Massachusetts Moose Rut

  

Moose are on the move in Massachusetts with the fall rut in full swing. Several cameras have recorded a few respectable bulls, but there are much bigger out there. I’m hoping to get a good daytime video of a majestic bull.

There are acorns everywhere! A far cry from last year’s acorn crop. I’m still finding plenty of concord grapes. I’m actually surprised given the bear traffic in some of these areas.

I was in new beaver habitat a few weeks ago that got me a bit pumped for new opportunities in 2025. I set up a few cameras and went back last week to explore some more. To my surprise the upper beaver dam let go sending volumes of water downstream, which breached the second dam. What were two beaver ponds two weeks ago are now mud flats. I did see a little beaver sign that might suggest a rebuild on the once larger pond. I’ll wait to late Oct. to check it out again.

Jim

Where Are The Bears

 

Where are the bears ? Find the seasonal food sources. Bears are now in a stage called hyperphagia. What that means is binge eating. Bears  need to fatten up  in the next few months before searching for a winter den. Right now, they are eating apples, grapes, nuts, and plants, such as Jewelweed. The video shows a young bear feeding on jewelweed as it crosses a beaver dam. https://youtu.be/AwAMspubGqw

Last week while checking a fisher camera trap set there were broken white oak  branches on the ground. You could see  where the branches had been ripped from the tree  and there were no acorns on them. The bark on the tree was disturbed ,and about seven feet up there were bear claw marks. This is a first for me, finding this type of bear sign. There is a fisher scent post a few feet away with a camera trap set. Might that  trail camera provide any information? Checking the SD card when I got home showed a young bear had visited this area numerous days  looking for  acorns beginning September 6^th. I set a camera trap watching the base of the oak tree. Hopefully, it will continue visiting.

                                        White Oak branch ripped from tree

Jim