Northern Minnesota
January 2021
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Click to enlarge photos
Northern Minnesotal January 2021
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| A moose cow and calf in northern Minnesota January 2021 |
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